Third Chicago consult

I had my consult with Dr. Lawrence Zachary today - loved him. As expected, he's more expensive than the other two surgeons I've seen (Daniel Krochmal and David Shifrin), but surprisingly, not all that much more than Dr. Shifrin (who's also pretty pricey). But Dr. Zachary will only do surgeries in a hospital, and he keeps you there overnight, whereas Dr. Shifrin uses a surgery center and sends you home the same day. That piece alone probably accounts for most, if not all, the difference in their prices (Dr. Krochmal was quite a *****eaper than both of them).

I do have one more consult scheduled for June which I'm not 100% sure I'm going to keep. I think I have three good options right now. I'll mull this over for a few days. Right now I'm all excited about Dr. Zachary, but then, I felt the same about the other two after I saw them, too. It's probably better to wait a few days when I can be more objective about this.

If anyone has any thoughts about/experience with any of these people, let me know! Thanks!

I'm so glad that your consult went well. It is great to have options.

As far as having surgery out patient or staying overnight, I think it depends on what you are having done. If you are having an LBL or TT and possibly anything else, I really wouldn't want to go straight home from recovery. The surgery is long at best and it can take hours to come out of the anesthesia. I had a morphine pump and Valium postop which also made me loopy. I did get up to walk a few hours after surgery but it took 2 people to help since I was wobbly. I wouldn't have wanted to navigate the ride home and getting around the house right away. For me the extra hours of recovery with assistance were really worth the extra cost (I think it was about $1000 extra). When I got home I had already been walking and going to the bathroom and was much more confident.

Just my 2 cents!

Feel free to PM me any questions and I will share my experience.

Shifrin will never do surgeries in a hospital, but Krochmal will - I had him quote it in a hospital setting - think it was $400 more?

Good luck!

I am researching who I want to do my thighs and struggling with how bad the healing is on thighs!

I've heard the recovery on thighs is tough. Luckily, I was very apple-shaped, and my thighs were never all that bad to begin with (even when I was SMO). The skin is definitely crepe-y, but I'm 58 years old - it's not like I'm going to be wearing short shorts or mini skirts. Otherwise, they look pretty thin when I'm wearing pants - with a noticeable "thigh gap". So I think I'm safe to skip those. This stomach is awful, though!!

Dr. Zachary is who did my breast reduction/lift and my belt lipectomy. He works out of two hospitals. My insurance covered all of mine so I had it at U of C but my bat wings won't be covered so he'll do that at Weiss. I was kept overnight for the breast lift and two nights for the lipectomy. He is a really good doctor and his staff is amazing.

Keep us updated!

BTW, I'm six weeks post op from the belt lipectomy.

I did decide to go with Dr. Zachary. Having it done in a hospital - and having to stay overnight there - gives me peace of mind.

I have my belt lipectomy on Aug 10, so it's coming up fast! I've tentatively scheduled my breast lift and arm lift for Nov 30 (although she said it's tentative since they normally don't schedule out that far, and she's not sure what his vacation plans are - but I at least wanted it on the radar - and on the calendar - even if they end up having to adjust the date by a week or two!!)

I'm having it all done at Weiss. I think she said he does his self-pays over there - I'm guessing it's cheaper there or something. I wouldn't be surprised since U of C is a world-class research hospital, whereas Weiss is a small, older, community hospital....

Yes, that is exactly it. The cost difference is unbelievable. Great! You'll be happy with him. He comes across a little "different" but he's just very blunt. He's a great surgeon though.

I'll be having my revision at U of C before the end of the year and hopefully my arms after I get my income tax check.

They will take good care of you! I've talked to a few people on my Instagram account who have had their work done at Weiss and are very happy.

Good luck!

thanks!! I'm really looking forward to it - I can't *wait* for this skin to be gone!!

I'm still trying to get my head around it. Actually, I'm six years out from WLS and I still see 300 lbs.