Weight Loss Surgeons & Hospitals

There will be a new support group meeting starting this month. The first meeting will be October 27th at 5:30 pm It will be held at the Palm Bay Community Hospital in the Auditorium. Please spread the word.

OK, I'll be the first to post... He is an excellent surgeon, certainly knows what he is doing in the operating room. But, no "bedside" manner, doesn't bother much with remembering anything about his patients, doesn't even recall anything about me when I go to a checkup or fill appointment. Still, I would take a great surgeon over a good relationship. He makes it clear that he isn't really interested in talking about problems or issues and that I should be discussing those things in a support group or with the nutritionist. He clearly is interested in the surgery and the issues surrounding that part of the work, and he has really good results with few complications.…

Looking for anyone that has gone through the Group Weight Loss Trips to Mexico for their vertical sleeve surgery. I have never posted online but I found this group and want to see if they are legit. Thanks everyone. :001_smile:

Just wondering if there is anyone here who is having or has had surgery at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, NH? I'm waiting for a surgery date, I hope it's soon! ~Gail :thumbdown:

I am researching the sleeve and i wanted to know if anyone has used Dr. Nelish Patel? Any comments? thanks

Has anyone used Dr Salimitari in beverly hills or his other offices??

Hi all, I am looking for people who have used Dr. Vaughan at Jupiter Medical Center in Jupiter, FL and want to know your opinions of him, his staff, the facilities, and your experience there. I recently made the decision that I am going forward with bariatric surgery. I have attended the first seminar and now finishing up my initial paperwork. Then onto dealing with the insurance company. At the seminar Dr. Vaughan seem like he genuinely cares about everyone and also very knowledgable in bariatric surgeries. He also seem to have a good maner about himself and I felt comfortable with him. So please if you have used him let me know what your opinion is. Thanks!

I know that there are other patients of Dr Kwon on here....WHERE ARE YOU ALL??? He is a great Dr and will be banding me a 630 am tomorrow morning!!! SOOO excited!!!

I have been doing some research and came across this Mexico doctor. However I have not found a lot of information/personal experiences here with him. If anyone can share any with me, I would be much obliged. :thumbup: (Yes I know about the whole thread for researching a Mexican doctor... read it and the like!)

I know there must be other people around that were banded by Dr. Posner.. Where is everyone?

I have United Healthcare and just received an approval letter 3 weeks ago. I am so excited! I chose DePaul Hospital based on it's reputation. I was assigned Dr. De La Torre which was fine by me I attended his seminar and he seems very personable. I have an appointment wed sept. 9th for the all day testing, counseling and surgeon consult. I was told I would schedule my surgery date at that time. I was just curious if anyone else was a DePaul patient and had any advice for me? Thanks Lisa

Dr. Liu is actually in several places but he does the surgery in a couple of different surgery centers. Two of them being Midway Hospital in West L.A. and the O-Band Surgery Center in Westwood, Ca. I had my original surgery done with Dr. Liu and his team on 3/11/03 and would not make any other choice. At the time he was at Century City Hospital, which is now closed. I had dealt with other surgeons and I would not go with anyone else. I know someone mentioned a surgeon they would go into surgery with but would not invite them into their home for a bbq. I would not only invite Carson Liu into my home but I would invite him along on our family vacation!! If I had my choice n…

Long story short, I have a doc appointment today with my general doc (my lap band surgeon is in Louisville, KY, we are Army, I am in Watertown, NY) to see if she can give me a referral for my band. I had a baby 2 years ago and had my band completely unfilled when I got preggo. I had the baby :cool2: and the Army moved us to NY. 2 years later, I am having major chest pains, major restriction (remember, my band is empty), I am getting food stuck all the time now :blushing: Being that there is no local lap band doc, nor bariatric surgeons, I am looking at travelling 2 hours just to get in to see someone qualified to see what my problems are?! eeek:( The fact that I…

Hi I am looking to get banded in january 2011 in Mexico through Obesity Control Center & Dr. Ortiz. I was just wanting input from those that have worked with or had surgery through obesity control center and Dr. ortiz. This would be so helpful any input is appreciated. thanks

There are lots of options out there. You must feel comfortable with your surgeon and the facilities! If you investigate thoroughly you will find you can have a VSG in Tijuana in a FULL SERVICE hospital with an ICU, etc at a price of $5300! ALL INCLUSIVE! And you can find a Gastric Bypass in the same FULL SERVICE hospital with the same 17 years of experience surgeon for $7500! There is also LAP-BAND® surgery in a FULL SERVICE hospital for $4600! Let the state of the economy work FOR you!

Wondering if anyone has had VSG done by dr. Ponce de leon. All inputs welcome. Thanks. :cursing:

Dr. Schuster performed my lapband 7/08. I have lost 70lbs. He is not only a great physician, but he has such great "bedside" manner and is very supportive of my weight loss journey. I would highly recommend Dr. Shcuster to ANYONE!

I had Dr. Bettendorf as my surgeon for my lap band surgery in January 2009. Prior to my surgery he was thoughtful, caring and concerned for my welfare. This attitude has not changed a bit since surgery. He is an excellent surgeon and did a great job. I went home from the hospital the same day I had the surgery because I was feeling so good. I would not hesitate to recommend him to anyone. Everyone at his office has been kind, caring and knowledgable. I have been very happy with my outcome and with the level of care that I have received during both my pre and post operative phases.

Hi! I am dead set on having my surgery in Mexico, but want to get all of my ducks in a row before going. IN CASE something goes wrong, does anyone know of a good bariatric surgeon or even PCP in the SF Valley area or LA area? I just want someone who knows what they're doing IN CASE some catastrophe happens. Thanks!!

Has anyone been to Fairview University in Twin Cities, MN? Or if you're in Twin Cities, do you recommend another clinic / doctor? I'm planning to go with Dr. Daniel Leslie at Fairview University. Any thoughts? Thanks!!

Anybody sleeved by Dr. Jossart here?

Sorry but I went to see him and he wouldnt even DISCUSS the Lap-band with me. He said someone of my size would only have results with the Sleeve or traditional by-pass surgery. When I told him I didnt believe in rewiring of body systems he got rather snarky with me and when I also pointed out that after 3-4yrs studies have shown the Band and the Bypass weight losses to be asbout equal with the only difference being you dont lose it all in the 1st 18months witha Band as you would with a Bypass. That seemed to absolutely tick him off and he said we had nothing more to discuss then and I said well if he wouldnt do it then who would? He half spat a name at me and left. He is …

Hi All, I've looked up a couple of doctors here in the surrounding LA area and found that some have "Program Fees" so I did a little search here in the forums and found that these are basically ways for surgery centers to get more money out of us. I haven't met with any doctors yet however I did reserve a spot in seminars for Dr. Oliak, in Orange County, who I've learn has a $4500 program fee and the other doctor is Dr. Pehrsson, out of Methodist Hospital in Arcadia, but I haven't seen anything about program fees. My issue with this is that I have a PPO insurance with a high deductible and co-pay max, why should I have to pay additional fees to the doctor that my ins…

Hi all! I was wondering if we could start a thread for self pays looking for a us surgeon to be banded. I am open to Mexico and am leaning toward Dr. Gonzales for sure but am open to us doctors. So if you know what the cost is could we maybe put the city in title and the docs info inside. You know surgury cost, fills, basic info.:help: I am hoping this will make it easier to wade thru the postings to find the costs.:faint:i am hoping to be banded right after the 1st of the year! Hurrah! Thin-Seeker

Has anyone heard of Dr. Srikanth, in Federal Way, WA?

I have just been approved by my insurance (UHC) for the sleeve with Dr. John Koppman of US Bariatrics in St. Augustine, FL. Has anyone else been sleeved with him? I feel very comfortable with him so far and confident that the hopsital and the team he works with will do a great job for me. Yet...I was hoping to get some feedback from someone that had already worked with him. My surgery is not scheduled yet, as I still have my cardiology appt to attend, but I hope to be sleeved by mid-April. Thanks for any feedback you can give!!

Hey Everyone! Just curious if anyone has used Fountain Valley Regional Hospital in Fountain Valley, California. More specifically Dr. Kelly Francis, I'm having surgery on July 20th and wanted to see if anyone can offer any information on their experience with this hospital. Thanks!

Dr. Dicicco did my lap band on Friday July 31st 2009 at the Pasco Regional Medical Center. The staff there were great and I am so glad that I picked Dr. Dicicco!!

I had my pre op educational meeting today :tongue_smilie: I'm so excited and I really think that "I can do this!" Anyone else out there getting banded by Dr Northup? Janelle

Dr. Felix placed by band 2 days ago (June 15, 2010). So far so good. He is very caring and patient. He sat through my LONG list of questions and answered every one of them honestly and took his time. The staff in the Sewickley office are also very patient. I felt like a huge pest calling them all the time to ask questions and see where I stood in the approval process. Not once did they make me feel like I was a bother.

I'm looking for a doctors in the New York, NY area with experience with the sleeve procedure. Any recommendations would be welcome. I attended a seminar at Columbia University Hospital but only one surgeon accepts my insurance and I can't find any info that states whether she has any experience with this procedure. Her name is Dr. Akuezunkpa Ude. My insurance has a lot of doctors on their website but it doesn't tell their experience. I would really prefer to go to a recommended dr. Thanks for any suggestions.

Cannot say more good things. The staff and Dr. K are wonderful, caring people. If they move a little too fast, it's because there are so many patients, but if you need them, they will slow down and give you whatever time you need. My strongest recommendation.

I'm trying to find prices for LAP-BAND® in and around Los Angeles. I know that the prices have been gettin cheaper in the US compared to Mexico, but wanted to see what recent prices are out there. All I can find is old posts with old prices. Anyone have any current prices? Please keep this post only for Los Angeles/ So California area...We all know how cheap Mexico is, so we don't need a bunch of posts promoting Mexico doctors!! Thanks KB

Just a warning to anyone looking for a doctor in the Kansas City area. I went to the seminar and waited months to see Dr. Niazy Selim at University of Kansas Medical Center. I had one appointment and was told all my paperwork looked in good order. Dr. Selim's comment was, "I wish all my patients had things as well organized as you do. It should take about a week to get everything sent in to your insurance." I waited two weeks and heard nothing so I contacted my insurance and was told they had received nothing. I asked them to contact my surgeon and find out what was wrong. They tried for weeks without satisfactory results. I called and emailed several times trying to find…

Any thoughts or opinions on this doc??? Consult in 2 weeks.

I've left two messages and send two "info requests" over their website with no response. This has been over a span of 3 weeks.... what gives?? Is there a special password to gain access?? Pretty unprofessional and such a turn off as a potential patient!!

Hi Everyone Does anyone know of a doctor (anywhere in the USA or Mexico) that will remove the omentum as part of the Lap Band surgery? Thank you all for being so nice to us newbies! eddieb

Dr.Timothy Ehrlich is wonderful.He is very sweet and gives great detail on the weight loss procedure.I am glad he will be doing my Lap Band surgery.His staff is wonderful too.All of them are very attentive and very nice to everyone.They always have a smile on their faces.I know this journey will be a great one for me.

I had my lap band surgery done in late March of 2009 by Dr Jahnavi Srinivasan. I did this through Emory Bariatric center and the surgery was done at Emory Midtown (formerly Crawford Long) Hospital. I had a complication and had to have a port revision in early May (my port flipped due to awful nausea after the first surgery), but since then I've had 2 fills and am doing very well. Dr Srinivasan is great, very charming and warm, and extremely knowledgeable. Her bedside manner is the best I've ever dealt with. While she is from India, I think she's spent her whole life her in the US and she has a very American accent, so there are no communication issues. She will spen…

Has anyone been banded by Dr. Crooms in Tallahassee? If so, could you relate your experience? I'm scheduled for 9/20 and I'm a little nervous. I've heard that he's an excellent laparascopic surgeon, but I'm not sure of his history with this particular surgery.

Hi all, I was wondering if anyone has used Dr. Rose in Chattanooga TN. I want to know the good, the bad, and the ugly. Thanks, Kim

Any experiences welcome!

Hello everyone, I am new to this. I just started the process of doing what my insurance requires me to do before they will precert my surgery. Does anyone know anything about Dr. Said Bina in Houston?

If anyone has had surgery with Dr. Rumbaut please let me know what your experience was like and the cost of the VSG procedure etc.

Does anyone here have some information about Dr. Alejandro Lopez Ortega? I'm considering him to do my lap-band in October. A very close friend of mine had the sleeve in Tijuana about 6 months ago, but I'm going for the lap band instead. Any info. i can get is very appreciated Thank you!

I am looking at Dr St Laurent. Anyone use him? Good? bad? We are looking at self pay. Can anyone share about the costs with them? Also, I am wondering if anyone have any thoughts on how long it takes to get consultations and surgery scheduling (I am SO ready!). Thanks

I met Dr. Jackson thru the Medical weight-loss centers. Very nice easy going person. He explained everything to me in great detail, listened and answered all my questions. The surgeries he performed on me were, gallbladder removal, and putting "the lap band" on me. Everything went very smoothly. I would highly recommend Dr. Jackson.

Hello Everyone, I understand that most of you live in the U.S. or Canada and had or plan to have your surgery there or travel South to Mexico. However, I live in Ireland and would like to link up with anyone who had or plan to have their sleeve this side of the Atlantic. I am particularily interested in hearing experiences with the different places, and any recommendations you may have. I am not covered by insurance, so I will be funding this myself. Nevertheless, I do not intend to put the cost as the top priority, although I probably will take it into consideration to some extent! Is anyone aware of any "Centres of Excellence" over here? I have heard of some places …

Have any of you used him as your surgeon? My surgery date is scheduled with him for March 26th..Any feedback will be highly appreciated :smile2:

Yaaaay! I'm already starting to wean my diet slowly and upping my exercise to improve my cardio. Anyone else scheduled around that Monday?