Antelmo Sasso Fin Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.
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1stimpression was \"i got a good lkng Dr.\" lolrnHe is wonderful..great bedside manner,very sweet and understanding and witty. lol He does beleive in aftercare, he new my Dr. wld take care of me. He went over all risks w me. He was great great great..in all areas!!!
Dr. Antelmo was amazing. He was caring, funny, and amazingly dedicated to his patients. I was lucky to so far have no complications, but other patients who did were cared for by him with the ultimate of compassion.
<center>At the beginning of my journey, I traded several emails with Dr. A. I was very impressed with his credentials and his caring manner. His past patients speak highly of him, too. His track record is so impressive. Only 3 leaks and no deaths. He has performed thousands of lap surgeries and hundreds of the DS. His English is close to fluent and the man has a wicked sense of humor. Christiane (his optional concierge) is fluent and very helpful and professional. The hospital was gorgeous. Marble floors, spotlessly clean and staffed with caring professionals. I was not an \"easy\" patient. Previous surgeries and endometriosis meant I was full of adhesions. Instead of his usual 2 hours, my surgery took over 5. Dr. A hung in there and only added one extra lap hole. I'm convinced that any lesser-experienced surgeon would have given up and opened me up! Kudos and thanks. He's a star! Going so far away can be a bit intimidating. If you are reading this, email me if you have questions...my Brazil trip truly saved my life and gave my kids their Mommy back!rn<p align=\"center\"><img src=\"http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n122/ohprofiles/2f.jpg\" border=\"0\" width=\"150\" height=\"101\"><br>rn<center>Dr. Antelmo...rnrnis the surgeon I have picked. He is in Vila Velha Brazil. He uses a concierge,rnChristiane, to help bridge the language gap. She runs around answering questionsrnand setting up plans so he can focus on the actual patients.rnrnHaving the DS done Lap is very important to me. Dr Ungson in Mexico uses arnhorizontal incision, Dr. Marchesini does a vertical one. When I had myrnhysterectomy. it was Lap, and I healed so very quickly...I was back at work on arnlimited basis in 8 days.rnrnSo, I found Dr Antelmo in Brazil and Dr. Baltasar in Spain who do DS Lap.rnrnLike any prospective patient, I had TONS of questions. Dr. A himself emailed mernback VERY quickly. His answers were professional, well-reasoned, and supportive.rnI feel so at peace with this decision...it is the right choice for me.rnrn<p align=\"center\"><img src=\"http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n122/ohprofiles/2f.jpg\" border=\"0\" width=\"150\" height=\"101\">rn<br>rnINSURANCE<br>rnI have BCBS of SC PPO, which usually is VERY good. They have a flat exclusion, however, for any weight loss surgery. Looks like they would rather pay for a liver transplant (100+K) than wls (20-30K)...dummies.<br>rnSo, I will be a self pay.<br>rnA note here...I have seen many peeps on the boards advising them to talk to their employer about such exclusions and DEMAND or request coverage changes. LOL. I AM the employer in this case. I was not offered choices in coverage. Thisrnis it, take it or leave it is more like it. AND, thanks to my comorbids, I am stuck. My company is small, therefore in this state, ins co's can individuallyrnunderwrite each employee. That means if I try to change policies, I will berndeclined. And gee, doncha think BCBS knows it? Every year my premium goes up rn30%. Right now, I am paying $1900 PER MONTH for my family of 4. GRRRRRRRR.
Dr. Antelmo is a very caring & gifted surgeon, well experienced in laproscopic surgeries. He speaks English fluently, so was able to answer all my questions and calm all my fears. After having the DS surgery in a modern hospital, I was cared for my entire stay by an English speaking nurse. He made it known that I was to contact him with any concerns and he lived only one block from the hotel where I was recovering post-op. His fees are very reasonable considering lap surgery and the quality of his skills. At the time of my surgery (9/28/05) he has performed approximately 400 DS surgeries and over 1300 laproscopic procedures.
I was considering different surgeons in different countries and found Dr. Antelmo to be the best choice. I am very happy with this decision. I highly recommend him to anyone who is self-paying.
Dr. Antelmo is a bundle of energy with an engaging smile and quick wit. I had had several phone conversations and a face to face meeting before I headed to Brazil. I was very comfortable with him from the start. He impressed me with his surgical statistics and the number of laproscoic procedures he had done. I contacted several of his other American patients to discuss their experiences; all sang his praises. Since then he has become my surgeon and my friend. I can't say enough good things about him and encourage all who are considering wls to consider Dr. Antelmo and the DS. I had the laproscopic DS.
The experience in Brazil was much better than anticipated. The hospital is relatively new, about 2 years old, and has an intensive care unit available if needed. Fortunately, his patients usually don't need it. However, with all the co-morbidities that many of us carry, it is reassuring to know that it is available. I believe that the typical hospital stay is about 2 days. Things have changed since my surgery and now Dr. Antelmo sends his patients to a medical health spa for recovery. I understand that it is wonderful. I have a friend there now and everything is taken care of for you. I was released to recover in a hotel and it worked ok; but managing meals was sometimes difficult. Use of the spa has taken care of that problem. Dr. Antelmo visited me several times at the hotel. He also visits the spa for patient follow up.
The hospital staff was very attentive and they were very curious about their American Patient. I had private duty nurses for the first 36 hours (who Spoke some English). Everyone wanted to practice their English and most went out of their way to accomodate.
I did consider an American surgeon; but ultimately, chose Dr. Antelmo because I liked him best. I felt like I was more than a number with him. He took a personal interest in me. I have only one regret that I did not do it earlier.
He is the kindest man. He came to my hotel room the first nite to see me and visited me there aferword as well. He gave me his cell phone number in case I needed anything.
He does not have a structured aftercare program for us Americans yet, but we keep in touch via email and he has even called to check on me since I got home.