Dalton Prickett Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

Very nice and with sweet and very helpful staff. My impression has not changed in the last six months since my surgery. The most important thing to bring with you for your visit....is money. Also,it will take awhile to get seen...I hate to wait!! They very helpful about their aftercare and have a good program for it. I think he was very frank about the risks involved in LAP/RNY surgery. On a scale of 1-5, I would rate him a 4.5. He has a good bedside manner and his surgical competence (in mY humble opinion) was good.

I FIRST SAW DR.PRICKETT @ A SEMINAR BACK IN FEBRUARY 2004. THEY HAD A SLIGHT PROBLEM WITH THE PROJECTOR,BUT DR.PRICKETT AND HIS STAFF TOOK THE INCONVENIENCE IN STRIDE AND STILL MANAGED TO RELAY THE PRO'S AND CON'S OF GASTRIC BYPASS SURGERY IN A VERY PROFESSIONAL ,YET, FRIENDLY MANNER.
A FEW MONTHS LATER, I HAD MY APPOINTMENT WITH HIM AND FOUND HIM TO BE A VERY CARING PERSON WHO WILL NOT PULL ANY PUNCHES JUST TO MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER.HE DEFINATLEY WANTS YOU TO NOT ONLY KNOW ,BUT,TRULY UNDERSTAND THE RISK THAT IS INVOLVED.
THE STAFF IS SO FRIENDLY .RAMEY AND JUDY.(YOU KNOW I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU!!!)ACTUALLY EVERYONE IS NICE BUT, IT'S HARD TO REMEMBER EVERYONES NAME AND FOR THAT I APOLOGIZE.
TO HELP BETTER GIVE YOU A VIEW OF DR.PRICKETT, I ,LIKE MOST PEOPLE HAVE CERTAIN CONCERNS. WHEN I ASKED DR.PRICKETT IF HE HAS EVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH STAPLE GUN MISFIRE, HE REPLYED "YES,BUT I KNOW HOW TO SEW!! YOU GOTTA LOVE HIM!!!
HOW WOULD I RATE DR.PRICKETT OVERALL,I WOULD SAY WONDERFUL.(AND I HAVEN'T HAD MY SURGERY YET..LOL)

I was very impressed with Dr. Prickett. He immediately put me at ease and answered all my questions. His staff is very friendly and helpful. He made sure I understood the risks associated with surgery. I am delighted to have found such a caring and competent surgeon.

Dr. Prickett is one of the most genuine people I have met. He was very honest and upfront about everything about the surgery. He even sat through a movie showing the surgery with me! He has been very supportive and makes sure that he is available to me. His staff are the sweetest ladies, they really take time to sit and talk with you. I have already seen Dr. Prickett twice in post-op appointments, and he has been as enthusiastic about my improvement as I am. He made sure to visit me several times while I was in the hospital to make sure I was doing well. He did an excellent job on my surgery, and instead of staples (on the outside), he used dermabond, so two weeks post op and I'm almost completely healed up! I could not imagine going through this life changing experience with any other doctor.

I will describe my personal experience, which may not be the same as others.

I first met Dr. Prickett at an instructional class they require all interested people to attend. The class was wonderfully organized, the people were so helpful and put me right at ease. There was no hurry and they answered my and everyone else's questions. They had a wonderful measure of assuring us that they knew what they were doing, balanced with letting us know it was serious and not to be taken lightly. They made it quite clear what would happen after surgery, and that it was a life change.

I then met him for a consult a few weeks later. My husband was with me, and I have to admit I felt a bit hurried, however, they did answer all the questions I had.

I like the staff, and I like the doctor. He seems so gentle and I like that about him.

I like the staff, it feels like they care, and one way they show it is by keeping appointments and not making one wait for long periods of time.

1st impression: Caring, Christian, Thorough
Staff: Great, Very Nice****************
Risk of Surgery: Addressed fully***********
Overall Rating Scale of 1-10: 9************
Surgical Competence and caring manner are awesome.

12/15/03 Prior to my office visit I read the reviews by the patients on this site. I sort of knew what to expect since I heard Dr. Prickett speak at the Southern Surgical WLS Seminar. During my appointment, Dr. Prickett was very nice and made sure to answer all of my questions. He again expalined the surgery in detail with the benefits and possible complications and asked to to affirm that this was the direction that I wanted to go. I also was impressed with everyone on his staff. At this time I have nothing negative bad to say.

I found out about Dr. Gooden through my mother's sister-in-law. She had her RNY Gastric Bypass done by him in 2001 and he came highly recommended. I was hoping to find a surgeon closer to home (Augusta is a little over an hour away), but the one main group of doctors in Lexington, S.C. that perform the GBP have gotten greedy and charge outrageous excees fees in addition to their surgeon fees. To date, those doctors have lost my business and the business of many others. I plan to go to their support group meetings though. (lol)

My first impression of Dr. Gooden was that he looked rough. I guess that's because he hadn't shaven that day. Anyway, he was pleasant and explained the procedure, although I had already done a lot of research prior. As other posters who have had consultations with him can attest, he does try to scare you about the surgery and he makes sure that you understand the risks involved. It took a while for him to see me, but that was to get the "quick" patients over with so that he could spend all the time needed to explain everything and for me to ask questions. He gave me over an hour of his time which is very uncommon when you go see a doctor these days.

Dr. Gooden is definitely not in the business to just do gastric-bypass surgery, and that's good. He seems to get genuine satisfaction from his work. If I had to give my best overall first impression of his would be that he's your typical country doctor. The only shortfall that I could mention is that his office does not have much in the way of an organized after-care program that other WLS surgeons have.

October 2003: Well, after all this time, I have decided to change surgeons. Although Dr. Gooden is a highly qualified surgeon, my family talked me into finding a local surgeon here in Columbia. Therefore, I am going with Dr. Dalton Prickett. I have yet to meet Dr. Prickett. I met his counterpart, Dr. Tribble at a seminar in September. I was probably the most easiest patient to deal with because I came in already pre-approved. I have my appointment with Dr. Prickett on Oct 29th, so I'll update again once I meet him.

November 5, 2003:

I had my appointment with Dr. Prickett on Oct. 29th. He was nice, but the meeting was somewhat brief. I already knew the routine, risks, etc., so no need to go over it all again. My mom attended this appointment with me. She liked Dr. Prickett because he says that he cares for his patients and made a nice comment about how much he cared for his mom.

The first time I ever saw Dr. Prickett was at one of his seminars. So I must admit, I wasn't sure if he truley had his heart in what he was doing or if it was for the money. (I'm suspicious that way! lol) That all quickly changed after my first appointment with him. I could tell that he truley wanted to help obese people. His staff was very supportive, although you are taken in a room and told that whatever insurance does not cover is due upfront before surgery. I thought that they would at least offer some sort of payment plan. This was my only concern. What if my part is over $500? I'm a single parent, I may not be able to do this. But...let's hope. Anyway, that's the only negative I have. His bedside manner was exceptional, he was warm, caring and responsive. He made SURE I understood all risks and then assured me that if I did have complications, he would be there to take care of me. I feel safe putting my life in this man's hands.

Wanda

Very sweet person, good bedside manner. Excellent reputation for general abdominal surgery. Relatively new (1 year) to lap gastric bypass surgery, but has good track record.

Surgery went great, but I had a LOT of pain afterwards for a week. Very disappointed with nursing staff at Palmetto Baptist...did not keep up with my needs very well.

Needed a dilatation 3 weeks post-op with a gastroenterologist. Dr. Prickett was quick to act on my symptoms and very concerned.

Overall excellent impression of this surgeon.

I feel surgical competence is slightly more important than bedside manner. However, every doctor should strive to not only educate his/her patient, but to soothe as well.