Cahaba Valley Surgical Group, PC Bariatric Center
created
patients
Show reviews by
Sort by
Most Helpful |
Newest
I had my RNY surgery Sept. 7, 2011 at UAB with Dr. Stahl. 3 years out in great health and have gained just a few pounds but I loose them right away. I can tell you this is the best decision I have ever made in my life and the staff, nurses and support group at UAB is so wonderful and will help you IF you do what you are suppose to do after your surgery. I am so very thankful for the time it has added to my life and my health is back to normal all over. Thank you Dr. Stahl for all you have done for me and again it is the best 3 years of my 61 years of life.
Dr. Stahl is now at UAB and I had a RNY bypass performed on 11-10-2010. The folks in the department of surgery are good at making sure you are well prepared before and after the surgery. A bit of pain now (11-12-2010) otherwise, no complications whatsoever.
I love Dr. Sherer. He impressed me with the time he took on my first visit to ask questions and answer the questions that I had. He was upfront and put me at ease. He was not afraid to let me know that God is the healer and he is only a vessel. rnrnHis staff is great, Katy was a God send when it came to my insurance and getting the surgery scheduled. She even stayed late the day before my surgery to get the cardiologist approval.rnrn
Heis the best! When I saw his picture I felt a spiritual connection that he should be the one to do my surgery. When I saw him in his office, he ask me why I had chosen him. I told him I felt it was divine intervention.rnrnHe was very professional while at the same time very personal, he did not rush me, let me ask all the questions I wanted to ask. He has been the same at every post-op visit. I am three years post-op and he still does not rush me thru when I visit him.
Dr. Sherer is a great surgeon, he has a good bed side manner, and will take time to answer any questions you have. During my last two appointments hewas always concerned with my well being and how I was adapting to the band.
Dr. Stahl is a wonderful surgeon. rnrnHis nurse is awesome!rnrnThe office staff is good. They have a few new faces now. rnrnShelby Baptist Hospital now has a bariatric coordinator. Her name is Pepi Humphrey. She is wonderful. This is a new position and she is working hard to define it.rnrnThey do not emphasize going to support groups, but I am hoping this changes with the new changes at the hospital.rn
01/31/2001:rnrnJust contacted the office and will be getting the information package. Crossing my fingers that I can expedite this and get approved.rnrn08/27/01:rnrnPut my thoughts about having surgery on hold til now. I filled out my paperwork and sent it in last week. Susie called and set me up for my initial appointment on September 12th at 9 am. My husband is less than supportive, but I'm working on him. Hopefully, he will come with me so he can have all his questions and concerns addressed.rnrn09/12/01:rnrnI met Dr. Sherer at my preliminary appointment. What a nice person. He was open, honest and I can tell he will have a wonderful bedside manner. Very caring, informative and giving of his time and knowledge. He stresses the importance of follow up visits and additional addiction therapy. He feels the 2 work best together. He is completely committed to this surgery and the follow though. I am so happy I found him and that he will be the one performing the operation. He answered all my questions and made me feel like this is truly the right decision. I didn't interact a whole lot with the office staff, so no real comments on them. I did feel very comfortable whether in the waiting area or the examining room. rnrn10/16/01:rnrnWent for my preop exam. First met with Diane at Dr. Sherer's office for weigh in and to have any questions answered. Diane was so very warm, kind and giving of her time. She is such a great person to just sit down and have a chat with. She was honest and really has a calmingness about her.rnrnI then proceeded to Shelby Medical Out Patient Center for my blood work. I can only say that this informal visit with them really eased any bad thoughts I may have had about having the surgery. They are all so very friendly, caring and competent. It was a very positive and reassuring experience.rnrn2/28/03:rnrnIt's been awhile since I posted and just wanted to bring you up to date. I am currently wearing a Medium in shirts/blouses & 9/10 in pants. It feels great. I did have a setback in January. I passed out and was rushed to the hospital via ambulance. My BP was 44/33 and my blood count was 21 (40 is normal, 18 is critical and can cause heart failure.) After several days we learned I had a bleeding ulcer right at the connection point of the intestine to my new stomach...keep in mind this is 1 year and 3 months post op. My doctor was extremely concerned and wanted Dr. Sherer to look at me.rnrnI went to Dr. Sherer and he was in surgery conversing via his staff by phone. I was in a wheel chair by this time, too weak to stand without passing out. I had already received 2 units of blood by this time. It was the opinion of Dr. Sherer's office that it had nothing to do with my surgery and that if I was bleeding internally I would be bent over in pain. Well, no pain, and although it wasn't because of the surgery, it was an effect of the surgery.rnrnSince our stomachs are so small, we are more prone to irritants like asprin products to cause ulcers. I've been taking Excedrin forever and tolerated it well. Dr. Sherer expressed that if it didn't bother me, it was okay to take. Well, according to myrnGI Surgeon at St. Vincents, he told me to never take any medication containing asprin.rnrnI'm currently on medication for my ulcer and will have another Endiscopy on 3/14 to see if it is healed....surgery may be required if it is not. I received an additional 2 units of blood and that brought my count up to 28. I'm hoping for a full recovery. I was admitted to St. Vicents 2 times during this period and had a colonoscopy and endoscopy.rnrnI'm telling you all this because you can have internal bleeding and no pain. I had a lot of symtoms that I attributed to other things. I was craving and constantly chewing ice (sign of anemia)yet I thought it was my food replacement, craving starch is also a sign of anemia, I had headaches every morning (that's why I was taking the Excederin)...this too is a sign of anemia. I would have panic and anxiety frequently. I thought this was a result of my metabolism fluctuating....it was because my blood pressure was dropping and extremely low. I was always tired no matter how much sleep I got....sign of anemia and low blood/pressure.rnrnI am quite upset with Dr. Sherer that he didn't even consider that I could be bleeding internally. I hope he learned something from my experience. My obgyn called him and told him off. She just wanted him to know that his patient who was in his office in a wheel chair, who was told she could not possibly be bleeding internally was losing massive amounts of blood right at the incision point of his surgery. I don't blame it on the surgery, I do believe he should have been more open minded. Considering I experienced absolutely no pain with surgery, isn't it possible that I would not feel pain from bleeding internally.rnrnWell, enough of that....I will not be returning to his office for any type of recheck. If necessary in the future, I will find another Gastric Bypass doctor. My GI and OBGYN seem to have a greater concern and interest in me and they have my full confidence.rnrnI truly expected Dr. Sherer to at the very least call me to see how I was doing. This rollercoaster of a ride went on for 2 weeks.rnrnI am so thankful to my OBGYNs Dr. John Edwards, Dr. Jones & my GIs Dr. Luttrell and Dr. Mullengarden. That are excellent physicians and handled my case with extreme caution. They got me back on my feet and on medicine that will hopefully cure this.rnrnI try not to be, but I am extremely dissappointed in Dr. Sherers reaction and lack of concern. It's ashame, because he did an A1 job on my surgery and I truly trusted him. Not anymore.
My surgeon came highly recommended to me by my family practice physician and my wife's OB/GYN. From my experiences, he is an outstanding Dr. who is truly realistic about the options of weight loss surgery. His Bariatric program at Baptist Shelby medical center is outstanding in their care. They see that you have done all paperwork and crossed all the \"T\"s before you can have an initial consult. Once you have your initial consult, you are almost assured of the insurance approval. Dr. Stahl also has a great bedside manner and never acts to be in a hurry. He will stay with you and answer questions as long as you have them. I would highly recommend him to anyone who is willing to travel to the Alabaster, AL (Birmingham) area for surgery. www.cahabavalleysurgical.com