Charles D. Callery M.D. Bariatrics Bariatric Center
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I have known Dr. Callery since 1991. I always got my best referrals from my former Ob/Gyn in La Jolla, Ca. and so when I had a gallbladder problem he sent me to Dr. Callery. My husband and I were immediately impressed by his gentle manner and kindness. He even went as far as to show us the "tiny" instruments he used to do the laprascopic surgery. We loved him instantly and he performed my gallbladder surgery without a hitch. Since then, he has seen me for two breast lumps. One of which was removed surgically by him and all went well. No malignancy.
The ONLY reason I even considered having Gastric Bypass Surgery was because I found out that Dr. Callery was a specialist in the field. I never would have considered having the surgery had I not found out that Dr. Callery performed this surgery. I had no interest in weight loss surgery.
My husband and I attended the informational meeting in the spring of 2001. The risks involved were made vey clear at the time of the seminar. I brought my paperwork back the very next day and on July 31, 2001, I was lying in my bed waiting to be taken down to surgery. To say that I was excited would be putting it lightly.
My first impression of Dr. Callery was that he was very kind, very competent and confident. The only reason that my impression changed over the years was because I have grown to love this gentle wonderful man. He is the epitomy of what I believe a physician should be.
At the time I was being seen as a weight loss surgery patient, his staff was incredible. They were warm, kind, caring and went out of their way, always, to do what they could to assist me on my journey.
What did I like least? Only that I could never have enough time with him to get to know him better. He is a very busy man!
As his practice continues to grow, the aftercare continues to become better and more informative. I never had any problem with the aftercare. He and the staff were always there for me. I loved the support meetings and the annual holiday party. The aftercare program is becoming more structured all the time and he wants to give his patients all the help he can. He cares. He never stops caring.
I have developed several friendships that shall last for the rest of my life. The love and sharing that I found with these women goes on and on and I will always be filled with gratitude for their friendships.
Surgical competence and bedside manner are of the utmost importance to me. I won't have one without the other. I don't care how good you are. If you are not a compassionate and kind doctor, you won't have me as your patient.
This July will be 4 years since I had my surgery. I have no words to express how this has changed my life. I feel wonderful, I feel healthier, I like me, I love life. Sound good? You bet it is!!!
What can I say about this wonderful man that has not been already said. I simply adore him and consider him to be my friend, not just my doctor. He is the finest example of what to look for in a physician. I trusted him with my life on more than one occasion and I would do it again in a heart beat. I love Dr. Callery and consider myself to be his NUMBER ONE FAN!!!
My husband and I moved to the Tucson Arizona area last August and I miss my support group meetings terribly. It always made me feel safe knowing Dr. Callery was not too far away from my home if I needed him. If I ever needed any general surgery, I would go back to San Diego and have it performed by Dr. Potts, Dr. Callery's associate in the practice. If he is good enough for Dr. Callery, then he is good enough for me.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak about this wonderful human being and all the goodness he has brought to myself and others.
Great DR., personable. Billing woman in 1998 wasnt the greatest and was down right rude. Things could have changed. Still loved the doctor.
I loved my surgeon and the office staff.
Dr. Callery, Kelly and the office staff were so helpful. The have a system set up that is so organized for as many patients they see, I was impressed. Most fears and questions are alleviated once you attend two mandatory meetings. You have to attend these meetings before your initial appointment. The office meeting was also informative and the bed side manner while in the hospital was attentive. They have an incredible aftercare system of support groups that meet once or twice a month depending on what your needs are.
What I liked least was how busy the office was. They are processing so many more patients, that your appointments get pushed out a couple of months. Post-op patients get seen first. With as many new patients and post-op patients as they have they are incredibly organized.
The doctor knows all the ins and outs of what he is doing and continues to train other surgeons with his technique. This appeals to me that he is willing to duplicate himself and share with others.
My first impression of Dr. Callery was that he was both compassionate and very intelligent. He has a sense of humor, and is very humble. I met him at the Educational seminar which I was required to attend prior to setting a consultation date. He was very thorough with his information and the advantages and disadvantages of each proceedure. He also was very open about his own mortality rate with patients. (Which is far less then the national average) I am very impressed with him. As far as his staff is concerned, the office manager was very nice.
10 Months after surgery now. I am down 125 pounds and I must say that I just love Dr. Callery and most of his staff. Kelly is such a great person, and Lisa the Office Manager is great!! They always remember me by name and so does Dr. Callery. To me that says a lot about them, since they have thousands of patients. I know a lot of it may be the fact that I had several complications and saw them a lot more than usual and try and attend most of the support groups so they won't forget me. However, I do know that Dr. Callery truly cares about his patients and genuinely loves helping people live longer, healthier lives. He is so caring and compassionate. I just adore him!! Thanks Dr. Callery for greatly enriching my life!!! P.S. He has the best patients ever also!!!
Dr. Callery is a great Dr. I was comfortable with him from the first time I attended his seminar. I felt really lucky to have been refered to him. He is the Dr my ins. contracts with and he is one of the best!! His staff is great!! They have a great aftercare and support program in place!
Overall I highly recomend Dr. Callery and his office!!!!
First impression was positive - he's personable, knowledgeable, soft-spoken, not on any apparent ego trip. His preliminary education seminar was informative and complete, and he did not skirt issues of risk or mortality. As I progressed through the summer of 2004 attending pre-op support groups at his practice, and now post-op groups there, I continue to be impressed by the amount of time he personally devotes to these evening meetings - he often leads the meeting and stays for the entire time (1hr to 90 minutes) - and is never impatient even when the discussions get off track.
His practice is quite clear on teaching that the surgery is NOT the SOLE cure for obesity, but rather a TOOL that, along with appropriate behavior modification, therapy, 12-step help, etc., can greatly increase the chance of success with long-term weight loss. My insurance is paying for the surgery and for a year's worth of support, but Dr. Callery welcomes post-ops of any vintage to attend his support groups in order to help answer questions from newbies and pre-ops. He also has a psychologist attend his monthly post-op group, and encourages us to open up about emotional and relational problems (and successes) that occur post-operatively.
My surgery encountered some mechanical difficulties in extracting one of the laparoscopic instruments, so it took longer than usual, but Dr. Callery and his associate, Dr. Potts, worked together to find a solution to the problem that avoided the need to convert my surgery to an open incision, and I have had no ill effects since.
I am extremely satisfied with Dr. Callery in every respect at this point, and would recommend him without hesitation. He has excellent technical, surgical competence, and his bedside manner is equally fine. He has a good sense of humor, and does not play the arrogant role of "doctor-as-God".
He is very experienced - he's done over 2000 Roux-en-Y surgeries, several hundred laparoscopically. The mortality rate in his practice is about half the average for this surgery.
The only negative thing I can think of, and this is nit-picking, is that some of his hand-outs at seminars are a little sloppy, in some cases a bit confusing or incomplete, and could use some updating.
My experience with his office staff has been uniformly positive or neutral. Some others have complained about "snippy" or uncooperative staff, but I have not personally encountered this problem.
Dr. Callery also offers an online support group/discussion board at www.thinnertimes.com and I have found it to be a very useful resource for additional support, information, and a place to share information and ideas, and just be friends with others who are going through this adventure.
Dr. Callery is a very caring man to one's needs and desires to commence with one's new life of the process to shed many pounds. Because of Dr. Callery's ability to successfully complete my gastric by-pass surgery, I have been set free of 155 lbs in 11 mos. I have a new life to live. His staff is also very concern with each of Dr. Callery's patients.
Dr. Callery spends time with each of his patients to assure them and educate them of the surgical procedure that he will perform. Dr. Callery was there by my bedside right everyday during my hospitialization. He cares for his patients and follow through their weight journey from the beginning to the end, and even years after the success of the weight loss.
Both Dr. Callery and his staff want to know how each patient is doing in their new life of their new beginning. It does not matter of the time duration at all. He wants to see his patients happy in their new bodies.
I thought he was really knowledgeable and my impression of him has not changed. The office staff is nice. I would let any future patients know that Dr. Callery and Dr. Potts really take their time to educate all of their patients. They have several support groups that they are involved in attending and really have your best interest at heart. They are very supportive of everyones care before and after surgery. Dr. Callery was there every day after my surgery at the hospital and took his time to explain things to me. I would highly recommend Dr. Callery or Dr. Potts to anyone that asked me. They are awesome!
My first impression of the doctor was that he had a good bedside manor. I came to realize that he had a great deal of humor. His office is ran like a concentration camp. You can only call on certain days if you are pre-op. Although I am post op I feel strange calling. I would tell future patients to pay attention to all the groups that you must attend. Everything is very structured and they dont give you the aftercare info for nothing, Take heed.