Finding the best surgeon/surgery site

Thanks all for your responses! I have scheduled an information seminar at Northwestern with Dr. Nagle for October 9th. I now have feelings of hope in addition to the scary ones

I'm so happy to have found this forum!

I'm really proud of you! For me, the hardest and scariest step was honestly dragging my butt into that seminar. Yes, surgery and the unknowns of post-op life were intimidating, but the risks to my health if I stayed at 300lb were even scarier.

Welcome to the forums!

Thank you so much! And I am glad that everything went well with you

I don't have any means of comparing surgeons, but I am very happy with Dr. Chand at Loyola. Good luck Kathy!

Thank you, Jim, I will look into Dr Chand as well - especially since it would be easier for me to get to Loyola. Good luck to you as well!

Kat

Start with seeing who is in network for your insurance and go from there. My plan would only cover surgery at a Bariatric Center of Excellence. Also, if there are programs closer to home, your insurance may not cover you going to the Mayo. Once you have determined who your insurance is OK with, then start asking around for local recommendations as to those docs. Attend their information sessions and get a feel for the program and the people. Your surgeon is the person you will see the least. You will spend a ton of time with the RDs, the nurse practitioners and other office staff.

I used a major university medical center here in Philly. It is one that many of my other doctors (ortho, etc.) are part of and I am comfortable with the hospitals and their reputations.