Has anyone heard of....

Hi! I am researching county wide WLS surgeons and a cardiologist recommended Dr. Omar Danner of Charlotte Medical WL Center. Unfortunately my doctor had very limited knowledge of Dr. Danner and I am finding it difficult to find how good of a surgeon he. Has anyone heard of him and know his track record so-to-speak? I don't want to waste his or my time if he is well-known among those who have had the surgery. I am also looking into two other surgeons who are mentioned many times here on OH. Thanks!

Hello RW, Before I picked Dr Melkonian to do my surgery I did contact Dr Danner's office, I was so unimpressed with the staff there , I stopped after one email reply. The lady who answered my email addressed herself as the Office Manager, OKAY I really am terrible at writing , and I am not the smartest cookie in the jar but, this poor gal misspelled half the words and her grammar was like a second grader. Maybe I am being an email snob, but that scared me. Then the next day the doctor called to talk to me, and although I know this should be known as a great bedside manner , it also scared me. I wondered if I was the first patent they had for gastric bypass, I will say the doctor was so very nice but it was too wierd for me. SO instead of using the yellow pages, I did some serious research, I also could not find anyone who knew anything about him, I am not saying he is not a great doctor , I just wanted experence that was proven. I have heard great things about the doctor in Concord NC ( Roc Bracman sp?? ) and several others, but for me when I had to make the choice I picked Melkonian, and I have had no regrets , he and his staff have been wonderful. Again, I do not want to come across by saying bad things about Dr. Danner , I just felt funny about too many things, he maybe a wonderful doctor but for me I want a professional staff and surgeron , and his office did not prove that too me. Do your research ask tons of questions make sure you are comfortable with who you pick. Take Care

Hi Pug Mom D, I also wasn't impressed with the office staff when speaking with them over the telephone. I spoke with two different people and each time I felt the person was rude and not professional. I did not make an appointment to meet the surgeon due to my first impression although I've been told he is a good doctor. Your Dr. Melkonian's profile seems to imply age range of 18-55. I am 56. He is on my "short" list of surgeons to consider. Thanks for your kind reply!

Im hoping to have WLS in late July. I chose my surgeon and am happy with him and his reputation but his staff leaves a lot to be desired. They have repeatedly lost paperwork and faxes and are always trying to blame others for their inability to keep track of everything. Ive resorted to showing them receipts for faxes and that just makes them madder. I had the nutrition eval, psych eval, and exercise eval and it took them 2 months to mention to me that they hadnt gotten the report of those evals yet. I keep telling myself that this is a "marriage" of sorts to the surgeon and not his staff. Ive come too far to change surgeons now anyway.

I had my surgery in March after a long time of considering, looking and researching weight loss surgery. I chose the Bariatric Center at Hickory Surgical Clinic. Drs. Leland Cook and Monty Cox are the bariatric surgeons. In addition to a good sized staff in the clinic, the bariatric center has its own staff -- Nurses, nutritionist and administrator. The insurance coordinator handles all of insurance needs for everyone. I was very pleased with the educational and learning phase up to and after surgery. I had one encounter with the insurance coordinator, Lisa Crag, but found her to be very efficient and she did her job very well. One of the nurses, Jock, was in the bariatric surgical unit one night while I was there and he's terrific. My nutritionist, Becky Steele, was wonderful and very caring, and proved to be a wonderful person to speak with before and after surgery and I know that I could call any day and she would just speak as if you talked all the time and is very supportive. She was even on-call the night I called with a problem with fluid retention (the result of a medicine that was taken off my list just before surgery.) It was well after midnight when I phoned and she got back to me within minutes. She worked with me until we figured out what the problem was and what to do to solve it. It worked out successfully and then she called me back the next morning to say Dr. Cooke was in agreement with everything we had done and I told them I was feeling much better. So the staff is wonderful. And Dr. Cooke is a really good surgeon and the bariatric center is really top notch. If anyone is not happy with the quality of treatment you receive, consider if you feel you can put you life in their hands and feel confident you will be cared for appropriately. Just something to think about. Best of luck on your journey. I am so in awe of having had the surgery. So much has changed since March 8 and I am very happy that I made the decision to do it. Maureen

Unfortunately my insurance isnt very popular right now and this is one of just a few in NC who still will work with it. The whole process of the various evals and various other "hoops" to jump through left me with a sour taste in my mouth anyway. I was under the impression that since I was a "go getter" so to speak and that I had a life threatening condition, that I would be placed ahead of those who were taking their time getting all these various pieces of paperwork but thats not been the case. I had most everything I could do finished within a month of making the decision to have WLS. I want to do this for my health. I have diabetes and a strong family history of severe kidney problems due to diabetes. Most of those in my family to get diabetes were on dialysis within 6 months of being diagnosed. My brother and I both are diabetic. Everyone else is already dead. In February when I was diagnosed with diabetes, my kidneys tested normal with no damage detected. I was put on metformin which worked for a while but my body built up a tolerance to it. My Rx was changed to metformin plus another medication. By then my kidneys were showing signs of damage... Last month I was placed on an ACE inhibitor and a completely different blood sugar medication. The ACE inhibitor is supposed to help protect my kidneys until I can have this surgery. The level of kidney damage is not life threatening yet but considering there was no discernable damage 5 months ago and now there is I am a little bit worried. I have tried to impress this upon the office manager there and others as well with no luck. I think they are very set in their ways and dont want to be made to do anything differently. I honestly believe they purposly slow down everytime I say something to them....

RM - I know from experience that most dr's office are VERY busy with along waiting list of people needing and wanting WLS. There are so many people w/ health problems out there that NEED this surgery and because of their insurance don't even quailify. So please give your dr's office some credit I am sure they are working very hard for you and everyone else. They can't stop working on the other patients to focus on one it wouldn't be fair to anyone. Hang in there it will be your time soon...I am sure everyone in your surgeon's office working for you and not against you. RW - Good Luck in your search!!! I know your heart will lead you to best surgeon for you.

I know everything happens for a reason, and for the most part Im excited about the surgery and the surgeon Im using. Right now Im waiting on July to get here. I have to see my PCP for one last visit in July and then I can turn the paperwork in for insurance approval. Im hoping to have a surgery date by July 10th or so. No guarantees of course but I can dream cant I?

I just got a phone call. My aunt collapsed this morning while on vacation and is currently in critical condition at a hospital in South Carolina. She stopped breathing and had to be intubated. She also aspirated on something and the nurses said she will most likely develop pneumonia but there is no brain damage. It seems that she is diabetic and her blood sugar got out of control and she passed out. They said this is just a big wake up call for her and that she is going to be alright. I hope thats the case.

I do not know of this Dr either... as somebody already mentioned.... I have Dr.Melkonian as my surgeon as well. My best friend had surgery with him 4 years ago and another person I know (friend of a friend) had surgery with him as well. I would definately reccomend looking into him as well He is very knowledgable and takes time to answer any and all questions. His office staff has been great to me every time I called and always promptly returned calls