Hi,

I have my first consult with Dr. Katkhouda tomorrow at USC, anyone heard of him? I know all the USC faculty is top knotch, but what should I expect at the appointment? Anyone else had any dealings with USC network insurance?

Thanks,

Melissa

I've heard of him, but unfortunately, I can't tell you anything terribly valuable. When I first moved to Los Angeles, I took a temp job at the front desk in surgery at USCUH. They did a lot of different procedures there – the cosmetic stuff was done somewhere else, but where I was working, they did a lot of gastric bypass, orthopedic, heart, and brain procedures. None of the surgeons really spoke to anyone there unless you were in the operating room. They just kind of breezed in, went right into the OR, and breezed back out, so I didn’t get to know any of them. I don’t think I’d even recognize Dr. K on the street because I only ever saw him with a surgical mask over his face. Dr. K does a LOT of bariatric surgery – several of them each week when I was working there. He’s one of the best and could probably do them in his sleep. He was a quiet guy, very professional and willing to explain things to the residents. (A couple of the other surgeons over there were absolute nightmares. One was verbally abusive to the nurses and techs and another guy would absolutely freak if anyone spoke at all during his procedures. The only voice he wanted to hear was his own. The residents had to stand back and watch, they couldn’t ask questions or anything.)

One of the great things I liked about working there is they let me go in and watch some of the procedures, and I got to see Dr. K do two laparoscopic gastric bypass operations. It was totally cool! USC is a teaching hospital, so there is likelihood that there will be observers in the room during your surgery. I’m not saying that to freak you out, but just as an FYI. In any case, I never saw the person being operated on. They get you in there, on the table, prepped, and knocked out before any observers can go in, so by the time people like me get in there, all we can see of you is the opening in the sheet where the doctors are working. I never saw anyone’s face and never saw anyone naked. Also, the only other observers in there were surgical residents. I was the only one who clearly had no purpose in being there except personal interest. (And they only started letting me in once they noticed me hanging around outside the OR trying to see the tv screens for the laparoscopic procedures.) So in case I’ve freaked you out, you needn’t worry about having a boatload of strangers gawking at you while you’re on the table.

Anyway, if you’re going with Dr. Katkhouda (Kat KOO duh), you’re in good hands. The man’s got a lot of experience.

Thanks for the info. My husband works at USC so I'm pretty familiar with the folks there. Did you know Dr. Crookes? He's a hoot!

How cool that you got to sit in some operations! I don't mind being observed, it won't be the first time. I had my gallbladder out at 16 and at the time I was the youngest documented case of gall bladder stones in Illinois, so they asked permission to video the surgery and use me as a textbook case study! I was sick so long before anyone even thought to check my gall bladder.

Anyway, the consultation went well, and now I guess I just wait. The coordinator said I would hear from the nurse with a surgery date within a couple of weeks, and then it would be submitted to ins. USC is self insured and they just started paying for the band at the beginning of June, so I hope it's smooth sailing.

Thanks again for the info! Have a good day.

Did you have the lap band or gastric bypass? Did your insurance cover it and if so what insurance do you have?