Hi Clover,
First off.......I apologize for my half-smart-ass post, as I really thought you weren't sure of what you were talking about. My hat's now off to you sister........after reading your second post I fully pulled my head out of my ass and knocked off all the self-pity I was feeling for my condition. You are one serious fighter and I applaud your efforts!
Now if I were you, I wouldn't be concentrating on finding a single surgeon. What you need is a TEAM of specialists working together to get you the best outcome. And that's what's happening at all the major hospitals and health institutions these days.......too much success. I'm with you on not trusting doctors. I've had more than my fair share of idiot doctors, and my respect for the profession has gone from infinite to almost none. What I thought were once almost god-like people I now consider just shills for Big Pharma. Make a diagnosis and pick from the Drug Wheel of Chance. Unfortunately, the only way to get to some of the drugs that do help is through a doctor. 'Nuff said, I guess.
From a team standpoint, the best places for you are either Mayo Clinic or Cleveland Clinic. I went to CC more than a couple years back when I was in WHS waiting for a bed in Hopkins to open up for possible surgery for severe abdominal pain I was having. After a week of dicking me over and still no bed, I called my Mom and told her I was busting out of WHS and we were driving up to Cleveland. I called them ahead of time, and nine hours later I was standing in their main lobby. I was met by a team of 12 specialists who immediately took care of me. It ended up being a Psoas abscess from a bowel leak, so they stuck in a drain to buy me some time with my Hopkins surgeon and sent me back home. They were very thorough, and I wouldn't hesitate to go back there again if need be.
In the Maryland area, your two best bets are Hopkins and Georgetown. Both have internal medicine teams that are really good. My main points of contact at G-Town and Hopkins are Dr. Amy LeStrange (202-295-0570; for appointments) and Dr. Mark Donowitz (410-933-7495), respectively. Amy still takes new patients, but I'm not sure about Donowitz. If he's not, you'll need to schedule an appointment with any doc in GI, and then when you get there, they'll get you in touch with the right folks. Both are teaching hospitals, so faculty tends to change pretty frequently. But I've found both places consistently maintain good staff. Also, talk to the nursing and physician's assistants you'll meet for their take on who's the best for what in each group. I find those folks are pretty open about that stuff if you approach them nicely. If you really just want a surgeon to talk to, the guy with the most experience with IBD-related issues in the Maryland area is Dr. Tom Stahl at Medstar Washington Hospital Center. He's a colorectal surgeon that has seen it all. He has an office in Clarksville as well as at the hospital in DC. His number is (202)-877-8484. He works with a team of surgeons that are all top-notch, but I haven't talked to them since my last operation in 2014, so I'm not sure if he's still working with Drs. Ayscue and Smith anymore.
Let me know if this info helps. If not, I can do some more digging and make a few phone calls. Again, sorry for my initial sarcastic tone in my first post......won't happen again.
Regards,
Bob
