j pouch surgeon help

Remzi is the guru of all things j-pouch, surgically speaking. If it's convenient for you and your insurance covers it, you can't do better. I've heard some complaints about his bedside manner in the past but you need a surgeon, not a friend, and I've never heard complaints about the actual surgical results.

I'm pretty sure some people have posted here about having surgery at Duke in the past, you might want to try doing a board search.

Good luck!

Thanks for the replies.

I live in myrtle beach. Looks like I'm going to keep my October appointment with Dr remzi.

Remzi is great but there are other great surgeons closer to your home. Do ask this question at www.j-pouch.org I traveled 2 hours for my surgeon and it was the best decision. Because he was so skilled I didn't have to worry about the distance and chances are you won't either, if you opt for Remzi. I'm all for finding the best surgeon because I do believe experience trumps everything else.

Sue

Serialflusher said...
I had an introduction appt with a surgeon and when I asked him how many he does he said about one a month. How does that compare to others? I know if he's good then quality > quantity but I was just curious as to how many of these are done by these surgeons on average?

It probably depends on the location and the hospital on how many J-pouch surgeries that a CR-surgeon does a month. Usually the top surgeons are located at University Medical Centers in major metropolitan locations. You also have to consider which surgeon accepts your insurance.

1 a month is not that high. I bet Remzi does one a week...and he fixes the mistakes from around the country.

For pouch surgery, just throw the thought of prioritizing private versus shared room out the window. The surgeon is the key, no matter if you have to share a room or not. The rest of the staff are also important after recovery. Yes, you would have to share a room if you had Remzi.

Remzi has been my surgeon (I've had other surgeons at Cleveland as well in the GI group, nothing but good things to say). He has an abrupt manner at times. He won't sugar coat things for you and I've talked with several of his other patients. He's told me to lose weight (he's right). He asked a friend if she had gained weight (she had lost...oops!). Some people might find offense to that. So yes, some people may describe his bedside manner as being not good. But the truth is, weight has a lot to do with pouch function. If you are overweight and get a pouch, then this puts unnecessary strain on the pouch as it's healing. You might end up with a bad pouch because of this. I've heard that after the pouch is created, any weight loss or gain causes a change in blood flow to the pouch and this can cause problems. Also, surgery is rough on any person and even rougher if you are overweight. He's lectured and been hard on his patients when they've been dumb with their health, not just in the realm of weight. It comes from caring.

I can also tell you that he has given his patients his personal cell phone number, came in on a Saturday night and rounded (I didn't expect or need him to stop by at the time, but he did), bought a plane ticket for a patient, and recognizes me AND my parents separately after not seeing us for months (we were eating on CC campus...so not exactly in his office). He recognizes many of his patients families. I have heard complaints about getting things scheduled through his office though.

So in priority...surgeon is the most important part. Then the institution (and I don't mean ranking, but the nursing staff). Travel comes into play. If you can get an experienced surgeon (I mean at least over 100 pouches) within a reasonable distance to you then do that. I personally drive 4 hours to get to Cleveland. It's a pain but worth it.