I'm sorry if this has been asked, but if anyone doesn't mind sharing with me which doctor did their j-pouch surgery if you had it done at the Cleveland Clinic, and whether it was a positive/negative experience. My Father had Dr. Fazio thirteen years ago, but I wasn't sure if he was still doing surgeries.

Thank you,
Megan

Dr Fazio is not.
Dr Remzi, Dr Lavery, Dr Church, Dr Hull(female)
and Dr Dietz. I don't know if anyone does laproscopic there. Call and ask for colorectal dept.
1-800-223-2273

Megan,

Dr. Remzi did my j-pouch re-do 2 weeks ago. Too early to know if it was a success, but I'd say the experience was a positive one.

Good luck with your decision, and I hope you have a great outcome!

I had Dr. Kalady at the clinic and i am scheduled to have my takedown by him next friday. he is a great surgeon and he does lapro. he also trained under Dr. Fazio who is considered one of the best worldwide. Fazio is only doing special cases and consults from what i heard because of his recent bad health.Dr. Kalady was referred to me by Dr. Bret Lashner at the clinic who is the head of the gastro dept. there. i have heard nothing but good things about all the colorectal surgeons there. they are #2 in the world in this dept. good luck!!

I had my 1st surgery done 3-31-08 at the clinic by Dr. Vogel. Also trained under Fazio. My next step is next wed, Aug 6th. So far, so good!

Dr. Dietz did my original surgeries at Barnes Jewish in St. Louis, MO. He did his fellowship at CC under Fazio, and they asked him to return a few years ago. I saw him again recently due to some issues, and he did another surgery in April. If it means anything, I drove 5 hours to see him in St. Louis, and drove 11 hours to see him at CC - I think that much of him.
I don't think he does lapro, but he's got a very good reputation for having a little to low occurance of any post-op problems.

Thank you everyone that replied. I have great confidence in the Clinic just after seeing how well Dr. Fazio took care of my Dad. I appreciate you sharing your experiences. After you all were referred to the Colorectal Surgeons, how long before your consult and surgery?

Please take care,
Megan

when i saw my gastro, he referred me to Dr. Kalady and i saw him a few hours later that day !! i guess it all depends what their schedule looks like

Just wanted to weigh in with support of the Cleveland Clinic! I had Dr. Feza Remzi for my surgeries and am 100% satisfied to date!! Both my surgeries were last year, March and October. I also saw Dr. Bo Shen, GI, who referred me to Dr. Remzi. VERY well worth the 4 hour trip for the expertise and care from the doctors/nurses at the CC.

nys

I have just started going to the Cleveland Clinic and I am working with the same doctors as NYS above (Dr. Bo Shen and Dr. Faza Remzi). I am scheduled for surgery Aug 21. So far they have well exceeded anything I have experienced in the past. Its well worth it to go to the CC.
Good Luck,
Carolyn

I love CCF and as far as I am concered they saved my life. One of the biggest facilities in TN sent me home because there was "nothing else they could do for me". They couldn't decide in over a year if I had Crohn's or UC. Dr. Scott Strong (who may still be out of the country starting a new CCF facility) saw me on an emergency basis on a Friday and did emergency surgery on Sunday. I was so sick I had to have 3 surgeries from Jan thru Oct - and here I am 5 years later and am so happy to be alive and well!!! At CCF you are not a guinea pig but a real patient and they put their patient's lives first and learn from that instead of using you as a learning device first. I never had Crohn's the hospital in TN had just let me get so sick from all their tests and waiting to see what would happen that the sickness from UC had backwashed on my other organs so bad and that is why they couldn't determine what I had in TN. I was never even told about a J-Pouch and didn't even know it was an option. I wonder how many people go around with bags on the outside of their body not knowing they have other options - I was miserable with it and hated it. My situation confirmed to me that you have to pursue the best medical care you can get for yourself and can't leave your life in the hands of people are not the best in their field. I can't ever thank CCF enough - the whole facility is a blessing from God in my eyes. GOOD LUCK TO ALL and if you go to CCF you are in blessed hands!!

I was referred to Dr. James Wu. He is a Cleveland Clinic doctor but works out of Hilcrest Hospital in Mayfield Hts. He is bar none!!! I met him the night before my emergency surgery for a total colectomy 3 1/2 years ago. He is a very cautious and thorough surgeon who is world renowned. He just got back a few months ago from Iraq to work on patients there. The hospital staff love him. My incisions were beautiful with minimal scarring and he is very mindful on your lifestyle. I heard once, that he made a house call because his patient had to go home after her total colectomy to care for her dying husband! He went to her house for post-op care. Also, he calls you the night before the surgeries to make sure the prep is okay and to make sure your nerves are calm. I owe this man my life and can't think of anyone better for this type of surgery. He trained under Dr. Fazio which is also good but I have been told that his bedside manner is not as good as Dr. Wu's. If you want the number, it is 440-312-7111. Like I said, I owe this man my life. If I could ever have more children, boy or girl- I was naming it James after him.

Another with significant history/experience with the cleve clinic doctors and wanted to say that SO many of them are awesome, but I would beware of visits to Dr. Lavery. He's on the elderly side and as such his exams are not done via the normal, more modern method of lay on a table sideways and do a flex scope, but instead you have to get down on your knees in front of a table that rotates forward and then it tilts up so your stomach is digging into the top of the ramp/angle (very painful) and your bum is in the air, and to top it off he doesn't use a flex scope. I will never submit to another exam with him, it was horrible.

I experienced a very painful scope with Dr Vogel.
In 20 years with my j pouch I had never had that happen.
I will never go back to him.
Some Dr's just have the midas touch and others don't.