Dr. Leland Cook ?

Hi.... I am researching and found that Leland Cook is a in network dr through my insurance but I haven't found any info on him . Can anyone offer info? TIA

Hi Tia, I had RNY by Dr. Cook's associate (Dr. Cox). I can tell you that I researched both and was impressed by both. The whole set up at Hickory Surgical is the best. They are extremely helpful from the very first step. I would reccommend visiting their website at www.hickorysurgical.com. I am sure you will find some that have used Dr. Cook. I have only read the best things about him. If I can help in any way just let me know! Nancy

thanks so much ;) I hadn't been to thier website. I'm so new at all this I don't know where to start! What are the first steps , making an appointment or doing insurance research? here's my story; I'm 27 and BMI is around 40 , my weight got out of control after my first pregnancy i***** (though never thin), lost 50 pds and got pregnant again in 1999, then went crazy on dieting and lost 90 pds in 2002 and kept most of it off until I got pregnant again in Nov 2004 ( almost 3 yrs)....now it's been 8 mths since I had my third baby (ps had my tubes tied) and all my weight is back.This time though I am really feeling the effects. I can maybe loss the weight again but keeping it off is the problem. Though all that worked before isn't working now! questions: 1.what are my chances of being approved for lap-band or Gastric bypass given my short history above? 2.how much is the first visit w/ dr. cox or cook ? 3.what are the overall costs? 4. How much time does it take from start to surgery? I'm sorry to be so pushy and ask so many questions , I'm just not sure what to do or where to start. Not to mention depression! If we had more money to play around with I wouldnt be so stressed but w/ 3 girls and one parent working we are near broke! However if it was likely that I could stand a good chance of getting the surgery we may be able to come up w/ the money needed. Does that make sense? BTW my insurance is wellpath HMO........and when it comes to insurance I am also clueless ! thank you for any info and for caring enough to help But that being said I cant blame you if you choose to skip past this post. thanks

Nee-Nee, I had my surgery with Dr. Cook on March 8 at Frye Medical. I have no complaints about either his practice or the hospital care. They really have an entire program that outlines every step of the way and you get tremendous support and have a team of people available at all times. I even had to call one night about a week after surgery when I was retaining a lot of fluid and it wasn't going away and felt like tummy was going to burst -- it is somewhat swelled after surgery but that goes away but because I had been on lasix until the day before surgery and then was given lots of IV fluids and had to drink a lot every day I just had to go back on the Lasix and all was well. But I had called around 1 a.m. in the morning because my breathing was a little labored. We got it worked out right away and I was fine. The way Hickory Surgical works is you first go to an education class that tells you everything about the surgery and fills in all the blanks for you. Then if you want to use them, you will call and set up an appointment. I would check first about your insurance to see if they pay for the surgery. They may or may not approve a person based on a lot of criteria. Your BMI may be enough to be accepted or there may be other criteria. I went to my education class sometime in November. Then I had lots of forms to fill out, get 5 years worth of medical records sent, got a complete physical, then in late November I took the psychological visit and exam and that was sent in to Dr. Cook's office about 3 weeks later. When everything was in, I saw Dr. Cook for medical history, a check up and a test for H pylori bacteria. I got my letter from imy insurance company in February and got my date set. As to what the costs werre, I don't know because my insurance covered everything 100% except for the psyche test and they paid $200 for that and I paid $175. It would have been paid fully if I had gone to someone in my insurance network. That's pretty much everything in a nutshell. Good luck with whoever you go with. Maureen

I used Dr. Cook and I absolutely love him. He is the best! Are you thinking of having your surgery @ Catawba or Frye? Email me and I can tell you more about him. He is a very nice guy! Wendy

Dr. Cook is a great doctor. He is very intelligent and knows his stuff. My wife and I used his partner Dr. Cox. We chose Dr. Cox because at the time he had more openings in his schedule and he is very approachable and professional! They are a wonderful team and have an awesome suport system at Hickory Surgical Clinic! May God help you on your sugery!

Dr. Cook and Dr. Cox are the best. No complaints here. I've never heard anyone that has not been satisfied with them or the program that they offer. As far as your questions, there are meetings that you will have to attend and you will get alot of these questions answered by trained personnell and I am sure when you call them to get your first appt. For these meetings they will tell you some of this stuff. Good luck. Angie

Hi Tia, I had Lap RNY on 2-21-2006 by Dr. Cook and he is a very nice man. You can contact the Frye Regional Medical Center Surgical Weight Loss Program at 828-315-5577 and Meredith, Sheri, Jock, or Becky will send you a package to fill out and return to them along with the information that you need to gather for them. I am 25 (almost 26) and weighed 317.2 on a 5'6" frame. My mom was impressed by Dr. Cook because he seemed to be very caring. He doesn't have that "I'm a DR. so I know everything and there is only one way to do it" attitude.