Alaska Bariatric Center Bariatric Center
My first consult with Dr. Todd left me with the impression that this man is personally committed to this surgery and the incredible benefits it can bring to a person's life. He is careful to make sure that his patients know it can be a very difficult road to follow, and there are risks to this step, and insists that we attend support group meetings before and after the surgery so that we better understand what will become of us, as well as have a network of support for our questions etc.
His staff worked very hard and put up with a lot of urgent phone calls from me in order to make everything come together so that I can be ready for the surgery date. I think going above and beyond the call of duty is an everyday and everycase occurence for them.
Although I have not known Dr. Todd and his staff long, I am completely confident that I couldn't be in better hands.
My first impression of Dr. Todd actually came from reading through the numerous profiles under the bariatric center's website of other Bariatric patients.
Everyone seemed to feel really comfortable with him. I went to my first support group meeting a few days before my first appointment
and he was there addressing concerns and asking questions - he really seems to value his patients' opinions, thoughts and feelings. You get the
feeling he is trying to absorb as much feedback as possible to turn that into better care in the future. By the time my appointment date (finally) arrived, I felt
relatively comfortable talking to him. I was glad to have the opportunity to view others' thoughts about him via the website and the support meeting
before meeting him - although I feel I would have liked him anyway, feeling comfortable talking to him about such an important issue in my life was more important.
At my first appointment I recognized two of his assistants because they were at the support meeting - that really impressed me - not only do you have other
post-op patients to support you, its as if the whole office has avested interest in your care through the entire process. At the office visit, they and the other
employees seemed kind, busy, efficient and friendly.
I feel Dr. Todd was very detailed in his descriptions of HOW the surgery worked, the pros and cons
of different procedures, he explained thoroughly why he felf comfortable with the Roux-en-Y procedure, and the risks associated with this surgery and also
how it compared with other surgeries and other offices performing these surgeries arounf the U.S. This portion of the appointment was pretty detailed - having read
others' profiles, I was prepared for the detail that went into his descriptions. As far as aftercare, mostly what was stressed at this point were the importance
of the support group meetings. He did go over some of the food limitations/schedule, but because of the point of my journey that I am in, I didn't expect a lot
of information on aftercare. When (keeping it positive!) I get approved and get a surgery date, etc, then I expect they will have more information at that time.
Overall, I feel that I have made the right decision to see Dr. Todd. I look at it as a marriage of sorts - this is going to be a lifelong change for me - I want someone
there for the long haul - someone I feel comfortable with through the ups and downs and who will be honest and suppotive. This is where I am supposed to be.
I had heard about Dr. Todd from some of his
past patients. I too work in a medical
clinic and we tended to follow up on his
patients when they needed a family practice
physician to follow them.
I was impressed with his office staff on my
first phone call. I know how an office can
be since I work in one. I talked with a
wonderful woman named Elizabeth. She wanted
my insurance information right then and we
talked about the initial consult visit. I
expected a fee and there was one, so that was
no surprise. She said she would mail some
paper work to me and I could fill that out
prior to my visit. I received the paperwork
the very next day at my home. She must have
gotten it out with the mail the very day I
called. I was extrememly impressed.
At my first appointment with Dr. Todd I was a
little apprehensive. It was a group
appointment with him. I was not sure how that
was going to go? I had some reservations
about that. Especially since gastric bypass
surgery is such a personal thing. I don't
talk about my weight with anyone let alone a
complete stranger, even if they are in my
same situation.
Even though I had some reservations it went
very well. I had a senopsis of the surgery
explained by Dr. Todd and then some questions
from the different ladies in the room with me.
We then broke apart into different groups and
I had my exam with Dr. Todd. He was wonderful
I loved his nature. He seemed truley caring
about me and my situation. He wanted to
know everything. Even the things that I had
not taken the time to realize really affected
me. I think he had heard it all before. He
gave me a hug afterward and I walked out of
his office feeling like I had made the right
decision. Even if it was a major one.
I am very happy to have found such a wonderful
doctor as Dr. Todd.
I can not praise him enough :)
Dr. Todd is a teddy bear. He tells a good story and did a nice job of explaning the Roux-en-Y procedure in layman's terms. Full explanation of risks and his own batting average in terms of leaks, deaths, numbers of surgery, etc. Very up front. What a personable man. I also appreciated his history of how he came to be interested in bariatric surgery. Big on hugs, smiles, eye contact. Good listening skills. There must be a down side, but I have yet to see it. If his surgical skill matches his people skills, he is a treasure.
The staff was warm and friendly. The atmosphere is professional but very relaxed. There is a big emphasis on support group and aftercare.
When I made my first appointment, I was given the opportunity of a group or an individual visit. I pictured three plump ladies sitting together in a office exam room wearing paper garments but I try to be open minded about things. "I can handle this," I thought, so I accepted the group invitation as it was so much sooner than the other. Imagine my surprise when at the first visit, a very burly man said he was scheduled for a group visit at 1 PM with Dr. Todd, the same time as me. I was just a little wide eyed until I understood that the group portion of the visit was simply the explanation of the surgery, etc., not the personal exam. Whew.
Post op note
He is a damn good surgeon too. However, he is not as good a listener as he is a talker. His charm covers a multitude of lesser sins, I would guess, probably mostly those of omission rather than commission. Still, I give him a grade of B+ and on a generous day I might even upgrade to A-. Today, however, is not a generous day.
Dr. Todd and his staff were great. They literally held my hand from the first visit all the way through. They are always available to answer my questions and calm my fears as well as my mom's fears.
They focus on the surgery step by step, by insisting you attend support group meetings pre and post op. Which is very helpful. I learned that the hard way, we put off attendign the groups until the final couple of days before surgery, and I learned so much just talking to the other patients.
He and his staff are very upfront about the risks and the aftercare. Sometimes they are so upfront that it almost seems harsh. They just want everyone to know what to expect and how to react.
I guess if I had anything negative to say it would be that he is too detail oriented. Not that that is really negative but sometimes it can seem that way when someone tells you something over and over again. It is almost like they have to be sure that you get it. I guess they do.
I have met with Dr. Todd in Anchorage. He is a warm, interested individual with a caring chairside manner. I appreciated the time he spent with me and the organization of his office staff. I never felt that they didn't know what they were doing. I observed them troubleshooting problems for several other patients and they handled things compenently and quickly. Dr. Todd seems to have a handle on things and a strong interest in what goes on, with the patients, and in the office.
I have attended a support group meeting and even though I was still an outsider, the posties treated me well.
My first impression of Dr. Todd was he was very
caring and concerned about me and my goal for
weight loss. His staff is very helpful, energetic
and giving to my concerns. He told me all the
ends and out of the surgery that would make
even a strong person think twice (which I did).
He send you through a battery of pre-op test
which for me was very good, because I found out
other thing that was wrong with me that needed
to be taken care of. Dr. Todd, his staff and the
other doctors you go see for pre-op testing
emphasize aftercare to the max. To me you have
to be a strong will person and know that the
surgery is what you want when you come face to
face with them. They emphasize the bad along
with the good and point out people who have had
problem, percentage of death, leakage, and a vary
of other things. When I went into his office
I had done a lot of research and had two pages
of questions. He did extremely well in answering
them and I felt comfortable. He did suggest that
if I did not feel comfortable with him that I
could go to a more experience doctor. I told
him that just because he don't have the high
number of surgeries that other doctors have that
just mean he will be just that more careful and
I will stay with him. He stress you attend the
meeting they have to help people deal with the
wls and address a variety of other issues. To me
at this point Dr. Todd is a 10 in the scale of
1-10 and so far his record and feed back from
other patients have rated him as having the
sugical competence and the beside side manner
which to me is GREAT!!!!!!!
I had an appointment with Dr. Todd on May 3rd. I knew he would be different than any doctor I ever gone to before because I heard alot of good things about him. My impressions weren't wrong. I found Dr. Todd to be a very personable and caring person. He is very knowledgable and cares alot about his patients. Some doctors have a tendency to treat overweight people like they are second class citizens, Dr. Todd doesn't do that. He treats his patients with alot of courtesy and respect. He makes you feel human and not worthless. I had a good impression of Dr. Todd and his office staff from my first visit. The office staff seems willing to help you in anyway. All of them are very aware of how important support is for people who have undergone the surgery and for those who are thinking about having the surgery. Overall I rate them a 10+.
I meet with doctor Todd, and he seemed like a caring person. One who is willing to help you as much as he can. I switched to him after not liking some of the things i found out about Dr Foxx. His staff is helping alot with the transfer.