Lake Norman Center for Surgical Weight Loss Bariatric Center

Once I made the decision to have the gastric sleeve my next step was to find the right surgeon. After contacting several locations and even scheduling seminars I found Lake Norman Bariatric Center on the internet. When I hung up my phone from speaking with Cindy about their program and WLS in general I just knew this was the place. The day I attended the seminar I was 110% certain I had made the right choice. They are top notch. There was never any guess work. It;s like they took me by the hand and walked with me through the entire process. They explained and re-explained every step we were taking together. Dr. Heider, what can I say. He treats you with such care. You are not just another surgery but a individual person whom has reached out for help and help he does. He "listens" to what you want. The entire staff feels like a family. You will not leave the office with any doubts about the journey you are about to begin. If you have made the decision for WLS I highly recomend Dr. Heider and his staff.

I have been overweight my entire life (291), at at age 30, I decided to make a change. I did a LOT of research, and visited different surgeons in the Charlotte Area (One being southeastern bariatrics) before making the very easy decision that Dr. Heider was it - his team was amazing from the very first call into thier office- to the follow-up visits where everyone knows your name. Lets be real, some of the other places I went, I was a number, and might as well of grabbed a ticket and jumped in line in the overbooked waiting rooms with ridiculous videos playing. It was all about money and sales at these other places - Dr. Heider and his team is all about your health, your thoughts, and your future.

I can't say enough about the entire process with Dr. Heider and his staff. The support was unreal, and I couldn't of imagined it going any smoother. Lake Norman Regional Medical Center was also amazing, every nurse, every patient advocate, everyone was amazing! It was really nice knowing Dr. Heiders office was in the same building :)

I had the VSG done. I stuck to the pre-op diet, and by the time I went into the hospital had lost 17 pounds. I woke up after surgery in my (very nice) room to find 2 people from Dr. Heiders office checking on me. A special thanks to Michelle - she went above and beyond by hanging onto my belongings for me and bringing it to me that afternoon since my husband was home with a broken leg!!

My sleeve was done with one incision in my belly button, and before I knew it I was walking around the halls. The next morning, a quick leak test, everthing looked great.Dr. Heider came to visit yet again - reminder to take it slow, and then even slower :) Also told me what a great job I did! I said thanks - YOU too!! Had a third or fourth visit from the ladies in his office to check on me and remind me about what to do when I got home, and I left around 5pm.

With the help from Dr. Heider and his team, I am on my way to a more healthy, active, and happy life!! They have given me the tools to change my life, and I know that I will always have thier team there for support. I just can't say enough about them. Dr. Heider - a sincere "Thank You" for everything you have done for me.

I am very pleased that I chose Dr. Heider as my weight loss physician. He is wonderful. He is very professional but at the same time he is easy to talk to. He listens and answers all questions. Dr. Heider and his team really know what they are doing and are always willing to answer any and all questions. The whole process from pre surgery, surgery and post surgery has been very structured and easy to understand. I would do this again in a heartbeat. I recommend that anyone considering weight loss surgery to check out Dr. Heider and his team before making their decision. I am very happy that I chose Dr. Heider for my weight loss journey!!!!

My weight loss journey started after the birth of my twin boys bringing the amount of children in my house under the age of 5 to a total of 4. Needless to say, loosing all the baby weight from 3 pregnancies wasn't happening. On a visit to my OB/GYN's office, I saw a flyer for Dr. Heider and a seminar about bariatric surgery. I decided to attend with a friend and was immediately convinced the Lap Band was the right procedure for me. I began working with my primary care physician for the 6 month period required by some insurance companies, I was determined this was what I needed as traditional weight loss efforts weren't working for me. I tried them all and nothing worked. After the 6 month period, I began working with Michelle, Dr. Heider's registered medical assistant and with her continued help and support, I was approved for my surgery! I couldn't have accomplished my goal of surgery without her! Since my surgery 8 months ago, I've lost 70 lbs., my back doesn't hurt any more, I have more energy than I've had in years and can finally keep up with my 4 children. My quality of life was suffering, I was depressed and just wanted to do something to ensure that I would be around to embarrass my children for many years to come. I love my Lap Band and it has changed my life in such a positive way that I know this was the journey I was supposed to take.

I’ve been dealing with my weight problems over the years and was at my highest of 242lbs. I had tried everything in the book to lose weight from Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, The Atkins Diet, and even going to the gym and working out. I mean the weight just wasn’t coming off the way I wanted it to. I was really depressed and very anti-social. I didn’t want to go out and shop for clothes for myself. Then one day, after talking to one of my co-workers, I decided to start my journey to get approved for the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. After talking with Dr. Heider, I knew that the Sleeve was the surgery I wanted to go with. I had my procedure done on November 29, 2010 and I’ve been so satisfied with my decision. Six months out and I’ve already lost a total of 55lbs! I haven’t had any complications and the weight is coming off the way I want it to. I go to the gym 3-4 times a week and it does make working out more pleasurable, because I know that I’m going to see results. Now, I’m enjoying going out and shopping for new clothes! I personally want to thank Dr. Heider and his staff @ The Center for Surgical Weight Loss; they have been great to me and my success.

WOW, what can I say...there's not enough room here for me to go on and on about the staff at the Center for Surgical Weight Loss. I love all of them and can't thank Dr. Heider enough for saving my life and giving me back my self-esteem. I had the VSG on 1-13-11 and have felt amazing since I got out of surgery. I've lost 52 pounds and 33 inches all over. I've gone from a size 16/18 to a 12 (which is starting to get big on me) and I'm 4'11''. All my levels were high and now are normal. I feel great and am looking forward to continuing this journey to my goal and to be able to enjoy the rest of my life feeling healthy and happy. Besides everyone at the center, I have an awesome support person, my husband - he's been great, he's my rock - love you honey! If you are someone thinking about bariatric surgery, I highly recommend the center and Dr. Heider...you won't be disappointed. Good Luck and God Bless! : )

I just want to post a message for anyone looking for a Bariatric Surgeon in the United States. Because I had to pay for the surgery out of pocket, I was looking for surgeons in Mexico due to the cost here in the States and was really giving up hope on ever having my life back. That is when I found Dr. Ryan Heider located in Mooresville, NC. He is extremely reasonable and you can feel SAFE by staying in the States for surgery and after surgery care. I had my surgery May 19, 2011 and am losing weight like crazy. I had the Gastric Sleeve procedure and have had no complications. I didn't even have a need to take pain meds after leaving the hospital!! Incredible. Oh...and I only have two small incision sites. Even more incredible. My visits to his office located in Mooresville, NC are always very positive with the most helpful staff. I am always treated with respect and kindness. Dr. Heider's bedside manner is impeccable. He is kind, caring and mostly empathetic to the needs and concerns of an obese patient. His office offers support meetings, nutrition counseling, psychological evaluations, dietary supplements and his office is located in the Lake Norman Regional Medical Center facility where he performs the bariatric procedures. I can only say positive things about the hospital and the staff who took care of me. WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE!!!! Thank you Dr. Heider for giving me my life back!!! - jennifer

I had a wonderful support team...they visited me before and after my surgery. Encouraged me, gave me detailed guidelines on what to expect and how to deal with my new sleeve. I was pretty nauseated and vomiting the first night, I think it was mostly from the anesthesia. But Dr. Heider's nurse came to see me and gave me a run down on what to eat, they made sure I knew when my follow up appt. was scheduled for. Just overall is has been a really good experience. I would highly recommend Dr Heider and his team at Lake Norman Center for Surgical Weight Loss.

I couldn't have found a better doctor or staff if I had the choice of going to any hospital in the world. Doctor Heider and his staff are wonderful. I had excellent care from the first moment I walked into his office. Cindy Contos made sure that I had all the help I needed in getting insurance approval and scheduling appointments with all the various professionals that I had to see. Due to insurance requirements, I had to stay in our employers chain of hospitals. This required me to travel about five hours to see Dr Heider. Cindy made sure that all the appointments were convenient for me. Amanda was fantastic with making sure I had all the tools and info that I needed to suceed. Marsha was wonderful to talk to and making sure that I was doing this for all the right reasons. Michelle is one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. She makes sure everything runs smoothly and that you don't have to wait in the office for long. They get you in and out in a timely fashion without making you feel as though you are being rushed. Dr Heider is great about making sure you understand what you are getting into and making sure you do what it takes to succeed. All the folks associated with this program seem to genuinely care about me and my success.

I found Dr Heider here on the OH website. I am in Mass and he is located in NC but I knew being self pay due to the WLS exclusion I was going to need to travel. I seeked out his patients and connected with many of them and they were all positive. Dr Heider had a lower BMI program for self payers. $10k for the VSG and some other minimal fees and the single site incision rather the 5 incisions. I did it! I also took the piece of mind Bliscare insurance in the unlikely event of a issue as my insurance would not support any aftercare. Even though I was almost his 400th sleeve. I was sleeved last week and doing great. I can't thank Dr Heider and his staff enough for a job well done!