Support and Advice

Gang, A friend of mine died today from an infection due to her WLS. She left 2 daughters similar in age to my boys. She chose a Surgeon in Macon, GA. I had previously looked at him however I decided I wanted someone that had been performing the surgery longer. So here I sit pondering.... So advice time. I have selected Dr. Hixon in Atl. I have read what has been posted on the board. How do I find out about his record? Is that something you just call or ask his office? Will they give me a true statisical number? I truly feel in my heart that I need this surgery. Just need those that are smarter than me or that have gone throught this with Dr. Hixon reassurance on his performance. lynn

I am sorry to hear about your friend. You can go to the top of the message board page and pick find a bariatric surgeon. You may find your surgeon there. Best Wishes

Hi Lynn. So terribly sorry about your friend. I found my surgeon through a referral from a friend. What impressed me was when I went to a meeting his office holds every month. There I met 30 plus women and men who were post-op, all doing well and telling their stories. What I'm saying is that I got to meet actual living, breathing, survivors of the surgery and that did a lot to boost my confidence in the surgeon. He also attends every meeting unless he's out of town or still in surgery. Even then, his entire office staff attends. Support meetings are an excellent way of finding a surgeon, and getting opinions. I do not know how to formally research a doctor's background. I went strictly on referrals and other's success stories,as well as how I felt the doctor treated me when we met. You can read my profile for the write-up I did about my surgeon. -SD

Choosing a surgeon is like throwing darts at those balloons at the fair... you just hope you get one with a good prize. I went to three surgeons before I settled on the one I chose to do my surgery. There were a lot of considerations, one was the length of time he had been doing lap rny, the other was his aftercare program, and the other was "gut" feeling. Don't hesitate to ask your surgeon how many procedures he's done like yours, how many patients have died, how many patients of his experience serious complications. Hopefully, they will answer honestly. I had a friend who is a well-known Atlanta attorney call other surgeons at the hospital my surgeon uses and ask about the surgeon I picked. I was told he was considered the best in his field by his fellow surgeons. That was a good recommendation as far as I was concerned. As a matter of fact, his recommendations from other surgeons and his aftercare program made me choose him over another surgeon whom I felt was "warmer" and "fuzzier." My surgeon has NO bedside manner, but I had a flawless surgery with no complications and quick healing. I'm so sorry to hear about your friend's death. The Emory Dunwoody Medical Center is one of the finest bariatric surgery facilities anywhere, and they watch you like a hawk after surgery to make sure there are no infections or other complications. If you're not 100% they won't let you leave. I don't know where Dr. Hixon does his surgery, but I would ask him if he has privileges at EDMC. It is truly one of the best hospitals I've EVER been to.

Hi, Lynn, I don't know anything about Dr. Hixon, but I did look him up on the Composite State Board of Medical Examiners site, and he has no listed lawsuits, judgments, etc. I don't know how current this site is. Here's the site: http://www.medicalboard.state.ga.us/bdsearch/index.html Hopefully, someone who has used Dr. Hixon will message you? Where are you having the surgery? How did you choose Dr. Hixon? I know you are using this difficult time to reaffirm your choice. Blessings to you! Becky