I have made appointments with 3 different surgeons over the course of this week for my initial visit/ consult in order to make my final decision. I am wondering how many you all consulted before determining who was the best doctor for you. I have narrowed down my choices already to 2 based on reviews and experience but want to hear from others what the determining factors were.

Btw I a newbie as of Saturday and find this website a godsend :-)

There are two bariatric centers of excellence in my city. I checked them out and narrowed it down to one based on the strength of the aftercare program and the strictness of the diet afterwards -- I wanted something very strict! They also have a really good reputation for getting their patients' insurance approval, which was important to me.

The program I chose has two surgeons in the practice. I forwarded the surgical profiles to my sister, who is a physician, and asked for her input. She recommended my doctor as he is the chief of surgery at their hospital, belongs to a prestigious surgeons' association, and went to a great medical school. Funnily enough the other doctor has a lot more experience, my guy is younger and doesn't have as much -- but I'm convinced my younger, less experienced doc was the right choice!

That said, all the doctors in both practices get great reviews and have excellent credentials. I don't think any of them would have been a bad choice. Good luck to you!

Edited March 31, 201412 yr by Bufflehead

I actually started with a popular surgeon in my area. I went to his seminar and he just rambled on and on and the classroom was packed. I even went to a consultation with my patient advocate, but he didn't have time for me at that point. I was discouraged because I had questions even with the seminar. So, just out of the blue, I ran into a friend who had the same procedure with a surgeon who does this procedure about 45 minutes away, but she actually has an office close by for everything else. I went ahead and "humored" myself and went to her seminar and there were hardly any people there. She was THOROUGH, very informative, very young (so that made me skeptical), but her "stats" for this procedure were phenomenal. I knew this was a God Send to me! So, I'm in process with Dr. Hawver and she's amazing! Your "gut" will tell you! You want someone thorough and with good surgical statistics! How many leaks / any deaths / any complications and if so, why? Ask! NO DUMB QUESTIONS in life! YOU GOT THIS!

I have an HMO, so I was limited to the six surgeons within my medical group (although, admittedly, it is a HUGE medical group within the Chicago area). I chose the one who is head of the group, who has done the most sleeves and whose surgical practice is >80% bariatric surgeries.

I have an ***, so I was limited to the six surgeons within my medical group (although, admittedly, it is a HUGE medical group within the Chicago area). I chose the one who is head of the group, who has done the most sleeves and whose surgical practice is >80% bariatric surgeries.

H M O is not a dirty word! LOL

@@Bufflehead - thanks for your insight, it was really helpful. Today was supposed to be my 1st initial visit with the top bariatric surgeon in my area but they cancelled it and wanted to book me a month out but thankfully agreed they can see me next Monday. I have a 2nd appointment with another surgeon on Thursday who is extremely strict by reputation and recommendation from my PCP. I am looking forward to this journey!

Thanks for the info!! Lol @HMO. I definitely agree that it's the surgeon that I am most comfortable with that will most likely win me over. I'll add some of the questions posted here to my list when I go in for my initial visits.

Hi I went to two different surgeons , I choose the second surgeon because the first surgeon was nice but his staff was unprofessional as well as did not return telephone calls in so timely manner. Your gut will tell you good luck .

I did a bunch of research before narrowing my list to 3 surgeons... 2 here in Idaho and 1 in Mexico. The patient coordinators of the two in Idaho were arrogant bitches who wouldn't answer any of my questions until I set up appointments with them first. I explained I was over 3 hours away from them, and just wanted some basic info (how many VSGs has he done, what's his complication rate, what are the pre and post op requirements, etc) but they refused to help me. My contact at the Mexico office was extremely helpful and exchanged dozens of emails and phone calls answering all of my questions. After more research, I discovered my Mexico option was by far the most experienced with a complication rate 1/100th of the US average, so that's who I went with. The best decision ever...great care and great results.

I attended info seminars from two different practices in different cities, both centers of excellence (as required by my insurance). I ended up choosing a center in El Paso (none in New Mexico was a center of excellence), and I researched the two doctors in that practice. I ended up deciding they were both excellent and just picked the one with the soonest appointment. He has been great. I hear very good things about his partner, too.

Definitely appreciate all the great feedback!! Love this forum.