Need Surgeon referral for Savannah, GA

Can anyone recommend a surgeon in Savannah, GA? Who did you use and how did you feel about your experience with him/her? Thanks!

Dr. Angstadt will be doing the RNY surgery on me on May 19th. HE IS AWESOME! He does all kinds of things that other surgeons don't do to insure that we don't get leaks. He puts the new pouch in a puddle of saline to check for bubbles (leaks), he requires a swallow test (barium swallow - x-ray shows the fluid going down) to see if there are leaks the morning after, and he inserts a g-tube into the old stomach so that any build up of acid will vent out into a bag instead of up toward the sutures (and possibly bursting them). He is professional, and his staff is AMAZING! The big bariatric society (american academy of bariatrics, or whatever it's called) is giving honors to certain bariatric programs that follow specific guidelines. They are calling them "Centers of Excellence." Memorial Bariatrics (Angstadt works with Memorial) is a provisional center of excellence... they have everything in and confirmed - they just need some more surgeries "under their belt" (so to speak). Some insurance companies are now saying that you can't have bariatric surgery unless it's at a center of excellence... so this is a big feather in Memorials cap. Angstadt is at the top of his field for laproscopic surgery. He is a gastroenterologist who specializes in RNY/ lapband. I trust him with my life. He has also NEVER lost a patient. AND - he looks EXACTLY LIKE RICHARD GERE!!!!! LOL In order for you to even start the process, you have to go to their Wednesday night seminar at the Memorial auditorium. That's where you will get the basic info on what Memorial Bariatrics does, and that's where you will meet Steffanie (the insurance person) who will pass out the paperwork. If you want to call her to see what her experience has been with your insurance company, her number is 912-350-8104. The number for the office is 912-350-3438 (to find out the time of the next seminar). The program is very strict. These folks have their ducks in a row (sorry about all the cliche's). It actually takes a lot before you can even be accepted into the program. Feel free to read my blog about what I've gone through so far: http://carol.eponym.com/blog Feel free to email me directly if you want to ask more questions! I'll be able to answer more questions after the 19th! I hope I answered your questions... Good luck! carol [email protected]

Thanks, Carol! I called their office and left a msg for them to call me back. Looks like Friday mornings are a bad time to try to reach them. What do you have to do to be accepted into their program?

To qualify, you have to be between 16-60 years old. If your BMI is between 35-39.9, you have to have two co-morbidities... and one of those HAVE to be either diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnea. If your BMI is 40 and above, you do not need any co-morbidities. All of these questions (and the rest you will think up ) will be answered at the Wednesday night session! When you call the office number, listen to the options. One of them will be about the support groups and information seminars they have. That's the option you need to listen to. The surgeons have surgery on Tuesdays and Fridays... that's why the office was closed, I guess. I will warn you... if you call with general questions and you haven't been to the information seminar, they will tell you to do that, first. Bring all your questions to the seminar - you'll have an opportunity to ask. There is no getting around the seminar! Just go ahead and do it ASAP. Also, if you haven't had blood work done recently, you will want to go to your primary care physician and get blood work, thyroid, chest x-ray, pulmonary test, etc done... Memorial BAriatric will need all those things. The most important thing you will need to get from your doctor is a letter of medical necessity. THIS IS VITAL. The wednesday night seminar will outline what the letter needs to say (to help your doctor write it). GO TO THE SEMINAR! carol