Question:
What if there is only 1 Dr in the area to chose from?

My insurance company will pay for Dr. Kam here in Lansing, MI. He is a thoracic/GI surgeon, trained by Dr. Scholten in Grand Rapids to do the RNY. The program is just up and running here, and by the time my date comes around, he will have only done about 50 surgeries. That makes me a little uneasy, since there won't be much of a database to look at for stats. I guess I could go to Dr. Scholten who is an hour away, but his wait is terribly long. I've been told Dr. Kam is a wonderful surgeon, very knowledgeable about the gut area, and very careful and thorough.    — [Deactivated Member] (posted on December 30, 2002)

December 30, 2002
Honestly if it were my choice I would definately check around a bit. I would never use a new surgeon. BTC in Ypsilanti is great. Everyone is so nice there. My doctor was Dr. Batay-Csorba and he did a great job. He has been there for quite a while now and is very skilled as are all BTC's medical staff. WLS is all they do there....oh I think they also do some plastic surgery there now too as follow up care. I drove way farther than I had to by going to BTC and am so glad I made that choice to do that. Good Luck and if you have any other questions please feel free to e-mail.
   — DRutherford

December 30, 2002
I'm not in your area, but I did go to a surgeon that has only done 50 RNY's. I was #51. I couldn't have had a better experience!! You have to trust them, so if you don't feel comfortable, then go see someone else. I LOVE my surgeon. He couldn't be a better doctor.
   — Diana L.

December 30, 2002
Does Dr. Kam have a support group from his 50 patients or a way for you to contact them? Try to get in touch with them and see how their experiences went. My surgeon had alot less under his belt when he did my surgery, however, he had been doing lap surgeries for several years. He and his partner had gone to excellent medical schools and I had the opportunity to interview a few of their patients, to include their very first one! Sometimes just because they haven't done thousands of them doesn't mean they are not good surgeons. Your last sentence would encourage me to trust Dr. Kam.
   — Cindy R.