Weight Loss Surgeons & Hospitals

Has anyone used this Dr or know anything about him? I can't find much info on him. I am in Phoenix and it would be much closer for me to drive to Mexicali for surgery.

Quite impressed. Although he didn't seem as enthusiastic about the sleeve as the bypass he still said it was a great and safe procedure that showed excellent results so far. Has anyone used him or Dr. Hart in Atlanta? I have an appt. to talk one-on-one with him in a couple of weeks. That's good. The other program I was going to wasn't going to let me have an appt.with the dr. until right before surgery. Anyway I probably have to start over my 6-month diet because I started out with a lap band dr. and he ONLY does the band. Now I know I want the sleeve. So I have to drive almost 1 1/2 hours but it is a very nice facility (center of excellence if that means anything) …

Has anyone out there had lap band surgery with an HMO through Blue Shield in the San Diego area? If so, where did you go, and what was the procedure for getting approved?? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

I was banded Dec 22, 2008 and have been extremely happy that I chose Dr. Neal.

I have absolutly NOTHING to gain by posting this. I do not work for any surgeon or have any other affiliation with his office. I just can't let my personal experience with Dr. Salimitari stay private. I had many complications from a previous Mexican butcher back in 2005. Anyone can read my posts. I was legallyblonde and then legallyblonde2 after I forgot my password. I recieved care from Dr. Billy in Ventura but wasn't totally satisfied with his attitude and prices. So went searching for someone diferent. I researched the heck out of Every Dr. in So. Ca. I consulted with 11 YES 11 doctors before I found Dr. Salimitari. Let me state that I have no insurance. I am a s…

I will be getting Banded on April 11th by Dr. Edwards

I just had my sleeve done March 1st, and I'm so glad I did. I was fortunate that insurance picked up the majority of the cost. However I have a freind who will be self paying. Can anyone help us find her a budget freindly place to have hers done?

Has anyone pursued approval through Group Health (Washington State). Can you give me any advice about you experience? I am just starting this process and feel like a deer in the headlights

Has anyone had lap-band with this Dr.? His site offers hands assisted laparoscopic procedures????Any comments?

Hi All, I would like to know if you have had your lapband surgery by either of these Dr.s in Pasadena, Ca. I am up in the air on which doctor to choose and would like any recommendation as to which you may have used! Thanks, Stacy

My dh was banded by Dr. David Kim on Monday August 17. I have been so impressed by Dr. Kim and his staff. I found him to be very professional and yet very personable all at the same time.

My mom was banded in 2007 by Dr. Frank Felts and hasn't gone in for a fill in about a year, but when she went back to True Results AfterCare (since she didn't feel comfortable going to Dr. Felts' new office in The Colony, even though he was her surgeon), they turned her away. For two different reasons: 1.) Dr. Felts isn't practicing at the Surgery Center of Richardson anymore. 2.) No doctors want to assume liability for one of his patients, because of Dr. Felts' high occurrence of post-operative complications. Dr. Felts DOES NOT follow-up OR do his due-diligence by educating his patients. This is something to think about when considering Dr. Felts as an option for a …

I am scheduled to be sleeved by Dr Kim on Oct 5th, any one have him as a surgeon & if so how is your outcome after surgery?

I am getting banded on March 18th by Dr. Hamad. I am nervous/excited. Reading and trying to start to incorporate some of the lifestyle changes. Rachael

Are there any of you out there!!?? :help: My name is Rebecca. I am a proud mother of three ages 4, 2 and 5 months. I've been overweight since I was a child. With the birth of my son this past August came the realization that being healthy is more important now than ever. I am currently in the process of getting all of my paperwork to the surgeons office.... once my "packet" is complete - they will set me up with appointments for the nutritionist, psych exam, and then schedule surgery. I've hit a bump in the road, though. I recieved a call yesterday from the surgeons office saying that BCBS will require me to have 5 years worth of doctors notes showing supe…

Hello everyone, Has anyone been banded/ going to be banded by Dr. Oliak? I have chosen him to band me.:eek:

NEW Program quoted me $18K for the Sleeve using the Spider method. I am shopping around to see who else offers it in the LA area and for what price. I know the NEW Program used to do it for $14,875 so I'm looking for a price like that, why not save $3100...

Going to the seminar on Saturday to get a feel for Dr. Oldham. I have heard some pretty good things about the Bluegrass Group in Etown, I just hope it holds true. I am looking to ask quite a few questions, but looking for more ideas on what to ask and what to look for... ?!?? My questions so far: - how many sleeves have you done? - what is your complication rate? leak rate? - do you use stitches over the staple line? - will you be providing my post op care as well? Anything else? Thanks!

I have Tricare Prime, South Region, which is managed by Humana. Dr. Jawad who works in Ocala and Orlando is one of 2 doctors listed. Has anyone had any experience with him and his office? I am going to his free seminar Friday, April 1st and am curious what others' experience has been. Thank you for your input.

My employer added a new twist to bariartric surgery this year and that it can only be done at a "Institute of Quality". What that means is my husband cannot use the local doctor and hospital that I used in December and we will now have to travel to either Huntsville, AL (115 miles) or to Atlanta, GA (148 miles) to have surgery. Has anyone had their surgery at either Crestwood Medical Center in Huntsville, AL or Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, GA. Who was your doctor and would you recommend them? Thanks for any insight. The local hospital is suppose to be submitting their paperwork to become credential. They are already a Center of Excellance with Medicare and Blue D…

I was banded today by Dr. Lee Grossbard at North Tampa Outpatient center. Dr. Grossbard is wonderful, and his practice Florida Obesity Surgical Associates is just as wonderful! the nurses there are mostly banded themselves and have their before and after pictures around the office. You can call anytime and they are so great with answering questions. Also, they do a support group monthly which was such a great time. They passed out recipe's and gave me lots of tips and were so supportive of my getting banded. I hope others can benefit from them!! http://www.floridaobesitysurgical.com :success1:

Has anyone had experience with the weight loss clinic in harrisburg,pa.? I beleive I will be seeing Dr. Dimarco or Dr. Currie.

Hi all I had my band fitted on 14th Jan & have had no problems until i went back to work this week . I work as a postwomen & lift heavy bags & do a lot of walking . My prob is i now have a lot of pain in my portside . Its hurting me constantly & im in a lot of discomfort . Has anyone else had this problem . I am a bit worried . Thanks

Dr. Vuong offered a free Lap Band in 2009 and never held up his part of the bargain! The whole constest wa a scam!!!! The winner tried to get her free lap-band and DR. VUONG backed out of the deal. Mr. Vuong, you shouldn't put together a contest giving people false hope and then they waste their money to fly down to Texas and stay in a hotel. You announced them as the winner and then when they try and contact you, you never return calls until months later, when you tell them you are not able to due it because of your financial situation? You are a doctor! That is a load of crap! I hope that other people considering weight loss surgery see this post and realize you are a l…

Anyone out there seeing Dr Marley. I am in my preop diet....Its killing me... Also want to start a support group in Somerset....Anyone interested?

AWESOME!! Her pre and post groups are great support

Wondering if anyone has had their surgery at u of m and what the experience was like. Thanks

Ok, so I'm finally at the point where I can schedule a surgery dare (yay!!). Now I just need to decide on a doctor. I've heard good things about both Dr. Almanza & Dr. Kelly but I'm so torn. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I had lap band surgery with Dr. Hanna in December. Everything went off with out any problems. I had to do the 6 month process before surgery that many people have. Once a month visit with the nutritionist, a mental health eval, monthly visits with my GP.etc. Jenny his surgery coordinator led me by the hand through everything. She dealt with the insurance companies, GP's etc. She would tell me where to go and I followed her instructions. Dr. Hanna made the surgery and recovery easy and Jenny made dealing with the process easy!

Has anyone been to Drs Eagon and Varela, in St. Louis, MO? They are with Washington University, at Barnes. Thanks for any insight you can give!

Hi all, I am new to this board. I am in the beginning process. Last week I had an initial consult with a civilian surgeon. During my consult, the VSG was recommended to me. Because Tricare Prime doesnt cover VSG outside of a Military Treatment Facility, I will have to go through Balboa for my surgery. I am in the process now of trying to change my referral to Balboa. In the meantime, I was wondering if any of you out there have had this surgery at Balboa? If so, I was wondering if you could share your journey with me. What was the process? How long did it take? My husband is retired Navy, and we are new to the SD area. Thanks in advance for your help…

Hi All, Not sure if I am posting this in the correct spot, but was wondering if anyone had recent thoughts on SWL vs UW in Seattle. I'm paying out of pocket and just want the best surgeon and follow up support etc. Thanks, Peter

If there is anyone who would like to participate in a weekly conference call.This call is to support each other, in addition to our monthly meeting let me know.Let me know what days and times would work best for you and I will put something together.I realize that some people are not able to come to meeting due to work or distance.

Hi there, I'll keep this short, but if you're in the Seattle area looking for a WL surgeon, I highly recommend doctor McMahon. He's my surgeon, and he and his whole team are fantastic. He's got a dedicated insurance specialist, dedicated bariatric nutritionist, and a whole team of support people, nurses, even therapists and psychologists. The ladies who do his fills are super supportive and always available to help you out, answer questions, provide guidance and emotional support, and more. I say all that to point out that if you're a patient of Doctor McMahon, you have tons of support, and are never without someone who can help you. If anyone has any questions,…

Hey everyone, I thought it would be a good idea to have a running weight loss total thread. I've seen them in other forums, like the date specific forums and thought it would be nice to have one here. I'll start it off. To add your stats, just copy the entire list and paste it to your reply and add your stats to the list. To edit or update your stats, do the same thing, just copy the entire list and change your stats. Bagnato Bandits Running Weight Loss Totals georgia girl (aka Pamela)~ 84 lbs

After 10 agonizing months with 1800getthin i finally am now a patient of Dr Korman, man am i happy to be there :thumbup:

I had my surgery there and was totally happy with the care and compassion I got. My doctor does most of his self pay patients there to keep the cost down. Everyone I ran into was very nice and they have a whole floor of nothing but Bariatrics. I had never heard of the hospital prior to having my surgery there but I would have no problem recommending them to anyone having surgery. They aren't that big so you really feel like you are important to everyone.

hi all, i am definitely having a gastric band but i am having real trouble deciding where to go to have it done! has anyone had there surgery though surgicare? please help! many thanks

Dr. Tishler is a phenomenal doctor. He doesn't just speak AT you, he speaks TO you. He is calming, pleasant and delightful. My sister in law had her surgery with him also and she loves him too. His office staff is phenomenal also. They know exactly what steps you need to go through to get approval. They give you a checklist, remind you of your visits with them, have a dietician on staff so you don't have to go looking for someone, and are ALWAYS pleasant!

Has any one had gastric sleeve done at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing MI? I would like to know if your insurance covered it and who did the surgery. Do you know how many of the sleeves they have done? Or any other information you think I might need to know. Thank you in advance for your reply.

Just checking to see if there are any other Bowling Green Ohio Lapbanders out there.... 13 more days!! I am so excited!!

I'm scheduled for surgery with Slimband on April 7th and I'm wondering what people think of their post-op program. Has it been positive? Are they proactive, helpful, easy to get a hold of? Do you feel well supported in your weight loss journey? I was originally going with the Surgical Weight Loss Centre in Mississauga but I switched to Slimband and I'm really nervous that I will regret my decision. Any feedback on Slimband (good or bad) would be much appreciated.

Has anyone had any experience with this doctor? When I spoke to my Doctor he said he was going to send me to see Dr. Nye in Penascola (whom I researched and was feeling quite comfortable with) but my refferal came in the mail today and it tells me to call Dr. Caluda. I don't know much about him and can't find much on him when I do a seach. I did find a site for his surgical clinic but that gives little information as well. :phanvan

Wondering if anyone else is scheduled at this time.

Hello everyone, If you have had the gastric sleeve plication in Mexico can you tell me who your doctor was and what the experience was like for you? I am having a very hard time choosing. Thanks.

I went to Dr. Snyder's seminar on the 3rd of March and have scheduled my appointment for the 23rd of March. I have requested the fast track, which hopefully puts me having surgery within 45 days. Not soon enough for me. I am 5'8" and am about 235 (on my scale) which means I might be about 240 at the doctors office. I am not scared about having the surgery at all. My blood preasure tends to drop pretty easily like when I had my third child 7 years ago, but I am sure if they are told about that upfront they will take the necessary precautions. My ideal goal would be 140 - 150. Would be happy with 180. Anything over 20 would make me feel so much better physically. …

Dr. Billy banded me on 2/23/11. Just wondering if any of his other patients are out there anywhere thanks!

I can't seem to find any current /past banders of Dr. Oldham in Etown. Please drop me a line if you went through BlueGrass because I am considering them over Louisville Bariatric group. Thank you

Anyone ever self pay for Dr. Grossbard in Zephyrhills/Dade City Florida? Im just wondering because I have still been researching in the event something happens again with my surgery (May 26 now) I was told $24,500 which after researching other drs here in FL is really overpriced it seems. Dr. Jawad is $14,000 and there are a few others around $17,000 but I have not another dr for over $20k so I am a bit shocked at this price. Anyone have great success with any Dr in FL ? If yes, did you self pay and how much? Thanks in advance