Hello every1

My name is Ebony and it's been a VERY long time since visiting and posting on OH. I started this journey over 5 yrs. ago when I lived in NY. Needless to say, life got in the way and I have not had the surgery yet. I am very happy in life now and want to defeat this last demon of obesity. That's why I'm back. I live in NC now and am looking to meet new people and FINALLY get the surgery done. So with that, does anyone know of any GREAT Primary Care physicians in Durham who will not put me through a bunch of hoops to get the surgery? What about surgeons? I need A GREAT referral. Any input is appreciated.

Thanks and God Bless : )

Well welcome back. I am Audra and I am 3 months post RNY. I live in Raleigh so I can not reccommend a durham PCP, but as for surgeons. The Duke weight loss center is a center of excellence and they do have skilled surgeons just not impressed with there post op care. They do have a free informational meeting you have to attend by registering on line, before you can make and appointment. What insurance are you using? If it is BCBS of North Carolina there is no need for a PCP referral. There are other insurances that use Duke as there center of excellence but I can not remember them . Good luck with your journey. Let me know if there are any questions I can help you with,

Audra

Thanks Audra!

I do have bcbs of nc and you say I don't need a referral from a PCP? How would I go through Duke for surgery and not post-op care? I am new to NC, so when you say 'Duke''  do you mean Duke hospital? or all of the pros that are associated with Duke? IDK...please explain. I was planning on having the surgery at Durham regional since its closest to my house. Where did you have yours?

It is kind of confusing now that Duke and Dirham Regional are one hospital system. The Weight Loss clinic is Duke Weight Loss Center and they do the actual surgey at Durham Regional. That is the hospital they chose to do the remodeling for bariatric patients ie: bigger chairs, beds and rooms. You have to follow up with Duke after surgery so I hope they will make the necessary changes to their post op care. I did meet with the head of the office and the nurse manager this week to explain some difficulties in their post op care. They were very receptive and seemed to listen to my concerns. So, now i hope they do the needed follow up. As for the surgeons they are very skilled and probably the best by record in NC. My surgeon says he is one of the only with NO deaths (he said it I did not research that).
I hope this helps. You have to register for an informational session before you can start the process.
Let me know if there is anything else I can help you with
Audra

I am 1 week post op from Duke. I loved my surgeon. You can click on Dr. Pryor's name on my profile to find hers. BCBS approved me the first time. They have a partnership with Duke. Let me know if you have any questions!

http://www.dukehealth.org/services/weight_loss_surgery/about

Thank you again ladies for your responses.

Audra, who was your  surgeon ? And how long did it take for you to get the surgery done after you first inquired about it?

My surgeon is Dr Torquati and I first went to the information session in July09 and they were ready to schedulae in Sep09, but I could not take time until Dec 09. Keep in mind I have no comorbidities and my BMI was 40.8. So if you need more testing it may take longer and they seem more busy than when I started the process. I wish you all the best. I have heard good things about Dr Enochs skill. My GI specialist does all his GI work ups.
Good luck
Audra