I saw my doctor yesterday and asked her about possibility of Gastric Sleeve. She seemed ok with it - hard to tell her real feelings. But she is a GP and has seen a lot in her career. She has patients that have undergone the surgery and she seems to understand the battle obese patients have with weight and the issues that accompany it. She knows me well - I've been her patient since about the time she began her practice. I think she 'gets' me. She referred me to this doctor in my city. Can do self-pay, so can bypass the very long waits for surgery paid by our provincial healthcare, and the surgery is done in a hospital, not a clinic. She said this guy was a GP originally (so she said he has a good bedside manner), but decided to pursue surgery after a number of years as a GP. She said she highly recommends him. His office is close to home for me, as well as the hospital he works out of. Here's the clincher: I looked him up on RateMD and there are mixed reviews, although I have to say his support staff gets very low marks compared to him. Some people were very happy, one guy wrote the worst review as he had a terrible outcome (he doesn't just do WLS - other surgeries too). Some say he thinks he's a god and acts like it, some say he is great at explaining things. Perhaps it depends on whether or not the patient is obese and there for bariatric surgery as to how he treats the patient ??- just going by the following tweet I found on him… what do you think? It's the best option I have in my city - and I'm going to go see him and get an opinion for myself - but this tweet made me VERY uneasy. Even more so than the bad review or two on him.

https://mobile.twitter.com/kristalK55/status/403369637087178752/photo/1

Edited August 12, 201610 yr by TracyBar

@@TracyBar I would not go by the Tweet - he was just the recipient of it. The best thing to do is meet him yourself and see how you feel. You can't go by one or two bad reviews either. I would be more comfortable with your GP's recommendation than a few miserable people on the internet. Good luck!

Surgeons have sense of humors too, but that just my opinion. I would meet with him first, then make a decision. If you don't like him/her find someone you do like. Again, just my lowly, humble opinion.

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Surgeons have sense of humors too, but that just my opinion. I would meet with him first, then make a decision. If you don't like him/her find someone you do like. Again, just my lowly, humble opinion.

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that thought did cross my mind of course - there were pictures of him with friends, etc. and I told myself he has a life outside of work. It just made me feel uneasy.

Surgeons have sense of humors too, but that just my opinion. I would meet with him first, then make a decision. If you don't like him/her find someone you do like. Again, just my lowly, humble opinion.

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Good point - and I know that he wasn't the send but the recipient - it's just i would have expected him to just ignore a Tweet like that? Anyway, I will be going to see him. Just wondering how long it'll take!

@@TracyBar I thought the tweet was funny - and it would have seemed rude not to reply (it may have even been a patient sending it to him).

Who knows, maybe it was a former patient that shared that tweet with him. I would definitely not judge him without meeting him and his staff. For me, I spent a lot more time with the support staff than I did the surgeon so liking them was very important to me.

I see it as funny and the tweet actually makes me like him more........I wouldn't go by anything you hear from others who have given him bad reviews. I would meet him and judge for myself. Just remember that folks who have a bad experience are much more likely to write a review...........If everything went well and as planned why even search out where to provide a review?....So wait and form your own opinion.

Edited August 12, 201610 yr by kmorri

I often tell my trainer and other's "I don't run, you know why? because I'm fat, fat people don't run, if I ran, I wouldn't be fat" He was the recipient of a tweet that was funny.

Surgeons have sense of humors too, but that just my opinion. I would meet with him first, then make a decision. If you don't like him/her find someone you do like. Again, just my lowly, humble opinion.

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Agree! Don't go by the tweet. Feel him out first. Then if you don't like him, try someone else.

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Ask him about the tweet !

You are all so smart!

I actually did find the joke funny - but then started feeling uneasy about it. I'm pretty sure that after you all have brought me back to reality, that I was feeling overly sensitive. I had just faced my doctor with the idea of Gastric surgery, thereby admitting fully to myself that I'm pretty overweight and have no control over my weight gain. I was shaking when I told her so I think my feelings were a bit raw.

thanks to all of you!

I often tell my trainer and other's "I don't run, you know why? because I'm fat, fat people don't run, if I ran, I wouldn't be fat" He was the recipient of a tweet that was funny.

Some Fat ppl run :-)

Great advice here! I'd DEFINITELY ask him about it And you know what, at the end of the day, you need a great surgeon, not a great guy. The doc who did my sleeve is not well-liked in our bariatric support group, but he does impeccable work and he and I speak the same language when it comes to patient responsibility and who is in charge of me, my behavior and my success or failure. THAT, after his technical ability, was my biggest criteria. Good luck!!

My surgeon is a really good surgeon. The support staff are lack luster. The chicks in the office have bad attitudes. I wasn't pleased with the after care but it doesn't really matter. I wanted a good surgery outcome and that is what I got. The rest afterwards, you can have anyone handle.

Meet him and form your own opinion.

I would say when it comes to the surgeon, go by the experience that they have. You don't have to like them as a person. You want the doctor that is the best at what they do. You will not be hanging out with them or inviting them over to dinner. Good luck with finding your surgery center!

Well now I'm feeling pretty crappy. My doc's office called me today and said that this particular surgeon doesn't do Gastric Sleeve! I can't believe it. When my doc recommended him and referred me to him I expected she knew he did do sleeve. He only does lap band and I'm just not interested in that. She said that I can go through the 'system' and get it for free - in about 3 years+! I said, no, I'm self-pay because at 54 I'm not waiting for years to get this done. So she said my doc isn't back until next Tuesday (she wrecked her back on her holiday) so she'll spend today and Monday trying to find another option. There are two other big cities in my province that may do it - don't know yet for sure. If not, I'll be flying to Montreal where I know a surgeon will do it and pretty fast - 1 month from phone consultation (Montreal is a long way away from me so it'll be a phone consult for $250.). My doctor didn't like the idea of me going out of province and I don't want to either - but if it's my only option then I will. She said - "who will take care of you post-op? It's better to see the actual surgeon". I agree. But a lot of people go to Mexico and they have to do long distance post-op - and I'd rather stay in Canada if I have a choice. Sigh... this is a big let down for me....