Dr Howard Simon (Bariatric Center in Syr NY)

I am attending an information meeting on Dec. 22nd I am looking for people who have gone to this Bariatric center or have worked with Dr. Howard Simon. I am hoping to have the RNY sugery done. I would like to hear some stories from people on what it was like from the day you decided to have Surgery to the date of your surgery. Also what kind of testing had to be done besides bloodwork?  I am very anxious to go to this information meeting but being that I have a month to wait I thought I would ask about things here while I wait.

Congrats on making the decision to have rny. I am now waiting for insurance approval in order to schedule my surgery date and i hope it comes soon i hate waiting. I am not going with dr. simon by i am going with Dr. Desimone at Community General hospital in syracuse. The tests i have had to do before it could go to insurance were :  Chest x-ray, gull bladder ultrasound, stress test, ekg, blood work, psychologist interview, and a couple of appts. with the dietian, also you may need to be tested for sleep apnea if you do not already have it. And my insurance required me to do a 6 month doctor documented diet and loose 5% of my weight before surgery. Good luck with everything and keep posting updates. Support groups are also a good thing to go to for information from people who have had surgery and also from those who are also in the process.

Thanks for your response. Well at least I have one test out of the way already. I had my gull bladder removed when I was 18! Not looking forward to the sleep apnea test. Maybe I will get lucky and not have to have it lol. I can only hope.

Oh my insurance is also Americhoice, my secondary is Medicaid.

Hello and congrats for taking this life changing step towards a healthier you.  My surgeon was Howard Simon and I have had nothing but positive experiences.  My surgery was Oct 5th and I am progressing effortlessly through my new eating stages.  I was very prepared for the changes after surgery.  I think I was so prepared because this program takes a while to get through.  I was actually approved in May but it took a while to get the surgery date.  I was bummed at first but it was a great opportunity for me to get all of my behavior mods in check.  PM me if you'd like to hear more specifics.. Good luck!!
Jenn

Hi Chris
Welcome,  I have Dr Simon. I am waiting to get my date for surgury, I recieved my insurance approval this weekend. I started the process in May, met with Dr Simon in August and have not met with him again all of my appointments after that (about every six weeks)have been with the dietician and Marcy the NP. I am kind of disappointed in that. From what I hear from other patients is the next time I see him will be on the day of my surgury. What test you have is different depending on your medical history and your insurance company, I had to have blood work, sleep apnea test, pyschatric evaluation, and a letter from my primary care doctor. Don't worry about the sleep apnea test it is no big deal, you go in and sleep the tech does all the hard stuff :) I was afraid I would not beable to sleep with all the wires but I was fine. I was diagnosised with obstructive sleep apnea (found out I was in REM sleep for only 5 minutes the whole 6 hours I was asleep, no wonder I am so tired all the time) and had to go back for a second test with the cpap and that went fine also now just waiting to get my machine. Dr Simon requires you lose 5% of your body weight before surgury, if you smoke you have to quit and be tobacco free for 6 months, and attend 3 support groups. The losing weight has been the harded for me. I quit smoking in June and have gained weight since my appointment in August. One thing that was sprung on me at the information meeting that I was not expecting is you have to pay $50.00 (I heard that fee is going up to 150.00 not sure when though) before they will schedule your appointment, this fee is to cover cost of the program that are not covered by insurances like the support groups and dietician visits is what I was told. Your meeting being so close to Christmas you may want to start saving alittle now. So far it has been a pretty smooth process for me, however I do feel like the process is not very personal more like checking off the boxes to get me through. But then I did alot of my own research here and on thinner times.com and work with 4 people who have been through the surgury with Dr Simon or Dr Kim. Good luck and keep us updated on how your progress is coming along.

Congratulations on your decision to change your life.  I had my surgery with Dr. Kim a little over a year ago and have not regretted it at all.  I've been very happy with the weight I've lost so far.  The bariatric center is extremely busy and you don't get a lot of personalized attention.  I have heard excellent things about both Dr. Simon and Dr. Kim.  IMO Dr. Kim did a great job on my surgery.

If you have any questions or concerns, ask them.  You really need to be your own advocate.  If something doesn't make sense, ask about it.  They have been great about addressing any concerns I have had. 

I went through the program for 8 months prior to having my surgery.  I was ready.

Good luck to you and please let us know how you are doing.

Tammy :-)