Charles Callery Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

Have not met him yet. My husband and I go to his seminar on 11/27/01. I hope they are successful in getting approval as my insurance co has already denied me twice.
Had the initial consult with the Surgeons Assistant. She was very informative. After all of the required test are done the Dr. will review my case and send off for approval, after approval my pr-op appointment is scheduled and the meeting with the Dr. My husband and I met with Dr. Callery and he is such a nice guy. Very open about the proceedure. Just 3 more days and I'm on the losing side. YAHOOO

First Impression- he was shorter than I thought he was from his picture. He is very smart. Active but not nervous. He chuckled and laughs a lot. I noticed that his hands were very beautiful , and his handshake is warm and strong. I was very impressed. I also like that he is really serious about his work, but not a stern taskmaster. This is a great fit for me, because I don't need a father figure or a boss. I need someone to provide medical care I need and help me do what I want to do- lose this weight before I become a statistic.
Kelly O'Neil- Dr. Callery's PA has been amazing- she keeps contact with me and helps me deal. I am very impressed with everyone on the staff- from the receptionist to th e Office manager- everyone is carign and works very hard. What i liked least about him- Well- he made a comment about my personal life which I found a bit impertinment. He meant well, and was not rude, but it just plain was NONE of his business. I guess that you have to be prepared that he does josh a little and if you are not prepared for a doctor who has a sense of humor he can be off-putting. But I saw him go from joking to serious in a FLASH when he started talking about the surgery- he knows his stuff.
He was right on top of my case, which proved unexpectedly difficult- with the collapsed lung and pneumonia and all- he kept re-doing tests and was checking frequently to make sure I did not have a leak. His care of me was excellent. What makes his an especial treasure to me is that he LISTENS- I told him I could feel that my lungs were in trouuble and my GI tract was fine- he tested and tested to make sure I was right- but he also LISTENED- and it saved me a second surgery I seriously might not have survived.
Future patients should know he is not a teddy bear- doesn't deal in warm fuzzies,but he is a caring, intelligent, talented human being who isn't interested in playing God or being anyone's boss.
He empasizes after care quite a bit- and was very clear that the tool won't work if you don't work with it. He wants everyone to have realistic expectations.
He has several support groups- both online and in person for the needs of his patients. He takes a multi-disciplinary approach and has a shrink and a nutritionist working with him.
He was very clear about the risks and did not sugar coat anything- he says the most oftem missed question on the quiz he gives to make sure people listened to his seminar is the one about mortality rate. this s because he doesn't like to talk abiout- it he explained why people die from thsi surgery and says his own rate is 3 out of 950 (which is well below the average of 1 in 200).
Over all i give him a solid 9 out of 10. His competence is probably slighhtly better than his bedside manner though both are very good.

I met him first at an orientation that he had. I was very impressed with his demeanor and his knowledge.
My impression hasn't changed. His office staff was very polite and well-informed. Very personal attention.
I believe that he is very conservative in his approach to weight loss surgery. He is very
involved in aftercare. There are support groups and emails. He addresses the risks very thouroughly. I would rate
him overall so far as a 9, out of 1-10. I don't know about his bedside manner, but his surgical competence
appears to be very high. He certainly does know what he is talking about!
I am very comfortable with his abilities and I look forward to a wonderful outcome.

9/27/01....I am so throughly pleased with my pre-op with Dr. Callery today.

My husband and I were there from 3:30 to 5:00pm. We spent first 15-20 mins with Kimmie who weighed me in, then explained the "Incentive Spirometer" and answered our preliminary questions, she made us feel very comfortable and laughed with my husband and I. We needed that and it seemed to put us even more at ease.

Next in was Kelly who went over all the "Meds" info, what to expect once I got to the hospital, gave my husband a sheet informing him of where I'll be at any given time during my surgery and post-op care. Kelly again answered ALL our questions and was extremely careful in explaining what was expected of both myself as a patient and my husbands duties as my BUDDY.

Dr. Callery then came in and went over the procedure itself. I know this man is going to give me the best care....He was very open and spoke to my husband and I about the statistics..My husband had some questions that Dr. Callery was able to answer and put my husbands fears to rest. I look forward to my upcoming surgery knowing that I will be taken care of by some of the best in the field.

Oct 15, 2001 My opinion of Dr Callery remains the same ....Caring and giving me answers to my many questions...Without making me feel I was over imposing myself on him. I had to go back into the hospital 5 days after being released from my surgery. Dr. Callery was concerned and did not make me feel that my return trip was not without a just cause.

Attended Dr. Callery's educational seminar with my husband on 9/4/01. Appreciated his knowledge, honesty and enthusiasm for his line of surgery. He is a general surgeon but enjoys the bariatic side of his practice because of the happy outcome. Kind of like delivering babies. Dr. Callery performs 6 to 8 RNY Open Gastric Bypass surgeries per week. Not as many lap (about 17+ so far - all successful). He admits he is most comfortable with an open procedure than lap. He and his staff are big on pre-op education and requires prospective bypass patients to attend a Pre-Op Nutrition Seminar and one of his General Support Groups prior to surgery. They appear to be extremely supportive and provide much post-op support also. It is very structured which I'm sure they discovered best aids their post op patients. I have investigated other surgeons and was most impressed with Dr. Callery's surgical competence, knowledge, honesty and compassion.

10/16/01 - Blue Cross approved me and surgery scheduled for 10/30/01. I wanted to let you know how professional and always pleasant Dr. Callery's office staff is. Especially, Kimi. I've probably called her everyday for the last 10 days and she is always pleasant and encouraging.

Had to go to a very informative seminar before I could even go in for an evaluation by his office. Even though it was redundant for me, because I have been researching this for a long time, my husband enjoyed it and learned more than I could ever tell him.

Dr. Callery's office staff has already been very helpful and enthusiastic about his work. Dr. himself seems shy until you get in to actually speak with him (Pre-op appt).

Kelly is a wonderful, straight-talking gal. She lays it on the line and doesn't pull any punches.

They have monthly follow-up meetings that anyone is invited to. (up to 3 months post op, and then general after that)

Dr. Callery is a very caring man. He is so friendly and truly cares about his patients. As time went on I became more fond of him and his staff. The office staff is wonderful! Dr. Callery and his staff will be there every step of the way. They are very focused on aftercare which includes many support group meetings and office visits. The risks of the surgery were carefully explained to me before I made my final decision. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate Dr. Callery 10+. His surgical competence and bedside manner are exceptional. I would highly recommend this doctor and staff.

So far I have been very impressed with Dr. Callery and his office staff. Dr. Callery seems to be a quiet man who is committed to his patients. Before meeting with Dr. Callery for a consult, all patients attend a group meeting with their support persons (the person who will take care of you when you come home from the hospital - spouse, family member, etc.) that explains the surgery, benefits, risks, etc, etc, etc in great detail. At the consult appointment, Dr. Callery went through my packet and did a thorough exam. I am a kindergaten teacher and am off for the summer, he said his office will do their best to push for authorization and schedule a date with time for me to recover before September. While I met with his office manager about paperwork, he even took the time to tell my mom a few stories about when he was in kindergarten. I will have surgery on August 8 at Pomerado Hospital.

SURGEON IS COMPLETELY THOROUGH. HE HOLDS HIS
OWN SEMINARS WHICH HE REQUIRES OF ALL OF HIS
PATIENTS. HE COVERS EVERYTHING REGARDING THE
SURGERY, WHAT TO EXPECT, ETC. ANSWERED ALL
QUESTIONS.NOT ONLY THAT HE HAS A WONDERFUL
PERSONALITY. TREATS EVERYONE WITH DIGNITY. HE
IS FRIENDLY AND VERY OPEN AND HAS A GREAT
SENSE OF HUMOR. HIS OFFICE STAFF IS ONE THE
BEST I HAVE SEEN. THEY ARE ON TOP OF
EVERYTHING. THEY ARE FAST AND THOROUGH. I FIND
THEM TO BE EXCEPTIONALLY FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL.
TALKING TO DR. CALLERY IS JUST LIKE TALKING
TO A GOOD FRIEND. HE LISTENS AND ANSWERS
ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS. HE HAS A GREAT
SUPPORT GROUP THAT MEETS EACH WEEK AT HIS
OFFICE AND ONE THAT IS SET UP IN EL CAJON, CA
I AM VERY IMPRESSED. I HAVE HAD OTHER
SURGERIES IN MY LIFE, BUT NONE OF THE
SURGEONS SEEMED TO CARE ABOUT ME, JUST
THE SURGERY ITSELF. DR. CALLERY CARES ABOUT
THE PATIENT TOO.

my surgeon seem very knowledgeable about the procedure. Will not see surgeon until my pre-op appt on July 28.