Albert T Spaw Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

Having a revision from lapband to gastric bypass

I want to let everyone know that Dr. Albert Spaw is one of the best physicians and surgeons I have ever had the pleasure to meet. He is kind, wants to make sure that his patients are informed and well educated about their procedure; and takes the time to actually talk to you and get to know all about you. I had some difficulty with my insurer, and Dr. Spaw and his staff were right there with me every step of the way, supporting me, and we stuck it out together until the end. Dr. Spaw is a true prince among men, and I am grateful that he will be performing my procedure.

I first heard of Dr Spaw through my PCP, and then later through a friend at work that also went to him for WLS surgery. I heard he was the best, and my PCP rarely refers you to a specific doctor, she will send you to a 'group' or office. My first impression was in the middle of the road. I wasn't sure how to take him at first. He is very personable and full of energy. I think I thought it was a put on at first, just to put me at ease. After meeting with him in his office and later at the hospital I realized that was just his personality. He cares about his patients and that they are healthy. His staff was easy to work with, they handled my case and had me approved in less than 2 weeks. They never once made me feel FAT or less of a person, even though all of them were thin. The one thing you should know about this Dr. is if you aren't sure about this surgery, he will not let you do it. He wants you to be comfortable about the outcomes and what to expect. It's one thing to be nervous, but doubt is a no-no for going forward. Dr. Spaw will not let you schedule a surgery date unless you sign mountains of paperwork, part of that being about your scheduled aftercare and when he expects to see you. If you do not commit to the after care, he refuses to take you as a patient. He verbally covered all of the risks, in addition, he provides a personal website for you to watch a video and then submit your questions to him. I rate him a 9 1/2. Hey, you said a perfect score was suspect, besides, the only hiccup in this entire procedure was that he forgot to leave my prescriptions before I left the hospital - so he called them in. Surgical competence of course is the most important. I don't care if you have the personality of a piece of toast if you are a master in your field. Dr Spaw has a great bedside manner to add to the rest. I was very lucky to have found him. My surgery was a great Christmas present! On the date of my first post op visit he seemed more excited than I was about my weight loss and lack of need for insulin. You WILL NOT go wrong with Dr. Spaw!

Dr. Spaw seems to be a very compassionate person. He is very open to questions and has taken the time to discuss any concerns I have. He is very open about the risk of surgery and my particular risk as far as the health issue I am dealing with. The office staff has been wonderful and very infomative, especially where insurance is concerned.

I felt comfortable with Dr. Spaw the first time I met him. I was referred to him by one of Dr. Husted's patients (who is in CA now). He explained every detail of the surgery to me. He made sure there were no questions left unanswered or any doubt in my mind at what was going to happen or what I could expect.rnMy surgery day came and before I saw anyone, here came Dr. Spaw to see how I was. I could set my watch when he would be sitting in my hospital room. He checked on me several times while I was out. I came back to work too soon and had to go back on STD, he even checked on me then.rnHe is my biggest supporter. He is never short of kind words to say. I am SO glad that I chose him as my surgeon. A scale of 10 is not enough to express how I feel about him. He has the best bed side manner of any doctor I have encountered and I feel he really cares about me as a person.

My impression of my Dr. Spaw is compassionate and informative. I was impressed with him the first time I met him. The office staff is GREAT, they hold your hand every step of the way and then some. Guys, from pre-op right now and from past patients this office is TOP!!!!

What an incredibly gifted, compassionate man! His nature is so gentle and sincere. From the first time I met him, I felt like he had known me and all my struggles and had been along for that rocky ride all along. He took his time and explained everything in detail to me, including any/all risks, and we decided together which surgery would be best for me. We decided on the RNY. rnrnProbably what I loved the most was that he described this surgery as a tool. That this isn't magic, but in having this surgery I am being given a tool to help me accomplish the goals that I want to accomplish... for me to be successful at something I have strived and strived for and never before been able to do. But it's going to take me being faithful to the program --- nutritionally and physically --- with the help of my \"tool\" --- to achieve this success.rnrnWhen I met with him again before surgery, he recapped what he'd be doing and was there to answer any questions I or my husband had. He was actually excited for me - and proud of me for taking this step... and told me so!rnrnHis office staff was fantastic. At no time did I feel like I was bugging them, even though toward the end I was calling every day looking for approval from insurance. rnrnAfter surgery, OH MY WORD! He was right there shortly after I was taken to my room from recovery. I hadn't been given any pain medication yet and was hurting pretty bad from the gas. He went straight out to the nurses and took care of that as if I were his wife or daughter! He checked on me several times throughout my stay --- each time telling me exactly where I was, how I was doing, etc. I never felt like he left me in the dark, with questions or concerns. He would come in and SIT and TALK, not just go over charts and leave. rnrnI had one small complication. I had some bleeding in my stool a couple of days after surgery. He was sure it was \"old\" blood -- just blood still in my system that needed to come out (it was dark, not bright red). He kept me in the hospital an extra day, because he said there was no way he was going to send me home bleeding. He ran several blood tests to make sure there was no infection and that my coagulation rate was on target. It ended up being no big deal, and was caused by the amount of blood thinner I was given. In the end, my take on it and what I told him was, if my choices are to have a little bleeding after surgery from too much blood thinner, or develop a blood clot from too little blood thinner, I'd much rather have a little more than needed. I also understand that this is something that they have generalities about with each surgery, but each patient is unique and they can never be 100% sure beforehand how each patient will react.rnrnThe biggest thing to me at this point was that he very much kept me in the loop - answering any questions, and that he took every precaution to make sure everything was ok before sending me home. He also called me the day after I got home - even though it was a Saturday! - to check and make sure everything was still ok.rnrnHe very much emphasizes aftercare -- both keeping your post-op appts. with him, and your PCP, but also exercising and sticking with the program nutritionally. (Back to the fact that this is a TOOL, not a magic fix.)rnrnOverall, there isn't a rating high enough for Dr. Spaw. He exceeded every expectation in every area (office visits, surgery itself - my scars look like cat scratches!, bedside manner in the hospital, etc.)

Dr. Spaw lead the information session at his office and was ava. for questions afterwards. I know that they say that no one is the \"best\" in everything, but what I have experienced so far in the last 4 months is contrary to that. His office staff remembers who you are even after only meeting you once, they call to make sure you are fine or if you have questions. Dr. Spaw himself even called. I am planning on attending the support groups at his office after surgery. I attended one prior to surgery too. I truly believe that as an entire office they are wanting the best for you as a person so you can develop into the person that you want to be. His bedside manner was awesome, my mother and husband were there several times when he would come in and he took the time to address their concerns and questions as well as my concerns and questions. At this point in time, I have had nothing but positive interactions with Dr. Spaw and his office.

Dr. Spaw is awesome. Every time I have contact with him or any of his staff, I am even more glad that I chose his office to work with. They are all so supportive and make you feel like you are the most important patient they deal with. Dr. Spaw takes the time to call his patients to check on them himself. He doesn't just delegate it to a staff member. I can't say enough wonderful things about them. I would highly reccomend Dr. Spaw to someone seriously considering bariatric surgery.

The first time I saw Dr. Spaw was at the informational seminar. I was kind of disappointed because I was expecting Dr. Husted. But as the seminar came to a close I was sure I wanted Dr. Spaw to do my surgery. I saw him the next day in his office along with Jennifer (who has since taken another position and is no longer with ccfos). All of the staff were very friendly, helpful and answered every question I had. Dr. Spaw has a wonderful sense of humor but also appears to be kind and caring. They do empasize aftercare, at the seminar he said \"you are basically married to us\" that means alot to me and my family.