Surgeon

For all you who had surgery in Bangor..... How many times did you see your surgeon before the actual surgery and what did the appointment consist of?

Hi! I am going to have lap. gastric on 12-14-07 with Dr. Lalor at EMMC in Bangor.  I first met him in a support group meeting, but first time one on one was during my consult which lasted for 2 hours total and 90 minutes straight with him, me, my mom and my husband.  I had two pages worth of questions and he answered every single one.  During that visit he went over detail by detail of what I can expect from the surgery, before and after.  He went over my health history (self and family) did a neuro exam (touch your nose kind of stuff) had me sign some paperwork, etc.  It was all very informative.  I was shocked to find out that I wouldn't see him again before the surgery, but he gave me his card and his email address and assured me that if I had any questions I could come back in to see him or email or call and he'd answer any questions I had.  I did see him again because he wanted to do an EGD because I have a history of ulcers.  I've already had it done and everything looked good so I am all clear for my surgery.  I have had to email him once about a question that I had and he responded to my message the next morning with a very clear answer. Who are you having do your surgery? Good Luck to you. ~Cathy

Thanks for the reply Cathy.  Dr. Lalor sounds wonderful. I don't as of yet have a surgeon.  I'm still in that deciding process.  Did you specifically ask for Dr. Lalor?  Why did you choose him? Email support sounds wonderful.  I'm a bit nervous about choosing a doctor that is 4 hours from me.  What if I need immediate attention?

I was deciding between Dr. Lalor and Dr. Toder.  I was told by one of the nutritionists that Dr. Lalor's schedule was more open then Dr. Toder's.  That is the reason why I chose him.  I really wanted to have my surgery done before the year ended mainly for insurance purposes because I have already met my deductibles so now the surgery will be covered at 100% and I'll only have to pay my copays.  It all worked out well.  My consult appointment was on 11/1 and I was approved for surgery on 11/9 and it's scheduled for 12/14.  So the turnaround time was really good for me.  I totally understand your hesitation with choosing a dr. that is so far away. For me, Bangor is about an hour and a half so I too was concerned about complications and him being so far away.  I asked him about this and he said that of course if I was having problems that I should go to the ER, but he wanted to be contacted first so that way if I am going to the ER he would be able to contact the doctors at the hospital to give them a heads up about me and he'd be able to direct my care that way.  I felt completely at ease when he said this to me.  He'd be the first to say that if you needed immediate attention then to go to the ER. Another thing that I liked about him was when I asked him about having children in my future if having this surgery would hurt my chances at all.  He answered with a no, but wanted to make sure that I included him with my care along with my OB/GYN so that way all of my doctors would have complete understanding of what I've been through and would still be able to maintain his care for me.  I thought this extra step that he'd be willing to take for me says alot about what kind of doctor he is.  He's not the kind that you just simply go to and have a quick surgery.  He cares about maintaining his contact with you to ensure continued good health.  That was really important to me. I wish you well with your decision.  I know it's a difficult one and I hope what I've written helps you in some small way. Take care, Cathy

Thanks Cathy. I'm hearing more and more wonderful things about Bangor and absolutly nothing about Dr. Jimenez. I'll be attending the class and support group Dec 7 and something tells me at that time I'll definately go forth with the Bangor doctors.

I saw Dr. Clough oncebefore surgery. He just talked to me about the surgery a little about my back ground with the weight and if I remember right it was about 1/2 hour visit. I truly like him and many do. Pam