David Provost Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS

The best!!!

I am having my surgery with Dr. Provost. I was told by my primary care doctor at the VA Medical Center that he was a very good doctor and had performed lots of lap surgeries. My consult with him is scheduled for Jan. 9, 2003. I went to three of his new patient support groups and met quite a few of the folks he has done the surgery for and they were "walking miracles" to me. His support group meets the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month, one time for pre ops and one time for post ops, but everyone is welcome at both. It was great to be able to meet the doctor and talk with so many people who had the surgery and were so happy! He explained the surgery and the risks very well and answered lots of questions everyone had about the surgery - before and after.

What completely put my mind at ease with moving ahead with this surgery is the fact that Dr. Provost was confident and self-assured. He covered the risks first, describing all that is done pre-op, during surgery, and post-op, to dramatically reduce the chance of complications. The one thing he did say that made an important impression on me was that all risks are preventable. He knows the risks and having done many, many surgeries, prevention is first in his eyes. No surgery is without risks. As for the benefits, because of all the rewiring that takes place, I asked him what kind of life/health I could expect at the ages of 60, 70, or 80 if I have this surgery. His answer to me was, "great health!" It made sense to me when you figure that your health deteriorates faster when you grow into those years especially with a lot of extra weight.
As far as his office staff goes, his nurse, Lois Hill is really awesome, yet very professional. His insurance processor, David Morris, was very thorough and did admit that they were at least 2 weeks behind in processing the insurance paperwork. This could frustrate some people but I realized early on in my research that 'patience' is a must. It took me about 9 mths. to get my initial consultation. I am driving 6 hours to have this surgery. Dr. Provost was fine with the fact that I do/will attend a support group in my city and wants to make certain that I also have an aftercare dr. I have emailed/spoken to some of his patients. Most have had great results and very few developed complications, yet they ALL say the same thing; "Dr. Provost is the Best!"

Let me make myself clear, I only have the initial office consultation appt. Even that is 13 months away due to the volume of patients Dr. Provost has. He did a friends surgery 4 yrs. ago and she has had no problems and weight loss has been a great sucess.

Dr Provost was nice, informative, and a little behind schedule for my first consult on 4/12/02. The second time I met him was 7/18/02 for my pre-op appointment. Obviously, he wasn't pushed for time and his manner was much more at ease and almost comical.

His staff, I think is a little over-whelmed with work. David, insurance personnel, at times during getting me approved was almost rude with his unwavering style of he had all the "right" answers. I was the one that finally contacted Aetna and got the last bit of paperwork for my final approval. Seems David's schedule hadn't given him time after 2 weeks to submit final paperwork. I met Lois, his assistant, on my second visit, as she was out due to gall bladder surgery in April. She seemed very nice and friendly.

I can't think of anything that I didn't like about Dr. Provost, as he reminded me of one of my newphews that I love dearly. So, it would be hard not to dislike anything about him. His smile is very kind and his eyes show lots of warmth.

Future patients waiting to get in should practice the virtue of patience! I made my appointment September 2001 and finally saw Dr. Provost April 2002. The wait is long, but I'm pretty sure it's all worth the wait.

My pre-op appointment lasted 5 hours. You see Dr. P, complete more paperwork and then your wisked off to the hospital. Since I'm having LAP, I'll use Parkland, which is the county hospital for Dallas. My day was spent with so much information going into my brain and plenty of paperwork to take home to reabsorb all that was said.

At this point, I'm thrilled I've chosen Dr. P and will begin this journey in 4 days on 7/25/02 for my scheduled surgery at 7:00 a.m.

My first impression of Dr. Provost (Dr. P) was not made by meeting him but from talking to a patient of his. I felt that he could be the right Doc for me. After meeting him I was even more convinced. He has done many WLS's and answered all my questions with a smile and honesty. His nurse, Lois, is very informative about the complications, after care, expectations, and she truely cares about you. David, the "Ins. Guy", was very prompt and considerate. I think Dr. P is a great Doctor, but I base that on the fact that he had to deal with me throughout 4 different hospital stays the first of which lasted a whopping 2 weeks. Although he emphasized the complications that could occure with this surgery, I never thought I would exerience them all. I had a leak, pneumonia, high blood pressure (post-op), nausea, vomitting, peritonitis, a pleaural affusion, my gall bladder was removed, pancreatitis, severe dehydration, fatigue, hair loss, and the loss of friends. Despite all of these things, I am here today through Dr. P's fortitude, bedside manner and his attention to his patients. If it wasn't for his knowledge and "you can do it" attitude I would have lost hope months ago.

I can't say enough good things about Dr. Provost and his nurse Lois. Everyone in his office has been wonderful. The wait to get a consultation appointment is a little long, but it is worth it, as he is such a great doctor. My surgery was on a Friday, and he came to the hospital every morning to check on me, even though it was a weekend. He could have easily let the surgical residents check on me, but he came himself, and that was great. He is a wonderful surgeon and I would recommend him to anyone.

David Provost at our first meeting..was down to earth,told my wife and I all the risks of the by pass surgery,Which both my wife and I had a hard time with..but there are so many risks for me by being so much over weight..That the surgery for ME..out weighs NOT having it, He also explained all the good things to come after the surgery..Like not having to take a reflux pill anymore..Diabetes
reversal..lowed blood presure,which also means less meds..dropping a 100 lbs in only a few months..I am 5'8" tall and weigh in at 415 lbs...it's hard to get around..even to stand for more that five mins at a time is hard..because of lower back pain..my knees and ankles..I'm really looking forward to this surgery..and I happy to know that a sergeon with David's Rep. will be doing it
Now just waiting for Insurance approval and a surgery date..Gerald Ray

<p><u><b><font face="Arial">Nov.27, 2001</font></b></u></p>
<p><b><font face="Arial">Today I attended a seminar for WLS with Dr. Provost. My
first impression with Dr. Provost was very good and after I met him and had a
personal conversation with him I was even more impressed. He is very
knowledgeable and personable. I attended seminars for three other surgeons
however I kept comparing them to Dr. Provost and I did feel the same connection
with them that I felt with him. I look forward to having him as my surgeon.</font></b></p>
<p><u><b><font face="Arial">March 22, 2001</font></b></u></p>
<p><b><font face="Arial">Today I had my consultation with Dr. Provost. He
explained the surgery and risks involved in great detail and answered all of my
questions that I had prepared. I also meet with Lois his nurse, and David, the
person that works with the insurance companies. Everyone made this a pleasant
experience. I definitely made the right decision choosing Dr. Provost as my
surgeon.</font></b></p>

1/19/02 My first impression of Dr. Provost was that he really cares about his patients and that after care is a must. He kept stressing that during my consultation. Lois his nurse is so down to earth both her and David the insurance guy were wonderful.