Fredrick Brody Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

Dr. Brody is very businesslike and straight forward. He does not sugar coat any of the information, He warned me of possible complications and also the great number of benefits. I appreciated his candor. I saw him twice in the hospital, the rest of the time I saw his interns. I did not like this that much. I know they need to learn, but I did not like being a guinea pig and some of their knowledge and answers were incorrect and I was glad I was well educated prior to my surgery.

I had a lot of problems in the hospital keeping my blood sugars stable after surgery. I kept telling them that they were not giving me enough insulin (because of my large size I do not fit a standard sliding scale) but they would not listen. I truly feared that I would develop an infection and was lucky not to. They finally started listening after the 3rd day.

The office staff has been helpful and kind during visits. They share in your success and make you feel great!

If you are looking for a competent surgeon and don;t need a warm fuzzy bedside manner, than I feel Dr. Brody is an excellent choice. He has saved my life and I am grateful to him.

The aftercare program at the Cleveland Clinic is non-existent. I am gratful to have been included in the support group programs that are put on by St. Vincent Charity, another Cleveland hospital that does these surgeries. I probably would have had my surgery with them, however, I was able to get an earlier date with Dr. Brody and my health was seriously declining. I learned and continue to learn so much from the members of their website message board and face to face support group. I think the CLeveland CLinic needs to hire a coordinator to put together an after care program. The dietary department was a big disappointment as well. I learned more from other patients and my own research on the internet and from books than from them. I chose to discontinue seeing them at $85 per visit, not covered by insurance. It was a big waste of money.

Overall I feel that my experience at the Cleveland Clinic was good. A support program would be very helpful, but my actual surgical experience with Dr, Brody and his direct staff was great. I recommend patients to see him for srgery. He does both open and lap procedures. I had mine open.

Upon my initial meeting, I did not like Dr. Brody at all. He was condescending and ignored many of my questions. He was the only doctor my insurance would pay for and I needed the surgery so went ahead despite my misgivings about him. I had no problems with my inital surgery but my incision opened the day he took the stitches out. I called him to ask what to do and was chastised for calling him after hours. I had a friend (RN) come over the next day to check my wound. She was uncomfortable with the way it looked. She called his office and told them the size and condition of the wound. She was told that I should shower and put a bandage on it. He was busy with surgery that day and leaving on a trip the next day. She was told that if I wanted I could call after he returned from his trip. (This would have made it a week before he would see or talk to me). She rechecked my wound the next day and had me call my PCP because she was very disturbed by what appeared to be infection. My PCP checked me out and found a piece of exposed mesh that needed to be cared for immediately. He referred me to a local surgeon (Dr. Wehman at Cuyahoga Falls Gen Hospital). Dr. Wehman removed the mesh and I had to stay in the hospital several days while they packed and cleaned the wound. When all signs of infection were gone, I was taken back to surgery and stitched shut again. I truly thank God every day for Dr. Wehman and his care after being shunned by Dr. Brody and his office. Dr. Brody may be a competent surgeon but as a human being, he is at the bottom of the pit as far as I'm concerned. He never even wanted to see me again after removing the stitches and after reading how wonderful and caring other bariatric surgeons are (and what kind of follow-up they offer) I know this is not the norm. I was also amazed that the first time I heard from his office again (despite knowing I had an open incision) was to offer a follow-up group being started which was an entire year after my surgery. I do my own follow up. I am on all the OSSG support groups -- my PCP does extensive blood work on me. Though I would like to lose another 50 lbs, I am happy where I am. I do not regret the surgery -- I never will -- I have my life back. My only regret is that my insurance forced me to use Dr. Brody.

I have only met with the surgeon once but he got right down to business. I had already done a little research about his history and affiliations and was aware that he is one of the few surgeons in the area that performs the Laproscopic Gastric Bypass surgical procedure. Initially, I was a little put off because I expected him to be a little warm and fuzzy, but then I realized that I was not in the market for a new buddy, but a competent surgeon. He was able to answer all of my questions and gave me all the details(including risks) that I needed.

3/25/02
Went in for my pre-op testing and a resident was there. I assumed Dr.Brody would come in but when the resident was done, he asked if I had any further questions...I asked where the surgeon was and he stated that he would only be in if I requested to see him. I told him that I would feel more comfortable if the surgeon was able to field my final questions. Dr.Brody came in and he was a little more personable this time and assured me that everything would go well. Once again, he was able to answer all of my questions to my satisfaction.

hello everyone i have a long story as i am sure we all do . i started my journey about 7 months ago, i started looking on this website and i have learned soo much. i did have alot of insurance ups and downs. but it was mostly stuff that was just time consuming i finally recieved my confirmation of surgery in dec. my date is march 14th 2002. i will be having my surgery at the cleveland clinic in cleveland ohio. i am very excited. i am 23 years old i have been married a little over a year to my absolutly wonderful husband. he is in the army and is in germany, i will be joining him after my surgery and recovery. i decided this was for me when we found out we would be living in europe for 3 years, i wanted to be in good shape, wealthy so i would be able to take full advantage of our wonderful experiance. i didn't want my weight to stop me from doing all the wonderful things while i had the chance. i know that everyone is behind me and very supportive and that is such a huge key to everything. i wish everyone great luck, don't give up when times are tough you will have stepping stones in this process but i know you can do anything you set you heart and mind too

8/6/2001 Well I had my first appt with my surgeon this past week. I was so nervous. Everything went pretty well. Now I am just waiting for all of my bloodwork, etc to come back to make sure I'm good to go.
Dr. Brody was nice. But got right to the point. No chit chat. He went over the risks of the surgery and made sure I understood them all.
He was very professional and I have no concerns about him at all. Can't wait for that surgery date!!!

3/4/02 Surgery went well and I am well on my way to a great recovery. Dr. Brody has been wonderful. He remained very much the same throughout this entire journey. Very professional and to the point. Not one for small talk.
But I am very happy Dr. Brody did my surgery. Him and his staff have been wonderful.

My first impression of Dr. Brody was positive. He really knows his stuff as a surgeon and in that regard, I would recommend him to anyone. As for bedside manner? He has "zero". He's not a people person; but maybe that's what makes him such a skilled surgeon. I'd go to him again if I needed other surgery. He explained everything and was very straight-forward about the risks.

His nurse Julie K. is great. She was a lot of help. But the Cleveland Clinic as a whole, does not have a great aftercare program. There are no support groups. You're on your own except for the follow-up appts. with nutrition and endocrinology. Phsychiatry is available if you need it as part of follow up too.

I went to my PCP doctor on February 13, 2001 and he gave me approval based on the fact that my health has been going downhill since I started going to him 4 years ago. I called a surgeon, Dr. Mark Jaroch and he is very busy. I have a consult appointment scheduled for August 15, 2001. Dr. Jaroch does have a support group that he recommends to all his patients, pre-op and post-op. They meet twice a month. I met Dr. Jaroch 5 years ago, before this surgery was very popular and he told me my insurance does not cover it. So, I tried about 7 diets under the supervision of physicians. Now my husbands insurance company does cover WLS and I'm ready. I will let you know if Dr. Jaroch has changed much in the past 5 years=) After speaking with 4 people that Dr. Jaroch's office referred me to, not one of them recomended that I go to him, so I never did go to my first appointment. In July 2001 I decided I to try to have it done laporoscopically ( if posssible), so now I'm going to Dr. Fred Brody at the Cleveland Clinic. I met him in September and loved him and my surgery is now scheduled for Feb 5th.

please be aware that any mis-spellings are due to rapid typing not incompetence.

at cleveland clinic, the gbs (gastric bypass surgery) journey begins with a visit to endocrinolgy. physical history is obtained and an attempt to "sell" you on the ccf protein diet is attempted. BE FIRM! let them know you are interested in the referrral for gbs. PERIOD. come prepared with info on the pro's and cons of the surgery, your health history, etc. do not be badgered into submitting to anything else. being firm will also help to insulate you from what might be construed as a less than sympathetic or understanding view of the challenges of being overweight.

in my case, a very nice resident took my history. he stepped outside and asked a nurse for some assistance on something regarding my chart. the nurse asked him if he had suggested the ccf protein diet. he responded he had and that i wanted gbs. the nurse responded, "well of course she does. they all do. they think it's a magic cure to being fat. they have to stop eating and get off their butts." when the resident returned with the doctor, i asked who the nurse was to write a written complaint. the doctor was both patronizing and unapolgetic. he refused to divulge the nurses name. instead he told me that it was friday and that i should just forget it. not. as i told him, weight loss and obesity is a major and life shaping issue for many people. even coming to the hospital with the intent to seek help is a MAJOR step for many people. the comment i overheard was unprofessional, insensitive, and hurtful. my struggle with obesity has been torturous and painful: as is the case with many. tears came to my eyes when i heard her. i know that if i had been a different type of person that one comment would have sent me home never to return. that said: get your information; do your research; be prepared; and stand your ground.

also ccf requires you to have an ekg and appointments with their psychiatrist and nutritional services prior to consulting with dr. b. you must also have a final appt with endo precluding seeing dr.b. that said, try to schedule your appts all at once. or schedule them yourself, telling the appointment person in each department why you are scheduling. stay firm and consistent. even if you have not been to your first endo appt, try to schedule your other appts as close to the endo appt. to expedite the time between initial appointments and the actual surgery. be proactive.


My first impression of dr. b was actually quite pleasant. while many on this site lamented that his demeanor was a tad bit dry, i found him to be thorough and very complete in his explanation of the surgery. he expects you to know about what you are getting into. in fact, the psychiatrist and nutrionist also expect you to have done your homework too. be an educated consumer. dr. b provided a pictoral depiction of the surgery which was helpful. in addition, he added the statistical data on the pro's and cons of the different types of gbs (gastric bypass surgery) which allowed for a concrete and visual comparison and contrast. he did not sugar coat the risks and was very blunt and honest about the lifestyle committment ncesssary after the surgery.

i promise to update the info after my surgery and after subsequent meetings with dr. b and his staff.


while aftercare is emphasized, it must be pointed out that there is currently no formal aftercare program as implemented with some other area centers. there is a support group that currently meets on the first tuesday of the month from 7:30 to 8:30 at a heights area church in the evenings. kim l on this site can provide additional info. i believe the meetings are at the church of the redeemer. in addition, i am very committed to beginning a saturday morning group to accomodate other individuals. let me know if anyone is interested!


at this point i can not think of anything particularly negative to say about him. i might add that my experiences with the staff at another VERY WELL KNOWN GBS center in cleveland have somewhat influenced my feelings. those people at the other center were rude, unprofessional, and some other choice words.....that said, anybody in my opinion is better.


at the end of the consult, i explained to dr. b the time constriction i faced regarding scheduling and he told me i could schedule the surgery although my insurance company had not yet pre-certified the procedure. mind you, i came ot the consult with the 5 yr weight loss history required by my insurance company to accompant the letter of necessity the dr would be sending. however, the office staff denied my request to schedule the surgery. at the time of my consult, which was on 10/14/01 surgeries were being scheduled for 11/15/01 on.....


well, by the first week of november i had been pre-certed by my ionsurance company and the next available appointment is not until 1/22/02. i have accepted that date, however, my employer had given me until 1/7/02 to do the surgery to accomodate the need for time off. i am praying something changes. in all fairness, i must add that yvonne, dr. b's surgery scheduler has been very patient and understanding...i call every week praying there is an earlier date available and she is vey nice. i work in a field where people can really get on your nervees thinking their needs supercede everyone else's and i know how nerve wracking it can be. yvonne is an asset to dr. b's team!



anyway, some of this whole scheduling snafu would ahve been avoided had the staff at the dr's office actually mailed in the5 yr weight loss history to the insurance company along with the letter of medical necessity. the nurse acted as if she had no idea about what i was talking when i explained to her what i was talking about. dr. b, when i told him i had the info the insurance company would require placated me by saying that he rarely had any probs once he sent in the letter of necessity. ihad done my homework thoguh and knew that the insurance company would require this info. dr. b told me to tell the nurse, who as i mentioned had little clue as to what i was referring.



i asked the financial counselor what to do after the consult and she gave me a fax # to send the info. well, i called the insurance company and they never received the faxed info because the dr's office gave me the wrong number.....anyway i faxed the info, they got it, but they couldn't even look at the info until the dr's letter was there. anyway, had my info been included with the dr's info my approval woeuld have been granted a week and a few days earlier.



the office staff, when i called them when i was told by the insurance company i had been approved was to call to get the pre-cert info directly from the insurance case management department, but did not. thus i had to wait an additional 2-3 days for surgery scheduling. this all led to the date being pushed beyond the original time frame anticipated.


anyway....so far so good. at this point i am, on a scale of 1-10, about a 7.5 with my rating of the entire cleveland clinic process. my main area of discontent has to do with the level of patient care in the endocrinology department. since endo is the first step in the process for cleveland clinic gbs....i truly believe the patient experience there is crucial in planting the seeds for solid patient satisfaction.

read on first profile.... this is a part 2

I'm going through the Cleveland Clinic with Dr. Brody. Seen him on Oct. 22. Ithought hes was nice and professional. His staff explained everything I had questions about. He also stated to me that he thinks I won't have any problems with insurance.