Surgery at University of Chicago

 My solution to locating a a super D.S. vetted surgeon from the OH list was to see who was within a one day driveable distance first, before having to fly. You should look into Dr. Kemmeter in Grand Rapids, Western Michigan is very close to Chicago, only 2 hours drive.

My many surgeries at his hospital, Saint Mary's have been all positive experiences with caring, pleasant nursing staff, especially trained in bariatrics. I know of quite a few WLS people who travel to him from the Chicago area. His  pre and post care team are quite professional, and friendly about delivering a complete package for WL success. I wouldnt have changed a thing about any of my experiences with them. They have quick responce in regards to insurance approval, worked out all the details for me. Grand Health Partners, Grand Rapids is an hour from me, well worth the drive, no large city traffic to deal with.

Contact Cathy Mooney on the Saint Mary's  Hospital WL site, and call GHP to connect with her. She can answer all your questions about distance WLS, a super connection between the hospital and Dr.Kemmeter. Study both the hospital and Grand Health Partners sites for lots of D.S. info. All their help made all the difference in my entheusiasm for a successful  journey to my goal this year.  ;-)

Sandra

You may want to respond to to the original poster, not me.

I completely disagree with the negative comments about U of C.  Experience was great.  Dr. Prachand and his staff were the best.  Aftercare is great.  They answer my dumb questions with a phonecall in an hour.  The NUT's were great, support meetings were great,  Angela is the BEST!  I wouldn't travel anywhere but U of C if I was doing the DS and within a stones throw of Chicago.  However,  everyone has their oppinion and always welcome to voice them.  I had no problem loosing weight.  Down 130 lbs sibce April 24th.  Roughly 100 lbs to go.  Cant complain!  Wont complain.  DS is one hell of a tool if used accordingly.  OK, Im done.  Thats my two cents.

I had my DS lap with Dr. Prachand at U of C (I live 100 miles from there). 

I thought the surgery itself was just fine.  The U of C hospital part is rather old but still functions reasonable well.  There's a lot of new construction so it may look different now than it did in 2009 when I was there.

Since it is a teaching hospital there will be times you're not given as much info as you should.  Other times procedures are not as strictly followed as others which can be good or bad depending on the situation.  It can be maddening sometimes when seven student doctors ask you the same exact question in the course of an hour and then not one of them will or is capable of answering one question of yours.

If you don't have patience about such things - and it's an option, then you may wish to try a different hospital.  I had no other reasonable options and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

When I was discharged Dr Prachand said to call and he'd gladly send their U of C helicopter if I ran into a surgical complication. 

I had a complication, but not the kind that requires more surgery so I was treated at a local hospital near my home.  The U of C insistence on an IVC filter and blood thinners ended up saving my life as I did encounter DVT and pulmonary embolism about 4 or 5 weeks post op.

Couldn't agree more with Bill I.  Evrything went fine.  A teaching hospital, but hey, everyone has to learn somtime!  The facility is a little old, however, the new hospital arrives in Jan of 2013.

Not sure where you're travelling from, but check out Dr. Margaret Inman at Meridian Surgical Group in Carmel, IN.  (suburb of Indianapolis).  She is the only DS surgeon in the state of Indiana, and is part of the comprehensive program at St. Vincent's Bariatric COE.
Meridian Surgical Group surgeons focus on bariatric surgery.

St. V's in Carmel primarily is there for bariatric surgery and Women's Health (maternity, gyno, breast, etc).  The main, general hospital is located in Indianapolis.  It is small, but the bariatric unit is specially outfitted for SMO patients (wider chairs, beds, doors, etc), and the nurses who work on that unit are specially trained.

Dr. Inman requires a five year follow-up, forst six months and annually if all is well.  If there are deficiencies or issues of ANY kind, you will see her at six month intervals instead of annually. 

I traveled about two hours from home for my DS---and six months later, my surgeon retired. My PCP orders all my labs, but I am responsible for telling her what labs I need, and for interpreting the results. If you choose to have a DS, you simply must educate yourself about vitamins, minerals, lab values, etc.