Anybody have surgery @ SFH in Federal Way?

Hi Dena, I also attended a seminar w/Dr Oh, and have had the initial consultation. I have been researching WLS for well over a year now, and have already decided that the DS (Duodenal Switch) is the surgery I want. My consultation with Dr Oh was brief, but when I indicated I wanted the DS, he was quick to attempt to persuade me that the RNY would be better. I insisted that the only procedure I would consider was the DS, so we kind of left at an impasse. I am scheduled for surgery on Dec 14th, but I'm exploring other options at the same time. I'm a self-pay, but it appears that my insurance will pay for all the pre-op procedures, so I'm going to go ahead and do them locally. I really don't want to go out of the area, but I'm seriously considering PacLap and Dr Rabkin in San Francisco as an option. I haven't ruled out Dr Oh yet; I didn't feel at all he was in it for the money, but I did feel he didn't like to perform the DS procedure, and THAT made me uncomfortable more than anything. I emailed Tina at the office over a week ago about some statistics for Dr Oh and how many DS procedures he has perfomed. I haven't heard back from her, so am wondering about that. I know lots of people like Dr Oh, but I haven't found anyone yet who has had the DS procedure with him, which is what I'd really like to find! Good luck - it's a big decision, and you absolutely have to feel comfortable with your doctor!!

You can get most of the data you want on this site . Go to the top of this page & click where it says bariatric surgeons . Click onto Washington State , then Dr. Oh . You'll see what you're looking for . BTW - regarding what Cheryl said - Dr. is my surgeon , as well . He is not chatty but he is pleasant . I don't believe he is in it just for the money , any more than I believe my GP is . ~ Kathy

Kathy, Thanks! I am starting to figure out how to manuver around this site. Am LOVING it! It's been so helpful, as are all of you *****ply. Hope all is going well for you, Dena

I'm finding that the data on this site doesn't have any dates attached to it as for when it was gathered and/or updated. How can you tell how current the data is? For example, under Dr Oh, it shows that he has done only 10 (!) DS procedures! And that he'll start doing Lap DS in March of 2005. Since what I plan to have is a Lap DS, that doesn't make me feel very confident in his experience with this particular procedure! That's why I'm trying to find more current information.

Jerri, Hello! Well, as I am doing more and more research, I am finding that if nothing else Dr. Oh does have the experience behind him. That does count. I am planning on going to a couple of more seminars with other physicians to get more information in the near future. Maybe when you do talk to Tina, ask if any of the patients who have had the DS procedure done are willing to talk to you about it? In most cases even with privacy laws, the doctor will ask patients if they are willing to speak with new patients. It's good for their practice. I also found a spot here on this site that allows you to check out the hospital that you might be having it perfomed at. It has postings from patients with their rating on everything from the staff to the cleanliness, to the noise levels and pain management. I found that an excellent resource. I wish you the best of luck and hope you get your questions answered soon. Dena

Hi Dena, Yes, I believe Dr Oh has an excellent reputation as a surgeon! He does primarily RNY procedures, however, which is great for those patients who want the RNY procedure! (Your post doesn't mention if you've decided on or are leaning towards a particular procedure!) Because the DS is a very different and complex procedure, it's important to me that the surgeon have experience with it. I can understand why he would try to sway me to have the procedure he's most familiar with, but I've already determined it's not right for me. I did finally hear from Tina, but still did not get the information I was looking for. I was told he has been doing surgeries since 1986 (experience!) but no information about what percentage were RNY vs DS. I asked how often she schedules DS procedures (since she is the one who does all the scheduling!) and again got a generic answer that they are seeing "more and more." It's a good idea to see if she knows anyone who has had the DS that would be willing to talk to me! I'll ask her that next. Good luck to you on your journey - there's a lot of information to weight through, but you want to have all the knowledge you can get your hands on! Jerri

Jerri , I can understand your frustration . Did you go to the DS support group meeting ? Or you could contact them . They would probably have good information . Or perhaps contacting Obesity help . Sorry i'm not more help . ~ Kathy

On 6-29-06 there was a notice from someone about a DD support group . Her doctor was Robert Rabkin, M.D. . You might want to go to that post & email her . By the time I got back to this post after searching , I couldn't remember her name . lol . She has her own website . Kathy

Thanks Kathy! As a matter of fact, I'm attending a DS support group tomorrow afternoon. It is Dr Rabkin's group from PacLap in San Francisco. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone there, and learning as much as I can from them! I'm seriously considering having the procedure done there, even though I much preferred to stay local. But experience is number one with me, so if it means travel, so be it!

Jerri, Absolutely agree with you on the experience thing. I could have sworn though that when I went to the seminar with Dr. Oh, that Tina herself, her husband and another staff member had had the DS surgery. I could be wrong. I just remember her saying, "I just thought if I'm going to do this I'm going to go for the whole thing, I'm not going to mess around" I appologize if I got it wrong. I came in a little late and had to sit in the back of the room, she didn't use a mic and was sort of hard to hear. Anyway it sounds like you are doing plenty of research. I'd like to hear what you find out from Paclap.