Can anyone tell me about Dr. Thaemert?

Hello all, I have been looking for a surgeon in Sioux Falls who does lap RNY and my insurance will accept. I was referred to Dr. Harris, but his office said that he does not do laproscopic. I've been looking at others and made an appointment for a first consultation with Dr. Thaemert at the Surgical Institute of South Dakota. Any information on this doctor would be great ly appreciated! Sincerely, -Mike-

MIKE, Thought I knew all of the docs...but can not recall this doctor. I had Dr. Graham and LOVE him. He was so skilled and so informed. He made me feel very secure in my surgery.

I use to work for him. He's young- but is a good surgon. However- I went with Dr. Harris. Had surgery on Jan. 3rd & I'm doing great!! Good luck!! Sheri

Thank you for te replies! I also received a private message that Dr Harris "does" do laparoscopic surgery, so I called back and this time they told me that he does. As this was the surgeon my doctor recommended, I cancelled my appointment with Dr. Thaemert and am attending Dr Harris' first information session on 02/06/07. The woman I talked to suggested that I schedule the psychological evaluation immediately so that this does not hold me up. I found a local psychologist and set up an appointment there too. I had to go in and take some kind of an assessment prior to the appointment. I had to answer trueor false to 500 questions like these: "I love my mother", "I often think of killing my family", "I sleep well", "I do not hear voices that nobody else hears", "I think most people are trying to get me", "I have a good appetite", "I often wish I was a woman", etc. I guess that speeds up the diagnosis process! :-D Now I have a three hour evaluation appointment with the psychologist. I'm not sure what to expect there. So the process is underway. Timing will be tricky. I work full time plus and attend college. I graduate in the spring, and my last class ends on June 1. Assuming that I am approved, I'm trying to decide if I should get the surgery as soon as possible, or if it would be better to wait until school is out. I hate to wait that long to get started, so I am thinking asap would be better. I figure it will probably be at least three months before I will get through all the insurance, pre-appointments, and actually can be scheduled for the surgery. Anyway....Even the longest journey starts with a first step, and it appears I am on my way! -Mike-

I am going to see Dr. Harris, because of his reputation and because I have to go to a Center of Excellence. I originally saw Dr. Thaemert last January (2006) for a consult. Things didn't work out for me to have surgery with him then, but he was pleasant. His nurse Maxie was awesome! Oh well, it sounds like you are going with Harris anyway. I was going to attend that seminar on 2/6, but my sis can't miss classes to drive me there. I have to wait until she gets out in May, but that's fine since my Medicare coverage begins in April anyway. In the meantime, I'm working on losing some pre-op weight, working with a dietician and a mental health person as well...hopefully that will put me on the "fast track" so to speak. So maybe I can have surgery in June (hope and pray)...if you go in then...we might end up being surgery twins. Best wishes to you in your journey.

Good luck to you too! You said you were going to go to the session on the 6th, but your sister can't drive you. Where do you live? -Mike-

Hi Mike~ I just posted about him in another thread, so I will cut and paste what I wrote. I don't know Dr. Harris, but I KNOW Dr. Thaemert and he is wonderful! Hello there~ I had Dr. Thaemert and I thought he was AWESOME! I would use him again in a hot second. He is also a Christian, which might not matter to some, but it was very comforting to me! I highly recommend him. And his bedside manner WAS good. I grilled him like a cheese sandwich and he answered all of my questions and made me feel very ready. He didn't sugar coat anything either. But, I felt very respected as an overweight individual. Anyway, if you have more pointed questions feel free to contact me. I would be happy to answer them. Oh, and I DID have complications...I almost died. BUT, I WOULD DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN! And, I would use Dr.Thaemert! Hope this helps~

Mike, Fred Harris is your best choice. His record speaks for itself. I researched getting obesity surgery for four years. I spent three and a half days at Mayo and decided to go with Harris. My surgery was done on July 5th and I have lost close to ninety pounds since meeting him. Like you I "insisted" on Lap. Dr. Harris could not guarantee he would perform it on me. He said that he would try but if he got in there with the scopes and found something that worried him he would open me up. You can't "feel" with metal scopes like you can with your hands. Made great sense to me as if I had some type of tumor growing I would want that addressed first and foremost. When I woke up I found out he did do LAP on me but had he not I would have easily dealt with it. The man is very good at what he does and this goes way beyond the weight loss procedure he performs. He has performed over 900 gastric bypass surgeries and has never lost a patient. Should you have any questions about him email me at [email protected] and I will help you any way I can. Thanks, John Collins