Ive been reading tons of posts, looking at results, complications etc. I've also been looking at peoples final weights, and some from a few doctors seem to end up with a much lower end weight (120-130) than others who end up a bit higher. Just curious if anyone else has noticed this? I heard it has to do with having a doc who says they do a "tight sleeve."

So, who did you choose, what was the cost and what was 2 main reasons you chose them?

My insurance required a "center of excellence," so I had to travel 3 hours to my clinic. I had a choice of several doctors, so honestly I just picked the one with the first appointment, since supposedly they were all good. My doctor has been great. His goal for me is 127 lbs, or BMI of 21. I think this is totally doable, although I'm already getting the "you don't need to lose anymore" stuff from other people. I plan to get to goal and stay there

Peoples' goals do seem to vary widely on this site, so it will be interesting to see other responses to this thread.

Mine was more of a location than anything else. Checked the hospital where my Cardiologist was associated which turned out to be a "hospital of excellence" and then looked up the bariatric Surgeons that operated there. My Surgeon was the chief of surgery there and had a seminar where he reviewed the different procedures and and the rest is history.

My insurance only had a few approved doctors in my area. I took the list and googled every doctor, and looked at their years of practice and any reviews from patients. I picked my doctor based mainly on his 12 years of experience doing Sleeves and partially on how close his office was.

I knew someone who went to him and had great results. He also had a good track record - but with RNY. He had done over 1000 successfully and no one ever died. I was his 40th sleeve patient. I also like that in his seminar, he was very honest and upfront about all the complications his patients had. Two of his sleeve patients had leaks early on, so that scared me a little, but he said he changed techniques. Honestly, I have done great, but I might rethink that now, knowing what I know. I would have chosen a doc who had done 1000 VSGs with low complications. At the time I was thinking about his overall stats, not just VSG.

I am blessed with insurance that pays for bariatric surgery. I only considered a Bariatric Center of Excellence because these accredited centers meet the latest and most effective evidence-based medicine specific to bariatric surgery. Typically, these centers have a bariatric-focused gastroenterologist(s) on board -- this has been invaluable to me. I had chronic GERD with a number of complications, the problem has been lessened but still has to be managed. I had a great surgeon, but the gastroenterologist has been essential to my care. He is on top of my care, including managing particular challenges I have with certain vitamins.

Bariatric Center of Excellence hospitals are equipped to properly care for bariatric patients, and the nurses are specifically trained in the needs of the bariatric patient.

I picked mine because he performed my gall bladder op a few years before and talked to me about wls and said if I ever wanted to discuss it further then to be referred to him.
When the time come that’s exactly what I did.