Dr Robert Bell -- experiences? Really struggling to make a decision (long)

I think you should talk to Dr Aranow again. The nurse said he was likely to recomend the gastric bypass this is the nurses opion not Dr A.s you have gone this far with him I would discuss these new test results with him. The nurse said the exact same thing to my friend .when she talked to Dr A. he had no problem going forward with the band. Don't jump ship so quickly.

I had Dr. Bell do my surgery and he is GREAT!  I think you should totally have a consultation with him, I just think you might have to wait a bit...since he so good he's in high demand!

Good Luck!
~juju

I did not use Dr Bell however I researched him thoroughly for the VSG.  Cir****tances led me to have my surgery in FL instead of home in CT, otherwise I would have used Dr Bell. 

While I have not met him, the information I received from his office and the professionalism of the staff was impressive.  I've spoken with half a dozen different practices before I made a decision.  Unlike so many others, they did not blow me off with 'attend a seminar...'.  If his staff reflects on him, I would have been glad to work with him.   His was the only office that stated they were certain they could build a case well enough to get the VSG approved, although my insurance does not normally cover this procedure.   

Given there is no turning back once this is done, in your position I would persue this with Dr Bell.  It is expensive and $$ is hard to come by for most of us.  In the end, its worth it to be absolutely certain you've explored all possibilities. 

Good luck, whatever your decision. 

I did have Dr. Bell~he is an incredible surgeon!  He has support groups the first Tuesday of every month...at 6PM in the basement of his Temple Street office...and he attends all the meetings...the meetings are for people with questions...I can understand your worry about the process starting over...it took me 22 months from start to finish...but my life has changed so much!!  pu**** with Dr. Bells office...you will not be disappointed!

Dr. Bell is the best-I saw 5 other surgeons in both the Hartford, Middletown, and New Haven area-I was even scheduled for the Band.  I liked the idea of the VSG-you don't have to go for fills with the band.  I was told that the bypass was not recommended for me, due to a chronic medical problem by 3 other surgeons-yet a St Francis doc wanted to do it anyhow, and refused to discuss the VSG.  Dr. Bell is thorough, yet does not make you go through unnecessary testing-he evaluates you and then decides what you need.  The reason he has the psy, and nutrition done first is to see if you are a candidate for the surgery.  When you see him he does not rush you-spends all time you need, and answers all your questions.  His nurse is not very pleasant-she is very condesending, and is like an Army sargent=but Dr Bell is the best, and has been doing the VSG since it was in trials for weight loss.  I would suggest you go to the Tuesday meetings-he is always there, and will talk to you then.  In the meantime I would get everything to him-you can just ask Aranow's office for copies of the psy and nutrition eval.  Have them send them to you, and then send them on to Dr. bell-make copies for your records.  Once they take you on-they will call you with a group meeting date, and then it moves forward-I was at the group meeting in his office in November, and was schedule for January surgery-insurance was a problem, so had to postpone until April, but his office fought for me.  Good luck-of all the surgeons I interviewed he is the best.  Post op when I had a question I emailed him, and he responded within 1-2 hours.
Jeanne

Thanks, again, for all the great advice here. I had my psych consult today and it went really well. No problems there, so she'll be sending a clearance letter to Dr Aranow and I asked her to send me a copy as well. My endoscopy is Friday (trying not to be too nervous) and I have my follow-up nutritionist meeting in 2 weeks. 

Once I have both my clearances and I know for sure what the results/recommendations from the endoscopy are, I'll see what my next steps are. 

Hope everyone is doing great!

Who is doing your endoscopy?

 Edmund Chang of Middlesex Gastroenterology Associates. Do you have any experiences with him?

Nope, I had two other guys in that office. I now use Zimmerman, if I need another scopie done, out of Old Saybrook. He's super wonderful.

 And so the saga continues...

I made it through my endoscopy. Dr Chung's group was excellent. I have my follow-up appt with him on July 10th but I already know that he dilated my esophagus when they did the endoscopy because I did have stricturing. 

In the meantime I passed my psyche evaluation. I asked the Dr to send me a copy of the letter she was sending to Dr Aranow and she did, thankfully. So in the next few weeks I will speak with Dr Aranow to see what his thoughts are on the surgery. I will also send a copy of the psyche clearance to Dr Bell's office in the hopes of getting in to see him to discuss VSG. 

It's funny, I went into this process thinking I *only* wanted the band. Now I'm almost sure that I don't want the band because I just have a feeling that I'll have problems with it eventually with my esophagus. Now it's between RNY and VSG -- 2 procedures I would have never considered in the beginning.

Hubby is aware of what's going on and is supportive. He trusts me to do my research and make the right decision for me. He brings up my surgery sometimes and, to me, that's a good sign that he's becoming more comfortable with the eventuality of me getting it.

I am going to a RNY support group tonight at Middlesex and will go to the next session Dr Bell offers too. At least I'm trying to be well informed!

Hope everyone in CT is surviving without any sun. This is getting ridiculous!