I have 2 questions. Any help is appreciated.

1. Can anyone help me with how to select a surgeon? I am going thru Legacy Good Sam. OB Inst. and there are 3 doctors there. How do I decide which one to go to? I do not really know much about any of them. Any help or opinions on them would definitely help. I go back to the nutritionist next month to see if I have lost enough weight to go on to the surgeon consult. I really hope so. 2. When you were seen by the psychologist at the OB Inst. were you diagnosed with some kind of disorder? Depression, Bipolar, etc. I went with a friend and was diagnosed with something that I do not believe I have and she was also diagnosed with something that she does not think she has. I was just wondering if this has happened to other people. Thanks

Hi Beka! I'm pre-op but I thought I'd share some information ... I'm going through Legacy as well and I chose Dr. Hong. I chose him because he was the one who led the informational session that I attended and I had heard really good things about him. When I had my surgeon consultation, he was VERY nice and took all the time in the world to answer my questions and he made me feel very comfortable. I know a lot of people like Dr. Patterson too but I've never met her. I've never met Dr. Jan either and I really haven't heard much about him. I'm sure any of them are great though! As far as the psychologist ... I wasn't really diagnosed with anything. She told me that my psych test showed that I'm slightly introverted, have some emotional eating issues (who doesn't?!), and that I am somewhat of a perfectionist. Other than that, nothing was really diagnosed. She released me and said I should work on other outlets for my emotions, other than eating. But she said I was good to go. Hope that helps! Deanna

I also had dr hong. i chose him because he was more personable than dr patterson and more experienced than dr jan, he is a fantastic dr and always really good about being available. he calls me personally when he gets my labs back and doesnt complain about the stacks of paperwork required by my employer

Hi Beka, When I attended the Legacy Good Sam. informational seminar Dr. Hong was fairly new to the practice. Initially, I decided to go with Dr. Hong because it would have taken a few months to schedule something with Dr. Patterson, whereas Dr. Hong's schedule was open (as soon as my paperwork was done). He was a very experienced surgeon, but at that time Dr. Patterson was the surgeon MOST in demand. She really is a leader in the WLS world with lots of enthusiasm and experience. I ended up being very happy I got Dr. Hong. He is so skilled and gave me complete confidence. I loved his bedside manner, and found him to give me time and patience when I needed it most. Dr. Patterson had him do surgery on her - I figure a pretty good recommendation. Now Dr. Jan is the new kid on the block - though like Dr. Hong at the time of my surgery...no rookie! For Dr. Patterson to work with them is the best vote of confidence they can have. I really liked Dr. Jan when he did a check up on me in the hospital, and think he would be great. The psych. exam wasn't really about giving any diagnosis, but to assess if a person is seriously not a candidate for surgery. I'm sure any existing condition will be considered in that assessment, but having a condition that is well managed will not disqualify one from proceeding with surgery. There can be a recommendation as to what issues you may need to work on, or be treated for, and a consideration if these issues will effect your ability to go through with this surgery. I'm sure we all feel a bit anxious about getting a psych. exam, but will do fine. They are looking for serious indications that a person wouldn't fare well going forward. I don't remember who told me, but I think the percentage of people that are cleared for surgery is up in the high 90 percent. Patty