I am so excited. My husbands insurance is going to start paying for the sleeve Jan. 1st. Now i am trying to decide on a doctor. I have been to Dr Nick's semiar and support groups for a couple of months now. Now a friend of the family told be about Dr Barker also. How did anyone decided on which doctor to go to? Both seem to be on the our insurance plan(UHC). I have been reading all these forums for weeks now, i really want to do this right away. Any help would be greatly appreciated. :001_unsure:

Shylady -

Welcome to VST.

My surgeon was Dr. Nick and I think he is wonderful. I was self pay and moved very quickly once I made my decision. Dr. Nick's staff is very accommodating. Both Dr. Nick and his PA, Kristen have been available to answer ALL my question, even today (I called them two weeks ago). Dr. Nick, in my opinion, seems to practice on the "safe" side. Meaning, he always seems to error on the side of caution. For example, I had some back pain at two weeks post-op. He was pretty certain in was back spasms but ordered an CT anyway just to make sure we weren't dealing with a leak. I can tell you, for me, it made all the difference in the world, knowing there was nothing wrong with my sleeve and the back pain went away. There also seems to be a lot of Dr. Nick patients popping up on VST lately.

I have also heard good things from a couple people on Dr. Barker. If you are unsure, I would attend Dr. Barker's seminar also and see which doctor makes you feel more comfortable. It really is a personal choice. I'm sure you are in great hands either way.

Good luck on your decision. Let me know if you have any additional questions.

Edited December 29, 200916 yr by i1Linda

I am having my procedure with Dr. Nicholson Tues, so I will share my experience with you over the next few weeks. So far I have been really pleased with his expertise and his staff.

Dr. Nick is my surgeon. I was a revision from a band and had a very bad stretch in my pouch. Many surgeons would have done the removal and sleeve in one procedure but Dr. Nick said it would be better to do it in two so that my stretch would shrink and the stomach wall would be thicker when I was sleeved. I agree with Linda about him erring on the cautious side, which is fine with me. He had me stay an extra night in the hospital due to some nausea and low grade temp, which again was just a precaution but so worth if it would keep from later complications. I was self-pay like Linda as well. Don't know much about Dr. Barker but haven't heard anything bad except that one of his patients said she never really got to see him only his PAs. Every appointment I've had with Dr. Nick, I've seen him and the PA. That may not be important to you. I've loved Dr. Nick and feel everytime I see him he remembers me and my situation. How he does it with all the patients he has is amazing.

Good luck!

This is all great information. Thanks. How long did it take you to get approved and scheduled? I guess now that my mind is made up I just want to get started. I know only a week left till Jan but it seems like months. I have it down to 3 doctors I think.. Dr Nick, Dr Barker, or Dr Hamn. I heard that Dr Barker you have to wait hours at his office for your appointment, was wondering if all of them are like this? And if their pre opt diets are the same? if anyone knows.

Since I was self-pay, scheduling was quick. I don't feel I've ever had to wait an unreasonable amount of time in Dr. Nick's office. I had heard the same thing about waiting for Dr. Barker, but don't know that for sure. I have no idea about the pre-op diets but I haven't seen many that are exactly alike. Some do liquids only, some do shakes, and some do low carb, high protein. You'll just have to ask them.

I have waited maybe 5 minutes (if that) at Dr. Nick's office for every appointment I have had. The office seems to run smoothly and on time. Dr. Nick's pre-op diet was 2 weeks long. It was basically 4-5 slim-fast shakes or meal bars a day and ONE meal of 4 ounces lean meat and 1 cup cooked veggies or 2 cups raw veggies. The day before surgery was liquid only and clear liquids only for evening meal before surgery. Pre-op diet was not fun but was very thankful for the one "real" meal each day. I also used some of the protein shakes/bars that the dietician had, they were about the same cost (maybe slightly more) but IMO, the shakes tasted better.

As for scheduling, I attended his seminar in mid/late June, saw him for my consult the following week, and scheduled surgery for August 4th. I could have scheduled earlier but between his summer vacation plans, my summer vacation plans and a business trip I had schedule in July, August 4th was the first day we were BOTH available.

Edited December 29, 200916 yr by i1Linda

I was torn between Dr. Nick and Dr. James Davidson, both 'Top Doctors' in "D Magazine" - I'm going with Dr. Davidson because he can do my surgery on Friday and that works better for me. I'm out of state, and when we worked out our plans, it was best. He has been listed as a "Top Doc" for 17 yrs and his office is a center of excellence. I'm not sure WHAT that means, but my local doctor said it is something I should look for. I've been working with a guy named Trevor and he has gone above and beyond being helpful. Being out of state is difficult, and I couldn't come down for the two week pre-op, so when I go for the seminar in April, they are letting me do the pre-op then....they're just really nice people, I'm impressed so far!!

Dr. Barker did my lap-band surgery in 2006 and will remove it and sleeve me on January 8th. I've always seen just him on my visits, but did meet his assistant at my pre-op last week. He's done a ton of WLS, and is a very competent surgeon. All the ladies in his office are super helpful and sweet.

I will admit that I had quite a wait in the office last week, but don't know if that's par for the course. I guess I'll find out in the next few weeks as I have follow-up appointments.

As a surgeon though - I would recommend him. He's got a great track record - if you ask for it they will give you all the stats. Good luck! We're lucky to live in an area with such a great selection of docs.

I would recommend Dr. Stewart in Denton: Weight Loss Surgery Specialists of North Texas | Bariatric Surgery | Denton | Dallas | Dallas-Fort Worth | Carrollton | South Ok

He did my band-to-sleeve revision. Really easy recovery, nice private hospital, great staff and program. Well worth checking out. His personality is rather matter-of-fact, but that style works for me.