I am looking into gastric sleeve surgeons in the Washington DC area, does anybody have any good doctors to refer me to?

I will be doing my last nutritional visit next month. I did my endoscopy last Friday. I completed my physc visit. My surgeon will also be Dr.Brebbia and I will be having my sleeve surgery at Montgomery Medstar in Olney Maryland.

I will be doing my last nutritional visit next month. I did my endoscopy last Friday. I completed my physc visit. My surgeon will also be Dr.Brebbia and I will be having my sleeve surgery at Montgomery Medstar in Olney Maryland.

I have a question about the meetings with the nutritionist. At my 2nd visit, I turned in a log for the prior month. Did you do this? If so, did you get any feedback? Did the nutritionist say what the goal was, or what they would be checking for? Thanks.

I showed my nutritionist a

that I keep on my phone. At my visit I asked if she needed my food log and she said that she just needed to see the log and that I was doing some exercise. Next month will be my last nutriotional visit so I am going to make sure I keep a record of my food and exercise. Just in case my nutritionist ask for a hard copy of my food log.

I am looking into gastric sleeve surgeons in the Washington DC area, does anybody have any good doctors to refer me to?

bluepoint surgical group!!

I am looking into gastric sleeve surgeons in the Washington DC area, does anybody have any good doctors to refer me to?

Dr. Marc Rickford at Providence Hospital

Dr. Long runs a great bariatric center at sibley memorial hospital

The staff is knowledgeable and experienced with medical procedures and insurance companies. Nice office.

Dr. Brian Long at Sibley memorial hospital.

The staff is great and they years of experience supporting these procedures

I am preoperative but have been working with and through Dr. Barry Greene. His office is in Rockville, MD.

However, you cannot go wrong with any of the surgeons at Washington Hospital Center. Had I not begun with Dr. Greene, I would be there with one of their doctors, myself.

I will be doing my last nutritional visit next month. I did my endoscopy last Friday. I completed my physc visit. My surgeon will also be Dr.Brebbia and I will be having my sleeve surgery at Montgomery Medstar in Olney Maryland.

Dr. Brebbia will be my surgeon too. How did it go? How are you doing?

This feedback has really helped me! I just went to an informational meeting last night at Holy Cross. The doctor seemed cool. Knowledgeable and experienced but his office is in Frederick...over an hour from where I live. PLUS his medical group charges a fee of 600 bux. Which is an it of pocket expense. I am registered for a meeting at Washington Hospital Center next week...and was considering Providence as well. Did any of you have fees other than your co pay?

I go to a great program at Medstar Montgomery in Olney, a Bariatric Center of Excellence. Sometimes insurance companies will require that the surgery be done at one of these. The surgeon's name is Dr. Brebbia; the Bariatric Coordinator is Kenny Alexander (301) 570-8593. I attend once/month support meetings (next one is July 30th @ 6pm) and the required once/month nutritional meetings.

I've been told the actual surgery will occur at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC.

No they don't add any surcharges.... WHAT NERVE!

Hope this helps.

Edited July 25, 201412 yr by BeagleLover

Lol! What nerve INDEED! Thank you so much! I assumed that going to the interest meeting at WHC meant that's where all my appointments would be. Olney is not THAT far. I'm a little nervous about the staples that will be inside of my body forever....I thought the stomach was sewn closed. I'm nervous about what will happen to the tissues if the stomach eventually stretches later.

I saw a you tube video. To me it looked as though the gizmo is making a zipper. It's a very safe operation. It stops you from overeating and you learn not to drink carbonated drinks. No prob! You've got this.

Edited July 25, 201412 yr by BeagleLover

Thanks for your words!I haven't told many people that I'm interested because in the past the support hasn't really been there. I mean, if I do it My friends and family WILL support but they keep saying.."You don't need it..." Even the woman at the information meeting said that! Lol...But I'm 260...my BMI is 42 and I've been a big girl all my life. I managed to lose 50 pounds on my own and maintained it give or take 10 pounds, for 3 years...But I can't seem to get past that. My friend had the surgery a year ago and has lost lots! So...all that said...Thanks for the support!

Can't get my inbox message to reply to you...But I got yours and WILL DO! Keep ya posted

Yeah, I've been told that too. a friend going to the same program as I am said, "But you're not that big." Uhhhh, I beg to differ. I'm big enough to start having hip pains from trying to do the treadmill at a high elevation a few months ago; big enough to have diabetes and sleep apnea; big enough for back pain. It seems to be harder and harder to move around by the day, & am VERY glad I started this process in May. I started with a BMI of 39, now approximately 36. The day of the weigh ins, I have to make sure I eat Breakfast the day of the weigh in and not go to the bathroom! I'm so afraid I may land on the BMI of 34.9 and the insurance company won't cover it. I haven't tried too hard to lose weight, it's kind of happening thanks to the book on emotional eating, "Emotional First + Aid" (the bariatric one) by Cynthia Alexander. I figured, if I don't get the emotional part, after the surgery, I'll start grazing and gain some of it back. I want it all GONE!

The insurance companies aren't going to pay biggo bucks for someone's surgery unless they are in a very unhealthy situation. Their cutoff is a BMI of 40 without co-morbidities. As time goes on, the co-morbidities, i.e., diabetes and sleep apnea and others can kick in, not to mention more and more wear and tear on your joints. You will be much healthier, the earlier the better (my opinion).