Bariatric Seminar in Sheboygan!

Dr. Thomas Chua will be holding his first bariatric seminar in Sheboygan from 6-8pm on Thursday, July 15th at the Aurora Regional Conference Center (next to the Sheboygan Clinic) in the Chinook Room. If you or anyone you know is considering bariatric surgery, this is a fabulous seminar to attend. The seminar gives a great overview of the program Dr. Chua has developed for his patients, including psychological and nutritional needs as well as the various types of surgeries available and his success with them. Dr. Chua practices at the Aurora Sinai Bariatric Program in Milwaukee which he has developed into a Center of Excellence by the American Society for Bariatric Surgery. His private practice is Wisconsin Bariatrics, also in Milwaukee. Dr. Chua's program is like no other and his patients (like me) have had wonderful success. If you would like to attend the free seminar, you must register by calling 920-459-1164.  Hope to see you there!

Does Dr. Chua go over the Duodenal Switch during his seminar?

I went to his seminar, and don't remember him covering it. If he did, it was very brief.

Yes, he covers that one as well. The newest type, the vertical sleeve, he does not have illustrations, but he does talk about it as well and it's similarities to other types and it's restrictive properties.  Because the seminar is only 2 hours long, he does his best to give a condensed version of the various surgery types, but also includes the other parts of the process, like dietary, psych, the progression of stages, life after, etc.

I have to second Lois's opinion of Dr. Chua's seminar. It was fantastic. I had attended a different doctor's seminar who practices much closer to my home and I was completely turned off by that surgeon. Then a friend literally dragged me to Dr. Chua's seminar last week and I absolutely fell in love with the man.

He is so well prepared, informative, and he has volunteer patients come and talk about their experiences in addition to others speaking about the other parts of the process so you get a complete view.

I highly recommend any one who is looking into any type of WLS to attend his seminar!

Was the other doctor named Kemmerling, by any chance?

I wouldn't recommend him to anyone, ever.  He did my lapbanding surgery in 2003 and I had almost fatal complications. He kept telling me that I was "fine" in spite of the fact that I couldn't eat solid foods, had chronic, severe pain from left shoulder to lower abdomen, didn't have a bowel movement for nearly 2 weeks and was in extreme pain morning until night. Thankfully, I found a specialist in Chicago who saved my life. The specialist did a barium Xray and found that my stomach was twisted into a Figure 8 and my intestines were blocked and kinked. I was, simply  put, days away from dying. If I had listened to kemmerling and believed that "everything was fine" I wouldn't be here today.

Dr. Kemmerling also shoved an Ng tube in me only hours after my surgery, without benefit of lubrication, tearing my nostril badly in the process. My nose was bleeding, I was in agony, and he left me sitting in a hallway of the hospital, crying and in extreme pain. I also got my period sometime during this time after my surgery. I remember sitting in that hallway bleeding, gagging, crying like I've never cried before or since, and being in so much pain that I didn't really care that people were walking by, staring at me, horrified.

Oh, and while he was shoving the Ng tube in, he said, "It's gonna hurt, you're not gonna like it, deal with it." It was the most malicious treatment I ever experienced from a so-called "medical professional."  I wouldn't recommend him to anyone for these reasons. 

I really should have found a different surgeon when I came in for a consultation with him and the nurse called me into an exam room and started reading vital statistics and personal information from someone else's chart. Turned out, they thought I was a patient who already had surgery and when I alerted them to the fact that I was only there for a consultation, they seemed surprised. So I was privy to another patient's very private information, due to their mistake. That should have really been Clue #1 that I should have found a different surgeon.

No, it was Dr. Wasco in Neenah.  I just didn't feel comfortable with his seminar. Seemed he was more interested in the insurance aspect of it all, and making sure you weren't a smoker.  I just 'didn't feel the love' like I did at Dr. Chua's. 

I am still working towards this goal of surgery.  Trying to get all the paperwork into the insurance etc.  I'm learning patience whether I like it or not!  LOL

Take care.

I'm glad you didn't follow through with your surgery with Wasco.  Thankfully you have a better intuition than I do.  I had an experience comparable to the poster listed above, except mine was with Kevin Wasco.  After I had to have my lap band removed by emergency surgery in 2006, I have had approximately 9 surgeries since.  All except one have been in an attempt to "clean up Wasco's mess".  When I went through the entire administrative staff at ThedaCare they told me that he is an "independent that they cannot police".  They said they would take action if they just said one more complaint, all the while knowing that they had one other huge complaint.  Don't believe it?  Ask the family of Vicki Nicholas?  You see, you will have to ask the family because Vicki is in the cemetery in Berlin, Wis.  Need I say any more? Unfortunate, yes.  SHAMEFUL, ABSOLUTELY!!!!  

I have heard good things about Dr. Chua. A couple of my friends have gone to him for their surgeries and have been happy with the results.

I really hope things go well for you! 

Thanks NM.

I think it says a lot about a surgeon's character when he has patients come and speak as part of the informational seminar.  I once had a surgeon fly me to Utah to talk at his seminar.  I did that about 4 or 5 times and he has since videotaped it.  The last time I spoke with him he said the videotape is not as good as having me there, however he understands that time constraints would make it impossible for me to be at each one.  He obviously is very confident in his expertise as he is a firm believer in the fact that it is one thing to be told there are risks, but as he puts it "it is another thing to actually be able to see and hear and feel risk".  He said he had never read medical records like mine before and simply couldn't resist the possibility of having me speak.  My speech was not to discourage people from having surgery, it was about the risks associated with surgery, it was about the fact that you have to listen to your body even if your surgeon is making you feel like you are some borderline psychiatric case.  Hats off to the surgeons who have enough confidence in themselves to tell the BAD with the good!  I'd pick one of them before I'd ever pick a "Kevin Wasco" again.  Incidentally, I did not "pick" Kevin Wasco.  I was assigned to him without choice.  I wonder when he'll be man enough to have me tell of my experience at one of his seminars?