PLEASE READ!!! LICENCE SUSPENED!!

If it were me I would thank my lucky stars I found this out BEFORE he touched me! Think of this as a blessing. Yes it will delay surgery but when surgery comes you will (hopefully) be in much better hands! Check out the DS, everything you have done should transfer over to whatever surgeon you pick

Hey Babygirl -
So sorry that you had to go through this. Definitely get ALL your records and look for other surgeons in your area.  This is a minor setback - don't let it stop you from going forward wtih your decision to get the surgery.  Hopefully the new Surgeon that you select will take your existing paperwork so that you didn't waste any time.  I agree with the other posters, it was much better to find this out now vs later.

Best of luck to you!!!

 

Get your records from them ASAP - - -  this may be your only chance to get them and avoid starting over.  The office could be open today and closed tomorrow for good, so make it a priority to get those in your hands.  I am certain this is a blessing in disguise and will work out just fine in the end - - - although I do understand your disappointment and frustration.

I'm sorry this happened to you.  I was one week away from insurance approval when my surgeon informed patients that he would not perform any WLS if you were not on his schedule.  He took another position at a hospital out of state.  As he was the only experienced WLS surgeon at the hospital, I had to change hospitals and surgeons.  My primary care physician was able to help me.

Although this is a different situation, it is more upsetting than folks realize.  There was a time and dollar expense to changing surgeons.  My advise is don't get into too big of a hurry; thoroughly investigate the new surgeon and hospital.

Good luck and I wish you much success!

I'm sure you've come to realize that it is much better to discover this now.  They put you to sleep and a man with a knife is in the room!  Ack! 

I'm his favorite patient!!!  LOL 


Thomas Lavin, MD is the BEST bariatric surgeon in New Orleans (in the USA IMO)!

He's a National Proctor (he teaches other doctors how to do laparscopic gastric banding and bypass).

I have always felt like I was his only patient in the world and he had all day to talk with me.  He is a man of great character.  He knows his skill but he's humble.  His bedside manner is stellar.  He's also handsome!  LOL 

He has two offices; one is Mandeville/Covington and one in Metairie on Severn Avenue.  He has clinic on Thursdays.  He's on staff at several hospitals both Northshore and Southshore.

504-934-3000

www.whyweight.com

Call them on Monday!  :-)

PS  His staff is almost as fantastic as he!  I've known his nurse practitioner my entire life.  Don't "weight!"  Check out the website and call on Monday!  :-)

Best wishes to you! 

 hey baby girl..i too have been on this roller coaster ride with "doctor" steeb since july of '09.  first it was a "freeze" on the surgery...now it's his "leave"  there was always something there to stop the process and no matter how hard i tried, i never found ANYONE who actually had the surgery with dr. steeb!  there was one guy who posted on here that he had the surgery with him.  but he posted that he had the surgery but he was never heard from again.  could have been a "plant"  

it strikes me as odd that this man's career is falling apart and he's some sort of drunk junkie and a repeat offender and he's telling his patients he's having some medical treatment for a condition and would be gone for six weeks.  just enough time for rehab.  but it's funny...i found this:  
http://www.golden-banana.com/guestbook.php?page=5

post number 24.   some rehab...some medical treatment.  

i guess i'm just irritated because i live four hours to the northwest of new orleans...i spent gas, lost wages, wasted time, spent countless minutes on the phone, chased referrals (3 of them..cause none of them were ever right..imagine that!)  got approved through medicaid..then denied..then approved again...then back down there to see dr. nick...then 9 weeks of nutrition classes...worried that i wasn't making the right decision.  

no..irritated is not the right word.  ANGER!  WRATH!  EXTREME FRUSTRATION!  This is fraud.  The whole thing is medicaid fraud.  The whole thing is Erica fraud.  How many people were tricked into believing they were going to receive a life changing surgery?  if they did this...and followed this...and now there's nothing.  

It was the only chance I had at this.  I cannot afford to pay for the surgery.  I had money saved up but a family member took advantage of that money during a difficult time in my life and it's gone.  I have no insurance.  And a drunk junkie fraud of a surgeon gave me false hope.  

Ok..i'm done..
Just needed to vent.

erica.

In all fairness he does not say when he traveled for vacation.

I doubt too many docs would tell everyone they were going for drug/alcohol rehab when they were really going on a vacation.

I don't blame you for being angry and frustrated that your surgery is put on hold, I hear Medicaid can be quite difficult to get surgery through in many states since the paperwork required by the MD office is unbelievable and the reimbursement is quite low.  I have a friend in AZ that can't get her band removed because there is a 2 year waiting list to see a bariatric surgeon.

Many doctors feel they are losing money by taking Medicaid and due to this, very few docs around here will take it.

daboink, im so sorry i had to be the bearer of bad news, but i wanted everyone2 be aware!! (especially his patients) i have requested all of his info through louisiana medical board, & i am waiting on it anyday!! so u said ur insurance will run out soon?? why not sign a medical release get all ur records from his office, & find another dr...theres still time, & hope! dont give up we have all come too far! this has been such a hard pill 4 me 2 swallow myself, but we gotta stay focused!! (just makes me very nervous abt the next dr) im def doing all my homewor****ep up the good work u have done, & if u need to ever talk, just know im here! we can exchange #'s through messaging :o) good luck, & god bless!! <3

I'm not picking on you, pinky swear.  Just a general question because you are a standard issue person that does things the way most people do.

With that said, why do you suppose people research a microwave oven more than they do the person that will be doing major surgery on them?

to be honest w/ u i did alot of research on dr steeb, but not enough obviously! & again, like myself & alot of others...i wasnt aware of louisiana medical board. if so, that would have been my 1st stop. u live, u learn...thats just the way it goes. just glad i learned now instead of later! never in a million yearswould i have thought we were all given the run around by this dr 4 these many months bc of all his issues...bc from what everyone says it takes a while to get things in order 4 surgery(approval letters, nutrition class, ect..) so...therefore i figured it was just a long process i was going through ya know? well, keep intouch, & take care <3