I went to my Primary Care Physician Dr. Dagg at Swedish Physicians Clinic and told him about my history of obesity, diets, etc. I needed to go through him for some testing for insurance purposes and also I wanted a second opinion about this.

He knew that I was already seeing an obesity-surgery doctor and asked who it was. When I told him, he was very polite and political but said he "doesn't recommend" Dr. Fox.

He basically told me that Dr. Fox lost his medical license for a while (but he didn't know WHICH Dr. Fox, father or son...) and implied that there had been a recent death and that the Foxes weren't trained in bariatrics specifically (although he acknowledged they had performed a lot of surgeries in that area) and that hospitals in outlying areas (ie, Auburn where Dr. Fox does surgery) are more dangerous and so on...

:omg:

I was dumbfounded, to say the least. You can understand when a doctor has a friend in the biz he'd like to send people to, but this seemed more like he was really concerned that this would be a bad choice for me safety-wise.

He then recommended Dr. Ross McMahon. I guess this McMahon is an obesity specialist from Duke University who is apparently starting up a practice here and comes highly recommended...

At least he was supportive of both the lap-band and bypass for me. He didn't push any silly diets which I was grateful for.

At the end of the visit he sort of revised his earlier warning by saying that he would put Dr. Fox third on the list of who I should see for bariatric surgery. I think he realized he might have laid it on a little thick?

I don't know what to think. I've heard a rumour elsewhere about the father, Dr. Ross Fox, having some issues with his license and malpractice accusations due to his age and that he stopped doing surgery because of this. But I hadn't heard anything bad about his son, Dr. Earl Fox. Is it a "sins of the father" situation? Dr. Dagg didn't know they were a father/son team, so how good is his info?

:help:

One of the first things I got here is to find out out how many lapbands has the doctor done. Not how many overall weight loss surgeries, but specifically lapband surgeries. Were you satisfied with your original research on this Dr. FOX.

I admit there is one doctor mentioned here that I would now avoid, just because of a couple of negative feedbacks. Others claim he is wonderful, but I wouldnt want him to do my surgery. I went with a different choice.

When I asked Dr Fox how many deaths that he has had because of the surgery he explain that he has had two in 500. Both are non-related to the surgery. .

One of the doctors I went to his seminar in my area has done thousands of lapband surgerys without any deaths. TWO is a pretty high percentage imo (highest Iv ever read 2 out of only 500 lapbands). Of course the doctor is going to say nothing to do with his surgery. Again my two cents. If you think these stats are not worrying, then ok, its not my decision.

Also, 500 lapbands is not very many. Most surgeons have more experience, at least all the doctors I considered.

I could be off by a zero I will call the office and find out the total, it might be like 5000. I will let you know when I find out.

I'm using Dr. Ross McMahon. I like him a lot, but they just moved offices and things are a bit confusing right now. But everyone is really nice and I trust his background.

Okay, I talked to Dr. Fox and was amazed at how some physicians count the number of problems related to any surgery. First, the 500 Lap Bands is correct however, Dr Fox is also a surgeon who has years of experience in the field. I completely trust his guidance, the final responsibility rests with the patient. If something does not sound correct, question it. Like I stated before, I am completely comfortable with Dr. Fox and his staff; they are fantastic. Banded on Tuesday, have dropped 20 lbs since July 6th.

Okay, I talked to Dr. Fox and was amazed at how some physicians count the number of problems related to any surgery. First, the 500 Lap Bands is correct however, Dr Fox is also a surgeon who has years of experience in the field. I completely trust his guidance, the final responsibility rests with the patient. If something does not sound correct, question it. Like I stated before, I am completely comfortable with Dr. Fox and his staff; they are fantastic. Banded on Tuesday, have dropped 20 lbs since July 6th.

There is nothing wrong with going to a surgeon that has done 500 bands. I wouldn't go to anyone with less than 250, so 500 is totally acceptable.

Good luck to you!

After reading the posts on this forum, I was appalled that the reputation of one Dr. could be influenced by a PCP's "opinion", (unethical?) and that there was confusion even over the identities of the doctors that were being discussed. To bring up heresay and rumors influences the decisions of others and unjustly could make others skeptical of a Dr. that has great qualifications and skills that have benefitted many.

I have known Dr. Earl Fox, the son of Dr. S. Ross Fox, since he entered medical school at the University of Washington. Before actually posting information that is defamatory, facts should be checked in order to be certain

one is not acting libal.

I am posting this here for the purpose of clarifying that Dr. Earl Fox, although related directly to S. Ross Fox, should be judged on his own merits. If anyone is considering any procedure, it is always important to check the credentials of the physician. Opinions are not facts, and are subjective.

Unfortunately for the Seattle area, a skilled and experienced physician has relocated his practice.

Relocating his practice to an area where he can provide the quality care all patients deserve, was not based on Dr. Earl Fox's lack of good standing in this region.

It is a shame that misinformation can impact many lifes. While this forum is here for the purpose of support, the comments made do influence others and knowing facts is a serious matter.

Now I will need to find as qualified a physician for myself.