Dr. Cirangle/fly to San Fran vs. Dr. Fowler/Kailua

Hi all, new here. Am wondering about those of you who flew to Cali to have Dr. Cirangle do your surgery vs using someone like Dr. Fowler at Castle. I called Cirangles' office and due to a doctor shortage at the clinic in Cali he won't be doing surgeries in Hawaii for up to a year. I am pursuing the vertical sleeve. Does anyone know if Dr. Fowler does it? Or has anyone had a doctor here do it other than Dr. Cirangle? One more question: what's with the $4000 fee? Does insurance cover that? thanks in advance! Janey

Hey Janey - welcome aboard. I am a patient of Dr. Cirangle's. I can say that everyone will always say their dr. was the best and of course, I am partial to mine. I will say that I did a lot of research before deciding on Dr. Cirangle and what procedure. My brother had the RNY and after speaking with him and reading the boards of RNY, LAP bands and VSG, I decided on the VSG. I love it and I have had a great deal of success and not one single negative side affect. I do not get sick on any foods and my cravings for foods are primarly for protein based foods instead of breads, pastas and other carbs. I also allow myself the occasional sweet, but I do not have a large amount of space for it - so it is easy to focus on wanting the foods that offer value and pleasure instead of "sinful" pleasure. LOL Yes - that $4000 got me, but after I looked at my options, I knew and know that it was well worth it. This is my life and I wanted something that I would be happy with for the rest of my life and for me - that meant the VSG - which meant Dr. Cirangle. Insurance does not cover that fee. Dr. Cirangle has been great and he does come down once a month and if there is an emergency he is very responsive. You will have his direct number and when I had to call, he answered immediately and another time I left a message and within a 1/2 hour he called me back. Please read my profile for more of my experience - but I love the fact that he is extremely knowledgable and that the hospital I went to in San Fran was very experienced with bariatric patients - their specialty. I loved the fact that they knew all the concerns of morbidly obese and knew how to handle them. I also loved the fact that I got a paid trip to San Fran and it included a ticket for a caregiver. It was like a mini vacation. I hope that this was not too long and if you have any questions - please don't hesitate to write me. Also, if you haven't checked it out - look at the VSG forum for more of Dr. Cirangle's patients and info on the VSG. Good luck.

Thanks, Joley, for the response. You have had great success! I wouldn't have anyone who could accompany me to San Fran and can't afford $4000 out of pocket. I was told that Dr. Fowler was going to start doing the VSG and his out of pocket is $600. I think I will have to wait for him. Or maybe Dr. Cirangle will start doing the procedure here again soon. Thanks again for the information! Janey

Hi Janey, I'm a patient of Dr. C as well. I'm flying out on Sunday night to SF and returning the following Sunday. My surgery is on Tuesday. I didn't mind paying the $4000 fee. That would be for post op visits, etc. In fact, some patients were self pay for the entire thing and I've heard it is so worth it to them, they'd do it again(self pay that is and procedure too). As far as Dr. Fowler...i can't remember if it was Fowler or Balfour that did the VSG but didn't do it laparoscopically only 'open', which would mean more time out of work. Could you find a friend willing to fly with you? 2 flights roundtrip and hotel are included in your fee. I'm sure maybe someone would be willing to have a free trip and help out a dear friend at the same time???? Good luck in your WLS journey. aloha, michelle

Hi Michelle, good luck on your surgery on Tuesday! I'm very excited for you! I moved here two years ago and I don't have any friends. I don't think the big city life agrees with me...but that's okay. I am going forward. I meet with my physician next week and will (hopefully) get the referral letter I need. I contacted Dr. Fowler's office and I am actually considering the RNY. Scary. My best friend lives in Florida as had this surgery 5 years ago. She has shared so much of her experience with me - the good, the bad and the ugly. She has had tremendous success. She lost over half her body weight and other than having loose skin now that she can't seem to fix on her own she is so glad she had the RNY. I thought I wanted the lapband or sleeve but I think I may jump in with both feet and go for the big guns (RNY)...I will post after my consult. Again, good luck to you! I'll be thinking about you next week. Janey