N.O. Evacuee--Need Some Help

My name is Rhonda and I am new to AZ. I am an evacuee from New Orleans and have relocated here with my family (4 kids). I had DS surgery in July 2004. I am in need of a doctor who will continue to do my follow ups as well as a PCP for myself and my family. I would like some assistance in finding a plastic surgeon that will see me regarding an incisional hernia (a result of my WLS and aggravated by the events surrounding my Katrina evacuation) as well as medically approved panniculectomy (have the Letter of Medical Necessity from my PCP in New Orleans). I was scheduled to have the hernia repair and panniculectomy in September before Katrina struck. I have been unable to find a PS that will assist me. All have waiting lists for months, require that I have a referral from a PCP in AZ, etc. Can anyone help or make some suggestions to what I can do to get the help I need? I am in the Mesa area (near Recker and University) but will travel to whomever can help. I do not want my henria to become an emergency situation but it has become much larger these 3 months. Rhonda DS on 7/7/04 225/103 (below goal at this time--I wouldn't recommend the "Katrina evacuation diet")

Dr. Terry Simpson www.obesitydr.com was doing DS until about 4-5 months ago, now he only does lap band.....he might be able to do follow up visits for you. He is well known bariatric surgeon in Az and he has written 3-4 books on surgery and follow up care. I have gone to 2 of his free support group meetings that he holds from time to time in Tucson. He was also a key speaker at the obesityhelp.com conference in Phx, Az last Feburary. P. S. I heard his support groups if you want to join them are well over $1,000 per year....if I had the money, i would pay it. Sandy in Tucson 150 lbs down I will be at the obesity conference in Costa Mesa, Calif...leaving on the plane tomorrow. It should be a blast.

Try dr. Simons and nuehoff, they are awesome. Heather

Welcome to the East Valley in Arizona Rhonda! I"m soooooo sorry that you came to us by way of one of the world's worst disasters! I sincerely hope that your family is at least intact and able to move forward . It sounds like you are at least getting on with things for the future! Good for you! I work for Dr. Terry Simpson and would highly recommend him as a follow-up doctor/surgeon. Though he no longer does D.S., he still has hundreds of them in his support groups and in his care. His fee for incoming patients who have already had their surgery is $450.00 for a lifetime of support groups and follow-up care. This includes personal e-mail with him with any questions you may ever have. He was not my surgeon; but I would totally recommend DR. Simpson (and have! LOL!) to many folks for his outstanding personal care! There is also a $100.00 one time consult fee that may be turned into your insurance? I think the program fee of $450.00 includes his books as well but just ask all the details if you call the office. I won't be back into work there until January. As for the new pcp; we often send new patients to Dr. Seagull who is in the same complex as Dr. Simpson. But, since you are from East Mesa, I would also recommend Dr. Gary Wallace in Gilbert. He's with the Mesa Family PHysicians group and is wonderful! He's been my doc for about 8 years. Just tell Angie (his assistant) that Joyce referred you! I am also looking for plastic surgeons right now and have gone to 5 consults. I think you'll have a hard time finding one in Arizona that even works with insurance. I know that you can fly to California and have Dr. Katzen do your surgery though and he'll work with most PPO's. .... One patient was able to have a hernia repair and tuck with DR. Bryan Gawley at (480) 860-2173. I am not familiar with him so can't give a hearty recommendation. .... IF you are doing a cash pay then let me know....I can send you a ton of information! If you are looking for a local support group to attend then we'd love to have you join us at our Chandler support group. We meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at Chandler Regional Hospital. IT's probably about a 15 to 20 minute drive from your house; depending on traffic. You can join the support site through yahoo groups by puting the name in the search window: [email protected] WE welcome folks with all different types of weight loss surgery from different programs/surgeons/states without charge. It's peer faciliated. Good luck with everything! If you'd like more details about Dr. Simpson, you can call and talk with Christine, his Bariatric Coordinator at (602) 234-8995 extension 105. You can also find out more about Dr. Simpson by logging onto www.DrSimpson.com Hugs your skinny little way, Joyce 103????? Holy Cow! I think that was my birth weight! *winks*