Houston OR Olsen which 1 should I pick?

I would like to hear your experiences with these surgeons. When and if I finally get to have my surgery I want one of these two and I am having trouble deciding. I've heard soooo many wonderful things on both of them and their staff which of course is the same. I am definitely going with Centennial I just can't decide on which surgeon. I would love to hear what you have to say about them both. Maybe then I can decide

While you are the only one who can choose who is right for you, I love Dr. Houston. He is great. I tell everyone that... he is a fairly quiet man, sticks to the facts which sometimes comes across as cold or lacking bedside manner, but when/if (and Lord forbid it should be the case) you need him, he is there. I had a stricture and finally 8 1/2 weeks I was hospitalized and my family wasn't able to make it down to the hospital. Dr. Houston made sure I was taken care of. My roommate had him as his surgeon too and when I hollered out to him, "this person wants to know Dr. Olsen or Dr. Houston!" his words were... 'DR HOUSTON!" lol Good luck!

Hi melissa, I agee with her dr. houston was my dr also and he was there for me all the way surgery and both hospial stays. but their both great. good luck keep us infromed! sue w

Hello Melissa .... while Dr Huston and Dr Olsen are great, and a little younger . I have to say DR David Dyer is actually the most experienced in all types of surgery with over 20 years in surgery . All 3 surgeons are at the Tace buliding and all three share an office but my Dr.Dyer even gives you a card with his home phone number on it ..just in case of emergencies ,he said he did not care if it was a holiday or a Sunday .. ... he has helped me tremendously even when my gall bladder went bad even way before my surgery ,... he pushed everything out of the way just for me to have the surgery and one time he did not like the way my legs looked during a routine exam , and whisked me immediately over to the hospital(Centennial is right across the street ) to have everything checked out he stayed late just so he could get the report ... only then was I allowed to go home .. I cannot tell you how lucky I feel to have Dr Dyer as my surgeon I am in awe of him . such a caring man, a true surgeon and doctor in every sense of the word ...... also I want to wish you the very best of luck on your forthcoming surgery whichever Dr. you decide on!! oh ,and Dr Dyer even has his own surgery page for posts .. He is also born and raised right here in Tennessee

I also forgot to mention... Dr. H is a hottie...

A surgeon being a hottie is fine if .. I am going to date him but .... if he is going to operate on me ...and take care of me afterwards. long term care ..... going out with or drooling over a man is one thing ...my feelings of security and trust is quite another , the two do not mix .... I want the most experienced and caring , and I want him there for me when and if I ever need him day, night, weekends, or holidays........ I must say though all three surgeons are very capable and serious about their professions ... and top notch surgeons I have personally met all three of them.

Hi Melissa, I chose Dr. Houston and I think Melinda described him perfectly...he is quiet and may come off as cold but he is very caring and when the time comes, he will show this. I was being very hard on myself shortly after my open RNy and he was the one who told me at my appt. that I had a hard time and he was very warm and caring with me. I want to also say something about Dr. Olsen. He was on call one weekend when I had to call and he returned my call personally within 5 minutes and was super nice and very reassuring. He has been described by some as cold and hard but he was very nice to me and helped me through a rough weekend. So I think you will be in good hands with whoever you choose!

What it all comes down to is: there are many surgeons in the Nashville area who are wonderful... I know people here on the board who swear by their surgeon at Baptist, others at Vanderbilt, some that used to practice over at Summit, then Centennial... But honestly it all comes down to the research on those doctors, meeting them perhaps at seminars, or an office visit should you be serious about one, and then making the choice by what you feel is the best decision (guided by the facts of course). I had chosen one surgeon before my surgery but I had that nagging feeling that I had made a wrong decision... and it remained with me until I changed doctors. I know people who have gone to that same doctor and did excellent, but for me, for whatever reason, it wasn't the right choice. I hope you are able to sort things out and come to your best decision soon...

I want to thank each of *****plied! I had heard so many great things about Dr. Houston and was definitely going to use him until I went to the seminar at which Dr. Olsen spoke. Before the seminar was over I had 100% total confidence in him. I could have went straight into surgery right then and there. He made me feel he was totally capable of giving me a successful surgery. Now that it has been a while since I attended the seminar those feelings have somewhat dwindled, (probably just cold feet). I have never met Dr. Houston in person but have emailed his office actually having HIMSELF to respond which I thought was very humble and personal of him. Everyone that I know personally has had Dr. Houston for their surgeon and things have went great with them. The only thing that concerns me about Dr. Houston is that he doesn't use drain tubes where other doctors do. I will need to study that one some more and see what the pros and cons are for not using them. Maybe some of you know about that. For now I must lose 30 lbs, obtain the rest of my medical records and hope for approval. I've actually lost 10 lbs. but gained at least 4 back. It is so HARD to do. Losing 30 lbs. for me is like climbing Mt. Everest. I was doing so well on my diet but then started getting cold feet about the surgery so bad that I sabotaged my own self. I have no support from my family to have the surgery. All of my family is very super morbidly obese just like me. It's as though they expect me to stay just like them and don't want me to change. Being obese is the "norm" to them. When I mention the surgery to them they just bru**** off. My mama says she had rather have me living fat than to die trying to get thin. They say I can do it on my own if I want it bad enough. But I know that if I could do it on my own that I would not be contemplating a life altering surgery. My husband is supportive but I think it is just because he is so tired being married to a fat wife that he is ready for me to try anything. The only true unbiased support is what I get from this website from people who have been in my shoes. I want to thank each of you for taking time to respond and help me with this life altering decision. Each of you are truly a blessing. Thanks for letting me vent also! Blessings! Melissa