Wondering about a doctor in baltimore-Dr.Averbach

i have a consult in about 2 weeks with dr.averba*****atonsville maryland.I have read the comments that his patients have placed under his information, but it seems to me that alot of his patients have a hard time lossing. Can any of his previous or current patients tell me any additional info on him. Would anyone recommend a surgeon to me in Maryland?

Tracy, Check out Dr. Gandsas' patients. He and his staff are wonderful. I had my surgery April 11, 2005 and have lost 85 lbs. to date. The support groups are great also. He works out of Sinai. Good luck with your research and keep us posted. Good luck with your journey. Lisa

thanx lisa i have already went to one of his and dr.li's presentations. I know that they have alot of people on their list

Dr. Kligman - University of Maryland Med Ctr. You can read more about him and my story in my profile. I would suggest you attend the next seminar for him on Sept. 20th: http://www.umm.edu/weightloss/seminar.html You will learn a ton! If considering other surgeons then you may also want to go to there seminars as well and see who you like best and which procedure is right for you. Dr. Kligman does the LAP RNY. Also, check into who your insurance will cover if you were to be approved.

oohhh.. just read your profile.. I followed the same path too.. started with Dr. Schweitzer but found out after that he wasn't credentialed with BC/BS and wanted 5k for his fee up front. My insurance also denied him from the start. I didn't bother with the appeal process. I just switched to Dr. Kligman. I've been VERY happy with my results and know that I made a good decision.

yea i contcated Dr.Schweitzer as well and was told that he wanted that money up front. I am also with BCBS as well , thanx for your help sweetie.

Tracey, Hi. You have a consult with one of the best surgeons in the state of Maryland. First of all, how much you lose is all up to you. It's a tool and if you don't use it to your advantage then no surgeon in the world can make that happen. Every person loses at his/her own rate. No one can tell you how quickly you are going to lose. I have lost 117 lbs since March 25th and Dr. A. was my surgeon. I have lost at a phenomenal rate and I owe it to the amount of exercise I am willing to do. If you don't believe me about what his patients have to say about him, please attend our support group meeting on Wednesday the 21st at St. Agnes. As for the program there is noone that tops the services that are provided or has 2 support group meetings, a personal trainer that you can use for free, the surgeons in the practice have done well over 800 surgeries. There is a psychiatrist and a nutritionalist available that attend just about every support group as well. My surgery was on Good Friday and let me say that Dr. A was in there on Saturday and on Easter Sunday to see how each of his patients were doing and to make sure they were ready to be discharged personally. Every person is going to tell you that their surgeon is the best and they are for them. But I will tell you that the program at St. Agnes is a top notch program that covers every side of this surgery and not one other program can give you that testimonial. Ask others about the office staff and the problems that occur prior to surgery and I wil tell you the office staff at St. Agnes are the best. The nurse that runs the program had her bariatric surgery 6 years ago, she is out on medical leave at the moment since she had her plastic surgery last Friday but when it comes to answering your questions and making sure that you have what you need there is no program that can give you the overall satisfaction that this program can. If you use it right, every support access is at your finger tips. I am done with my soap box for now. Not all of Dr. A's or Dr. Singhs patients subscribe to Obesity help due to the fact that you have to truly be careful at what your reading because you don't know these people and you could very easily be misled with the information given. If you want to have your questions answered then attend the support group and see for yourself. Thanks for your time.

Tracy, The support group begins at 7 pm. Go into the main entrance and ask at the desk it's right around the corner. Denise

thanx denise you have been a BIG help. I will keep you posted

Hi Tracey, You will find most people think the "world" of their surgeon(s), espcially if they are compliant, sucessful patients. Attend the various pre-op support groups and remember, you have to do your part, as said in a previous post, it is a tool... you have to make a lifestyle commitment. I'm coming up on 2 years post-op and have been at goal and maintaining for over a year now. My surgeon is Alex Gandsas, MD. (Dr. G) and his program and team are top notch! Best wishes on your journey. Lisa