Dr Proctor Patients or Lupus Patients

Hi. I'm Jerri. I'm kinda new here and still researching. I'm looking to find and talk to patients of Dr. Proctor's or Lupus patients that have had WLS. I want to hear the good , the bad and the ugly. Please respond. Thanks! Congrats to all the losers!!! Good luck to all the future losers!!!

I'm a Lupus Patient but have not had the surgery yet mine will be Aug 9th I'm hopeing for a big change.The joint pain for one they wanted to do knee replacements but I opt for the shots had them 2yrs ago so far so good. Wishing you well. Harriett

Hi Harriet. Thank you for your reply. Sorry to hear you have Lupus though. Do you have an organ involvement right now? Are you having RNY? I've thought about the Lap-Band incase my Lupus goes crazy I could have it removed. (Before I get flamed, I don't think of WLS as temporary or reversible, but with an underlying disease ready to attack....it's something I think about.) I'm not on Prednisone or chemo currently. Are you? I'm so worried that if I have the surgery, and then I have a flare, then I have to go back on Pred or chemo....what will the effects be? You know what I mean? I can't heal from a "hang nail" when I'm on that junk....just being a worrier I guess. I'm still far from making a decision. Geez - just realized this sounds very negative - that was not my intention. Sorry! I'm sure you've thought all this through and have the game plan all worked out. BTW - who is your Rheumy? I'm looking for a new one. I'm north of Gainesville, but often travel to the Atlanta area for my doctor's visits. Congratulations on your upcoming surgery! I wish you the very best of luck!!!! Jerri

Hi Jerri, I am an Obesity Solutions patient, but I am using Dr. Richard, not Dr. Proctor. The patients of Dr. Proctor seem very happy with him. Personally, I preferred Dr. Richard, as I know 3 people that had surgery by him. Also, I have a friend that had worked with Dr. Proctor in the O.R. a few years ago, and she was not very impressed. However, that is one person's opinion. Based on my research, I chose Dr. Richard.

Hi Modean. Do you have a date yet? I'm excited to talk with Obesity Solutions patients! I liked Dr. Richard too. I went to the information seminar back in June, but Dr. Proctor had to leave early. I want to go to another one and hear more. Have you been to any of the support meetings yet? I don't know if those are for pre-ops too or not. Did your friend in OR say why she wasn't impressed with him? I mean, was it his surgical skills or a personality issue? Let me know how you are doing and what "stage" you are in. Thanks for replying!

Dr. Proctor is an excellent surgeon and a genuine guy, but his staff is the worst I have ever had to deal with. Proctor did my surgery, and I lost 160 in 1 year, so all went well from a surgical perspective. However, don't try and call the office for help or to make an appointment. You'll encounter some of the rudest individuals you'll ever meet. On the other hand, make sure you meet with the Thursday support group (which Proctor no longer supports) with Wayne Hulon. He is a treasure and you'll meet with others who can help you with what can be a difficult adjustment after surgery.

Hi Rick. Thanks for replying! It's good to hear from one of Dr. Proctor's actual patients! I'm sorry to hear about the problem with his staff though. I had heard only good things and how much they had improved from a few years back. Sounds like they still have some work to do! Thanks for the tip too about Wayne Hulon's support group. Did you attend the "weekend" before surgery? Could you tell me about it? (cost, what goes on, is it you only or do you bring your spouse, beneficial???) I have BCBS of GA for primary and UHC POS for secondary insurance. Did you have any insurance problems? Did they really cover what they said they would? Sorry for all the questions! Most of all, congrats on your terrific results!!! I hope I will be able to say the same of myself one day!

I attended the "Weekend with Wayne" before my surgery and consider it a big reason I've been as successful as I have. Unfortunately, Dr. Proctor has withdrawn his support of the eating disorder workshop and there will be no more of them. A tragic mistake, in my opinion. If things are as bad as they are at Dr. Proctor's office, and they have actually improved over the past, that is a very sad comment about how bad it used to be. If I had it to do over, I would use another surgeon, equally qualified, but with a staff that is more helpful. I wouldn't trade the eating disorder workshop or the weekly support group for anything though.

I was directed to Mr. Varnadoe's comment from another patient and felt complelled to respond to the misinformation. First and foremost, I HAVE NOT CHANGED MY MIND ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION. My concern was not with the content of the program Mr. Hulon provided, but with the way it was administed. The psychological program became a vortex into which some patients disappearred, sometimes for 12 to 18 months. I know of few psychological problems that would make a patient not be a candidate for RNY, though many may need ongoing counselling. I was also concerned that the cost of the program was prohibitive for many patients who neede the surgery, and that they were being turned away due to a "negative wallet biopsy". We did not "do away with Mr. Hulon's program, but no longer made it a requirement due to the issues mentioned above. We also provided alternative psychological treatment source, after researching credintials, and the alternative sources have agreed to accept insurance assignment for their services, so that patient will not be out of pocket $800+ before the preop stage. I know Mr. Hulon has meant alot to a number of people, and I don't want to affect that relationship. However, I did feel that ethically, I had to give patients a choice. I do not want to get into an exchange of E-mail on this subject, but felt it necessary to set the record straight. I do not wqant anything to compromise the intergrity of the outstanding program we have developed. Dan Procter, MD, FACS

Misinformation? I disagree. It is disturbing to me that the primary reason for the abandonment of an eating disorder workshop would be that some patients can't afford it. After all, RNY is a very expensive surgery, and the 700.00 I paid (which went down to 250.00 later) is a very small part of the 30,000.00 Dr. Proctor was paid. Granted, insurance paid a significant portion, but I still paid over 4,000.00 BEFORE I had the surgery (Dr. Proctor, Sleep Study, Hospital, Blood Work, etc). The 700.00 would have made no difference in my decision to have the surgery. I have not spoken to a single person that attended a workshop that regrets the expense. I certainly don't see anyone stopping Sleep Studies, for example, because of the expense. Given the very large sums of money being spent, I find it difficult to beleive a workshop fee is a make-or-break issue. Maybe patients did have to wait 12 months for psychological approval. I am sure some did. Perhaps the reason is that they weren't ready for the surgery. This is serious business, and a life changing event. If a person is not ready for that life change, and willing to do what is necessary to maintain their health, the consequences could be disastrous. To withdraw the requirement is to effectively kill the workshop. An obese person who is going to have the surgery sees the surgery as the "fix" and will most likely not confront their eating disorder root causes. They will be very adamant that they do not need the workshop (I know I was). I can't imagine them opting for the workshop. I do not claim that psychological screening has been abandoned. I am adressing the eating disorder workshop. I do find it confusing that the Thursday night Bariatric Support Group was booted out of the hospital where the Bariatric surgeries are performed. I was very disappointed that a Bariatric Surgeon did not speak up about this. The last time I spoke to Wayne, however, he was to begin taking insurance, so I'm not sure the financial matter on which the ethical concern is based is even still an issue. I am certainly in no position to debate the illness of obesity with a physician, but it seems to me that we became obese in large part because we had an eating disorder. There are virtually no obese people that do not eat far too much. I would submit that individuals who cannot conquer the reasons behind their eating disorder will ultimately fail after this surgery. As we were constantly told pre-op, this surgery is only a tool to help remedy the eating disorder that made us obese. I would submit that a person that is likely to resume their poor eating habits after surgery would be doing themselves great harm and should not have the surgery. I am certain Dr. Proctor would agree. Dr. Proctor is a fine surgeon, a fine man, and certainly cares about us as patients. He has, on more than one occasion, taken the time to talk with me personally about my concerns. The surgical program changed my life. Saved it, in fact. Make no mistake, I am grateful to him for all he has done. He is right, he has developed an outstanding program that is enormously successful. In my opinion, however, the changes made weaken that program.