Question:
Has anyone here had Dr.Fallang for their surgeon

And can you tell me what you thought of his surgical abilities? Would you recommend him? What about the hopital he goes with - do you have to pay them up front if you are a self pay? I know Dr. Fallang has to be paid up front but I don't know about the hospital or the anesthiologist(sp) Thanks.    — K T. (posted on March 21, 2001)

March 21, 2001
Hi! I had Dr. Fallang perform my open RNY 1/8/01. I believe him to be incredibly skilled and caring. He really knows his stuff. There are many people on this site that have used his services. Try this link www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/mdcomments.phtml?N=k69 If this doesn't work go to the top of any page and click on find a doc then go to Ohio and then to him. You can click on view comments and you will find many who have used him as a surgeon. He really is a great guy. The hospital is Middletown Regional and I believe them to be adequate. I was not overly impressed but I do believe that my needs were sufficiently met. The only mild complaint that I have is the nutritional followup is somewhat lacking compared to others on this site. There is no dietician or nutritionist. You are given information in a booklet explaining the diet and post-op regimen. However, they are available if you do have any questions. Your pre-op consultation is done in a group setting. Dr. Fallang is the speaker and he is extremely thorough in his explanations and is very open to questions. The consultation took about 4 hours. After that, I did not see Dr. Fallang again until just before surgery. I have no comorbidities. Maybe someone with more risk or a higher BMI he would see pre-op on a one to one basis. But I am almost certain that he does not. The preop tests that I had done were an upper GI and a gall bladder scan. That was it. Not even any lab work. He does not routinely remove your gall bladder. If there is something abnormal on the pre-op test, then he will. He transects the stomach and I believe he bypasses 150cm. (he does the same for everyone) He can do it lap, but prefers open. I believe at my consultation he said that he had done 850 of these surgeries with only a few lap. Post op in the hospital you would have no tubes connected except the IV. NO NG tube, no catheter, no drains. He does not routinely admit to ICU following surgery. The incision is not stapled. He uses internal stitches and then applies a skin glue externally. this provided for me a pencil-thin scar. Pain control was great. I had a demerol pump that I could push when needed. Also, he uses liquid lortab. This was adequate for me. I had surgery on Monday and was discharged on Wednesday. His post op diet consists of clear liquids for 2 weeks. Then you return to the office for another group session with the nurse and your diet is advanced to full liquids for another 1-2 weeks and then to soft foods for another 2 weeks and then solids at 6 weeks. You then return and see Dr. Fallang at 6 weeks and again at 3 months.My 3 month appt. is next week. You are restricted from lifting more thant 10-15 pounds for 8 weeks. He does not use binders. He is not a big believer in protein supplements. At 2 weeks I had lost 25 pounds and at 6 weeks I had lost 47. I believe that I have lost about 60 pounds with only 60 left. As far as your questions about self-pay I do not know. I was covered by my insurance. I received my statement from the insurance company and I believe his fee was around $5500.00. Hope this was helpful. Shelley
   — Shelley.

March 21, 2001
Hi - I was originally going to use Dr. Fallang but chose not to - Here are my reasons...Aftercare was very important to me..and I have spoken to individuals who say he is a GREAT surgeon but his aftercare is really lacking...also, I read somewhere on this site that he does not really meet with his patients before surgery...I wanted a face to face with my surgeon to discuss my medical problems personally...I chose Dr. Maguire from Kettering...After I chose to have surgery, I found out that my bestfriend also had this surgery .... 17 years ago!!!! Doctor Maguire assisted during her surgery....he has a GREAT aftercare program....sees is patients 2 weeks after surgery.....1 month after surgery, once a month for a year...and then once a year for life...He is still keeping the numbers of surgery per week down to 5, which makes me think..at least he is not herding his patients through....THis is just my view on this....I am sure Dr. Fallang has many patients out there who would swear by him....as I do Dr. Maquire...Good Luck and research, research!! Oh yeah...why are you paying anything?? Your insurance should cover this....I know Dr. Maquires office had my insurance approved very quickly!! Luv to Ya & All Karan
   — chance2lv

March 23, 2001
Regarding the last post. How do you "stand by" a particular surgeon while you are still pre-op? Just wondering... and to the one who asked the question...Be careful from whom you get your advice. The last post did not tell you that they were still pre-op and I don't believe that anyone can stand by their surgeon until they have a successful outcome. While they may like their personality and references, they can not "know" until they have truly experienced their skills as a surgeon. By the way I am sure that Dr. Maguire and Dr. Fallang are both great doctors. But I would lend more credence to the one that said they were post-op. Just my opinion.
   — [Anonymous]