David Podkameni Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS
Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch
Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch
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From the start Dr.Podkameni put all my concers to rest. He is very knowledgable and I feel very confident in his abilities to help me with my fight with obesity.
I had surgery 3/2010 with Dr, Podkameni and have done wonderfully. It was sad went he left Banner Gateway to move back to the East Coast, But I am so excited to here that he is returning to Banner Gateway in the next few weeks, especially since I will be due to my yearly follow up soon.
My first impression of Dr Podkameni was that he was very knowledgable & experienced. Over time, I found him to be strict but communicated very welll with me, and I could even joke with him some. Some members of his staff have had bariatric surgery (nurses & the dietician, Donna) so they know what they are talking about because they have lived it.
I found it odd that he didn't care about taking labs since it was June when I had pre op labs but my surgery didn't happen until November. Also, I found him to be overly structured and strict at times, but I am a person who likes to test limits...lol
There is a lot of support with the Banner Gateway Bariatric program, ranging from pre op to post op support groups. They even have a clothing exchange program!
The thing that I am most impressed with Dr P is that he is thorough, methodical, and careful with his patients. During my surgery, he found a benign tumor on my liver, and repaired a hiatal hernia I didn't even know I had! Afterwards, when I had some nausea, dry heaves, and a bad rebound headache (probably from the pain meds), he gave a combination of meds thru the IV that took care of all three problems. That made the difference in me having to stay an extra day or not. (I got to go home as scheduled.)
My first impression of Dr. Podkameni was that he was very knowledgeable and well read. He back his information up with current information from journals. I really like that becasue it says to me that he is continually evolving as a surgeon. Hes not stuck on one idea and not will to learn more as more and different information becomes available.
My surgeon is wonderful. He was very informative and answered all of my questions on my first visit. I haven't had surgery yet, scheduled oct 25, but am very confident in his abilities. Some of his office staff could use some customer service training. Yes, customer service. I am the customer. I should not be hung up on. I should not have to track down faxes that have been misplaced. I will leave these employees nameless. Eileen, the nurse scheduler has been wonderful. My doctor emphasized the importance of the aftercare program. I may have to look elsewhere for that if the incompetence of the staff continues. I am giving them the benefit of the doubt and hoping they are new, if not.....The first and last people you see before and after you see the doctor are his staff........
met w/surgeon for preop visit, went great staff was really really nice, maybe they were having bad days. i realized when i was there that the one that had hung up on me had just had gastric bypass herself...Just 4 days into the lquid diet and I am ready to hang up on folks.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that Aetna will approve me for the gastric sleeve. I have nothing but good things to say about Dr. Podkameni and his entire staff.
Dr. Podkameni is wonderful! He is a straight shooter - very direct, honest and clear. Over time, I found him to be very approachable and responsive. He has a good sense of humor and was able to put me at ease. Their program is very structured - with support from a nutritionist and almost bi-weekly support groups facilitated by a nutritionist, psychiatrist or exercise physiologist. He was always very thorough, encouraged lots of questions and was understanding of my concerns and hurdles. Both his surgical competence and bedside manner were fantastic. He checked on me several times each day while I was in the hospital and was always accessible. I'd highly recommend him!
Dr. Podkameni was great the first time I met him.
The Staff a Banner Gateway are the best. I had went to another weight loss center and decided to go with Banner Gateway so glad I did. They seem to always be on top of things. Iileen sent in my paperwork to insurance and it was approved in 2 days.
They did all the work for me as far as insurance goes.
Dr Podkameni wants all his patients to go to the support meetings 2X a month. He goes over all the risks to the surgeries and decides which one is best for each patient. I would give him a 10 for his overall.
He came in to see me before surgery to go over everything with me, one last time before I went in to surgery too make sure I was ready. This is my personal impression and If anything changes I will update. But for now I love the whole experiance I had with Banner Gateway.