going for it--need a surgeon iin N. GA

I live in Marietta so my first inclination is to go local , w/ Dr. Smith or Dr. Jean-Pierre. But then I wonder should I go to Emory?

If you chose Smith or JP, how much weight did you have to lose prior and how long did it take to get surgery scheduled? I'm not in a huge hurry (pun not intended) but I'd like a ballpark figure.

What about with Emory Bariatrics?

I'm from Georgia myself and I'm currently interviewing surgeons to see who I would go with. Here are some you might want to check out.

Dr. Macik- Northside Hospital ( seems to be a OH favorite for most on this forum)
Dr.Smith- Wellstar Hospital
Dr. Lin- Emory Bariatric
Dr. Steinberg- Dekalb Medical (went to his seminar last week, he seems to be ok)

And Dr. Scott Davis- Emory (he trains other Dr.'s on the procedures) Idk if he does the DS though.

Dr Scott Steinberg did my husbands RNY and his partner Dr. Qammar Rashid (female) did my VSG. We are both very pleased.

I thank you both. These are all names that I see keep cropping up.  I think I will start looking into their seminars.

I had WLS three weeks ago with Dr. Jean-Pierre.  I decided on WLS last fall and looked at Emory first (my sister had hers there 7 years ago).  At that time I had no idea Wellstar had a Bariatric Practice.  After extensive research I found that Wellstar Comprehensive Bariatrics is very well regarded, and a certified Bariatric Center of Excellence, which helped me out because my insurance covered at a higher percentage for that rating.  I say do your own research and interview the surgeons.  Also, I checked to see if there were any malpractice, or lawsuits against potential providers.

I did not have to loose any weight before my surgery, HOWEVER, everyone is different and a good practice will prescribe treatment based off your particular situation.  I started the process in rNovembe, but it took that long only because I was in my last semester of graduate school and wanted to wait until I graduated before WLS.  Again, it all depends on you as WCBS is very good about telling you exactly what you need to do, however it depends on how dedicated you are to getting your various clearences, financials, etc.  Honestly I got all my clearences in three weeks (all my Dr. were Wellstar Docs to begin with), and they do have a fast track option as well.  I could have had my surgery as early as the last week in Feb, but like I said I choose to wait until after graduation.

I urge you to research and visit each practice before making a decision, because WLS is no joke and I honestly underestimated the impact of the decision, however, I am glad I made the choice and am EXTREMELY satisfied with Dr. JP and the entire team at WCBS.

Congratulations on your weight loss AND your graduate degree!  Did you have DS or what? I watched the online seminar for Emory Bariatrics and it appears that they do not do DS.  I am still on the fence about whether to do VSG or DS, so I want to keep my options open. I am going to the seminar that Drs Smith & J-P require next week and see what I think. My DH is cautiously onboard. I think he's fearful that something could go wrong. Of course, he was fearful when i had my babies, when i had hand surgery, when I had my GB removed, etc. He's not a healthcare professional, so he doesn't understand these things and frankly, medicine is a little bit "voodoo" in his eyes. I'm a nurse with 36yrs experience. I have a healthy respect for what medicine and surgery can do, positive and negative.

 

Thanks for your post. You give me lots to think about.

I had the DS surgery. I urge you to go to the seminar. Either Sue Or Dee will conduct the session. They are extremely sweet and very accomidating to questions. In addition, come to a support group so you can hear first hand from people in various stages and their experiences. Feel free to shoot me a message if you would like if you have any questions or thoughts.

I went with Atlanta bariatrics. Dr. Christopher Hart is my surgeon. So far I have been very pleased with him and his office. My procedure will be done at Emory in Johns Creek. It is a designed to be a bariatric facility. Good Luck!

I too chose Dr Hart, the Center of Excellence status persuaded me. C Bradley do you have a surgery date? I just got my date yesterday...Nov 5th.

It is a long drive for us as we live on the southside of Atlanta,but it 'll be worth the drive. I just wish that I can find a support group on the south side.