And.....which DS surgeons deserve our business?
(deactivated member)
on 9/3/10 10:30 am
on 9/3/10 10:30 am
I have wanted to say this and maybe I should have said it sooner, if so, I am sorry.
Lori, the one who was just revised by Dr. K and had Dr. Foote prior to that, also had an RNY done in 2002. I am not sure who the surgeon was, but it is possible that some of the problems stemmed from her first surgery.
Lori is a very sweet person and tries hard, I think, but she just cannot communicate and / or read medical terminology. I don't believe that she truly understands what was done with the first surgery or the second. Probably the only one that knows for sure is Dr. K. at this point.
Just my .02.
Michele
Lori, the one who was just revised by Dr. K and had Dr. Foote prior to that, also had an RNY done in 2002. I am not sure who the surgeon was, but it is possible that some of the problems stemmed from her first surgery.
Lori is a very sweet person and tries hard, I think, but she just cannot communicate and / or read medical terminology. I don't believe that she truly understands what was done with the first surgery or the second. Probably the only one that knows for sure is Dr. K. at this point.
Just my .02.
Michele
Ok, I'm sticking my nose in and giving my two cents worth. I have been concerned with the overall impression everyone has of Dr. Foote because of all of the problems with Lori. I am certainly very sorry for her situation and don't wish that on anyone. I sort of feel that no one knows completely all of the details, so it makes me a little upset that people are making judgments about Dr. Foote based upon her problems.
Here is my experience with GHP and Dr. Foote:
When you go to their seminar, you can get any of the three surgeons giving you the presentation. I happened to get Dr. Foote. Going in, I had no idea that I was going to end up wanting the DS. So after you have the seminar, they schedule you for your initial consultation with the internist. At that appointment, he asked me which surgeon I wanted. I didn't really know anything about any of the surgeons; so I just picked Foote because he's the one who did my seminar. Then as I learned more, and decided I wanted the DS, I found out that Kemmeter and Foote do the DS, and Baker does not. Ok, good. Then I started getting messages from certain people here telling me to switch to Kemmeter because they felt like Foote was a bait and don't switch dr., that a lot of his patients ended up with just a VSG because he really likes to do them. I discussed this with him and his scheduler. I told them both, in no uncertain terms, that all I wanted was the DS - nothing else, and if he didn't feel like he could deliver on that, that I wanted to switch to Kemmeter. He assured me that he saw no reasons, health-wise, that he couldn't give me a full DS.
Fast forward to my surgery. He spent about a half an hour talking to me, my mom, and my sister before I went into surgery. He took the time to explain the whole procedure to them, which really helped them understand it better than I could. I told him I would prefer for him to take out my appendix and gall bladder while he was in there - so he did. My surgery went extremely well, I just had a hard time coming out of anesthesia. He was there in my room to check on me when I finally came to my senses, even though it was like 9 pm. The next day, he came to check on me. The following day, they had thought I was having a complication (which ended up just being poor pain management on the part of the nursing staff) - he came to check on me at 11:00 pm, even though the PA was already there.
I have been nothing but happy with my experience with him. He gave me exactly what I wanted, what I asked for. My scars are almost non-existent. He proved to me that he actually cared about me, and has provided me with excellent follow-up care. I have had amazing results, and I am healthy. I could really ask for nothing better than what I have gotten, and the best part is that his office is 45 minutes away from my house.
Now - if I were to ever be in need of a revision, I highly doubt that I would seek help from GHP, simply because they are not experienced revision surgeons. We all know, going into this, that the possibility of a revision, although hopefully never necessary, certainly does exist - for a lot of different reasons. I think the best option for anyone in need of a revision is to find a highly experienced revision surgeon rather than pressing their luck with a surgeon who just doesn't have that sort of experience.
Here is my experience with GHP and Dr. Foote:
When you go to their seminar, you can get any of the three surgeons giving you the presentation. I happened to get Dr. Foote. Going in, I had no idea that I was going to end up wanting the DS. So after you have the seminar, they schedule you for your initial consultation with the internist. At that appointment, he asked me which surgeon I wanted. I didn't really know anything about any of the surgeons; so I just picked Foote because he's the one who did my seminar. Then as I learned more, and decided I wanted the DS, I found out that Kemmeter and Foote do the DS, and Baker does not. Ok, good. Then I started getting messages from certain people here telling me to switch to Kemmeter because they felt like Foote was a bait and don't switch dr., that a lot of his patients ended up with just a VSG because he really likes to do them. I discussed this with him and his scheduler. I told them both, in no uncertain terms, that all I wanted was the DS - nothing else, and if he didn't feel like he could deliver on that, that I wanted to switch to Kemmeter. He assured me that he saw no reasons, health-wise, that he couldn't give me a full DS.
Fast forward to my surgery. He spent about a half an hour talking to me, my mom, and my sister before I went into surgery. He took the time to explain the whole procedure to them, which really helped them understand it better than I could. I told him I would prefer for him to take out my appendix and gall bladder while he was in there - so he did. My surgery went extremely well, I just had a hard time coming out of anesthesia. He was there in my room to check on me when I finally came to my senses, even though it was like 9 pm. The next day, he came to check on me. The following day, they had thought I was having a complication (which ended up just being poor pain management on the part of the nursing staff) - he came to check on me at 11:00 pm, even though the PA was already there.
I have been nothing but happy with my experience with him. He gave me exactly what I wanted, what I asked for. My scars are almost non-existent. He proved to me that he actually cared about me, and has provided me with excellent follow-up care. I have had amazing results, and I am healthy. I could really ask for nothing better than what I have gotten, and the best part is that his office is 45 minutes away from my house.
Now - if I were to ever be in need of a revision, I highly doubt that I would seek help from GHP, simply because they are not experienced revision surgeons. We all know, going into this, that the possibility of a revision, although hopefully never necessary, certainly does exist - for a lot of different reasons. I think the best option for anyone in need of a revision is to find a highly experienced revision surgeon rather than pressing their luck with a surgeon who just doesn't have that sort of experience.
~Heather~
HW: 249/ CW: 130/ GW: 140
Dr. Greenbaum was my surgeon and did an excellent job on me. He did have a little difficulty because my pouch was so small at the time. I had a revision from RNY to DS. But, he did an excellent job in my opinion.
Yes, I developed a leak. I was gagging too hard and literally tore a staple. But, it was a contained leak. And no fluids leaked out. I was lucky.
Dr. G will listen to you and is very open to questions. He seemed a bit worried about people and their non compliance as far as supplements was concerned. Commended me on keeping up with mine. THANK YOU VITALADY !!!
Overall, he cares, is skilled and stresses follow-up care. Which is very important. He also recognizes the difference between a DSers needs and an RNYers needs. Damned important.
Dana
Yes, I developed a leak. I was gagging too hard and literally tore a staple. But, it was a contained leak. And no fluids leaked out. I was lucky.
Dr. G will listen to you and is very open to questions. He seemed a bit worried about people and their non compliance as far as supplements was concerned. Commended me on keeping up with mine. THANK YOU VITALADY !!!
Overall, he cares, is skilled and stresses follow-up care. Which is very important. He also recognizes the difference between a DSers needs and an RNYers needs. Damned important.
Dana
I realize I am not very far out but I have been very impressed with the surgical / medical aspects of Dr. Ikramuddin's practice at the U of MN. He works in the same clinic with Dr. Buchwald and learned the DS from him. The main difference is that Dr. I will do the DS lap whereas Buchwald only does it open. There are good things about both. As is said with lots of practices, the NUT support of this clinic is lacking. But I think Dr. I is top notch and I would trust him to do any other surgery on any family member at any time.
Nancy Remember what you deserve. Be good to you. Do good to you.
5'11" HW 419 / SW 382 / CW 205 / GW 180
5'11" HW 419 / SW 382 / CW 205 / GW 180
Dr Daryl Stewart in Denton, Texas!!!
Not only is he a vetted DS surgeon, but his staff has made a concentrated and sincere effort (with the assistance of a few of our very own DS'ers) to update their patient education for their DS patients. They now recommend a high fat, high protein, low carb approach and give us the information that has helped many, many people achieve outstanding success.
He is quiet, non-confrontational, but very caring. He is a bit shy, but lights up when he talks about a subject he is passionate about. Weight loss surgery, and especially the DS, is one of those subjects.
I traveled from Chicago to Texas for my DS, and he was VERY accommodating regarding my travel back home. He changed his schedule to see me the day before I left, and couldn't have made me feel more at home.
He has reasonable self-pay rates (one of the reasons I chose him), outstanding outcomes (most all of his patients on OH make goal), and takes a conservative approach in regard to common channel, basing length on BMI. He does make a very small sleeve, which he defends by his theory that the smaller the sleeve, the less the chance of regain. He's willing to coordinate with my PCP here in Chicago, and with the help of email and faxes of lab results, I KNOW I'm getting the best of both worlds.
4 stars for Dr Stewart!
Not only is he a vetted DS surgeon, but his staff has made a concentrated and sincere effort (with the assistance of a few of our very own DS'ers) to update their patient education for their DS patients. They now recommend a high fat, high protein, low carb approach and give us the information that has helped many, many people achieve outstanding success.
He is quiet, non-confrontational, but very caring. He is a bit shy, but lights up when he talks about a subject he is passionate about. Weight loss surgery, and especially the DS, is one of those subjects.
I traveled from Chicago to Texas for my DS, and he was VERY accommodating regarding my travel back home. He changed his schedule to see me the day before I left, and couldn't have made me feel more at home.
He has reasonable self-pay rates (one of the reasons I chose him), outstanding outcomes (most all of his patients on OH make goal), and takes a conservative approach in regard to common channel, basing length on BMI. He does make a very small sleeve, which he defends by his theory that the smaller the sleeve, the less the chance of regain. He's willing to coordinate with my PCP here in Chicago, and with the help of email and faxes of lab results, I KNOW I'm getting the best of both worlds.
4 stars for Dr Stewart!
* Take 1 DS, add a little p90x and stir :)5' 3" HW 293/SW 253/Goal 130/CW 128
Tassia,
I agree about Dr. Stewart. He is an excellent DS surgeon and very skilled at lap DS also. He takes on super super obese patients without problems. You mentioned he's vetted. I can't find him listed on the OH website as a vetted, approved surgeon. Who does the vetting and lists the surgeons? His name deserves to be there in my opinion.
I agree about Dr. Stewart. He is an excellent DS surgeon and very skilled at lap DS also. He takes on super super obese patients without problems. You mentioned he's vetted. I can't find him listed on the OH website as a vetted, approved surgeon. Who does the vetting and lists the surgeons? His name deserves to be there in my opinion.
Steve,
I believe she means "vetted" on the DSfacts.com surgeon list. Unfortunately the OH list is woefully incorrect, since surgeons can modify their own listings and categories.
The DS "find a surgeon" list here actually lists surgeons who are known bait-and-don't-switchers, never performed a single DS! That's why I'm so glad that the vetted list exists.
Jenna
I believe she means "vetted" on the DSfacts.com surgeon list. Unfortunately the OH list is woefully incorrect, since surgeons can modify their own listings and categories.
The DS "find a surgeon" list here actually lists surgeons who are known bait-and-don't-switchers, never performed a single DS! That's why I'm so glad that the vetted list exists.
Jenna
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