Dr Hargroder

Hi all.....Would anyone care to give a thumbs up or down for your surgeon Dr. Hargroder?  Would u use him again?  HUGS

Hi I had Dr. Colleen Kennedy at Ochner's but she has moved to Texas as  of August 1st. I will start seeing Dr. Richardson on Nov. 1st but  I have only heard very good responses about him.

yes he gets a thumbs up from me........when you talk to him say  hello for me. he will do what ever he says he will do......he is a good dr. would i use him again u betcha...wont think twice about it.      roy sonnier

Dr. Hargroder is a great surgeon... he definitely gets a  from me!!!

It all depends on what type of WLS you are looking for.  I wanted the duodenal switch, completed all of the on-line things they require, went to a support group meeting.   From what I saw and heard he does mainly the Vertical Sleeve, and RNY.  He has done some duodenal switches but I am not sure of how many.  I was very disappointed that the hospital he uses does not allow him to do the duodenal switch on anyone over the age of 60.  Therefore, I am traveling almost 500 miles west to Denton, Texas and am going to have the duodena switch over there.  Dr. Clark Warden is also a good doctor, but he is book and not taking any new patients until next June or July.  Or at least that is what I was told by someone who called his office.   I might suggest that before you decide on a surgeon that you look at all of the WL surgeries that are offered and make an informed decision as to what the best surgery for you will be.  Go to each of the forums, RNY, Lapband, Duodenal Switch, Vertical Sleeve and ask questions as to the quality of life after surgery, revisions, etc.  Just make sure you research, research and research and make sure of your choice.  For me, I only have one shot at this thing and it has to be something that I can live with for the rest of my life.  I can't afford to have a revision to something else.  That is why I am having the duodenal switch.  It has the best success rate for weight loss and sustained weight loss over the years.  Your stomach size is reduced but you still have a fully functioning stomach, not a pouch.  THe DS is also a malabsorption surgery like the rny but with a far less likely hood of wanting or needing a revision.  Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of people who have the rny and are perfectly happy with it, but for me, I am one of those that would probably dump and have problems with the chewing, and not being able to drink while I eat, etc.  So, for me it is the duodenal switch.  But really, go to each forum and check them all out and make an informed decision.   Much success on your quest for wls.  Toogie

I can't say enough good things about Dr. Hargroder. He and his staff are great and I would highly recommend him.

He's very talented and has performed close to or over 1000 RNY operations. Here's the kicker on why I chose him. In those 1000 RNY operations he's lost 1 patient. (Or at least when he was around 600 when he did mine he'd lost 1 patient.) This is WAY WAY below the national average of .5% that's the expected losses for RNY. That was extremely important for me because my RNY was my first surgery and I was debilitatingly scared that I was gonna die on the table. The one patient he did lose was from a pulmonady embolism a week or two out of surgery and from what I understand the patient was not walking as she was ordered to.

Whomever you choose make sure that 1) you are comfortable with them and 2) that they are experienced in whichever surgery you are wanting.

I would also suggest that you attend one of the support group meetings in Baton Rouge. They are excellent sources for information for pre-op and post-op patients alike. The meetings are each Wednesday evening at 6PM at his office across the parking lot from Vista Hospital.