Dr. Spaw

Hi everyone, Has anyone had the DS by Dr. Spaw in Nashville? If so, how did it go? Thanks!

I had lap RNY with Dr. Spaw but I know several people who had lap DS with him and they've done great! Dr. Spaw is a very qualified bariatric surgeon and is a lap expert. He actually teaches lap procedures. Most of his surgeries are done laproscopically.

Hey Cherri. It's cool to have another potential DSer on the Tennessee boards. I am soooo happy with my DS. I saw Dr. Spaw for my initial consultation. He also led the first seminar I went to. He is pretty nice. I knew I wanted the DS when I went in and he was pretty accepting of that, but not super encouraging. I'll be honest and say he primarially does the RNY. He is indeed a laparoscopic expert, but I'll tell you my experience. Dr. Spaw was initially going to do my DS. I was set to have it done laparoscopically. I later found out that Dr. Spaw was going to need an assistant, and that Dr. Husted (his partner at the time) would be joining him. Later I got a call from the office saying just Dr. Husted would be doing my surgery. Dr. Husted told me that I would have been Dr. Spaw's first lap DS and that at this point in his career, he decided not to proceed with doing a new procedure. I know Dr. Husted trained Dr. Spaw to do the DS, but I'm not certain that Dr. Spaw is very interested in continuing to do it since he and Dr. Husted are no longer partners. I'm certain Dr. Spaw is an excellent RNY surgeon. I would not say don't go to him... but be prepared. Do your research and know why you want the DS and why you don't want the RNY and be prepared to defend that. He may try to talk you in to the RNY since that is his primary practice. Also, know the DS is a complicated procedure for a surgeon to perform. Ask Dr. Spaw how many he has done. At this time, there is a core group of highly qualified, experienced DS surgeons. There are only a handful, and they are worth traveling a distance to see. Let me know if you'd like me to help you locate a list of these surgeons. I don't want to bash Dr. Spaw, he's a fine doctor, and I certainly reccommend the DS, just choose your surgeon wisely. I hope Dr. Spaw does continue to do the DS because it'd be great for people to have a surgeon advocate for the DS in our area since Dr Husted is gone now, but in my experience, Dr. Spaw tends to be very pro-RNY.

You don't say how long ago you had your surgery. I do know that Dr. Spaw was trained in the DS by Dr. Rabkin in 2003 and has been performing the procedure since then and continues to do it now. As far as him trying to talk someone out of a particular procedure, he presents the pros & cons of each procedure as it pertains to a particular patient. None of these procedures are a 'one size fits all'.

This was six months ago.

That's what I thought. I know you probably don't want to hear this but Dr. Husted said a lot of things about Dr. Spaw that simply are not and never have been true. Not the least of which being that he was going to be performing his FIRST lap DS on you in December. He also has never refused to provide follow up care for any of Dr. H's patients contrary to what was said in the support group. I lost a lot of respect for Dr. Husted and others that day as I sat there in that meeting. I wish you well and am glad to hear that you are enjoying great success with your weight loss.