Dr. Proctor's patients, a main board post and...

I was reading the main board and found this post...I did no****ch dateline last night, because I knew what it would be about, and my surgery is Monday. I found this post, and it kind of disturbed me. The following is an excerpt from "Julie" that I cut and pasted, followed by my response. Do any of his patients, post or pre, see him as she does? Her post:or partial, concerning him: I also noticed that the one doctor they did interview (whose male patient had died from leaks, infection and lung embolus) was part of a obesity name group who performed and promoted only bariatric surgery, who advertised and who had these "motivational" seminars. I think interviews should have been included with surgeons who are affiliated with teaching or exceptional hospitals, have exceptional credentials and track records, who prefer not to advertise and entice patients to their practices, and who encourage strongly regular nutritional evaluation post-op and regular checkups for the rest of your life. I feel strongly that we folks who want to have this surgery should seek out the best surgeon and hospital available to us and approach with some wariness doctors who promote themselves a little too much, and I didn't feel the program stressed that. MY RESPONSE: THis is in reponse mainly to Julie. I did no****ch the show, because I have done tons of research, and because my surgery is Monday. And guess who my surgeon is? I must say in defense of Dr. Proctor...I don't know where you got your information, but it is totally wrong. First of all, the hospital he uses is one of the leading hospitals in this area. Not only that, he has designed and opened a new wing of the hospital dedicated just to bariatric patients, so that we are more comfortable and taken care of by experts. Dr. Proctor is a vascular surgeon, who specializes in more than WLS. He advertises mainly by word of mouth, and has his own website, and info on this website. He does not use "motivational seminars". He has informational seminars, in which he tells you the reasons you should consider this surgery, why people are obese, why we cannot lose weight, what will happen if we don't have it, and also..what may happen if we decide too. He has practiced with leading doctors, and has a wonderful record. 3 in thousands seems pretty darn good to me. He is EXTREMELY serious about his post op program, and offers a support group, as well as requires post op visits often. He uses only two psychologist, that specialize in helping obese people, and bariatric surgery. I cannot tell you how many "test" I have been given to make sure I know what I am doing. He is listed on this board, in the GA forum. I don't think you will find one patient who is dissatisfied with him or his practice. Check out his credentials. I don't know how NBC portrayed him...however, I do know that some of the info you posted was incorrect. I am sorry if this sounds rude, I don't mean it to be. I just think people should be careful what they say. Many many doctors have lost patients. It is difficult to find them who have not lost anyone...and I think whether or not they lost them on the table has much to say for them. Complications can arise from any surgery. The bottom line is this surgery is not for everyone..and they must take alot of facts and even more prayer into consideration before undergoing the surgery. So, thats my two cents... Kathy in GA Just curious about what his patients thought?

HAHAHA You go girl! I agree with you 100%. I also know that the guy who died was transferred to an Atlanta hospital so he and his wife could be closer to their family. I was in the hospital at that time. Hugs, Debra =^..^=

Hi Kathy is your surgery this monday? What time? Mine is also. Good Luck maybe we will meet in the Hospital. Dr. Procter has the lowest mortality and complications risk in the southeast.

Did not see Dateline, but my mother was talking about it to me. Were they talking about Dr. Procter? There are complications w/ any surgery, that is what I am trying to get thru my familys head. Watching Dateline just made it worse. I really hate when they only show the bad and not the good. W Williams

YOU GO KATHY GIRL!!!! So proud of you!! As you know, I used Obesity Solutions. I used Dr. Richard. I have just finished reading the excerpts from the program on MSNBC.com. I was very upset at the fact that the widow (who I feel terrible for) said that the informational meeting did not mention anything about the risks of the surgery. She described it as just a cheerleading session. I attention one of those informational meetings... It was described in DETAIL what the risks are, INCLUDING death. I am very upset by the way this was portrayed. I plan to write a memo to NBC and let them know how I felt about their portrayal of Obesity Solutions. msnbc.msn.com/id/6415560/ (put the www in front of..)

I do not monitor the message boards on this website routinely, but since many of our patients are responding with support to the Dateline show, I felt it would be appropriate to clarify a few things. I agreed to do the interview only because I thought it would be a means of informing a national audience that there are risks involved in bariatric procedures, even in the very best programs. Unfortunately, that was not the agenda of NBC's Dateline staff. Realize, as pointed out in the piece, that the patient profiled worked for GE, which owns NBC. What a coincidence. This patient had attended several of our informational meetings. The particular meeting they mentioned, however, was a reunion for our post op patients. What was referred to as a "cheerleading session" was just our patients getting a chance to show off their accomplishments. This patient was a very intelligent, motivated individual, and wrote a four page letter of understanding about the surgery and risks thereof. He was in the highest risk group for complications (older, super obese men), and was also at highest risk for complcations of his disease. It is telling, I believe, that a co-worker of his underwent the surgery after his death, and she stated to me that his wife was supporting her. I was trained in bariatric surgery in the 1970's by Dr. Ward Griffen, one of the grandfathers of bariatric surgery. I was doing bariatric surgery when very few surgeons in the country were doing it. Our mortality rate is very low, 3/1000. Our leak rate is also very low. We test the anastamosis in the operating room on every case, and then test it once again the morning after surgery with an x-ray test. Even then, patients can very rarely develop a late leak. The importance of this is having the experience to recognize a leak and treat it. The patient profiled had his leak successfully treated, but developed a bleeding duodenal ulcer which has nothing to do with his bypass. We had to stop the blood thinner which all of our patients are on to help prevent blood clots, due to the bleeding. When the ulcer bled again, he had to be operated on to suture the bleeding ulcer. It was then that he had the clots to the lung. The most disturbing aspect of this program to me, is that any patient who has been educated by their surgeon could doubt their decision based on this story. All of us as bariatric surgeons have lost patients to complications. Three in 100 patients undergoing heart bypass will die, and 5 in 100 patients undergoing aortic aneurysm will die. I think the fact that we are operating on the group of patients with the highest risk of complications was not mentioned in the Dateline story. I hope that those of you, and your families, are angered by the fact that this is another example of not recognizing morbid obesity as a lethal disease. The National Institute of Health has shown the you cannot control the disease yourself, and the only alternative is surgery. I agree with the person who said that patients need to seek out a surgeon with experience in bariatrics, as there are too many people injured by non-experienced surgeons. This is what has led to some insurance companies deciding it is OK to discriminate aginst morbidly obese patients and deny coverage for the surgery. In response to the statement about the name of our practice being ObesitySolutions and that somehow was a marketing ploy, when I left my former group because they were not bariatric surgeons and were therefore not comfortable taking care of them on call, I incorporated as the Vascular Disease Institute. (I am specialty trained and board certified in general surgery, critical care and vascular surgery). This was confusing to patients who were bariatric patients. When we developed the full program of preop and postop care, we designated that part of the practice ObesitySolutions. I have one associate who is a bariatric surgeon and one who is a vascular surgeon. This helps by keeping some separation of the practice in the two areas. As far a marketing goes, I feel that there is a difference in telling people about your interests and expertise (marketing) and advertising. That being said, please notice that you don't see obesity solutions billboards or flags at the top of this page. I spent a lot of time making our website informational and not an advertisement. I am proud of our practice and the sensitivty with which patients are treated. I am grateful to our hospital , which has spent lot of money to assure the best of care for the bariatric patient. Dan Procter, MD, FACS

Thank you Dr. Proctor! And thanks everyone else too! It just made me so angry to read what that woman wrote. My surgery is tomorrow, and I know I have chosen the best surgeon. Many of my co workers have gone to Emory (ok, don't flame me), but I just felt Dr. P's credentials were better. Having met him, I believe he is honest and sincere, and a very warm, sensitive person! He looked me IN THE EYE during our entire conservation, and answered any and all questions. I have talked to many of his patients, on this board and in the community, and have yet to find one who has the slightest negative thing to say. I, too, plan to write NBC. I think it was unfair and biased, and as a patient of ObesitySolutions, I plan to let them know! I treasure my children more than anything on earth, and I know that I can trust Dr. Proctor to take care of me. It just angers me that a show can be so biased, because anyone who is looking into the surgery might be affected by this. If such a person is reading this, please don't let that stupid show interfere! Dr. Proctor is awesome, and so is his staff, everyone of them!!!! And I, for one, am looking forward to tomorrow. Although....I am going to ask Dr. Proctor if he couldn't come up with a better laxative ,lol!! Bunches of hugs, Kathy

Dr Proctor, I am not one of your patients but I am a 6 month post op. I am so sorry that this happened! The media absolutely infuriates me sometimes. People who are obese have to go through so much from others whether it is because we are obese or that we're trying to change it. I seriously wish that everyone would accept that obesity is a disease. You don't hear people going around getting upset because people who are diabetic take insulin. Why is it that I can try my best to save my own life, no matter what it takes, but people seem to have such negative reactions to it? This surgery is the best thing that I have ever done for myself. I can say that having gone through the pain and even a complication. I developed a leak because my esophagus spasmed around the NG tube. A JP drain was placed to manage whatever leaked out and the leak was allowed to close on its own rather than me going back into surgery. I had that tube and drain for 6 weeks, during which I went to my doctor every week. I wasn't mad at my doctor and I didn't regret the surgery. I won't lie... it was no picnic, but I understood going in that complications happen. I spent a year doing research to choose my doctor and making sure I could deal with the consequences of anything that could go wrong. It is important to be an educated patient. I am now 6 months out, down 88lbs, and healthier than I have ever been as an adult. I sing the praises of this surgery every chance I get and I would have no problem with you advertising with big flashing lights in an Elvis outfit even... as long as when people come to your office you are honest and educate them on the risks and realities as much as the joys and benefits. I have been to your website. It is actually the first website I ever visited to learn about gastric bypass... even before coming here. I watched the Carnie Wilson video and cried my eyes out... but when I got up from that chair to go to bed at 3am I had soaked up your website like a sponge. When I layed down to keep my husband up with another night of snoring I had such a feeling of peace and renewed hope, knowing I didn't have to live my life that way anymore. I want to dedicate myself to helping people who are obese. I am currently looking in my area to try to find surgeons who would employ me to speak about my experiences and educate people who are seeking information about the surgery. I think it would be so satisfying to help people in that way every day. If you ever have an opening in your office... *wink, wink*. I wanted to let you know that you help so many people... even people like me who you've never met. I truly appreciate you. The rest of us losers do too Monica Lutz 5/21/04 5' 0" 228/138/?

For Kathy: WAY TO GO! I did not use Dr. Proctor but have not heard any negative things about him or his practice. Anyone who does the research for this surgery needs to realize that ALL doctors have mortality rates. It comes with the industry. Things happen that are beyond a doctor's control. I chose Dr. Burrowes because of several factors, he has a low mortality rate, he's very thorough in his procedure and his follow up. As a paitent, you should understand that this surgery is only a tool designed to assist in weight loss....all surgeries have risks! If you're at the point of seriously needing surgery, then you should realize that either way - with or without surgery - you run the risk of death. For me, the risk was worth trying to save my life! For Dr. Proctor, BRAVO FOR YOU! I'm glad to see that you've decided to speak out for yourself. We all know that media can twist things to be the way "they" want things to appear. I think you can be proud of what you do as a doctor. The knowledge you have to provide this life-saving surgery for many of us is extremely commendable. As I told my doctor, I'd like to hug your necks for taking the time to learn how to help others! (if the sight of blood didn't make me sick - I'd do it too...he he he) - just my .02 Dee Dee