The Weight Loss Center at Pinnacle Health Bariatric Center
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10-23-08 Update: As it turns out on the below, it did not work out with Dr. Byrant and I finally had my surgery Jan 2 2004 with Dr. DiMarco in Harrisburg, PA and it turned out great. I had not complications. I lost over 125 lbs but have since gained back 25lbs and am working on losing it. I am doing a program with Barbara Thompson called Back on Tract. I am also reading a book by Judith Beck on a Cognitive Behavioral approach to weight issues.rnrnrnJuly 3, 2002 I had my 1st appt with Dr. Bryant. I had heard he was young thus I was expecting someone in his twenties but he appears to be my age (30's). He had a wonderful demeanor that put me at ease. He has a sense of humor and was pleased with all the research I had done. That made me feel good. Mostly thanks to this site. The staff was pleasant. The nurse was new to his office and told me such. rnrnShe also informed me she was new to WLS so I told her about this site and a book by Barbara Thompson on WLS as references. Now I have to wait on insurance approval. My feelings are I want the surgeon to have skill, confidence, and handle self well under pressure. Once he does his technical part the rest is up to me. My impression is Dr Bryant is a skilled, caring surgeon.rnrnIt didn't work out with Dr. Bryant. I finally had my surgery, Lap RNY, with Dr. Dimarco of Harrisburg, PA on 1/15/04. It was a great experience. No complications, Praise God. In Hindsight I am grateful it didn't work out with Dr. Bryant. God knew what he was doing -- even if I couldn't see it.
Dr. Di Marco I thought was very nice and polite and answered all of my questions.He also came highly recommended by one of my other Dr.
My first impression of this Dr was he was very personable and had a good clear explanation of what is going to happen. He was a DR who took pride in what he was doing.
My impressions never chnged except for getting better. I think that you have to like your surgeon because he has your life in his hands. But my surgeon is the best!
The people at the office aways made you feel warm and that you was a part of the family. They were very upbeat and caring as well. But they were also very blunt about what will happen afterwards.
Both the DR office and the surgeon has went over the risks of the surgery. They went over the risks each visit that i had. IT was almost getting a little scarey but then i realized that all the risks is the same risks that I could have just by being Obesity.
I would rate my DR on a scale of 1 to 10 and 1 being the worse and 10 being the best. He would fall off the scale. He would be a 25!!
I always felt very comfortable with him as my surgeon, right from the start. so the day of my surgery it was very smooth.
From the first time I met Dr. DiMarco I really liked him. He's very easy to talk with and he answers ALL of your questions and best of all he does not make you feel silly or stupid and he's beyond informative. Went over the risks of surgery what to expect afterward like the aftercare program that they offer. Future patients should know that Dr. D runs late with his appointments but that is because he takes his time!! rnrnHis staff is very nice. When they say that they will do something they make sure that they get it done in a timely fashion.rnrnJessica is their nutritionist and she's very nice. I had a hard time with my six month diet that my insurance company wanted me to do. She really helped me through it. I had a hard time getting six pounds off....but she was very nice and easy to talk to.rnrnrnThe ONLY thing that I would LOVE to see Dr. D and his staff change is the magazine selection in the waiting area.....BORING!! So, bring your own book !! LOLrn
I absolutely loved my surgeon. He was great. He had agreat bed side manner. Very caring. My only complaint is I don't see him anymore. I saw him for three visits after the surgery, then was told , I would not see him anymore.He does surgery only.rnrnMost of the patients seen at this office are gastric patients. They have very little info on lap band. Staff are friendly.
I had heard alot about Dr. DiMarco from others who had surgery before me. He was very highly recommended from this area.rnrnI liked Dr. D from the moment I met him. He has a gentle spirit and full of compassion for his patients. He is sensitive to the feelings and experieces of people who are overweight and he wants to improve the quality of your personal life. He is blunt and to the point - being direct abotu what your part in it has to be. He has a sense of humor and was easy to work through things with. He never belittled my concerns or my families concerns even though hes done this a thousand times. he took time to explain and re-explain if needed without losing his patience or seeming bored by the topic. After surgery he kept in direct contact with the family and myself while in the hospital and was always available for questions, he was present at the support groups and willing to talk to you after the meetings if needed. My impression of him over time did not change and he continued to be supoprtive. rnrnThere were some in the staff who have a more pleasant demeanor than others - some more outgoing versus being all business. All were helpful and got you what you needed, some just went above and beyond when helping you.rnrnFuture patients shoudl know he is worth the wait. it may be hard to see him, he is not often running on schedule with his appointments, but when you get the one on one contact, and he realize he doesn't rush you through his office just to get to the next patient on time - you see the value of his time and are flexible.rnrnHe strongly recommends aftercare, staying connected to the support groups and regular checkups with their office. He checks on you at the support group meetings if he sees you and shares in successes with you.rnrnhe is direct and clear with the risks of surgery and the things to think about and be concerned about. But he also shares his own successes and areas where there were problems.rnrnOverall I woudl rate him very highly as comptent, compassionate and a thorough surgeon. Even when I had complications in the hospital froma stitch bleeding, his teaching drs wanted to give me transfusions where his experience allowed him to say it wasn't needed - he was honest with my family and I and that I was young, my body woudl recover itself and we just needde to watch it closely. I trust him completely and woudl refer anyone to him.rnrnMy only struggle was that he is a teaching dr - so he has interns who walk through the process with you and then assist in your aftercare - there were times the interns, though also competent drs, we not as knowledgeable.
Dr. DiMarco is great! He impressed me right away and I was happy I choose him as my surgeon. He was always able to answer my questions and concerns. He was also great with keeping my family updated on the situations that went on. When I needed additional surgeries he was there to give me support and helped me deal with the situtations. His staff at the Weightloss Clinic is great! Everyone there is helpful and caring.
In 9/20/2005 I began my weight loss journey. I have not met him yet. I did meet with the counselor Shanna. She was polite and gave me an overview of my responsibly over the next few weeks. I can tell you the office was decor was basic. The Staff behind the desk was pretty chatty. They thought out loud and the receptionist even repeated her conversation with a client which I could hear from where I was sitting across the room. I thought these actions were unprofessional not to mention unpleasant.This made me somewhat skeptical about the level of confidentiality I would receive from this organization. I felt better after speaking with Shanna. I have not actually decided if I would like to Dr. Dimarco or Dr. Currie to perform my surgery. I still have some time to make that decision.
In the end Dr. Dimarco, completed my surgery on February 3rd, 2006. He did a wonderful job. I went down from 206 lbs. to 124 my lowest weight in less that 3-months. My target weight agreed upon was 144. Amazingly, reach my target wight until 11 years later in 2017.
I met Dr. Dimarco the first time at my first support meeting. He left a forever impression on me as a caring and dedicated doctor. Since that meeting I've had Dr. Dimarco do my surgery and I can say my opinion of him has not changed.
My consultation with Dr. Dimarco went well. He took the time to talk to me and allowed me all the time I needed to ask questions. I want to say again that this man is so dedicated to helping obese people to gain another chance at living. I am so blessed to have found him.
I would like to say that if you have a chance at all to have this Doctor be comforted that he is the best and you will not go wrong.
My only complaint I guess would be the long waits you have to have to see him. He seems to work on his own clock and sometimes it seems like forever till your name finally gets called.