David M. Brams Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

I met with my surgeon Dr. Brams of Lahey Clinic in Bermuda on 10 July 2004, for my first consultation. Dr. Brams was very friendly with a caring personality, he explained everything in detail about the surgery.

He answered my questions very honestly and openly regarding the risk factors, and I felt comfortable talking to him. Lahey has a very structured program before and after. He also emphasised the importance of aftercare.

I found Dr. Brams to be compassionate, honest and willing to inform of all the possible risks. The staff they are all caring and willing to listen to any concerns you may have. Dr. Brams and staff explain after care and what is expected from you and what you can expect from them in terms of care.

As you read my profile, you'll realize Dr Brams is the second surgeon I've had a consult with. I was very impressed with Dr Brams! This time around I seemed to get more personalized attention. He knew I was very informed about the procedure already so he really tailored his expertise just to my particular case. I really felt like he cared about the individual rather than just "doing his job". He was very warm and open and I really appreciated that :) He performed my surgery laprascopically, and since I'm on the heavy side almost any other surgeon would've gone open. He cared so much about me that he took 6 hours instead of 3-4 just to make sure I had the best surgery possible. He came and checked on me several times in the hospital-on day 2 I cried tears of joy(I don't cry very often) and thanked him for saving my life.When he wasn't in on the weekends he called me.
I think Lahey is one of the "best kept secret" programs in the area. It's not heavily advertised which scared me a little at first, but the surgeons are very skilled(almost everyone has a laprascopic procedure...I'm living proof!)and the members of his team are great. Karen Flanders the NP and Leslie the dietician are both very knowledgeable and very personable. They both have a great sense of humor and give you the tools and motivation, but care more about changing your behaviors as opposed to doing everything "just perfectly". I feel very comfortable talking to both of them (as this is who you will see the most of post-op) I also met with the new NP assistant Tonya for a pre-op physical and she was great as well.
It definetly was a complete bummer not having surgery at Beth Isreal...but this was a blessing in disquise :) Lahey Clinic is a beautiful facility and MUCH easier to get to than driving in Boston! I HIGHLY recommend this program to anyone!
Warning though-brand new patients are placed on a 16 month waiting list so you probably won't get into their program as quickly as I did.

Very thorough, serious.

Improved

Excellent

Nothing

He is not silly in any way, very serious and respectul.

I still see him at least once a month, aftercare is extremely important.

yes

very straightforward

excellent


surgical competence

When I first met Dr. Shah, I was immediatley taken by his manner. He greeted me with an extended hand, and a smile that would brighten any room. In discussing my weight problem, I soon realized he was a very understand and compassionate man. His Nurse Practioners is another one who greets her patients with a smile, making you feel relaxed and at ease. Since my surgery on January 15, I have had many return trips to the hospital and with each visit Dr. Shah has been present. He continues to give me his complete support, making feel sure that in time the problems I am experiencing will pass. What future patients should know about Dr. Shah is that you feel comfortable telling me anything. He listens carefully, and does not make any rash decision or judgement that would make you feel uneasy.

When discussing surgery with Dr Shah, it was cleary understood that complication can set in, and that the surgery was major and carried the same risks that would be present with any type of major surgery. His explaination was straight forth, but yet did not scare you.

Dr Shah is both surgically competent and has a great bedside manner.

Having had the chance to meet Dr Shah was an added benefit to my having this surgery.

Please read my profile for a complete review of my surgery experience....

Dr. Brams is great. He made me feel really comfortable. Everyone in his office is really helpful. Dr. brams was very up front with the risks and concerns that he had. I am really looking forward to having my surgery at Lahey Clinic. Everyone that I have had to deal with at Lahey have been outstanding. Dr. Brams is the first doctor in my WHOLE LIFE who didn't make me feel like I should belong to the circus. Karen Flanders is awesome. I do think that she should be full time though. She is way over worked. The only thing that has been frustrating at all, is getting in touch with the doctor pre surgery wise. But I ubderstand that they are very busy. Their aftercare program is required in my opinion. I would give Dr. Brams and his office a 10. Hopeully that won't change after my surgery on Monday.

My first impression of him was he was a kind and very understanding man. he and Dr Shah are both wonderful and took excelent care of my mom! And I know they will do the same for me!!!:)

My impression is Dr. Brahams is he is a young, caring individul. However, the pressue is on when you see him to loose 25-30 pounds before your surgery, which is fustrating, because you are seeing him b ecause you can't loose that weight.

The office staff is friendly, but they need more help. When you call, voice mails are not returned quick enough

What did I like least? Well, the phone call bit and having to wait so long to get the surgery date.

Aftercare if the MOST important thing. The staff plays a huge roll in your recovery and weight loss. The dietician helps you with your new diet and they check your protien levels for you and they are VERY supportive in that aspect. The after care program is VERY structured.

The program overall at Lahey Clinic is not properly staffed, but if it was I would say it would be a great program (It still is a great program). Before they ran a huge AD in their newsletter, they should have thought about the type of response they were going to get. The surgerons Dr. Brahams, and Dr. Shah (I have not meet him yet), are very friendly , caring and give you the sense that they are the experts and not to have any worries. The answered all my questions, even though some of them might have been repedative. I feel very comfortable with Dr. Brahams. I would like to let everyone know, I had my first appointment with the endrocrinologist on 11/10/00, meet Dr. Brahams on 2/13/01 and now have a sugery dateof 12/3/01. Please be prepared to wait about 1 year for your date. I was told that it would happen over the summer in August, but then I was told October, then I get my date in December. From what I see and hear at the support groups, it is worth the wait, pain ANYTHING!

I can not really answer anything else, I have not had the surgery yet. The ONLY other thing that bothers me is that he is making me see the shrink one last time to make sure I am not depressed or anything.I am mentally healthly and I feel it is un-nessecary, but he is the doctor and he knows best !

Good luck to anyone who is looking into this. I did my pre-op testing and it was nothing, but very time consuming, you feel like you get lost in the people at Lahey, but they take VERY good care of you and are concerned for you and if you are afraid of anything, ask all the questions you want, and ask for a baby needle if you are afraid of needles like I am. They told me it was going to be a 40 minute wait for blood work. When I told then how nervous I was and that I had been fasting for so long, they took me right away, used the butterfly (baby) needle on me, and I barley felt a thing.

Everyone have hapy Turkey Day, remember to eat carefully! Since Ineed to loose 10 pounds before surgery (if not they will cancel it on me), I will be watching EVERY single morsel I eat!!!

Take care everyone!
God Bless...

Laura

Dr. Brams seems very knowledgeable and relaxed. He really took the time to explain the positives and negatives of the surgery. He gives a monthly presentation for potential candidates that is very informative and includes a question/answer period. The nurse practitioner. Karen Flanders is helpful and funny. There is a monthly support group as well. So far I feel very good about my experience with Dr. Brams.
7/01
I feel confident about my surgeon and his qualifications and knowledge.I am angry that I was originally told I'd probably have the surgery in Jan and am having it instead in July. I did not think the nutritionist understood what compulsive overeating is about. I'd like to see more focus on stopping the compulsion to eat and getting good therapy both pre and post op. Waiting with so little contact for so long created alot of anxiety for me.
7/26/01
Dr. Brams and the staff at lahey gave me excellent care.

Dr. Brams was a very informative surgeon, and seemed to really care about the answers I gave to his questions. He asked lots of questions, told me the risks involved but also the benefits. He, at times, seemed a bit gruff but most surgeons are like this. Compared to other surgeons who have worked on me, he is a 10 in the easiest to talk to category.
My impression has not changed since I haven't seen him since my inital meeting in September 2000. Karen Flanders is an excellent nurse/practioner, who has an overwhelming workload. She not only sees wls patients post op but the other patients they operate on. She is difficult to get in touch with because she is so busy but if you leave a voice mail message she will return the call. I also found out she is only part time and this is another factor.
The least favorite thing is that I have waited since September to hear anything and it took a number of phone calls to finally get set up for psyche exam and nutritionist. Have had psyche exam but the other is booking 3 months in advance. Looks like they are short staffed. So far it has taken 5 months to get this far and I finally told Karen, don't you think I've waited enough I have done everything you asked. She said she would speak to the doctors and hopefully in May I will be scheduled. Aftercare is emphasized but this is a relatively new program at Lahey and I think that is part of the problem. They have monthly meetings and will be starting their own web site which will make it easier to communicate with his patients.
Surgical competence is my top priority. Both would be nice but there are very few surgeons who are pussycats. Their business is to cut and fix and usually they are overburdened with work. My orthopedic surgeon was one miserable, nasty person but an excellent surgeon, it's kind of a tradeoff. My cardiothoratic surgeon at Lahey when I had open heart surgery was very nice but cut and dry. Surgeons are not typically known to be that personable, they just want you to get better without complications.