Question:
what is your criteria for chosing a surgeon

I am posting here because it will go to the library. It is sometimes hard to hold my tongue when I read how some members chose their surgeons. 1. Statistics. The number of deaths and complications depends on the kind of patients the surgeons accept. Many surgeons will not do surgery on high risk patients because they know you ask. Others care so much about us, that they do operate on super obese with many comorbids. Thankfully. 2. His staff is nice. and he/she have a good bedside manner. You have to give people a chance. If they do not call back right away, they may be spending their time with newly post ops in trouble. The whole staff could be down with the flu etc. Sometimes they are in the middle of an emergency situation. If you do not like their office staff, but you like the surgeon accept it. 3. Experience. Look for someone who has done many of these surgeries successfully. It is more important to look at the successes than a few failures. 4. Hospitals. Make sure the hospital is commited to obesity surgery. The special equipment needed and the nurses training play a big role in your survival. What say you.    — faybay (posted on December 9, 2002)

December 8, 2002
Great post Faye. I wanted to add a couple of things. 1. Find out if your surgeon is a long-term, skilled laparoscopist. He may not have done hundreds of WLS procedures but if he's been doing upper-abdominal laparoscopy with good success rates then I'd definitely consider them. 2. Just wanted to second your suggestion that you have a good hospital. I'm not condemning or flaming small hospitals but, if at all possible, you would do much better to have the procedure done at a large hospital. This is simply because they have more staff in house and if you had a complication they are much more prepared to deal with it, regardless of the hour of day or night. 3. Thanks for your insight regarding office staff. We WLS patients can be demanding and impatient sometimes (I know, I am one!) and many times the surgeon's staff are paddling as fast as they can and they still can't get everything done in a short time frame. 4. Keep in mind that we are a very high risk group of folks. It is very important to check your surgeon's statistics but you really must consider each negative statistic individually. 5. When you feel frustrated and impatient, remind yourself that you didn't become morbidly obese in a day and you won't complete the process in a day either. I think the biggest criteria is your surgeon's experience and genuine desire to help the morbidly obese community.
   — ronascott

December 9, 2002
Has a good support group that meets regurally. I wouldnt use a surgeon without a group. Good reviews here. The site is a tremendous resource of info on surgeons and now hospitals. 24/7 telephone support by doctors and nurses. If patients said alls were not usually returned fast even at odd hours espically for new post ops I would find a different surgeon. Having a staff, espically the nurses who are post ops themselves is a real PLUS. Who better to know what were going through.
   — bob-haller

December 9, 2002
All great points. I just wanted to add one. Some are in such a hurry for WLS they choose a surgeon based solely on the length of their waiting list. It can be one of <i>many</i> reasons to choose a surgeon but shouldn't be the primary deciding factor.
   — thumpiez

December 9, 2002
I think I have chosen an excellent surgeon with a nearly flawless record (only lost 1 patient in 25 years of doing wls), but the hospital my insurance accepts has only been doing wls's for a little while. I've read the comments on this board about the hospital and some were not so happy. I would choose surgeon over hospital. I am willing to sacrifice not going to one of the largest hospitals in my state rather than choosing a surgeon I don't know and am not as comfortable with. Besides, the smaller hospital that I'm going to is familiar to me - I've had several family members there for other issues and we've never had a huge problem. What I'm trying to say is that sometimes patients just don't have a choice when it comes to the hospital they go to.
   — Toni C.

December 9, 2002
my first and for most decision was based on the drs credibility...then i went by patients views, then by staff, then by location...i have no regrets with my decision and if i had to do it all over again i would choose him again in a heart beat!
   — Deanna Wise

December 9, 2002
1.Pulse -Does he have one, finding a surgeon was the hardest part for me. 2 # of surgeries performed 3. Number of fatalities and the reasons for them. 4. the most important one isn't a tangible it's a feeling or a vibe. it had to be good or it was a no go
   — dkinson

December 9, 2002
Because of job and insurance issues, I was very limited in my choice of surgeons and hospitals, and we had to move quickly. When I went to see the surgeon, I was very impressed with him and with his staff. Throughout they were very helpful and caring. He has not been doing these but a couple of years, but there were some things that impressed me. One, he takes care of his WLS patients himself totally, is on call for them 24/7. He therefore limits the number of surgeries he does to a few a week, because that's all he believes he can care for and do a good job. He also won't do surgery and then go out of town, leaving them for someone else to take care of. While he is experienced in laparascopic surgery, he does WLS open, I think due to the lack of experience on the part of the OR staff- he is at a small hospital, and has less backup if something goes wrong. He was very careful to explain the surgery, the risks, etc. and also had me get a thorough medical clearance beforehand. However, there was one factor that really made me decide to go with him. His *first* WLS was a woman who was a nurse, who had worked with him. If *she* was confident enough to let him operate on her first, I didn't have a lot of qualms. I've been a nurse almost 20 years, and the best recommendation you can ever get on a doctor is from a nurse who knows him, how he works, and how his patients do. BTW, this first patient came to see me in the hospital, has done very well, and looks fantastic! Susan Open RNY 11/18/02, down 16+ lbs
   — Susan A.

December 9, 2002
What KIND of surgery does he do? And if RNY, proximal, distal or customize to taste? Why? HOW is it done? Not lap or open, but small details. How big is the pouch? What shape? HOrizontal or vertical? Transected or not? Extra ring or not? Those are important to know up front. The right answers can reduce the need to "correct" it later by revision.
   — vitalady