Dr Thirlby

I have a surgery date for a revision with Dr Thirlby in August . Has anyone else had Dr Thirlby? I know he is very skilled in this line. I've read up on him. Just would like to know if anyone has anything good or bad to say  about their surgery..Thanks for any info you can give.

I haven't hear of him, but I thought I'd bump this up for you. Good luck on your future surgery!

Thank you. I am so looking forward to this revision.  Barb

I did not have Dr. Thirlby, but do have an acquaintance who had her gastric bypass surgery with him.  She had nothing but wonderful praise for his work!!  I also went to a support group in Seattle one time and they were talking about him as well - all in glowing terms.  Seems to me you have yourself a good surgeon!!  Wishing you all the best as you move toward your revision... 

Thank you. What I have read so far about Dr Thirlby is, he is very skilled in this line of surgery. Which makes me feel better. My first gastric bypass didn't go well. It was 20 years ago, and the doctor was not skilled in the surgery, and I paid the price. Thanks for responding to my post. It makes me feel better knowing that others think well of him. Barb

I had a revision with Dr Thirlby in Aug '07.  There was a major complication but I do not blame Dr Thirlby for that.  My liver was quite enlarged and made the operation much more difficult.  I feel fortunate that he went through with the procedure once he saw what he would be working with as had told me ahead of time two of his patients didn't have their operation completed because of enlarged livers.  I still have a ways to go but, having lost 143 lbs at this point, I am more than a little happy with the outcome.  Let me know if you have any questions....I am happy for you!

Congradulations on your weight loss, and thanks for sharing. It makes me feel better to know that others have had Dr Thirlby and have done just fine. Can I ask a question? Dr Thirlby didn't know your liver was enlarged until  after he went in? Did you have any problems with blood loss, or leakage? I have read his website. He is very skilled in this line of work. I have to do something I just keep getting bigger and bigger. I have made the choice already to have it done. I just needed a little more peace of mind to know that I will be in good hands. My first surgery was a nightmare. Mostly because of the doctor not being skilled in this line of work. So I was not going to go through that again. Again thank you for sharing, looking forward to hearing back from you. Barb

Specifically, the complication was a leak......access to the area was limited due to the enlarged liver.  I am 9 1/2 mo out at this point and do not regret having the surgery.....just the opposite.  It has changed my life for the better and I'm sure it will do the same for you.  Are you covered by insurance or are you self pay?  The year before I had the surgery, the procedure was not covered by my insurance and I was planning to self pay.....thank the lord my insurance covered RNY starting Jan '07 because my hospital bill ended up well over $150,000.  I do believe I received very good care from the hospital and my doctors, including Dr Thirlby.  One thing that surprised me recently though was at my six month appointment.  I assumed the appointment was with Dr Thirlby (where I wanted to really thank him for all he had done) but I actually only saw his nurse.....the next follow up isn't for another year and I don't know who I will see then.  Follow up care isn't what it seems to be for a lot of other posters on this board and I was a little disappointed about that but I am doing well so no harm there.  I don't think you will go wrong with Dr Thirlby.  One poster I am in contact with and see occasionally is scheduled for RNY on June 30th with him and she chose him because she works at Virginia Mason and respects the work he does with his surgery patients.  I will be thinking about you and wish you the best.  Just let me know if you have any more questions I can help with.  If you have a moment, drop a line and let me know more about what went wrong with your first surgery.  My first procedure was a "stomach stapling" and has basically failed for most people who had it so I feel somewhat less guilty than I did for years after my staple line opened and I regained the 60 lbs I lost plus a lot more.  Hope to hear from you soon.  Sincerely,  Donna Kay

Dr Thirlby did my rny  on Jan 17th of this year and I have had no problems at all.  After the surgery he came out and told my husband that the surgery went better than expected and he was done  about 20 minutes faster then he had planned.

I haven't seen him since the surgery though, I've seen his resident, and at my 3 month I saw his nurse, but they were able to answer any questions I had. Sounds like I might see him at my 6 month because they had to change my appointment because he was going to be out of the office. I would reccomend him, I'm very happy with the way things turned out.

Im 10 days post op from my revsion, i tried to see dr thrilby but it took to long to get into, then i found my surgeon and found he did alot of revision that my perviose surgeon did. he was great.