Anyone sleeved or going to get sleeved at either the Cleveland Clinic or St Vincent's hospital in Cleveland Ohio? Trying to decide between the two.

Thanks in advance!

I had the same decision back in 2010. Actually thought the Clinic would be the winner based on reputation. However, the personal attention at St. Vincent's and the degree of organization made it easy to go with them. My experience there and with Dr. Ben-Meir was excellent. Everything was first class and no regrets here for going with St. Vincent's.

Thanks so much! I know cc has a great rep but have also heard great things about st Vincent's! Do you mind if I ask what your starting weight was and how much you have lost?

I agree with Kobay I was just Sleeved Nov 14th with Dr Ben Meir and St Vincent was the way to go for me it was my first choice and my only choice my dr at the time recommended them to me and I feel in love with the place. I havent had a bad experience yet with any one there. As for the cleveland clinic I cant say. I dis like all the CC offices that are around me. I was treated so wonderful by the hospital staff at ST Vincent that I didnt want to leave hehe. If you have any questions feel free to message me I have also made many friends who have also used Dr Ben Meir and we talk on a daily basis if not a regular basis and a few of who are getting ready to have surgery too. My bf was also very please with St Vincent and is also thinking about WLS, Hope this helps!

Awesome! Thanks so much!

I second St. Vincent's recommendation. Just got sleeved on 2/12. I loved him and the staff. The rocked!!

I second St. Vincent's recommendation. Just got sleeved on 2/12. I loved him and the staff. The rocked!!

Thanks! I have my first appt with the surgeon on 3/8! How are you feeling?

I am glad I caught this thread. Cc is an option under my insurance but I am in another state. Having my band removed after 10 years and I am not getting a good feeling about the locals in Chicago. I just think I need to be in the BEST hands, I was thinking that CC would be an option that I would feel comfortable with. Did any of you also have a band removed? Is there reason to NOT go toCC?

I am glad I caught this thread. Cc is an option under my insurance but I am in another state. Having my band removed after 10 years and I am not getting a good feeling about the locals in Chicago. I just think I need to be in the BEST hands' date=' I was thinking that CC would be an option that I would feel comfortable with. Did any of you also have a band removed? Is there reason to NOT go toCC?

[/quote']

I've heard CC is a great hospital as well. If my insurance didn't cover St Vincent's I would have no hesitation going there!

Thanks! I have my first appt with the surgeon on 3/8! How are you feeling?

I am feeling good! Today is 5 days postop and just concentrating on making Fluid and Protein goals plus walking around. Each day gets better!

Good luck with your appointment!! He is a great surgeon and will answer any question you have.

I am glad I caught this thread. Cc is an option under my insurance but I am in another state. Having my band removed after 10 years and I am not getting a good feeling about the locals in Chicago. I just think I need to be in the BEST hands' date=' I was thinking that CC would be an option that I would feel comfortable with. Did any of you also have a band removed? Is there reason to NOT go toCC?

[/quote']

For me..CC is renowned for heart/cancer etc..Bariatrics is a side business. I also didn't get the warm and fuzzy feeling as if they cared about ME when I talked to them. I chose St. Vincent's because of their awesome staff and doctor.

I was doing pre-op stuff at both CC and St. V's trying to decide which one to chose. Because of this indecision, I got a little off the assembly line track with CC and things began to get disorganized and were not getting reoganized in any sort of efficient way. (Like what had to be done for surgical clearance was an ever changing list of requirements depending on to whom I was talking.) At St. V's my patient advocate (Diane) kept me on track and moving smoothly toward a surgery date--plugging in the medical necessities and keeping my insurance company informed as need be. I finally got to a point where things at CC were just sort of disorganized while the pieces/parts at St. V's all came together nicely with a firm date for surgery staring me in the face.

I love CC and do deal with them ocasionally on some other stuff and have no doubts about them for their big specialties. However, personal attention is not their strong suit.

I am scheduled for surgery at St. Vincent's with Dr. Ben Meir on March 4th. While I wouldn't hesitate to go to Cleveland Clinic if my insurance would not pay for St. Vincent's, I totally agree with everything that was also mentioned above. I am so eager for the next week to fly by! I know I am in great hands!

I am scheduled for surgery at St. Vincent's with Dr. Ben Meir on March 4th. While I wouldn't hesitate to go to Cleveland Clinic if my insurance would not pay for St. Vincent's' date=' I totally agree with everything that was also mentioned above. I am so eager for the next week to fly by! I know I am in great hands![/quote']

Good luck with your surgery! Please let us know how it goes!

I think you would be great going with either CC or St Vincent's. Dr. Ben-Meir did my VSG on Feb. 5 and he and his staff (and the hospital staff) have been wonderful! This may seem like a silly consideration, but it is so much easier to get in and out of the St. Vincent office. So if you need to take time off from work for pre-op and post-op appt's, it's just easier to park at SV and not have to take a whole half day off of work, etc. Dr. Phil Schauer at CC also is very well-known for laparoscopic bariatric surgery and he does a lot of research in this area that has been published in well-known journals. I'm not sure if CC is doing as many VSGs as Dr. Ben-Meir--I would ask. They are doing a clinical trial for gastric plication, which is stitching the stomach up instead of removing it. I asked Dr. Ben-Meir about it and that's not a surgery of choice for him--if you are curious, ask him. I don't think you can go wrong with either choice. I was happy with my choice to go to Dr. Ben-Meir.

Thanks Tess!