Munroe Regional Medical Center Bariatric Program Bariatric Center

I am going for my first meeting with Dr.H and im very excited about what i have heard so far! Rhonda,in his office is soo helpfu; and very nice!

Actually my daughter, Shelley, met this dr before I did. Her op is scheduled for 2/4. I went to him on Dec. 9, 2002. I was impressed with his bedside manner, his attention to details and the way he described this op in detain, even drawing pictures when necessary.
His staff has always been very willing to help me.
So far I have liked everything about him.
He is a very competent, and thorough dr.
He puts a great deal of emphasis on after care.
St. Lukes hospital has a dietician and a
Counselor who we both met with. They went over
what we can expect after surgery and what kind of
diet we will be on. I knew the risks that go along with this type of surgery,
but dr. H still informed on the good and bad about this surgery.
I really was impressed with him and have quite alot of confidence in him.
I have dealt with good drs who have no bedside manners and I always a little
cheated from them. If your dr does not give you the impression he cares, well
I guess I would not either. Competence in any dr is a must.
I think Dr H. is a dr who has both qualities. I am happy with him.
I only wish his office could let me know sooner concerning the approval of my insurance.
This waiting is driving me nutty.

My Surgeon is the bomb, what I mean is that once I finially got to meet him, an hour and 15 min wait, he was great, He had a wonderful sense of humor, loved the little diagrahm thingy and really took a genuine intrest in my needs and or questions. I was his last appointment for the day and he was really tired, he keep yawning the whole way through, we joked that I am going to bring him a keg of coffee prior to my surgery. I would reccommed him and the entire staff to others. Future patients should excpect to wait, the practice is extremly busy, but be patient, it is worth the wait. My first appointment was Dec 16, 3 month wait for that, then I had a date a month later keeping in mind the holidays. He gets a 9, sorry but the hockey hair has to go...





Dr. Abkin

MY FIRST IMPRESSION OF THE SURGEON WAS THAT
HE WAS REALLY TINY, I MEAN ABOUT 5'4 140 POUNDS, SMALL COMPARED TO ME 5'10 300LB.
I FOUND HIM TO BE COMPLETLY THOROUGH AND HE PUT ME COMPLETLY AT EASE. HE ALSO SAID THAT I WAS THE PERFECT CANIDATE FOR LAPBAND BECAUSE I HAVE NO COMMORDS, I PRETTY HEALTHY CONSIDERING I AM OBEASE.
THE DOCS STAFF WAS OK, RITA WHO IS ON STAFF IS THE BOMB, SHE CALLED A FEW TIMES TO MAKE SURE I GOT MY INFO PACKET AND WHEN I DIDN'T SHE FAXED OVER ALL 30 PAGES. VERY FRIENDLY.
THE OTHERS WERE NOTHING TO WRITE ABOUT.
FUTURE PATIENTS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR A NONONSENSE CONVERSATION. THE DOC IS ABOUT BUSNIESS AND THAT IS FINE WITH ME.
HE DOES HAVE MANDITORY PRE AND POST OP CARE AT MORRIOSTOWN HOSPAND A SUPPORT GROUP MEETS THERE AS WELL.
HE OUTLINED VERY CLEARY THE RISKS OF SURGERY.
ON A SCALE OF 1-10 DR A GETS A 9.9(HEY,NOONE IS PERFECT)....Ok, that was my first durgeon, Dr. Abkin

Dr. is very nice...answered all my questions and put me at ease. Office staff equally as nice! Everyone seems very comfortable about what they do and very professional.

my first appt with dr hoddinott was oct 31,2002..i really like his office manners,he is not in arush to explain and answer your questions.after talking to dr. hoddinott i met with his office scheduler karen to explain the test and date of my upcoming surgery,i think she likes to rush people out of her office,after going through all my test last week i got a call from rhonda and she said my surgery was approved for 3/4/03 and i said no my paper said 2/4/03 and my post op was for 2/19/03 how can that be.so rhonda got everything straight and my surgery is 2/4/03.after having my egd dr.hoddinott told me he found 2 polyps in my stomach..so when i went for my pre op meeting with him,he told me he was going to to bilary pamcreatic diversion minus the switch.i am so glad he is very up front with what procedure he is going to do..i will up date after my surgery

i love my surgeon...i would recommend anyone to him...he has great bedside manner and is extremely thorough in the OR...i should know...i work at the same hospital and do all of his H&P's for pre admission!!
his office staff is very kind and professional and will take care of everything! rhonda is the best...what was really cool was that dr. hoddinott did not just treat me as a professional..i was another patient...he drew me all the same pictures that everyone else gets...
post op care was fine...i was seen every day by dr. hoddinott and 1 of his partners...my only problem was that i felt the diet was advanced to quickly from clears to liquids to puree...i had mashed potatoes and puree meat on day 3 ( i think) and felt like i had a cement ball for at least 24 hours...it was back to clears and start at the beginning..

I was very nervous going to see the doc. I hate going to see any doc but he made me feel very comfortable in the first five minutes. He is very matter of fact but, at the same time, very reassuring. He never made me feel awkward. He is the man I've been looking for my whole life. He's the one who will save my life.The one girl in the office seemed like she didn't quite know what she was doing. She asked me the same questions three times. I gave her a piece of paper with my pcp name and address on. She lost it. Someone from his office called me the next day asking for the same info.

I was a little concerned that maybe I made the wrong decision, since they couldn't even keep their paperwork straight. I guess I was wrong because I was approved for surgery just two weeks after I saw the doc.

Now I'm just waiting to do the pre op tests and for the big day. Feb. 20

First impression....what a hunk!(well,pleasing to the eye). Nice hair but needed a trim. Took the time to explain everything thoroughly and answered most of my questions before I even had to ask. Answered what I did ask and made sure I knew exactly what to expect. Beautiful office and no waiting. Staff was plesant and helpful. I was impressed with the purple desk. So far, so good.
**update....9-28-02..Still love Dr.H. but am getting a little weary of "begging" for a little help getting through to the insurance. I know they have tried, and I hate to be a "pain" but I am helpless here. I have done my part getting ready for this surgery, I don't like being tossed to the curb just because there was a "mix-up" between the Drs.office and the insurance. It is almost a week till my "tenative" surgery date and I still am waiting...I'm sure once the insurance approves, the office will be more helpful, in the meantime, they have my $250 check....be nice to me! ************ DECEMBER 26th.------Now that surgery is over and I have experienced the whole hospital thing, I must say that it is much more comforting to see your OWN doctor while laying there in that hospital bed than to see one of his "assistants" that you don't even know. The only exception was the Pulmonary Drs. Dr.Kintzer made me feel secure and safe and his one assistant that gave me my treatments made me laugh. How did I know that every time the loud speaker played Brahms Lullybye it meant a baby was born, I thought they were trying to put me to sleep! Anyway, seeing your own doctor puts you more at ease, and when Dr.H. walked in, I felt better just seeing him.

First impression was great. Very informative about the operation and what he was going to do. The staff has also been wonderful and anytime I called for information they were more than willing to help. He is very adament about what he wants you to do after surgery as far as what you should and shouldn't eat and how much, how often. His feeling is, I'm your doctor and you will listen to me and no one else.

He took his time to answer all my questions and even drew me a little pictue of what he would do. He helped ease my mind on the huge decision I was about to make.
After the initial visit he always seemed rushed and somewhat curt. I'm sure that's due to the fact another surgeon in our area stopped doing the procedure and Dr. Hoddinott's consultation list more than doubled.
The office was very nice, hard to get parking though, being that its on site at the hospital. The staff was friendly and polite. The waiting room has a TV which is good, because you can actually finish watching your show in the time you are WAITING.
After the initial consult, I felt there was too many other things he had to do. I was paying all that money for a quick "hi, how are ya" once over and done. Like I said this is probably due to his appointments for this surgery alone. I understood and am still happy with my decision to have him do my surgery.
Dr. Hoddinott is a GREAT surgeon. He did great work and I am very satisfied. He is very short and rushed, don't be offended, it's just his "way".
Aftercare appointments are made prior to surgery. They have nutritionist go over the plan, and make frequent visits in the hospital. I'd say they definately want to make sure all is well with you.
Aside from the appointments to see your surgeon, there's no support group structured. A friend and I who have had the surgery(she a month before me) are working on an online support group for those in our area who have had the bypass.
All the risks were addressed upfront. No sugar coating, just plain reality the way I like it.
I would rate Dr. Hoddinott as an 8, his surgical comptetence is EXCELLENT. His bedside manner is good, he was compassionate and caring while I was in the hospital.

And that MY opinion! Nicole H.

UPDATE: I got a letter stating the first meeting of the support group in DEC!! Too bad my son's got wrestling...Still working on the online support group!