snelsen
Hi Micki,
I have checked the reference for finding surgeons Kimberly suggested in her post. My experience, using it for myself, that it is kind of helpful. Not a lot. This is a new site, and just building up.
But, it seems that the same information can be obtained from the yellow pages, and sometimes more information. When I looked it up for my own area, the “go-to” oculoplastics surgeon that many docs recommended was not listed on the site, although he is a member of the national organization.
What I think you mean, when you are looking for a surgeon, is the same thing most of us want. And definitely what I want.
In the ideal world, we want to use every possible resource to find about a doc who will be the best surgeon for us, who has had a lot of experience,and with good results. AND. a nice person, as a fringe benefit. We want to find out how many procedures he/she do a year, and we want to know their complication rates, and what the complications were. But this is very difficult information to know, that is for sure!
In answer to your question about surgeons in L.A. area, when I have time, I will send a PM about what I have learned, since I am exploring the same area for the same reasons.
In the meantime, if you put Jules Stein in the search engine in this forum, you will discover a name or two of docs at the Jules Stein Center. I am not home right now, but I have a list of 2 or 3 more in your area, whom were recommended to me (at my request) from a surgeon in the Midwest.
The part we really don’t know, is WHY I am getting these names. Is it because they see each other at national conferences, and are familiar names? Or that they are friends? Hard to know this. I have found there is NO WAY to find out the complication rates of a surgeon with a procedure. But I know they are readily available, for I worked in a hospital in a surgery department, and they have meetings about this subject every month.
In an attempt to go someplace else, I have explored the area of where you are living. I have found that if you can talk to other TED or Graves patients who have already had surgery, you learn a lot~!
I have to go now, but will reply more later
Shirley