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I would like to start discussions with a local surgeon on my options for a j-pouch, but I'm struggling to know which doctor to pick.  Unfortunately, I don't have a good relationship with a gastro, so he's not a good referral source.  

 

I live in the DFW area and there are lots of colorectal surgeons in the area. So where do I start?  Obviously the doctors' own websites sign high praise, and when I've googled independent sources, but everything is very anecdotal - a few comments by former patients.  

 

Are there any sources for their performance - e.g., number of procedures performed, complications, average hospital stays, etc.?

 

Any and all suggestions are welcome.  Thanks!

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Jim, my suggestion, MD Anderson.  I believe that's in Dallas.  Otherwise look up major medical schools in your area.  Also, I think the first place I would start is check who your insurance company covers.  Then see what is in your area.  I would interview colon rectal surgeons, how many of these surgeries have you done, what kind of complications have you had. Ideally you want someone who has done hundreds. As I found out, complications are not a bad thing.  If you look at the stats at The Cleveland clinic you will see lots of complications but they know how to fix them.  My son's surgeon, who is the best in NJ, only had a few complications, nothing major.  Oh great we thought, until we started to have serious, serious complications.  And while he in theory knew what to do, had not much experience.  We are now in NYC.    He did nothing wrong, but we needed help beyond his expertise.  But don't be afraid to interview these doctors.  Also, the staff will freely give you opinions.  The doctor I originally wanted in NY didn't take insurance.  The scheduler told me who in the practice did take my insurance, and she told me a lot about him.  I'm very happy I listened to her, because he is just what we needed from an emotional stand point.  He is caring, calls me personally, things that I'm used to.  

 

But out I believe you have several medical school hospitals in TX.  And try and pick a GI in the same hospital.  This way they can c muni ate with each other both have access to your records.  And Google is a great resource too.  Google top. Colon rectal surgeons.  

 

Good luck!

I'm in the process of finding a surgeon to perform my J-pouch surgery. I'm 36yo, with moderate-severe UC, and my recent colonoscopy revealed dysplasia, so now I'm preparing to have a colectomy and J-pouch. I live in Montana, and there aren't a lot of surgeons to choose from here with much experience, so I'm expanding my search. There's one colon and rectal surgeon in MT, and there are a bunch of general surgeons who say they can do the surgery, but I'm reluctant to go with a surgeon who has only done a few of these, because a botched surgery can have lasting impacts. Consequently, I'm looking into the one specialist surgeon here and looking into surrounding states. Have any of you had a general surgeon do your J-pouch surgery? Another complicating factor is that I've had a previous large, open abdominal surgery, for removal of lymph nodes (metastatic testicular cancer, 10 years ago), and I'm worried about having adhesions which can increase the difficulty of the surgery. 

On a separate note, this is a totally crazy time for my family (my wife is due with twins, we're moving this week, and I'm starting my own new business), and I'm just trying to make sure I'm approaching these decisions with a clear head.  Any insight would be helpful. Thanks. 

As a rule: do not let a general surgeon do j-pouch surgery. That said, there are probably good testimonies from people who ended up with emergency surgery by a general surgeon that turned out well. But there are other stories here that reinforce the fact that experience (multiple, multiple j-pouches) is the #1 success factor.

How far are you willing to go? Cleveland Clinic is the top choice of people on this site, but there are many doctors with good reviews elsewhere. Somewhere on this site there is a list of surgeons recommended by members of j-pouch.org. I consider my surgeon here in KC, MO to be one of the best - and definitely the best in the region.

Here is one message thread where people responded with recommended surgeons: https://www.j-pouch.org/topic/t...commendations-needed 

Last edited by ElmerFudd

I cannot recommend Cleveland Clinic.  Go there for testing but I would think twice before entrusting my life to them.  They have deceitful surgeons, poor aftercare, and will leave you in pain.  My surgeon's assistant pulled my boyfriend aside and told him they try to get people off pain meds by Day 2 (this is after she asked if he had a tape recorder on him).  Ohio has a bad drug epidemic and the patients are being punished for it, obviously.  

Here is a link to the surgeon I was going to consult for a second opinion. He's in Houston.  Had I known my surgeon at CC was going to lie to me, I would have went for a consult with him.  

http://houstoncolon.com/about/...rgeon-dr-haas-texas/

I had my surgery done about 1,000 miles from home. Ironically, I lived in KC, MO at the time, but didn't get connected to Elmer Fudd's surgeon. I was fortunate that I was able to stay with my brother, who lived nearby, while I recovered. I was also fortunate to have a single-stage procedure (and get away without complications), since that made for much less travel. Single-stage procedures are uncommon in 2017. I don't regret going through some inconvenience to get an experienced surgeon to construct a quality pouch. As was said earlier, a general surgeon would not be an ideal choice for a J-pouch procedure.

Good luck with all the stuff in your life. Most of it is just going to have to wait for you - you're doing the best you can.

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