Dirk I Rodriguez Bariatric Surgeon

I liked Dr. Rodriguez from the start. I like blunt people. Dr. Rod is very serious about his surgeries, and he cares about how you are doing. Dr. Rod only wants you to succeed. The staff at Dr. Rod's office is good too. I would recommend Dr. Rod's office to anyone at any time. Thank God for Doc's like this and surgeries that make us healthy.

My only complaint is Dr. Rod gets really busy, and some appointments may get canceled when you arrive at his office. The wait can be long as well.

My first impression about Dr. Rodriguez was that he was all business. I had been told he was absolutely the best in this field but that he was a jerk. I personally don't think he is anything but professional. He was very direct and specific about what he expected from his patients. He also has the greatest staff of any Dr.'s office I have ever been in. His chief nurse, Karen, is extremely knowledgable and always willing to answer even the dumb questions with patience and understanding. So far there is not anything I am unhappy about. The only thing someone should know about their office is that they now charge a $100.00 appointment fee because of the number of cancellations and no shows they had been having. This is applied to the costs of the surgery after you keep the appointment. At your appointment you are told exactly what to expect and what they expect from you after the surgery. They stress a diet that contains at least 45g of protein/ day and a rigorous exercise routine. They stress that this is just a step of your success and that it does not happen without some work on your part. I like that because it makes you realize that you did not choose the easy way out. They were also very blunt about the dangers involved. They made me aware of the possibility of stomach cancer in the section that has been detached and a whole list of other possible problems you can experience. But with his aftercare program of 2wks out, 4 wks out, and once a month thereafter for a year, I feel confident that they would find a solution quickly if a problem did arise. Overall I would say that so far I am extremely pleased with the process. I beleive that his surgical competence will far outway his bedside manner, but the surgery is the hard part. As long as he does his part inside I don't really care what he's like for the 4 days I'll be in the hospital.

Dr. D rocks!! He was very honest and upfront with me, one thing I will say to anybody who goes to see him, is be prepared to hear that this surgery will not work 100% by itself you have to do your part!. When I first walked into his office I knew this was where the LORD led me. I have never seen any religious articles at all in any office, but when I walked into their office I saw a painting entitled “Chief of medical staff” and it is a paining of a surgery going on and JESUS standing behind the doctor with HIS hands guiding the surgeons. His staff was very helpful and understanding that I had drove 170 miles to visit this office. He has an attitude of not caring really what brought a person to the point they are the size they are but how to get you to a healthy weight and how to lead, from this day forward, a healthy and happy lifestyle. Plus the fact that he is a Gulf War vet and in the Special Forces didn’t hurt either :-) I will update after surgery, but I can’t wait! The only negative thing I have to say is that I had to wait a long time to see him aobut 45 minutes

Very professional surgeon and staff. Dr. Rodriguez has been asked to teach this process to other surgeons around the country. If other surgeons have confidence in his abilities, so do I.

He is willing to start the surgery laproscopically regardless of your weight and his wait list is only 3 weeks, not 3 months to 2 years like other surgeons. The hospital is not high-tech but it is sufficient for this procedure and any anticipated complications.

He stresses the importance of exercise following surgery.

Dr. Rodriguez has recently decided to do this procedure full-time so his office has not been updated to accomodate the special needs of bariatric patients. For example, when arriving in his office, there were NO chairs for me to sit in. All of them were too small. There was no scale I could be weighed on. I can only assume that the hospital beds and hospital gowns will also not fit me. BUT Karen, his bariatric coordinator is WONDERFUL, HE is WONDERFUL and they are doing everything possible to get the word out and help people.

The "problems" mentioned above are irrelevent to me. His surgical skill is my only concern. He was a flight surgeon in the Navy and has been a practicing surgeon for over 20 years. BINGO!

Dr Rodriguez is a very concerned individual, his carefullness on all my testing made me weary but i know now it was for my own good. office staff was grat and still is , there's not much not to like about him he is just thorough and intellegent, there was nothing that displeased me about this doctor,he does emphasize on after care and it is important, anyone looking for a good doc i would have to recommend DR Rod , he is very good , even with his after care plan, and everything is explained to you from the start the coulds and risks , but he doesnt motify you lol , like scare you ,competeince and bed side are all good , he is just a great doc that has helped add years to my life i beleive.

My first impression of Dr. Rodriguez was GOOD! He was so kind. I had not received my packet in the mail and did not bring in any of the necessary paperwork. Dr. Rodriguez sat patiently with me and completed the paper work while I talked. I felt like I was family!

Dr. Rodriguez emphasized exercise and his desire for me to quit smoking. He addressed the risks of the Roux-Y surgery in his booklet and went over the information slowly.

I trust Dr. Rodriguez to be the very best surgeon in all of Texas!

I cannot complain about his office staff. The women are very busy, but they were able to take the time with me when I asked questions.

It has taken some time to find my place with a surgeon but after meeting the staff and the surgeon I know tha I have found the right place. DR Rodriguez was patient and was more then willing to answer all of mine and my husbands question as well as his staff.

Dr. Rodriguez and his staff are the greatest. They in no way try and rush you through any part of the process. If you have a question you will get an answer in a very timely manner. When you make your initial appointment the office sends you your packet to have completed before your first visit. It has a great deal of information of what you as a patient should expect and also what Dr. Rodriguez will expect of you. The number one thing that is expected of you is to do some form of exercise as soon as possible. I know from being obesity since childhood it is very hard to go to a doctor and not fear what type of comment he/she will make about your size. I praise the doctor because when he walked into the waiting room for the first time and saw me he did not give me a look of "oh this person is horrible" he made me feel like he is on my side and going to help he make a difference from this day forward. I called four doctors offices in Houston and each one of them told me that I would have to loose at least 45lbs before the doctor would think about doing surgery on me. I told Karen at Dr. Rodriguez office up front that I weighed 420lbs and that none of the doctors that I had already contacted would not assist me. After about an hour Karen called back and said that my current weight would not be a problem and that is when I made the initial appointment. Thanks to everyone at the Advanced Surgery Group in Palestine, Texas.

Dr. Rodriguez struck me as being very knowledgeable,supportive and encouraging from the first time I met him. He did not disappoint me! He described the procedure in detail and had a great information booklet that discussed everything to expect. He was very willing to work within my time frame and made it very easy for me to come from my home in Austin to Palestine to have the surgery. I liked both his bedside manner and his obvious intelligence, and I love his office staff!! Karen (his nurse) went out of her way to call me and visit daily while I was in the hospital. She even was going to give me a ride from the hospital to the hotel after discharge and offered to bring me food and medicine (I was there alone), but it wasn't necessary. I would rate Dr. Rodriguez and his staff as EXCELLENT!!! I came through the surgery with flying colors thanks to them all!

since there is quite a waiting list for the top doctors in the dallas area i decided to check out dr. dirk rodriquez in palestine texas...it's only a little over 2 hours outside of dallas and after my initial visit with dr. rodriquez i decided to have my surger with him.

i liked him and his hospital staff and he was very encouraging. I barely qualified to have the surgery and i felt that a lot of drs. weren't too eager to help me.
I just got home from having the surgery last thursday. I strongly recomend dr. rodriquez and the hospital staff at palestine regional hospital. everyone went out their way to make me feel comfortable.
I know understand what everyone means by being on the other side.

If you live in the d/fw area and don't want to wait all those months just to get to see a surgeon, go to dr. rodriquez.

it to me less than 2months from the time that i went to see him until i approved by my insurance and was having the surgery