NEED HELP PICKING A DR. IN MA.

HEY EVERYONE, I HAVE DECIDED FOR SURE THAT I AM GOING TO GET WLS. CAN ANYONE SUGGEST A DR. IN THE AREA IN WHICH THEY FELT WAS GREAT? MY PRIMARY CARE HAS GIVEN ME THE NAME OF SOMEONE THAT SHE FEELS COMFORTABLE WITH BUT I WOULD VALUE THE ADVICE MORE FROM SOMEONE WHO EXPERIENCED THIS. THANKS, KELLY

Hi Kelly, congrats on taking the first steps and discussing this w/ your doctor... I'm sure everyone will have tons of advise on who/where to go for your surgery, so i'll give you a bit about my experience and my opinion. I went to Dr Partridge at Chestnut Hill OBesity center in Newton. they go to newton/wellesley hospital and i really liked their program. Most places have you see a nutritionist, psychologist, and your surgeon. At Chestnut hill you do that all at once. I met with each of them at least 3 times before surgery, but didnt have to go to seperate appointments for each. Which was helpful to me, b/c i couldnt really afford to take a LOT of time out for appointments considering i was going to be taking 6-8 weeks out for surgery. at Chest hill you go to a few pre op meetings, fill out paperwork and send it in, then they generally call you for your first appointmet. You are then given a binder of appointments and things you need to do prior to surgery, you go to meetings and they sign your book, appts book gets signed again, labwork, same thing. When all the requirements are met and your book is all signed you are scheduled for surgery. This whole process took about 4 months from my first visit with the surgeon/nutritionist/psychologist to my surgery date. It went SMOOTHLY... i just had to follow exactly the appointments made in my book. I really liked the hospital as well, i've never been there for anything, as i live about 45 min away, but the staff was fantastic, from the phlebotomist that drew my blood, to the anesthesiologist to nurses on the floor after surgery, i was very impressed. well that's my story, good luck in whoever you decide to go with... hope this helped! ~Kim 262-168

Kelly: I did a lot of research on doctors and hospitals in Ma. The absolute best dosctors and programs are at Tufts New England medical center. They have done the most and have been pioneers in Weight loss surgery. Dr Shikora is the leader of their group. I had my surgery on 1/19/2005 and have had no problems or complications at all. They do almost all of their procedeures laproscopically which can not be said for many of the other hospitals. This results in a much faster and less painfull recovery. Their program does not just rely on the surgery but also has substanial resiurces for your after care....group meetings, exercise phisiologist etc. Good luck with your decision. John

Hi Kelly, I went to Dr Robinson at Brigham & Women's in Boston. I really can't say enough about the care I received, the expertise of Dr Robinson and the kindness of the PA's in his office. I really had a great experience with all of them.

I went to Dr. Richard Perugini in Umass worcester. He seems to not have a great bedside manner but he was an excellant suregeon. I liked his staff and also enjoyed most of the program we had to go through. I know other places you can get in quicker but I think that it's best to cover all the bases like his group does. I wish you well in all you do. B lap rny 1/6/05 309/266/whatever happens -41 pounds forever

Hi there I am having my surgery with Dr. Scott Shikora on March 7th 2005 at Tufts New England Medical Center. I researched for a long time and they have the best obesity programs. Dr. Shikora is one of the leading minimally invasive surgerons in the country. In addtion he is a leading gastric by pass surgeon. He was teh first doctor to perform Lap-Band in Massachusetts and he is just fantastic. If you go there your in the best place, hands down! I will let you know how i do after surgery if you like. Emaill me if you need any extra help or have other questions. Good luck

We are so fortunate to have so many excellent choices in this area. I had my surgery at Boston Medical Center by Dr. Hess. I saw him at the Quincy Medical Center office. I was very pleased with my care and Dr. Hess is wonderful. Some things to consider in making a choice- how convenient is the travel for appointments and support groups? do you know anyone personally who had a surgeon you are thinking about? how convenient is the hospital for your family to get to (remember you will need a ride to and from the hospital)? what do people say about the nursing care? Remember, the surgeon does the surgery and sees you briefly at the hospital but the nurses are there 24 hours a day! how are the support services? groups, nutritionist, exercise? does your insurance mandate a particular hospital or limit choices of hospital? Good luck! You will get lots of information here! Luann LapRNY 9/14/04 -70

Kelly, I had Dr. Bruce Thayer from Chestnut Surgical in Newton Wellesly. Wonderful. He is a partner with Dr. Partridge that Kim replied to you about. The hospital was great and so was the experience. I had my surgery March 1st 04 and was back to work in 6 weeks. I've never been happier or healthier.... Best Regards, Chris

Hi Kelly, You didn't mention which WLS you want to get and that certainly makes a difference in the type of surgeon you want. You should choose someone who is experienced in the surgery you want to have. For my lap-band, I went to Pioneer Valley Surgeons in Springfield Mass. I'd be happy to give you more info if you want to email me - or check my profile.

HI Kelly, I strongly recommend the program at New England Medical Center. I was given much information before and after surgery. I had the gastric bypass in September 2004 and I have had no complications. Dr Tarnoff did my surgery but all the doctors at NEMC are great. Sue