Dr. Katz, thoughts???

 Hello everyone, I'm a newbie around these parts!

I would like to know has anyone had Dr. Katz, from the St. John Weight Loss program as their doctor and if so what are your thoughts about him? I attended a a seminar back in January and was very impress with him. Well it did take me some time (and courage) but I scheduled a consulation which was this past Friday. My opinion of him has changed a bit, he was very quite and direct. I brought my mother along ( who had Gastric RNY 9 years) who had some questions for him, he answered them and then walked out the room, total talk time with him about 15 minute. I was excited to know that my insurance didn't require me to do any additional dieting and that I could have my surgery as early as April. My concern was that I spent more time talking to everyone but Dr. Katz although I didn't have many questions I just felt he could have explained more such as; the size of the pouch, how much weight I should expect to lose, what to expect after surgery. 


From the reviews and speaking with other people all agreed that he is very good and that I made the right decision to choose him but I would like to know if anyone else felt the way I did? 

Now I am a little bit nervous. I have my consultation with him tommorrow, although some of my co-workers suggested I use Dr. Hawasli, but I am going to check him out for my self. But when I go in the a.m. I am definitely asking those questions. According to some of my co-workers, the sleeve usually takes 35 minutes -1 hour. So I will keep you posted.

I went through Dr. Schneider who is also in the same office through St John Weight Loss and  I honestly cant  say enough nice things about him.

Hi,
    My best friend and her sister are patient's of Dr. Katz.  They love him to pieces.  I think on that first initial visit, the Dr.'s want to hear from you, your views, questions, concerns etc- like you, they're feeling you out too.  My Dr. is one of the other partners, Dr. Kole.  He was kind of quiet  in the beginning.  Now that we've established this relationship, it's like talking to an old friend.  My daughters, adopted son and husband had many questions for Dr. Kole but couldn't attend the initial visit so they wrote their questions down on a piece of paper, he took the time to sit and hand answer each question.  You know you don't have to stay with the Dr. you're not comfortable with.  But from my understanding, Dr. Katz is pretty cool like Dr. Kole.  I didn't get Dr. Katz because he wasn't available at the time I was ready for my initial visit.  Please keep me posted on how things go with you.
Take care and big hugs,
Adrienne

 Thanks everyone for your comments I think I may have jumped the gun a little to quickly on this one.  Last night I attended a support meeting and again I spoke with many people who said that he is a bit quite at first but very concern and talkative with aftercare. One lady mention to me last night that he called her the first day she was at home and stress to her to call him ANYTIME day or night, that really put me at ease. The support meetings are really great! I was a bit nervous about attending a support meeting without having the surgery but everyone was really great, highly recommend it!!!

Hi there,
If you feel comfortable, post your real name.  It's so hard for me to have a heart to heart with someone and not even know their name!

I had Dr. Katz for my RNY revision in December.  In fact, I just saw him this morning.
Yes, Dr. Katz is what I call a "thinker" as opposed to a "feeler".  If you are upset about something, or have more questions, he probably won't pick up on it.  You have to tell him.  When I had my consult with him, I had so many more questions because I assumed he would answer them all for me, but then he left the room and I was like...hmmmm?  What just happened?  What I did was email Rebecca (the insurance coordinator) and told her I didn't get a chance to ask Dr. Katz all of the questions I had.  I laid them all out and asked her to direct them to the appropriate people.  She did just that, and I got a lot of calls and emails from staff and from Dr. Katz.  So the best thing to do would be to write down your questions and then call or email and tell them you need some answers.

Here is why I love Dr. Katz and his office and St. John:  I have never once been kept waiting for an appointment.  Before my surgery, everyone made me feel very comfortable, including Dr. Katz.  He spent a lot of time that morning talking with me.  The staff at the hospital was better than any I have ever been in.  They beat the U of M staff by a million percent.  Also, Dr. Katz personally called me for 4 days after my surgery to check on me and ask questions.  I even called him on his cell phone at like 10pm to tell him I had to have something besides water-based drinks and asked if soy milk was ok.  He chuckled and said he understood and that it was fine.  He gives you his cell phone number!!!

So, in summary, I don't think Dr. Katz would be fun to hang out with.  He doesn't talk much, and he isn't going to try to guess how you are feeling.  You have to be direct with him.  But I think he is an incredible surgeon and really has after-care handled better than some programs I have seen and had experience with.

If you have any more questions, just let me know!

My mom had Dr. Katz as her surgeon several years ago when he performed a lumpectomy on her for breast cancer... this was before he began a practice as a WLS.  I just wanted to share that I thought that he was a very kind and compassionate surgeon.  My mom felt very comfortable with him and he treated her very well before, during, and after her surgery.  He took the time to speak with me and my father following her surgery and took the time to discuss our concerns and make us feel better.  If you feel like your needs are not being addressed, you should have every right to speak up.  Your concerns are valid.  You are the customer and he should strive to make you happy.  I wish you luck in your journey.  

I went for my consult yesterday morning with my best friend. Dr. Katz and his staff were very eager to address all of our concerns. I have to see a cardiologist for a clearance, but they took the time out to help me find one. Unlike some facilities, I did not feel rushed. I felt that they were genuinely concern about me.

So I am making sure all of my T's are cross and my I's dotted. I hope everyone has a very productive day.

Ok, now I know it must be me because EVERYONE has said such wonderful things not only about Dr. Katz but the office itself. I think it has a lot to do with me being  EXTREMELY nervous. The more I visit this site and talk to others the more at ease I  feel. I do realize that this is a life changing surgery and that this is a tool for my weight loss. I do thank everyone for their comments, keep them coming they are not only informative but encouraging as well 

 I had Dr Kole and he was great. St John Oakland hospital was AMAZING! They rocked my socks off. They where so nice there. All of the staff and nurses where amazing and the Dr that did rounds with me had Gastric bypass himself so I was able to be honest about my feelings. I know Dr Kole sat with my parents after and answered all their questions for like 20 minutes after my surgery. I also had nausea when I came home from the pain medications and I actually got to talk to the DR. The hospital also called back to make sure I was OK and that someone had answered me.