USC Bariatric Surgery Bariatric Center

Dr. Peter Crookes is probably the finest doctor in the country. I was totally impressed with his compassion, professionalism, knowledge, and forth-coming manner. He fully understands the kind of trust it takes to allow him to literally put a patient's life on the line on the basis of a few moments of conversation and a handshake. In fact, he never forgets that. Our first encounter was a lengthy one. He and Maria spent over an hour discussing the surgery with me. He explained the procedure fully and made sure I understood all of the ramifications. He was particularly careful about explaining to me why I had the weight problem I did and that it wasn't my fault. On the morning of surgery, he made sure to meet with me and be sure I was fully prepared before he opened me up. He was consistently wonderful. <P><br>
Maria, of Dr. Crookes' staff is amazing. Maria is the kindest, most amazing woman I know. Her dedication and compassion are beyond compare. Her assistance with my pre-and post op care were invaluable. <p><br>
If you are seeking a surgeon who goes the extra mile, you are sure to find it in Dr. Crookes. I have been able to email him with post op questions for 7 months and he is quick to respond to any and all of my requests. Truly, he is an angel and I am glad I was lucky enough to be his patient.

I met with Dr. Crookes in Dec. 2002. I liked hom from the moment we first started talking, he very easy to talk to and very direct with his answers. I also met Maria whom I also like very much she has been very informative and has always repsonded anytime I have emailed her with any questions. I'm glad Dr. Crookes will be my surgeon.

I just met Dr. Crookes on April 2. He is marvelous!!!!! I am super comfortable with him and love his frank and direct manner. I have not had much interaction with his staff, but the interaction I have had has been ok. I am thoroughly impressed with Veronica and Maria. They have done their best to accomodate me. I know that their workload is amazing and appreciate the help that they have been able to give me this far. I look forward to continuing to work with them all and will update you on my progress as I go along.

If I could give any advise . . . BE PATIENT! I truly did not understand how busy they were until I attended the seminar(which was FABULOUS!!!). Believe me, I wish I could call them everyday but I realize that I can't.

My first impression of Dr. K was great!

He took the time to actually listen to my concerns and gave me honest and answers that were to the point. This is a man that really cares about this procedure and the people he can save!

I have heard from a lot of other people that it is hard to work with his office staff (lack of support with working with insurance companies). I asked Dr. K about this... he said that his office is very busy, but he is working on improving this issue. Personally, I feel that he is the best so - yes you are going to have a wait a little bit to get the best!!

I have also read that his bedside manner could be improved on but I totally disagree! I thought he was funny! He is direct, and I think some people find that a little rude, but I thought he was wonderful!

I started my discovery and research by going to Alvarado Clinic in San Diego (Carnie Wilson's Dr. Group). I was impressed with the presentation but the doctors did not take United Healthcare and the initial outlay was about $4,000. Then I started researching this website and learned about the Duodenal Switch, so I went to USC's orientation with Dr. Anthone and Dr. Katkhouda. I deliberated quite a while before I opted for the lap RNY over the DS surgery. Mostly because of the recovery time, the lower complication with hernias and I just thought it sounded easier. So I had a consult with Dr. Katkhouda, a very renown laparoscopic surgeon, and I was convinced more than ever that this was the procedure and Dr. I wanted. My consult was on 12/12/02, my pre-op tests were completed by 3/15 and my surgery is scheduled for May 16, 2003. The only complaint I have (pre-op) is the lack of attention from the staff and that is totally because they are swamped with surgery requests and they are very understaffed. No one holds your hand to get everything done - you have to be very pushy and assertive or you end up on the bottom of the stack.

Well, I had posted previously about Dr. K and his staff under a different account. I was having problems updating so here goes again. Up until today I had great confidence in the doctor but was concerned about follow-up with the staff. I can now tell you I feel 100% better about having the surgery. Dr. K has been wonderful about responding to me personally and answering all questions that I have thrown at him even about administrative issues. There was a slight break down in communication with the office's message exchange and my messages had not been getting through to the staff. I have no doubt that Dr. K. is a wonderful surgeon and he has so far proven to be very responsive and caring about his patients. One word of advice is to stay persistant however with his office. So far everything seems to be going well. I don't know what his follow up program is like, I am told I will be advised about that after surgery. I will post more as more information is available.

My first impression was that this Doctor really knew his stuff, and he was very confident in his Surgeries. His nurse was very friendly. I felt very happy with my surgeon and his great knowledge of laps

Running late...that was the beginning of my meeting with Dr. K. He did take his time with me and answered my questions in the initial interview. The day of surgery, he did not come to meet me before surgery. No one let my husband know that I was out of surgery and in the recovery room. Dr. K did not give my husband a post op report when my surgery was over. Dr. K seemed irritated that I was in incredible pain after my surgery. Arrogant is the word that I keep thinking of. I had lots of small irritating complications after surgery and there was no comfort coming. I felt that he blamed me for my problems such as pain and horrible nightmares. When I went for my follow-up post op visit (3 weeks instead of 2 weeks because he was booked and didn't have any openings) I told him that it was unacceptable that I went 27 hours without someone getting me out of bed! I also have sleep apnea and had no monitoring for that. I was really scared in the hospital. I still haven't gotten any aftercare support group information. Surgical skills seem good...not pleased with anything else. Remember that these are my own personal impressions of my own personal experience and I am making no statements about what other people may experience.

After going to a lot of lectures in the Los Angeles Area, Dr. Katkhouda truly impressed me with his dedication to his patients and the surgery he performs and thus he was my choice, after a six month search.

Anna, his assistant has been helpful despite my many concerns.

Dr. Katkhouda uses no staples but hand sutures in three layers to avoid leaks.

Risks of surgery were addressed as well as the best method of surgery (open or lap) for me, not for everyone in general.

Surgical competence is what you want from a surgeon, care for patients you sense from surgeons but when you literally "feel it" from every staff member at a hospital such as USC University, you have a winning combination.

I first met with Dr. Katkhouda for my consult on 10/24/02. He was running over an hour late and came out to the waiting room introduced himself to me, shook my hand and apologized and asked that I be patient. When is the last time you ever had a doctor do that?? That impressed me right off.

I came ready with a list of questions and we went over each one. He is very straightforward and to the point which I like. There was not a lot of ramble and I don't get the impression that there is much of a structured aftercare program other then the require post-op visits. Regading nutrition, he will be giving me a diet to follow, the rest is up to me.

He's has only been doing the RNY proceedure for about a year, but he is a world renown leader in laparscopic surgery and is very confident about his abilities. That's ok by me!! I'll take surgical competence over bedside manner anytime.

It's hard for me to rate his office staff since I did not meet them, and have had little interaction with them thus far.

Tennacity is key!! I would still be sitting here waiting for things to happen if I had to depend on others. I had to make things happen and the only way was to be tenacious, follow up and not give up.