Trying to understand Dr. Aranow's style

Hi friends! I am just beginning my WLS trek. This week I attended the first orientation session at Middlesex Hospital. I am scheduled to attend Dr. Barba's orientation session at St. Francis on 8/12/05, and so I am going to have to make a choice very soon. My first impression of Dr. Aranow is that he is very confident of his skill, and an effective communicator and very humorous . But... You knew this was coming didn't you: he almost sounds "****y" and "egotistical." Am I being too judgmental? Am I out to lunch? Have I misinterpretted his attitude? Your opinions would be helpful. Ken P.

Hello Ken, Dr. Aranow is a wonderful surgeon, alot of our WLS friends on this site have him or had him and think he is wonderflul. Kathy K on our board can tell you alot about him, she has worked closely with him since her surgery. If your not doing anything tomorrow we are having a summer picnic at 11am at Harkness Park in Waterford. Everyone from the website in CT will be there and it would be a great opportunity to meet alot of us who have had the surgery or are thinking about it. Come on down and have some fun and meet new friends. Thanks again for your wonderful email you sent to me. Hugs KimC

Ken, I don't know about Dr. A - a lot of people on this site absolutely love him but I did go to Dr. Barba's session. He doesn't act ****y, seems to have a good bedside manner. I still decided against having him perform my surgery but I know someone who did and she was very happy. She also had no complications and only had to see him for scheduled appointments. I think it is an individual decision and it's most important for you to feel comfortable with your choice in surgeons. If neither of these are for you, keep looking, you'll know when you've meet the right surgeon for you. Good luck, Nancy K

Hi Ken! Welcome to your new Journey! We are happy to have you here! I went to both sessions also, with Dr. Aranow and Dr. Barba. I made my decision based on the statistics of who has had less complications with post op issues. With 3 little kids, that was the most important part of the decision. That's all I'll write about that. ;) Email me directly if you have any questions, as I know what you are going through. Love, Tammy

Ken, Both my husband and I had surgery with Dr. Aranow this past winter. He is wonderful on a one on one basis. Your health is his top priority and he takes no chance on anything that might seem wrong. I had a slight fever after surgery and he refused to release me from the hospital until it was gone for 24 hours, and he had all these tests run while he was there to interpret them. He is very thorough. Yes, you should be comfortable with your surgeons personality so the decision is very personal. Best of luck to you! Kristin RNY 2/15/05 376/264/?

Ken, Dr A is very successful for a reason, he has a very strict protocol that you must follow and if you do he will perform your surgery and you will be a success. Its pretty simple really, my PCP is only recommending Dr A now after much confusion on the part of a patient of hers trying to go to Dr Barba, they left her to get her own tests scheduled. Its your decision, but frankly I found Dr A to be very thorough and straight forward, something I like in a surgeon and I would have no one else do my surgery if I had it to do over. I haven't had one issue and am 3 months out from surgery, off my diabetes meds and doing well. Heidi

Ken, Best of luck with your choice for a new life. First and foremost please realize that healthcare is a business. Bariatric surgery is certainly a large and growing cash cow for all hospitals. You should expect everyone at any facility to be smiley and happy as they court you for your insurance dollars. So as you go and listen to the speeches, the explainations as to why you should go to that specific facility, please apply the same amount of care you do to buying a new car. Ask the important question. What is the infection/complication rate of your physician,how many procedures has he or she done, who covers for your surgeon while they are not in house? Is it a surgeon of comparable experience or a resident. There are many questions. I recently had surgery by Dr. Aranow. You may choose to go with first impressions, but he is also an excellent surgeon with an impressive track record.

I had surgery with Dr. A on 12/27. He has a "my way or the highway" way of operating. I feel he is like that because it will almost weed people out... meaning... if you dont play by his rules... He is a wonderful, talented surgeon and I would recommend him to anyone anytime. Good luck! Beckie