Second guessing surgeon choice.

Well, right now I am dealing with Dr. Steven Simper who is awesome and only about 6 hour drive from my town.
http://www.obesityhelp.com/profiles/bariatric-surgeon/dr-steven-simper/#profile_procedures

Only reason why I am second guessing is on my other hand I have doctors that perform the DS a lot more and just a lot more review of happy patients.

I am not saying anything bad on Dr. Simper, I just basicly want to know.... should I get a more experienced doctor? For example Dr. Rabkin or Dr. Gregg Jossart? Is it worth the trip down to California? Or is more local the way to go??
http://www.obesityhelp.com/profiles/bariatric-surgeon/dr-john-rabkin/#profile_reviews
http://www.obesityhelp.com/profiles/bariatric-surgeon/dr-gregg-jossart-coe/#profile_procedures

Cost to fly to all these doctors are the same. Need some advice.

I just want to make the best choice and I am asking your amazing people for help!

Sweetheart, honestly - Experience is everything.  Yeah **** up's happen to the best of them but the more experience the surgeon has, the easier he can fix the **** up's. 

If you're truly wondering, go for someone with more experience.  Rabkin I've heard nothing but amazing things about. 

 Are you a virgin DS? I haven't heard anything bad about Dr Simper, and it can be nice to have your surgeon in driving distance, but it's not necessary.

If you are a revision from another surgery, then only go to the top surgeons and fly wherever is necessary.

OK,disclaimer, haven't met Simper or Jossart.

Have met Rabkin, have sent him some surgical disasters. One lady had started WLS in the 80's, and he pulled her thru her FOURTH WLS with flying colors.

One lady had a doc so arrogant he wouldn't see her when she started having issues. He pulled her thru that mess with flying colors.

So, what I'm saying is that if I sent him my own personal buddies who were mangled, I'd send myself to him, since my doc just retired. I'd be coming from WA state. I mean, if I needed surgical intervention. I do monitor my own labs, of course, and my surgeon's office still lets me use their lab request sheet.

There are other docs I would trust with my kids or my own body, but sticking to your specific question.

It's an age long question... I guess I will call up and see how booked up the California doctors are then decide:) With this being such a big decision in my life ... I just want to make the right one
I am a little stressin' over this lol who would have thought

If anyone else want to put their 2 cents in go right ahead, I love to hear opinions!

Dr. Simper has done a good number of procedures and I haven't heard of any poor outcomes.

If you can get to SLC in six hours, I am IMPRESSED :-D. The ride home is likely to take rather longer--more stops!

If finances are not an issue, I would go with the more experienced surgeon, and I would use dr. Rabkin over Dr. Jossart for sure.

Dr. Rabkin is excellent. He did my brother's DS, and his older brother, now retired, did my DS. I've also had other friends have him for their surgeon, and we've all been very impressed with both his skills and his personality.
     Another one for you to consider would be Dr. Keshishian in Glendale, CA. He's a very experienced DS surgeon, and also with a great personality.
     I'm not saying anything negative about the others, I just don't know them.

Larra

 Dr Simper has some happy patients here, I've not heard anything negative about him, but I dont think he has the same level of experience as the others you have mentioned.

That being said, you cannot go wrong with Dr Rabkin, or Dr Ara Keshishian, both in California.  Both are DS Rock Star surgeons.

my apologies to the o/p for hijacking the thread.... Just wanted to say it's nice to see a "local" around here Joanne ... aren't too many of us.

back to the topic.  As others have said, if the cost or logistics of travel to ANY of those surgeons is of no difference to you, then go with who you are most comfortable with.  Being a first-time DS (and not a revision) I think you're on pretty much equal ground with your choices.

Best of luck