Kim Bariatric Institute Bariatric Center

On /28/09 Dr. Kim preformed a VSG on me. I have always felt comfortable in Dr. Kim's hands, and my family has a had a long history with him as a surgeon. Dr. Kim is among the best in his field, his office/staff offers excellent care, and they have really good support group/network. Finding a Dr. who is really good can be tough, finding a Dr. with friendly attentive staff can be difficult, finding a good support structure can seem impossible, finding all of these together is like mission impossible, but in Dr. Kim's team I feel we have found all of these.

I was so nervous when I went to my initial consultation, I didn't want to be and tried not to be, but I was. Every time I spoke with someone different in the office, I was more and more at ease. I thought at one point to myself, If they check my blood pressure they will say no to the surgery...lol. They didn't check it and by no means was I told no. The two hour drive home was pretty stress free. Now I have to try and quit smoking. I have been a smoker for 30 years and thought I was doing real well today until I was made to be stressed. What does a smoker do when stressed, they smoke. This will take more work.

I absolutely love Dr. Kim. He's very professional, kind and has years of experience. I trust him fully.

I became aware of Dr. Kim after discovering his informative web site. I then attended his introductory seminar, where Dr. Kim spent 90 minutes explaining to a small group the procedures he offers. He had a very calming manner and made a great first impression. I was most impressed with the extent of his experience, with 2000+ bariatric surgeries. I researched his background with the Texas medical board and found no problems with his license and no pending cases against him. I dug for dirt, looking exclusively for disgruntled patients. A small number of patients complained that at his worst he can be abrupt, impatient, annoyed with patient failures, and inflexible once he has made a clinical decision. However, in most instances, these same disgruntled patients made note that Dr. Kim's staff more than made up for his bedside manner. rnrnDuring my first office visit, I was very impressed with Dr. Kim's encouraging, supportive office staff. They answered many of my questions. During my face to face meeting with Dr. Kim, he was impatient with me as I waffled back and forth between choosing the lap band or the gastric sleeve. He would not give an opinion as to which would be best for me, making it clear the choice was mine alone. He appeared annoyed when I suggested the lap band had more variable results than the sleeve, blaming any perceived weakness on patients not applying themselves. Knowing myself to be a cheater of the first order, I selected the sleeve. Funny, after the decision was made, he told me I made the right choice! rnrnThe day of surgery went just as he explained it would. I had one minor complication, a hiatal hernia discovered during the course of the surgery, which Dr. Kim repaired. He checked on me a little later in the day to answer any questions my wife or I had. I did not see him again during my 3 day hospital stay. Instead, I was seen by a hospital physician and Dr. Kim received updates and gave orders by telephone to nursing staff.rnrnFour days after the VSG, I called Dr. Kim's office about new pain I was having. While they were quite busy, Dr. Kim was able to squeeze me in and give me a quick check up.

I have not met him but his staff is wonderfully helpful

Dr Kim is both compassionate & skilled. I put my life in hands didn't I? As picky as I am that says it all.

I was impressed with the straightforward approach Dr. Kim has to "living" a better life, not just being present. He was very considerate and encouraging. He seems very set and strict on what he expects from a patient and I think that knowing what to expect is extremely important.

His assistant Shelly was awesome! She came in and spent quality time answering every question that I had about Gastric sleeving. She has lost 110+ herself with the surgery and I hope to have similar success.

Dr. Kim addressed the risk of sleeving as a little higher than lapband, yet much lower than a gastric bypass. He said that out of 300 sleeves, he's only had one patient with a serious problem and that patient wasn't following directions at all.

I would rate Dr. Kim very highly at this point, I hope to update after the actual surgery.

Dr Kim explained the options better than the other Doctors I talked to. His office staff have all been very helpful. I'm going to my first aftercare meeting next week.

My first impression of Dr. David Kim was unbeleivable. He was very soft spoken and seemed to have a deep concern for his patients. My impression has only grown since I had my surgery in May 2008. He has the most wonderful staff imaginable. Pam his Bariatric Coordinator has the same compassion for the patients as Dr. Kim. She walks every step with you to help you change your life. His other office staff from Medical Assistants to Insurance Assistants are one of the best group of people I have ever met. I really can't think of a negative thing to say about Dr. Kim, other than sometimes I feel alittle rushed when I see him for follow-up visits. If you are thinking about bariatric surgery, please consider using Dr. Kim. I have spoken to other patients that have used other offices and by far Dr. Kim's office offers his patients a life-time commitment to improve your life. His office provides a support group that meets once a month. The topics covered help you on your weight loss journey for years to come. We have had a Personal Trainer come to support group twice since October and Dr. Kim's office has established an exercise group three times a week, which for me has improved my life. He keeps the sessions very interesting. It is hard work, however, you will reap the benefits in the long-run. Exercise is very important in your weight loss journey. Through my research of the different types of surgeries and attending the seminar that Dr. Kim offered, I learned of the risks of each surgery. I personally went with the RNY gastric-bypass, because I felt that this was the best option for me. Dr. Kim will test you to make sure that you are a good candidate for the surgery, and that your mind is in the right place before he performs the surgery. I would rate Dr. Kim and his staff a 95% rating overall from other bariatric surgeon's. My basis for this is word of mouth from other patients that had a different doctor perform their surgery, and the aftercare that they have received. I feel that surgical competence is the most important, however, it is nice when the surgeon has a bedside manner, because we live in such a fast paced world now, and having someone hold your hand, give you a hug and spend that extra time with you helps tremendously with the healing process.rnrnOne last comment that I would like to offer is that your weight loss journey will not necessary be one without bumps in the road, but if you were to choose the surgery route, Dr. Kim and his staff will be with you 100 percent of the time. It will be hard work, but I know if you make up your mind that this is what you want to do, you will succeed. I have lost 160 pounds since May 2008 and I hope to reach my goal by December 2009.rnrnBest of luck to all of you!!!

My first impression of Dr. Kim was that he is very passionate about what he does. He seems truly interested in your success and to making sure that you have all the information you need to make an informed decision as to what the correct path is for you to take. He made sure that you knew the risks of each of the options that he provides as well as the benefits of each.rnHis staff is extremely nice and helpful and are happy to answer any questions that you may have.rnThere isn't much that I did not like about Dr. Kim. The only thing I can mention is that after the initial appointment, you don't get to see him very much but I'm sure that he is busy, busy, busy changing lives.rnFrom what I can tell, he and his staff seem to be very strong in surgical aftercare. They hold monthly support meetings at his office free of charge, and they give you a list of websites (including OH) for you to reference for any support issues.rnOverall, I have been extremely impressed with Dr. Kim and his staff. I'm not only impressed with the willingness of the help that they provide, but I was also impressed with Dr. Kim credintials. He is 1 of only 200 surgeons in the country that are recognized as a bariatric Center of Excellence. He has one of the lowest complication rates in the state which allowed him to receive this status. I would highly recommend Dr. Kim to anyone who is thinking about getting WLS.rnrn