Duke WLC - RNY, opinions?

I have an appointment with Duke for next Friday (a week from tomorrow) to attend their dog & pony show prior to actually having a one-on-one with a physician.

If I go into the Reviews area, it seems like I have a choice between great experiences, and people who haven't had their surgery yet.  I see in a thread earlier that there are sometimes communication issues, too.  Thing is, a friend of mine had hers done about 12-18 months ago (RNY) at Duke and testifies that she had no complications, little to no pain post-op, and recovery was a breeze.  She says that a phone call to the center will be returned to her in an hour, and that her sugeon, psych, and nutritionist are on-call for her now that she's post-op.

I can't seem to find any significant complaints about Duke, so I'm wondering if anyone reading the forums has had their procedure at Duke completed and, if so, what their impression of the experience and follow-up has been.

Many thanks!

~~Laura

I am the one with the issues with Duke and their post op care. I had my 3 1/2 month apt today and was able to get to the bottom of some of the communication problems. I met with the surgeon, fellow, office manager and nurse manager, There is hope things may get better. They are aware of the issues and will continue to work on them. It is not a surprise that your friend had a great experience. Something happened between 1 year and 6 months ago. All the patients I have met with and spoke to that had their surgery 12 months or longer ago did great and have nothing bad to say. Anyone in the 6 months to current seem to have the same issues.
The surgeons are very skilled and the issues will hopefully be addressed.
Good luck
Audra

Thank you, Audra!

I will also likely be attending Wake Forest Baptist's seminar next week (Dr "Fuzz") since they're so much closer to home.  I notice you're in Raleigh, and I wonder if it wouldn't be better for me to have a doctor and facility that are 15 minutes away instead of two hours away, in case of complications.

Augh.  I have no idea how people decide on their facility of choice, but I guess I'm about to find out.  Thank you again!

~~Laura

I had my surgery through Duke 3 weeks ago.  I had a TERRIBLE time getting phone calls returned.  Also, I went in for my 3 week check up and my appointment was at 2:45 but I didn't get seen until 4:20. My doctor had just gotten back from an out of country teaching event, however,  I will say that I've never been for an appointment at the Clinic that I wasn't there for 2 hours.

That being said, I've had a great experience, physically.  I've had no issues whatsoever.  I've gotten all the information I need from my doctor, psych, and nutritionist.  I feel like they are aware of the issues.  I spoke with a nurse who was very open about the issues.  While it's extremely iriitating to try and get them on the phone or to wait for 2 hours to see a Resident for 5 minutes, I wouldn't have gone anywhere else because in the end, the people are very helpful.

:)
Fran

This kind of makes me leary about Duke. I'm just starting my journey and scheduled my seminar for the last week in May. This whole process is scary enough to go through but then to have problems with billing, appts and questions being answered I'm not sure I feel so good about my choice.

I had my surgery by Dr. Pryor at Duke on 3/29.  The process leading up to surgery was a bit frustrating, I went in for the seminar in mid-November, was called in late December to set up my first appt.  I had all my one on one appts on Jan 12th, and had all my required tests completed by Jan 20th, and never heard back from them until mid-March.  I left several unanswered voicemails and emails trying to find out what the staus of my case was, and just never got any response.  When they finally did call me in March, they apologized for not calling me back, but never really offered any reason as to why all my calls went unanswered.

That being said, I am so glad I had my surgery through Duke.  Dr. Pryor is wonderful, they have everything basically under one roof, and their partnership with Durham Regional makes getting all the necessary test very easy.  I had friends that went to other centers in the area and it was up to them to schedule all their appointments and find their specialists, Duke seems to take care of all of that for you.

I have not had any of my follow up visits yet, so I cannot comment on that, but for the acutal surgery itself and aftercare in the hospital, I have no complaints.

Good luck!

I had my surgery @ Duke in Dec of 2007.   Dr. Pryor..... I wasn't particulary thrilled with her bedside manor, but will admit she did an excellent job on my surgery... which is the most important part.  
 
Huby had his in Dec of 2008 @ UNC.  He's had 3 surgeries since then due to bowel obstructions &  twists... They have absolutely no  followup groups which enable us to speak directly to others who have had experiences like ours and some different from ours.  It help.... ALOT when you know that you're not alone and what you're feeling is not unusual.  They have a nutritionist who has no clue.... i was telling her how to prepare some foods that would be high protein, low fat...

There is just no continued care like Duke has, and  I believe it's the most important part of this experience... and i don't believe that there is any better or more experienced that Duke.  It's a whole different word from so many other WLS places.

If i were to do this again... i wouldn't do it any  other place than duke.

Hey!
I had surgery on Monday, the 5th. My surgery experience has been a quick one.

In January I attended the informational session, filled out my application, and faxed it the next day. I did have some issues faxing my application it. I had to try it 7 or 8 times before I finally got through.

Then I waited. And waited. And WAITED! Then I called! And called. And CALLED!

I finally got a call back for my first appointment, barium swallow, and EKG.

Then I waited. And waited. And WAITED! Then I called! And called. And CALLED!

Finally after leaving several messages I talked to the lady who does the insurance approvals (may be the office manager?) who got Dr.Pryor's nurse to call me back. After that her scheduling person called me back and I got my appointment and surgery date. They worked around my spring break.

I had my surgery on Monday with Dr. Pryor and everything went smoothly.

I have been happy with Duke so far. Dr. Pryor is very professional, knowledgable, and competent. The only complaint I have is with people calling me back. If that could be better, I think the overall experience would be better.

Best of luck in choosing a surgeon!!

I had major issues with the admin staff prior to surgery.  I had to be a royal pain in the ass and a bit demanding at times in order to get things done.  BUT, this was all worth it to me in order to get to Dr. Sudan, who is an excellent DS surgeon.  My surgery went perfectly and I've had a fairytale recovery so far.  One of my main complaints about their after care is that no one, other than Dr. Sudan, seems to know anything about the DS and they often spout off incorrect information.  (Of course if you go with the RNY, then this won't apply to you.)  You should also know that there is a charge for their "groups" post surgery and some insurances will not pay for them.  (I found this out the hard way - after attending and not knowing about it before hand.)

Attend the seminar and ask questions and  let them know the concerns you have based on what you've been told by previous patients.  See what they say and how they address them.  Then go with your gut.

Good luck!

I had my surgery with Duke nearly 3 years ago and my husband had his about 18 months ago. I run a very large support group in the area and to be honest, I hear the good, bad and ugly about all of the local groups. That said, I'd use Duke again in a heartbeat. Do they have some issues, yep; but to be honest, all of them do. That said, they are the most robust group in the area and it also why they are the only ASMBS/Medicare COE (Center of Excellence) in the area. This is a difficult designation to get attain and maintain and means that they have a fully rounded program. 

I would suggest that you attend informational seminars for at least 3 programs that are in your area. You will get different perspectives from each one and hopefully be able to find one that suits your individual needs.