Dr. Hill- Saranac Lake NY

[-Flo-]

Have any of you heard about Dr. Hill in Saranac Lake NY? I was quoted about 14k for a revision from VSG to DS. That makes him a real contender to compete with Dr. Esquerra who quoted me 8.5K. I would much rather have a US doc, plus I can drive there. It is about a 5hr drive but I feel that is better than a 5hr plane ride. Any input is greatly appreciated!

 

[BebeZed]

Never heard of him, but that's not surprising since I'm fairly new to the game. What concerns me is that he is not board certified in bariatric surgery - he is board certified in general and thoracic surgery. That doesn't mean he's not qualified but I'd ask a LOT of questions like:
1. How many DS surgeries has he personally performed
2. What is his complication rate
3. Does he do the traditional DS with TWO anastomoses or a loop DS/SADI/SIPS procedure with a single anastomosis? The latter is NOT a traditional DS (no matter what the doctor may say); there is no long-term data on these procedures and they are still considered experimental.
4. Where is the procedure done
5. How long is the hospital stay and how long would you need to remain in the area following release from the hospital

There are other questions I'm sure, but those are the big ones IMO.

Good luck to you!

ps - IMO the medical care I got with Dr Esquerra is far superior to the care I've gotten in US hospitals

 

[-Flo-]

I wrote an email to Dr. Hill before I saw your awesome post @BebeZed. He does the DS with two anastomoses and it is done laproscopically. He works out of the Adirondack Medical Center. He has been doing the DS since 2001.

 

[DianaCox]

I have heard of him - but nothing much and not particularly favorable. It's not a big part of his practice, to my knowledge.

 

[Clematis]

I've never heard of him either.

How many does he do every year? Surgeons at the Cleveland Clinic have been doing DS since then... but they only do 2-3 a YEAR. That's not sufficient experience for me.

Also does he do limb length according to the Hess method?

 

[-Flo-]

So to quote him, this is what he said regarding how many switches he does " I don't know how many switches I've done but been doing them since 2001, they comprise only 2% of national cases, so people travel to see me as well because I offer it." Now I'm wondering if Dr. Greenbaum is worth the extra 6k. I keep going back and forth about going to mexico. I may end up paying more to get it done in the US.

 

[Clematis]

It all depends on what you are comfortable with. For me, that would not have been an adequate answer. A doctor should be able to answer how many DS s/he does per week.

If you have to travel anyway, go to Esquerra. An out of state doctor can't deal with complications unless you fly back. S/he can't even order your labs unless you fly back to have the blood drawn in his or her state where they are licensed. (There are companies who have a doctor in each state who will order your labs through, usually, Quest. You will never see or even know who this physician is but at least you can have them done locally if your current PCP won't order them.)

If you have a complication and end up in your local ER, those docs can have a phone consult with Esquerra as easily as they can with any out-of-area surgeon.

 

[Munchkin]

I know this flies in the face of all that's Holy but I would take Esquerra too. Experience is more valuable than anything else.

I had my DS in the US about 70 miles from home and I did fine. My H and sister went to Spain and I went as their caretaker. If I had it to do over, I would have gone to Spain too. Their post-op care was much better than mine and the hospital was considerably cleaner.

Really there is not much difference in a 5 hour drive and a 5 hour flight. Post-op you are likely to never see your surgeon again anyway. Surgeons are cutters and not good for much after the cutting is done.

I would take a friend and stay for 2 weeks after the surgery. We stayed for 3 weeks post-op in Spain. It was almost like a vacation. We got out and walked every day, went to the coffee shop, beach, shopping, and had a pretty good time. By the time we flew home it was no big deal!

 

[BebeZed]

Flo, why are you so insistent on having the surgery in the US? I don't mean that question to be interpreted as confrontational, but rather a chance to understand why you feel the way you do and maybe provide information that you may find useful. Ultimately this is going to hinge upon what YOU feel comfortable with and we will support you but if there are unanswered questions or concerns we'd like to help you with those as well.

 

[-Flo-]

Thank you @BebeZed . So I'm ok with going to Mexico but my family is extremely against it. They are worried that it is unsafe, that the care is not up to par, that if I have any complications the US doctors will blame me for going to Mexico, and so on. I realize that many people go to Mexico alone for surgery,but the thought of having a major surgery in another country without a support person terrifies me.

 

[Clematis]

if I have any complications the US doctors will blame me for going to Mexico

Mexico, schmexico. If you have any complications your local doctor will blame you for going to any doctor who is not him. They're arrogant that way.

The hospital care is BETTER in Mexicali than in the US. My husband was at the Cleveland Clinic in October and had to wait an hour after pushing the call button for a nurse or aide or anybody to arrive. (And they were surly about it.) There are at least two nurses, and aide as well as liaison nurses to care for the maximum of 7 bariatric patients in private rooms. I never had to push my call button because someone checked on me every half hour. At CC, my husband was crammed in a room with another man. The place was noisy 24/7 with bellowing staff, the halls were filled with smelly dirty laundry and trash bins. (And this is supposedly state-of-the-art "world renowned care") Mexicali Bariatric Center was QUIET, incredibly clean and the staff was incredible kind. Each private room with full bathroom has a 9' leather couch for your family member to sleep if they want. I wish they did plastic surgery there because I would go back in a heartbeat. But I understand it is hard to convince family. Perhaps if they watch some of MBC's YouTube videos?

 

[Clematis]

BTW, MBC videos each surgery. They don;t routinely give this to patients but you can request it so you can show a US doctor to prove everything was done properly.

 

[Marquis Mark]

I vote for Mexico, too. Your family, with respect, is being a bit xenophobic. As someone who lived in Mexico for three years and had an emergency appendectomy there, I can tell you the doctors there treat you much more nicely than the pieces of meat they treat you like here.

This is all Esquerra does. They completely understand that one bad review can screw up their business. I don't think it's in their interest to take any shortcuts. It is, after all, just a PROCEDURE. First we do this, then this, this.... It's not magic.

Also, $15K is just too cheap in the US. That's a red flag.

 

[CaraOC]

Mexico, schmexico. If you have any complications your local doctor will blame you for going to any doctor who is not him. They're arrogant that way.

The hospital care is BETTER in Mexicali than in the US. My husband was at the Cleveland Clinic in October and had to wait an hour after pushing the call button for a nurse or aide or anybody to arrive. (And they were surly about it.) There are at least two nurses, and aide as well as liaison nurses to care for the maximum of 7 bariatric patients in private rooms. I never had to push my call button because someone checked on me every half hour. At CC, my husband was crammed in a room with another man. The place was noisy 24/7 with bellowing staff, the halls were filled with smelly dirty laundry and trash bins. (And this is supposedly state-of-the-art "world renowned care") Mexicali Bariatric Center was QUIET, incredibly clean and the staff was incredible kind. Each private room with full bathroom has a 9' leather couch for your family member to sleep if they want. I wish they did plastic surgery there because I would go back in a heartbeat. But I understand it is hard to convince family. Perhaps if they watch some of MBC's YouTube videos?

I think they totally do plastics too. Check out the Almatar hospital website. You can even do a round of IVF for $5000!!!

 

[BebeZed]

Thank you @BebeZed . So I'm ok with going to Mexico but my family is extremely against it. They are worried that it is unsafe, that the care is not up to par, that if I have any complications the US doctors will blame me for going to Mexico, and so on. I realize that many people go to Mexico alone for surgery,but the thought of having a major surgery in another country without a support person terrifies me.

I can certainly understand all of that. I had both my surgeries in Mexico so by the time I had the DS, my family was all good with it. My PCP wasn't thrilled with it but she was rather ignorant to begin with (I've since fired her for saying I don't need labs - I just need to go by how I feel).

It's true that the Tijuana butcher shops have given ALL Mexican surgery a bad name. One hears the horror stories. However, the cases I've heard about were done in clinics (not regular hospitals) and the doctors were cutting corners at every turn, including using outdated medical supplies. I just wish those who think that ALL Mexican facilities are unsafe could see the two facilities I was in and the nursing care I got.

I don't really know what to say about family objections... that can be a tough one! When I went for my lapband surgery (in Monterrey), my then-husband expressed a lot of doubt about me going to Mexico. I showed him a ton of email that I'd received from my chosen doctor's patients and that seemed to help. We did a couple of calls with a couple of the patients too.. that helped a lot. I did the research then I presented what I found to him and gradually his attitude changed. He did insist I take my daughter with me, however, since I'd have to spend a night or two in a hotel room recovering (eww... hotel rooms are germ warehouses!). She was mostly bored but it was nice to know that she was there in case of emergency.

Please do not hesitate to message me if you have questions. If the family has questions, we can email, set up a skype or regular telephone call. And no, I don't have any financial interest in MBC - I'm just happy with my DS surgeon and everything that went on.

I wish you all the best on this journey. You will find the answer that's right for you