New York Bariatric Group Bariatric Center

March 9, 2001.....I met with Dr. Garber today for a consultation regarding the Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass. My first impression is a very good one. He explained EVERYTHING about the surgery, showed a diagram of the stomach and what will be done, explained all the risks, talked about the risk of death(which is with every surgery), and he explained aftercare. Everything that had to be discussed was done. I've done so much studying about this on my own that everything he said confirmed all I have learned. I found Dr. Garber very easy to talk to, he understood all my fears and problems regarding this surgery, and my current state of being so obese. He is definitely a fat friendly doctor. Normally I feel very uncomfortable at a Doctors office because of my weight, and at Dr. Garber's there was no such feeling. Everyone in the waiting room was morbidly obese, and I knew they were all there for the same reason I was. My consultation lasted about 45 minutes. He gave me a list of all the doctors I need to see before surgery, with their names and telephone numbers. He said when I see them all to call him back for my next appointment. Dr. Garber also told me about the support groups he has to discuss the surgery with pre ops and post ops. The one thing he stresses over and over is to QUIT smoking. He will NOT perform surgery on a smoker. He also said he will take a blood test at the pre admissions testing right before surgery to check the carbon monoxide level in me. So my next BIG step is to quit the cigarettes. This will definitely be hard, but I will do it. Dr. Garber's office staff seemed very nice and helpful, I have no complaints. My one complaint was the wait in the office. I waited almost 2 hrs to see Dr. Garber. Who knows if this is what it's like everytime you go there, but today it was a LONG wait. Other than that i have no complaints. In my opinion it was worth the wait...I met with a great Doctor, with both surgical competence and bedside manner and feel totally confident in him.

7/8- I met with Dr. Garber on Friday, July 6th. He was very thorough in his explanation and completely honest in terms of side affects/complications. He also gave me statistical answers for many of my questions. His popularity is quickly spreading as he was recently a guest on the Montel Williams show. The receptionist was a little rude on the phone, but when I called her back for some information, she was more than helpful. Also, many perople complained that they waited hours to see their surgeon- I think I waited 45 min, which was not bad at all. Overall, I had a pretty good impression of Dr. Garber and his office staff.
11/30- I went to the support group meeting last nite. Dr. Garber has a new office manager, Jennifer, who is absolutely wonderful. She is so organized and does a fantastic job. The support group was really good and helped erase a lot of my lingering doubts and fears.

I met with Dr Garber for the first time on 10/15/01. My appointment was at 11:45am and was called about 1:00pm. I had read on other posts that there is usually a wait so I wasn't surprised at the hour wait. The office staff was very nice, the girl at the frontdesk came out and brought me information on Dr. Garber and the surgery. My first impression of Dr. Garber was very positive. He really knows his stuff. He explained everything to me very thoroughly. Also explained the risks. Which I am still very nervous about. He answered all my questions and gave me a list of all the doctors for me to see. He was very friendly. I could have sat there for hours asking him questions but he had to get to surgery. He said that I should see all the doctors and make another appointment with him. He has support groups once a month and the next one is 10/25/01. I'm looking forward to it.

My first impression of Dr. Garber was very positive. He made me feel comfortable and I was never rushed. I was uncomfortable with calling his office at the time cause his receptionist at the time was not very nice. That however has changed and I will call whenever I have questions now or email, Dr. Garber is very good with answering emails directly. I find Dr. Garber to be a very caring Doctor. I had some post-op complications and he was there every day and kept me updated and I was told he was in constant contact with the surgeon on call and they kept me updated. He made me feel much better when he showed up at the hospital. I would recommend him to anyone who asked (however he is right now very popular so there is a wait). He stays on top of you and he doesn't mess around. If he feels somethings up he'd rather be overcautious which is a good thing than take any chances. I just feel very comfortable with him and know if I ever need him he's the one who will be there.

He was very nice and very informative. Straight forward about the risks and advantages of the surgery. His office staff is nice and helpful. I don't like the fact that he only sees patients once a week and it is very difficult to get an appointment. I think he is very caring and professional. The only thing I also, didn't like the way he kept saying "when you are skinny!" Not a phrase to throw around. It is not all about being skinny, but healthy!

I met with Dr. Garber on 8/6/01. I waited an hour to see him. He is a very busy man, but I liked him. He talks extremely fast, but made everything quite clear. I have a list of specialists I need to see in my hometown area. I will have to email Dr Garber for more specifics on the test that need to be done by these specialist. This type of surgery isn't done in upstate NY, so they might not know what needs to be done for preop.

Got a call today (11/6)my surgery is scheduled for 3/27/02 at St. Francis hospital in Roslyn.

Dr.Garber has changed his office staff. They are very helpful, profesional and friendly. I met Mrs. Garber, what a nice woman.

I have been working with Dr. Garber since March 2001. The secretary in his office, at the time, Donna, left a lot to be desired. She appeared to be inefficient and downright rude on the phone. I almost switched surgeons. Luckily, she is no longer employed there. The receptionist, Lisa, is great and his office manager, Jennifer, is a dream.

What I like best about Dr. Garber is response to emergency calls/beeps. Regardless of time of day, he responds quickly. He also is great at responding to emails for follow up questions between visits.

Aftercare is critical in this surgery. He does have a group that meets once a month and I honestly think this is the MOST critical part of the surgery. I didnt realize HOW MUCH I needed to talk to people who had gone through this already at different stages (3 months post-op, 6 months, a year, etc).

He did explain the surgery and its risks well. I did have a SERIOUS complication that I would be happy to discuss with people at length, if asked.

I would HIGHLY recommend Dr. Garber and his staff. Also, from talking to many patients I would recommend that if you go with Dr. Garber, I recommend that you try to have your surgery at St. Francis Hospital, it seems more people have a much more pleasant experience there.

My initial consultation with Dr. Garber was on June 29, 2001; the next appointment, which was scheduled after I had kept appointments with all the other specialists Dr. Garber required me to visit for reports relative to my candidacy for this surgery, was on August 29, 2001. While waiting to hear from the office, I elected to email Dr. Garber to find out what my status was, as more than a month had passed and I had heard nothing. He emailed me back, telling me to call his office the next day and speak with Jennifer. I did this and learned that I had been booked for surgery on November 19, 2001; so my insurance had been approved and the date set within the month since my last visit.

My impression of Dr Garber were positive

I first met with Dr. Garber on April 6, 2001.
He welcomed me and my sons into his office and
spent much time answering our questions. My
sons had more questions than I because I have
been doing a lot of research. Dr. Garber really
knows his "stuff". He has a genuine concern for
his patients. He gave me a list of all the doctors
I needed to see before surgery. His office staff
is very friendly, especially his new girl, Jennifer.
I found it much easier to correspond is Dr. Garber
via e-mail as it is difficult to get him on the
phone. He usually answers his e-mail within a day.
He has had two support group meetings which I found
very informative and is planning to resume the
meetings in late September. At this point I would
recommend Dr. Garber to anyone who is considering
LAP RNY. The above are my personal comments and
impressions of Dr. Garber.