Which MI hospital did you use?

I asked this question in another post of mine, but wanted to start a new one for those that hadn't read the thread. So, Which hospital did you chose for your WLS and why? Would you recommend them?

Shawna, I had mine at Henry Ford in Detroit, Dr. Genaw. . . it was a wonderful experience. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The reason I chose Henry Ford was I had heard good things about them and like everyone else pre-op I was scared. I only wish I would have done this 10 years ago. I thought my life was good before but has only gotten better. Good luck, Kristy

I had mine too at Henry Ford, and also with Dr. Genaw, but my insurance, HAP, dictated that I use them. I had neurosurgery done there in 1990, and for the most part, had pretty good care.

Hello, I went to Spectrum Blodgett Campus in Grand Rapids through MMPC. For one it was just down the street from my home, two they have a whole ward devoted to Bariatric surgery. I had Dr. Kemmeter he was WONDERFUL! I had no negative side effect or complications. Everything went like a breeze. I was in the hospital just over night and back to work in 2 weeks. I had the Rue En Y bypass. Plus the male nurse that had to take me on my late night strolls through the hallway was HOT!!!

Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit. Dr. Carlin. LOVED him and the facility and would recommend them! T

I was at Spectrum Health Blodget Hospital in Grand Rapids through MMPC. All the nurses on the bariatric floor were so friendly, helpful and concerned about their patients. I had no problems in the hospital and was out in a day & a half and back to work in a week (lap RNY). I can't say enough how helpful and friendly everyone was at this hospital. I even emailed their customer service dept. to let them know and 2 nurses and the lady that was in charge of the hospitality rooms received a special recognition award.

I had my WLS w/ Dr. Carlin at Harper Hosp (before he moved to Henry Ford) and no I would not recomend it. Maybe because I'm a small town girl and that's a "big city" hospital. TThe location isn't great, the care wasn't great, the hospital seemed clean but very old and worn. Nurses didn't come when you rang etc. I'm sure they were way over-worked. But 3 years ago not as many hospitals did WLS. Now I would probably go to U of M, still impersonal but better.

I had WLS at Harper through CORI/Dr. Schuhknecht. It was a good experience. They treated me well. I had my TT and subsequent scar revision at St. John Riverview with Dr. Schuhknecht. The first trip was good. They were learning and used me as a teaching tool so to speak. The staff listened to what I was saying and really wanted to do a good job. The second time they were spot on correct every step. They had my latex allergy in check and the staff was great. The room was huge and had a plasma TV. I could fart and only stink up half the room. kp

Hi used William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. Dr. Kevin Krause is getting ready to publish because his numbers are so good. hes lost 2 pts in over 1200 was the last i heard. he does a great job laprescopy (sp?) I would highly recommend him and they staff at beaumont.

Hi Shawna, I had my surgery at Henry Ford Hospital Detroit with Dr. Arthur Carlin. Both Henry Ford Hospital (Detroit) and Dr. Carlin get high marks from me. I was very impressed with Henry Ford. It is a very clean hospital. Everyone I had contact with was very respectful, and friendly. They treated me as if I were an intelligent person not just another case load. Henry Ford has their own bariatric ward with a team that really works for you their patient. They truly care about their patients and stick with them through the entire process from start to finish and even after. We have our own nutritionist (Annette) that is there for us when ever we need advice that deals with food nutrition, and eating/drinking. We have our own psychologist ( Dr. Eshelman) who specializes in bariatric patients. We have 3 support group meetings per month. One is with Annette our nutritionist; one is with Dr. Eshelman our Phych. for anyone that has had the surgery through Henry Ford Detroit, and the last one is with Dr. Eshelman for patient's of Henry Ford Detroit, who are a bit farther out and have different needs, its called replase prevention group. We have our own on-line support group. We are more like a family than a support group. We love each other and do lots of fun stuff together. We have Wanda who get's us approved by our insurance companies ~if Sarge can't get you approved no one can. We have our own exercise specialist who talks with you and sets you up with a program that will work just for you. We have our medical clearance Dr. that makes sure you are healthy enough to go through the surgery (and come out of it) with the best possible outcome. We have Chantal, who takes all of your information, and gets you started with the whole process. We have our own on-line support group. that is more like a family than a support group. We have a wonderful O.R. staff that work together to prep you for your surgery as quickly and comfortably as possible. They know and understand that you may be fearful, and anxious. They talk you through it, calming and reassuring you with gentle understanding words. We have our staff nurse's that take care of us after surgery, making sure we are comfortable but not so comfortable that we don't do what we have to do. They are there when we need/want them. They are there encouraging us to carefully sip our water, Jell-O, and broth. They watch to see if we get up and walk. They clean up after us if we get sick or something even worse. They get us ready to go home and teach us how to take care of ourselves. Then we have the guy that puts us to sleep and makes sure we are pain free I don't know how to spell it, but my put you to sleep guy was named George (I think) he even came to visit me in the hospital after it was all over with. Then there are our surgeons~ Dr. Genaw and Dr. Carlin. I don't know Dr. Genaw; I've only met him once very briefly. I have heard many good things about him. He does have a sarcastic type of personality and sense of humor, if you don't like that in a person well there's always Dr.Carlin~who I can tell you about. I can honestly say I have never met a Doctor like Dr. Carlin ~EVER! He is so easy going and down to earth. He is very easy to talk with. I was very impressed with his knowledge, understanding, and the compassion he has for obese people. He truly loves his patients (and his job) and wants for them (us) to be successful. He will help in any way he can. You can call or E-mail him with any questions you may have. I had a question when I was about 6 weeks out. I called the bariatric unit, and they asked if they could call me back, I was surprised when it was my surgeon that called me back. Still at 9 months out If I have questions or just want to update him on my progress, I send him an E-mail, and he always has time to answer them. The thing is he is not the only one that does this~our whole team does this. Why? Because they care, and show it even in the little stuff. Not to mention they are the top rated hospital in Michigan and among the top 20 across the nation. Oh yea, did I mention they also give us a book (our blue barri binder) with all of the information you would ever need to know about this surgery from start to finish and beyond. If you can't find what you're looking for, you can call or E-mail Wanda or Annette and they will answer your question, and can tell you where the info you are looking for is at in the binder~if you want to know. That's why I would recommend Henry ford to any one that asks about my hospital and my surgeon. I did not get to choose my hospital, my insurance company told me where I had to go. I am grateful they cared enough to send me to the best hospital there is. I hope this helps you . Best wishes as you begin this wonderful journey of weight loss surgery. May God bless you, Annette