HI...

Well yesterday was my very first consultation to discuss having the lapband surgery with Dr Wade Barker in Dallas Tx. i will say i was quite disappointment when i got there at 3:30 and was not seen until 6pm. his staff is overwork and very stressed!! he obviously is overbooked!! my reason for choosing him was that i am going to have to pay cash since my insurance wont cover the surgery and he is 3000 cheaper than other docs in my area... after he explained the procedure he opened the door walked me up to the counter and said someone will schedule your surgery...YIKES!! i have no idea what to expect? what to eat days before? what TO DO or NOT TO DO? im clueless!! can anyone fill in the blanks that he failed to menchion....im having second thoughts due to his poor bedside manner. He told me nothing ! he never said nice to meet you, good by, nothing! he just put my chart on the desk and walked into another offfice. HELP!! IM GETTING COLD FEET ON THIS DEAL!! :help:

If you didn't get any more information from them than that, I would reconsider your choice of doc. I went to Mexico and had my surgery and I was almost overwelmed with information. I am in the Dallas area too and flew to San Antonio and the patient coordinator picked us up and took us to Acuna. Anyway..... you need to be more informed than that.

Good luck to you!!!!

i had a call into his office to schedule my consultation and never received a call back so i scheduled with someone else.

oh heck no! you need information - every doctor is different with preop diet, etc ...

waiting that long would be completely unacceptable to me. you can find somewhere that you can afford elsewhere. MX is an option and i have heard very good things from people who went there (i did not, had insurance pay for me).

my thinking is - if you had to question him, he's not right for you.

good luck, i am sure you will find someone right for you.

HI...

Well yesterday was my very first consultation to discuss having the lapband surgery with Dr Wade Barker in Dallas Tx. i will say i was quite disappointment when i got there at 3:30 and was not seen until 6pm. his staff is overwork and very stressed!! he obviously is overbooked!! my reason for choosing him was that i am going to have to pay cash since my insurance wont cover the surgery and he is 3000 cheaper than other docs in my area... after he explained the procedure he opened the door walked me up to the counter and said someone will schedule your surgery...YIKES!! i have no idea what to expect? what to eat days before? what TO DO or NOT TO DO? im clueless!! can anyone fill in the blanks that he failed to menchion....im having second thoughts due to his poor bedside manner. He told me nothing ! he never said nice to meet you, good by, nothing! he just put my chart on the desk and walked into another offfice. HELP!! IM GETTING COLD FEET ON THIS DEAL!! :help:

I was a cash paying patient and also a medical professional and I went to Dr. Ortiz in Tijuana. His co-ordinator talked to me often and answered any questions I had over the phone. How much is this doc charging? When I had my done it was about $8500. You need to feel confident about your doc. Have you called his office and told them you have lots of questions?

Good Luck.

I saw Dr. Barker about 3 weeks ago, and I feel like I got a whole different treatment. Yes, his office was very busy. I was there for the same reason as you - the price. But as busy as he was, I felt like he had all the time in the world for me. He patiently answered every question I had (probably for 100th time that day). After I scheduled my surgery, a little panic set in because I dod not feel like he really explained to me everything I should(or should not) eat, but when I went for my pre-op 2 weeks later I met with his nutritionist Betsy, and she gave me a whole notebook of what to expect after my surgery. I am having my surgery in the morning and am fully confident I am in good hands.

If he's that much cheaper, you got to expect he will be busy! Only you can say if he's right for you.

What do you want from the experience? Do you want the surgery and the fills and as little contact with the practice as possible? Then he sounds right. But if you want the bedside manner, well that I'm afraid you are going to have to pay for.

If you still want to go with this doctor, then schedule a second appointment and this time take a list of questions. Don't leave until you are satisfied with the answers. After that you can re-assess if you feel comfortable.

Michelle

Go to the top of the forum page and do an "advanced search". Put Dr. Wade Barker in the search field and then chose the "doctors" forum and you get previous posts on him. Read through those and maybe you'll get more input on him. Maybe the day you went was just a "bad" office day and not a typical day in his office and maybe it was a "normal" day for them.

Dr. Wade Barker did my surgery in April of 2007 and I really thought that he answered all the questions that I had. I did have to wait a long time at his office but I was from Louisiana and I am sure that he was trying to cover everything before I left. I am sure that if you do not ask any questions they are not going to volunteer much information. It was the next time that they gave me all the paperwork advising me what to eat and what to do before my surgery. Actually I think the hospital is who called and gave me all the pre-op instructions. I will tell you that I feel that Dr. Barker really cares about his patients and he is not a doctor that does surgery between 8 and 2. I was being prepped for my first procedure around 6:30 am and Dr. Barker was still doing surgery at 7:00 pm that night. Because when I was up walking around the hospital they brought up a patient from surgery and said that he was getting ready to take the last person in. Yes he is a busy doctor but I was able to get all my questions answered. Also. Dr. Dale Garris was working in his office and he was able to answer questions that I did not ask Dr. Barker.

Dr. Barker did my surgery on November 1, 2007 and I am really pleased with the results. I have lost 57lbs and counting. Sometimes the office is REALLY busy, but if you're just in there for a fill it's usually pretty quick. My insurance required me to visit him monthly for 3 months prior, before they would even approve me.. so I got all my questions answered then. If you don't feel comfortable, it can be pretty scary! I would just schedule another appointment, and wouldn't leave until all my questions were answered. I wish you luck on your journey, it's a crazy ride but so worth it.

Your should not feel rushed. Take a step back and get another doctor. Dr Victor Gonzalez, his office is in Medical City Dallas. He is Fellowshiped trained, great credentials. Low cost Let us know what you decide. But do get another educated perspective.

Good luck

SSMITH

I know this Dr. Barker has had ads on TV for 9500

There is an outfit in Plano, TLC Edge that has a special for 9990

They have like 6 docs to choose from. These docs are established all around DFW area and some how team up with TLC Edge. All ops are at the brand spanking new Prestonwood Surgery Center. Dr. David Kim did my surgery on 2-14-08. I don't have their phone # at hand but you can google for it. There is another thread under doctors and hospitals for TLC Edge doctors you might want to check out. The people at Dr. Kim's office, the ladies at TLC Edge and the staff at the Surgery center were great. They treated me like I was their only patient. I would use them again in a heartbeat. I don't know about any other docs but if you want warm fuzzies and answers to questions you don't even know to ask, you might give these folks a call.

GOOD LUCK WITH WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE