auburn1159

Good luck to YOU!! I was sleeved on March 6 ... and have lost 52 lbs to date .... It is an adjustment but it is well worth it .... best decision I think I have made in my life and I am 52 years old ....

I will be sleeved on Tuesday, March 06 in Marietta, Georgia at Kennestone Hospital with Dr Dennis Smith performing the surgery ..... I am currently topping the scales at nearly 360 lbs so I desperately need this surgery!!! I am only 5'9" so my BMI is 52 which qualifies me as SUPER OBESE .... nothing super about it I can assure you!!!!

I was told today by Carolyn in Dr Daniel Lane's Office in Mobile, Alabama - she is the bariatric coordinator for that group (Dr Snow, Hannon, Ringold, Weinstein, and Lane) that Blue Cross of Alabama was now covering the Sleeve Gastrectomy. I hope this is true because that will open the door to many alabamians who are fighting morbid obesity and have only had two covered options - the Rouen - Y and the Lap-Band procedure. If anyone can help verify this information - i will be ecstatic. It was to late in the day when I heard to call BCBS to verify this information. Thanks, Auburn Tiger

I hope your initial consultation went well ... I meet with Dr Schmitt this coming Thursday for my 1st office visit. I will be a self pay for VS, and hoping to have the surgery in early august. I am NOT sure what Dr Schmitt will require as far as medical clearances but I have just completed a sleep study and will have a GI clearance (upper endoscopy and lower colonoscopy) in the next couple of weeks. I initially was leaning toward Dr Dennis Smith in the Atlanta area because he has done so many of the VS operations and appears to have a near flawless track record - but after seeing so many good write ups on Dr Schmitt and seeing some of his positive videos I will wait and make a decision after visiting with both Dr's. The Birmingham group would be closer for my family and we had a great experience in Bham with my Dad several years ago with unrelated cancer surgery - so we have kinda been endebted to the Bham area ever since. Did Dr Schmitt give any indication to how many sleeve's they have done and how many new sleeve's they are doing on average?? I sure wish BCBS would review this procedure and start covering it ..... I wish you well in journey and hopefully 2012 will be a lighter year for both of us ... hopeful in bama

Not familiar with them - but have been dismayed along the gulf coast that NOT more docs do or recommend the vertical sleeve - although when pressed most of the mobile / pensacola bariatric surgeons will admit it is a good approach; but that since most insurances have not adopted it as an approved surgery - they do not promote it. I have been looking closely at Dr Dennis Smith in Marietta,GA - who seems to have a great track record doing the vertical sleeve and I liked his video that he did on youtube which was quite impressive. In addition, I was impressed that Dr Smith is a chemical engineer (MIT grad) - and having worked in hospitals a good bit of my life - I have found that docs that have and engineering background are usually very meticulous about their work!!! which is what I want from my surgeon ....