Dr. Kerlakian MIA?

I'm getting so frustrated! I've read 41 testimonials on this doctor, yet after placing 2, count 'em two phone calls to his office to investigate the possibility of him being my surgeon, NO ONE has ever called me back. For those of you who had him as your doctor, how on earth did you ever connect with him? I would be tempted to camp out on his doorstep, except there is a fear that if he's this unattainable now, how would he be after I'm his patient? Is there anyone who can give me any clues as to how to reach this man? Thanks, Sheila

Hi, "...there is a fear that if he's this unattainable now, how would he be after I'm his patient? " That would concern me too. It is just sooooo frustrating! Best wishes to you! PJ

You dont need him if you are in Cincinnati. Dr.Curry is the only surgeon you will ever need. I am 5 days post and I could never want anyone but him. He is devoted to everone of us.makes us feel like we are really important,loves what he does and a wonderful caring man,as the people he has working beside him. He will always be available to you .Please call him,hes the best and I investigated for over a year. Cindy from Cincinnati

You dont need him if you are in Cincinnati. Dr.Curry is the only surgeon you will ever need. I am 5 days post and I could never want anyone but him. He is devoted to everone of us.makes us feel like we are really important,loves what he does and a wonderful caring man,as the people he has working beside him. He will always be available to you .Please call him,hes the best and I investigated for over a year. Cindy from Cincinnati

But does Dr. Curry only go to Deaconess? The only hospitals that Anthem Senior Advantage covers are Bethesda, Good Sam and Mercy. I have to choose a surgeon that goes to one of those hospitals. If Dr. Curry goes to one of those, I'd be very happy to explore this further. How would I find out? Sheila

When I asked my PCP about him, she made this god awful face but told me that he was in the same HMO as her and gave me his number. I was concerned about the face she made but she never said anything bad about him. I called his office and they sent me a packet of things that I needed to do before he would even see me. A physc exam, dietician visit and a pulmonary exam. In the meantime, my brother had his surgery done by him and had major problems. His surgery was a year ago and he still has health issues. That was enough for me not to want him as my surgeon. Now I know what my PCP's look meant! I ended up talking to several surgeons before I chose one in Lexington, Kentucky. He's 90 minutes from where I live but I feel so comfortable with him. My advice would be to look at several surgeons before deciding on one. I have had friends who used him with no problems but I am comfortable with the surgeon that I utimately have chosen. My sis in law had Dr. Curry and she loved him. Good luck with whoever you decide to go with.

Dr. Kerlakian did my LAP/RNY on 4/27/04, and I have found both him and his staff to be absolutely wonderful. Dr. K has always, always been very considerate, never rushed through anything, and spent as much time as I needed with me, and also with my spouse prior to the surgery. I had no negative health effects (3 days post op I no longer needed my CPAP). The only issue/discomfort I had following the surgery was with the dreaded drain tube, which was removed at 10days post op. I have lost 54# and 62" in 11 weeks. I would certainly recommend Dr. Kerlakian and his group to anyone, anytime.

I had my hands assisted Lap RNY with Dr. Kerlakian on 4/8/04. I first attended his seminar in December of 2003. There we were given a packet with the requirements needed before seeing the surgeon. I made all my appointments with the other doctors & scheduled my appointment with Dr. Kerlakian for a week after my last appointment with the others. I had no trouble getting in to see him. He was very nice and very straight forward with his statistics and answered every question I had for him. It only took 2 weeks to get approved with my insurance. I had my surgery 4/8/04. Unfortunately, 8 days after surgery I had to go back in the hospital. I called his office with symptons of fever, chills & left shoulder pain and they sent me immediately to the ER. I had mild pneumonia and they discovered I had a small leak. It was all taken care of immediately and it healed up in 15 days. Dr. Kerlakian and his staff were great. I don't blame Dr. Kerlakian for the complication. That's just one of the risks you take with surgery. Nothing or nobody's perfect. And this can happen no matter which doctor you have. It's been 14 weeks since my surgery and everything is going great.

I had my consultation with Dr. Kerlakian a couple of days ago. He and his staff were very through and friendly. I liked them all. But I must admit I had a hard time getting hold of anyone initially. I left a number of phone messages after finally getting the correct phone number but no one ever called me back. By the time I attended the rewuired seminar, I had already seen the nutritionist, the physical theripist and had my appointment for the psych evaluation. Nonetheless, I am very happy with my decison to go with Dr. Kerlakian. I finally reached his staff by not leaving a message but by bypassing that part of the voice mail and making a selection for a real person. Hang in there, I think they are worth it.