Calling all Dr. Robin Blackstone Patients!!

Hi, As you all know I had my surgery in Flagstaff, but I have a friend who is having the surgery soon and is worried. She wants to have the surgery with my surgeon, but her ins. co. wants her to have it in Scottsdale with Dr. Blackstone. Will patients of Dr. Blackstone respond to this post their expierences and their comments on the Dr. so that I can print it and give it to her to ease her fears about this particular Dr.? I would appreciate it, she is looking forward to the surgery, but not sure about the travel to the valley and has never heard of Dr. Blackstone before. Thank You in advance!!!! Sondra

Hi Sondra! What are her fears about Dr. Blackstone? I personally think she is awesome... she is one of the most caring and kind people in the medical field I have ever met. She really does care about her patients and makes sure you are well educated on the journey you are about to take. Dr. Blackstone also took the time to put my family at ease prior to the surgery and day of my surgery... her and the staff communicated with my parents all morning and each morning after the surgery, Dr. Blackstone came and saw me. She even took out my drains and changed my bandages the day i left. She is definately a hands-on surgeon and wants everything to be safe and sound before she does surgery... therefore she is extremely detail oriented. Good Luck! ~Nicole

I am scheduled for surgery with Dr. Blackstone this Wednesday and I have to say that I may have chickened out if it had not been for her excellent reputation. She even had a TV special last January on one of the cable network channels. She is highly certified and actually very active in driving excellence home in ALL bariatric surgical centers. She has set her standards very high and expects the same from other centers. Her percentages of post surgical trauma, infections etc is so very much lower than all others. You really can check that out on the web if you do not believe me. Just search on her name. Once you see all of the fine work she has dedicated to this cause and how much she is currently involved with obesity initiatives you will be amazed! She appears to be a tough surgeon and likes things the way they should be. Isn't that a good thing? Isn't that what you would want for your children in a surgeon? Or your ailing parents? The very best? I think that is what you find when you have Dr. Blackstone as your surgeon. During my pre-op visit with Dr. Blackstone she was very easy to talk with. She brought the level of the conversation down to my level of understanding when it was appropriate. She also did not glaze over any of the hard work necessary after surgery to make this positive life change work PERMANENTLY!!! Please ask your friend to contact me at anytime to talk about my experience with SBC. I will have a broader experience to work from after this week since I get to go to the losing side (hopefully if I pass my mammogram and can drop the additonal 3 pounds in 3 days I need to!).

Best of luck on Wednesday Ellen! I'll be thinking of you!! Take good care, Katie

I'm a Blackstone Babe and have been for almost 3 years now. Her program is different now than when I had surgery, but the woman saved my life. I mean that, I'm not just offering platitudes. Everyone loves their own surgeon and thinks they walk on water, but I'm pretty sure that Dr. Blackstone is able to part the seas also. Your friend will be well taken care of. Connie

Dr. Blackstone is a great surgeon. She is the only surgeon in her office right now, but she was the only one when I had my surgery. She is a very caring surgeon. I am having a complication now and will be returning to her to see what the options are for a possible revision. Your friend will be in great hands. She is top notch and one of the best in the country. Deanne 11/9/04

Hey Sondra, Tell your friend she's in good hands! We have lots of choices down here for Drs and I chose Dr. Blackstone, she has a excellent reputation and a comprehensive program with lots of support. Dieticians, excercise psyiologists, psychologist are always readily available and support groups twice a month. You go through lots of medical testing beforehand and she has specific instructions to follow postop but she wants good results for you, her patient! She has specific meal plans and everything she does she does to prevent complications. I believe in over 2000 patients she has only lost one who had a very high BMI, like 96. I was very concerned about the risks of surgery because I have kids, but realized that the chance of dying from obesity is soooooooo much higher than the risks of surgery that I had to do something. I went to seminar twice before I was ready to do it. Maybe your friend can go to her seminar and check her out? Good way to meet her and get a feel for her. I broke down in her office on my pre-op visit and she was very sweet. Both she and her NP visited me each day in the hospital and it was over a weekend. I would also tell her to go to a support group as a preop where a lot of questions are answered by the staff and postop patients. I love the area up there, but whatever she decides if it were me I'd have the surgery at one of the hospitals down here as they likely do many more than up there and in this surgery experience does count. Hope this helps!! Katie ;-8

Sondra what everyone else is saying is true ! I doctor shop'ed almost all the Doctors here in the Valley and could nt have picked a better doctor than Blackstone - She really is awesome .. The whole staff is pretty caring . *** she belongs to a "center of Excellence**** The only thing I will tell you is that - You wont see her a lot other than in the hospital ! But thats O.K. ! Your paying for her Surgery skills ! the N.P. & nutritionist are great and will keep your friend on tract. I had my surgery back in July and as long as I stay on program I should do great ! Best wish's to your friend .

Sondra, Everyone can't be wrong. My husband had his with her Nov 6th, until he had his pre-op appointment with her, he thought the program was pretty involved, which it is, it makes a diference as to your success by having good information. They have a system down that walks you through everything, step by step. After he met Dr. B. and had a pretty indepth conversation with her, he came away impressed. He's an engineer, and is pretty hard on most doctor's. She was there to see him after surgery and both days in the hospital. The post op appointment he came away saying she was a really terrific doctor that was very easy to talk with. that's saying a lot, you want someone you feel cares about you and your outcome. She is also very careful about everything. Your friend will go through a lot of medical tests, some may even lead to other specialists getting involved, it's a precaution Dr. B is known for. Your friend is getting one of the country's leading surgeons in this field. Carole M.

Sondra, I am six months out and Dr Blackstone was my surgeon. What can I say? This woman has given me back my life with the surgery. I was 320 the day of my surgery and am now 218. Dr B required many tests for me because of my comorbidities and family history, includng a heart catherization and a colonoscopy 2 weeks before my surgery because she wanted to be SURE that my surgery would be a success. I had high BP, sleep apnea, edema, insulin resistance before the surgery and today I am med free(except for the vitamins). My mobility was so bad that all I did was work and go home and sleep.....my quality of life was non-existent. Today I am energetic and work out at the gym 5-6 times a week. My edema is gone and my legs and feet are normal. I am anemic and the NPs have been very vigilant about my blood levels. I feel like I am 23 again and wear smaller clothes than I did 20 years ago. This surgery is a tool and Dr B gives us so many resources both pre and post op. The staff has helped me so much exercise specialists, nutritionists, the psychologists are all available to help us succeed. I did not make this decision lightly and I am glad my insurance ONLY paid for her program. SBC is now a national Center of Excellence for bariatric surgery. Please have your friend contact me via email if she has any questions/concerns. SBC is now a VERY busy office but it is worth it! Good Luck, Kathy [email protected]