i had mine at loyola in maywood IL dr dana hayden diagnosed with UC feb 13 tried everything nothing worked 1st surg april 13 2nd surg nov 13 must likely have takedown in may. Iam very happy with dr hayden and loyola team

Yes I just want to know how to find the best doctors.

There's no easy way to find the "best" doctors, and there's not a lot of agreement about who they are, or even what "best" means. You can ask people (including your doctors) to advise who they would recommend and who they would advise against. If you have access to the right people, nurses often know which doctors are good or not so good. Folks on this board will often advise you to travel to Cleveland Clinic, if you can.

There are some web sites with doctor reviews, such as healthgrades.com. I can't vouch for their usefulness or reliability.

Good luck.

I don't have any experience outside my own surgeon, but I can highly recommend him - Dr. Scott Regenbogen at U of M. Everyone at the hospital said absolutely he was the best there, and the ostomy nurses were raving about how beautiful my incisions and stoma were And he was a great listener and explainer as well. Best wishes to you and your son.
http://www.uofmhealth.org/find...egenbogen&condition=

I am also a member of the facebook site parents of kids with a jpouch. This might be a good place to also go for recommendations / support. I know several parents have talked about U of M and could give you some recommendations. My daughter had a great dr at Luries children's in Chicago. Good luck with your decision!

My son had surgery last week at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Surgeon is Dr. Frischer, and he is fantastic. The hospital has a Pediatric IBD center, and I believe they are rated in the top 3 in the US. They really take a team approach to your child's health, and we have been extremely happy with the care he has received.

I had my surgery at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Arizona. According my surgeon,Dr Jaques Heppell,he and Dr. Kieth Kelly were the pioneers of the j pouch,back in 1979. I would go to any of the top notch facilities like Mayo,Cleveland Clinic or Baylor, if you could.

The GI doc who diagnosed me in 1983 when I was 11 is at Cincinnati now. He's not a surgeon though... but I looked him up, because I know Cincinnati is ranked pretty high.

My GI doctor at U of M is the top head doctor and his name is Dr. Peter Higgins. And my surgeon also at U of M is so awesome. Her name is Dr. Karin Hardiman. Both are caring and thoughtful and don't rush you. Truthfully they saved my life..... I can't say enough good things about them both. If you want to send me a private message that would be great.

I don't know how to pm. Lol

My Dr. Is Phillip Fleshner at Cedars Sinai in West Hollywood, CA. I transferred to him in an emergency, as I was not happy with the results of my first surgeon. It's amazing the amount of recommendations I had for him, and the praise he receives from hs peers. They often say he's one of the best and the best in the west. Though brief, he's got a good bedside manner. He is definitely a patient advocate type of doctor, and the nurses do love him.

Agai, iI am not looking for recommendations. I am looking to figure out how to do my own research. Just looking for a reputable site to do it on. Any recommendations?

I guess I am confused on what you are looking for? This site offers many different areas. Do you have a GI doctor?

Your post ask for top surgeons and locations. So what are you looking for? Everyone has great success and others don't. It is part of life. You must have faith in both doctors for find a different one that you are comfortable with. Mine are both great. So I count myself lucky and blessed.

I think that this is one of those "it depends" sort of things. What one person considers as an essential element, another might think of as unimportant. Plus, it all depends on the type of surgery, the type of patient, ability to travel, and insurance restrictions.

In addition, you can go to the highest rated, god-like surgeon in the world, and still have a poor outcome (but the risk is less). So do not consider it any sort of guarantee.

Here is a Consumer Reports article that can help you sort out what you need to explore before you narrow it down to a few to interview:
http://www.consumerreports.org...ht-surgeon/index.htm

Good luck! I know we always want the best for our kids.

Jan

There is a link "Find a Surgeon" on the cover page of this site. It's the ASCRS = American Society of Colan & Rectal Surgeons. This may be a good place to start. My new surgeon was listed and he is a top Boston doc who is doing surgery on me next week. I feel confident I am in good hands. Hope this helps and good luck!

I started with US News and World Reports Top Hospitals, Top Docs. I think they changed it this year but I looked up those for past several years as a starting point. On each hospitals website, I found docs specific to my needs- gastroenterologist, as well as surgeons, all have their areas of interest/ expertise. Then I continued to search online using other sources. I planned to meet with several doctors to choose the one I trusted, starting with ones my insurance covered, but found my surgeon early in. Some people, like in Healthgrades, will dismiss a doctor based on too long wait time. If I had done that, I would not have selected my surgeon. Waited really long, anxiously for first meeting, but when he spent long time with me answering all my questions I knew he would be my surgeon. 3 surgeries later, and many days in hospital, he always gave me time needed, even if he was making rounds at 7:30 on a Friday night. Got to go with your gut too, once you've done your due diligence! Good luck!

Just to add to above- I wanted doctor who had lots experience and done hundreds of these surgeries. Don't be afraid to ask the hard questions as you're interviewing doctors!