Surgeon opinions

Hi, everyone!  I am so impressed with everyone's success.  I am 54 years old, lifelong obesity problem and am in the process of choosing the surgeon in the Charlotte/Concord area.  If anyone has any personal reflections on their doctor or the hospital they were sent to or the office staff, I would really appreciate any input.  I am very anxious to decide on the surgeon.  THANKS and I look forward to being a part of the group.  You are all so courageous and have only exciting things coming your way. mgwcvrcm

Congrats on taking the first steps to a new life.  You have come to the right place to get some wonderful support and advice.  Welcome!   You will find some great doctors with wonderful success from the many OHers here on this board.  I am partial to Carolina Weight Loss in Concord because Dr. Bauman did my surgery.  I have had a wonderful experience so far.  They also are one of the Centers of Execellence in the area...but again, there are many others in NC.   This is one of the most important things you will ever do for YOURSELF.  Take your time and research doctors and make sure you do what is best for you.  Like i said before, there has been a tremendous amount of success here on the board....  Check out our profiles..you will find our Drs. names there.   I wish you Luck.  Keep us posted on your journey.  You will do great! Connie

Hello and Welcome!  This is the best place that I found for information and more important support, everyone here on the NC board is Awesome.   Anyway... to answer  your question.  I'm pretty much in favor of Dr. Bauman & Carolinas Weight Loss Surgery.  Dr. Bauman is a no nonsense kinda Doctor, but I think that's what we want/need  he is very strict, and if he tells you something he means it.   His staff has also been really wonderful as well and in line with them is his staff over at CMC North East.  Anyway I just love Dr. B... in away he gave me  my life back or at least provided me with the tool I needed to get my life back.   You could call me the poster child for Dr. Roc Bauman!   LOL   I wish you all the best!

I had surgery with DrMelkonian of Carolinas Surgical. I had first decided to make an appointment with his office because my best friend had her WLS surgery with him. She had done a lot of research before picking this surgeon and always spoke highly of him.  When I had my first appointment with him I was 'hooked'... he took time to explain everythign to me... he also answered any and every question that I had. He also went over all the different surgeries (even thou he doesnt do them all!) so I knew all the options available to me. The nutritionists his office work with are amazing as well (lake normal nutritional associates)... my NUT spent a lot of time explaining things to me and also always answers any questions I have... our sessions usually run over because we are having nutritional discussions :-) He also has a wonderful support group at Presby Hospital which I attended prior to surgery... this gave me a chance to talk to some of his other patients and find out about their experiences. His partner DrLowe is also great... I have heard him speak many times and had some follow up appointments with him when DrM wasnt available! I also liked the fact that they did have huge 'program fees' or required a ton of money up front... many places I called wanted hundreds of $$ up front in non-refundable non-insurance covered fees!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Dr. Timothy Kuwada.  Did I mention that I LOVE HIM?  He is a wonderful surgeon.. my scars are beautiful!  I have had no troubles.  I can reach him anytime of the day or night by email and he ALWAYS answers me back within a few hours.  He is a huge patient advocatte (according to the nurses @ Mercy) and he has a great bedside manner.   I am so glad I found him.  I was blessed to have such a skilled, professional and personable surgeon.  :)

Go****'s so funny it's like reading the post that I did 3 yrs ago. :) I too went to all the surgeons in the area Charlotte/Concord and for me at the seminar I knew from the moment he spoke Dr Voellinger was the one for me. :) He is a good ol' southern boy and for me the personal attn and the GREAT bedside manners were what was won. Then I looked at his surgeries and complication rates and again knew I felt right with him. It's so hard you have to do to who is good for you. I can't say one is better then another otherwise they all wouldn't be doing surgery still. haha....so they all must be good so it's really up to you the patient.  I can tell you Dr V was with a surgical practice when I had my surgery and now he own his own practice because he knew that surgery alone wasn't going to keep the weight off for patients. It's a lifestyle change and he has on staff psych, fitness and nutrition and all 4 of them work together to make you the best possible patient. So now I would say it's not only exp that I love about him but it's his dedication to see that surgery is just a tool.  So there is so much to look into when looking for your perfect surgeon....again I really don't think you can wrong with anyone of them. Just get your questions ready attend all the seminars as they all hold them and you will know which one is right for you. My biggest thing 2 1/2 years out that I didn't think about when I went through the process was to ask about follow up care. It's so important.  Good Luck as it's a TOUGH choice. I could say the Charlotte/Concord area is lucky to have so many choices. :)

Hi and welcome!   I had Dr. Pirrello who is Dr. Bauman's partner at Carolinas Weight Loss Surgery in Concord.  I checked out some others in the area prior to selecting Dr. Pirrello.  I strongly suggest you check out all the professionals and see where you feel best.  I agree with all the other folks on this list, that we are truly blest to have so many wonderful options in our area!

THANKS SO MUCH to everyone *****sponded to my post!!  Reading your replies made me feel secure no matter which one of the bariatric surgeons I choose.   I agree with going to the seminars.  Sometimes I think meeting and seeing the surgeon interact with potential patients is a powerful tool to help us know who is the best for us.  From my research, they are all extremely competent surgeons and so it almost comes down to who you personally feel best with and whose postop program you feel most comfortable with. I am so impressed with all of you and how far you've come.  It helps me so very much to know there are people willing to share their experiences and offer support.  I've got a feeling that will be a big part of my journey.  This is definitely not just surgery, that's for sure.  I think the surgery is only the beginning of the changes we will make.  All of us have gone through so much with obesity in our lifetimes.  And to finally have the opportunity to change our lives in such a profound way is a gift.  And it is also a gift to have people sharing with each other what they are going through and have gone through.  We are definitely not alone.   By the way, I have noticed that some people seemed to lose weight preop.  Do the surgeons have a limit they want people to lose before the surgery or does the weight loss pre-surgery come from a change in diet (like maybe a liquid diet) in the weeks before surgery?  I also seem to get different averages of time between the first appointment with the surgeon and the surgery itself.  I've heard everywhere from three months to a year.  What sort of experience did you have?  This is something I decided to do for sure a couple of years ago.  But last year I had to have a total knee replacement in both of my knees and two other surgeries, so I knew it would be this year.  I'm just hoping it will be closer to three months than a year!! mgw