Dirk I Rodriguez Bariatric Surgeon

My first impression of this wonderful staff and facility is what prompted me to have the surgery in the first place. I can not stress enough that if it were not for the professionalism and tough love Dr Rod gave me, I would not be sitting here 100 lbs down with two weeks until my year anniversary. I was educated from start to finish and made to feel very comfortable with the procedure. This surgeon tells it like it is! No sugar coating. I appreciate that in a health care professional. He was available to me any time, any day. I even called him on a holiday weekend with what I felt was a concern and he returned my call in his usual jovial manner with kind words and reassurance that I was fine. I would put him in a class of his own. Hard working, informative and extremely accessible. I give him the highest rating and would recomend him to my own family members. Remember to keep an open mind when seeing him. He is a 100% no nonsense surgeon and if you allow him to help tyou, you will quickly find not only a competent surgeon, but a true friend....

I met Dr. Rodriguez at the weight loss seminar for Deaconess Hospital. I eventually had a one-on-one with him at my first appointment with his office. rnrnHe is straight-forward (which I totally appreciate) and very knowledgeable.rnrn

I've had 3 appointments with my surgeon and so far I think he's great. He was friendly, encouraging and made me feel comfortable. His staff has been very nice. The doctor did emphasize after care and that my success was based on me following the plan after surgery. He and his staff explained the risks involved and made sure I didn't have any questions. So far I would give him a 10 out of 10! I think sugical competence is by far the most important but bedside manner is very important in helping me feel comfortable with the procedure.rnrnMy only complaint about the office is that they won't allow patients to communicate with the nutritionist via email. I hate playing phone tag. They said it was their policy because they didn't want to be responsible for personal information getting out into cyberspace. I even offered to sign a waiver but the still said no.

Doc has been great along with his staff. He wanted me to have the VSG or RNY to better control my diabetes by the hormonal changes that those procedures bring, but I couldn't be self pay for VSG and couldn't go for the RNY (too drastic). So we are working together to make the Band be as effective as possible. Thanks Dr. Rodriguez!

he is a wonderful guy and very catering to my needs and concerns. i am very happy that i chose him and his office for the new me!

Dr. Rodriguez is very upfront and tells it like it is. He lets you know that he can help you, but he is only providing a tool and that you have to work the program to lose the weight that you want to lose. He also has you do a battery of tests before he will okay the surgery. He wants to make sure that your body will survive the surgery.rnrnI found him to be wonderful. I had to have a procedure done before he would do my surgery and when the doctor that was doing it couldn't complete it because my veins were to big, Dr. Rodriguez dropped everythng and came right down and talked with me and went through the whole procedure again before he made his decision as to what to do next. I was very thankful for that.rnrnThe day of my surgery, he made certain to talk to my sisters and to me before hand. He had also told the nurses that he had to go out of town and would not be able to see me until the following morning, but early that evening he opened the door and came and checked on me.rnrnI had a complication and while I live in Columbus, he is in Cincinnati. I called him to let him know that I was in the ER. He talked back and forth with the ER docs and talked to me too. He then had them transfer me to Cincinnati so that he could take care of the surgery that needed to be done. When I arrived, he came in and told me to call my sister and tell her that we were going to surgery and that we were not waiting for her. rnHe kept a very close eye on me afterwards. He even called me to see how I was doing after I left Cincinnati.rnrnHis staff is wonderful. They always have time to take a phone call, or if they are busy with patients, they call you back by the end of the day. rnrnAftercare is very important. You see him as well as the dietian once per month. You have a journal to fill out. You also have a questionaire to fill out each time you go. He also has a routine blood test every 3 months to make sure all your blood levels are correct. He then works with you if you are on the low side by asking you to increase this or that for whatever you need brought up.

Dr. Rod is kind,caring and direct. Several members of his staff are WLS patients. The staff are kind, knowledgeable and take a genuine interest in your success. I do not have any complaints about him,although some patients do not like his bold, direct approach. I know this aspect of his personality was a blessing when I developed post op complications. I knew that he would see to my emergent needs. Many times he said to me,\"listen to me..you need to hear this.\" I didn't like that, and thought I was listening but he knew. I am now 9 months after surgery and I feel that he still cares about my success . I have had many routine post op visits. His Center of Excellance strictly tracks our nutriition journals. This journal not only focuses on what I ate, but how I feel before and after eating. Our support group meets monthly. The meeting topics vary from general discussion, exercises, nutrition,plastic surgeon visits and most important, allowing the patients to suggest the topics. The topic of risks are discussed from the very beginning at the information session. Then, we are given a detailed list of complications in our \"BOOK\" and in the surgical consent. As his patient, and as a nurse, both his surgical competence and beside manner are great. He was able to talk to my dgtr( who has no medical knowledge and dislikes hospitals) in a way that she understood what was happening to me and how he was going to treat it.

Dr. Rodriguez impressed me at the first meeting explaining the 3 types of surgery. My impression did not change at the class he held in his office, I made up my mind then that the sleeve was the surgery I wanted and Dr. R was the surgeon. He provides a notebook explaining the surgery, the pre and post- op. diets and what to expect. He is very personable and professional. Makes you feel good. The office staff is ready to answer any questions. The only negative thing is that the dietician was leaving and that there wasn't a replacement and I felt I needed more info/help with the dietary part, but the staff would answer to the best of their ability.

Dr. Rodriguez is wonderful. He's very to the point and will tell you what he thinks, but he's also very compassionate and understanding. My dad was a little apprehensive about my having WLS until meeting Dr. Rodriguez. He totally put him at ease. My dad left saying \"I really like him. He really seems to know what he's doing.\" I feel confident that Dr. Rodriguez will take great care of me in surgery and afterwards.

I thought he was fantastic and really cares about all of his patients. He wants everyone to achieve the WL goals and he is very helpful with this. rnrnMy impression still hasn't changed at all of him personally. I just sometimes feel the office is getting too big and too many patients.rnrnThe office staff is great but they are constantly changing the office staff. People come and go all the time.rnrnThere's nothing I do not like about the man.rnrnHe is very direct and blunt; does not sugar coat and make you feel warm inside. If you're doing something wrong he'll tell you. Very straight forward and some people can't deal with this but I love it.rnrnYes they have a wonderfully structured program at Deaconess Surgerical Weight Loss Clinic.rnrnThe aftercare is fantastic! Support groups, follow ups, phone calls, discussion boards.rnrnHe was very straight laced when it came to the surgery. Didn't try to \"sell\" me on it, just wanted me to know all the risks involved.rnrnI would give him an overall 10!rnrnHis knowledge of the surgery and beside manner are both fantastic.rnrn