Isaac Samuel Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

I met Dr. Issac for the first time last week. He was very nice. His staff was extremely thorough and I feel comfortable trusting him to perform surgery.

Dr. Samuel was an excellent surgeon. He and his staff are very concerned about getting patients on the right track before committing to surgery. He gave excellent post op care and is always excited to see me and hear how my life has changed.

WOW!! I was taken back when I seen Dr. Samuel, he is very short. I am pretty darn short and he is shorter than I. Just a little guy but he assures me that he has performed this surgery numerous times. He is very intelligent in this field, just curious how he operates on people. Does he use a stool or something, or does our operating table lay low.

The staff is very busy but I was happy with all of them. Debi H. is very knowledgable too, I know that they are very upfront about this and very matter of fact--they do not sugar coat anything. For that, I am very glad--this is a very important step and they want you to make sure you are doing it for the right reasons.

Aftercare is a VERY major part of their program--they stress its importance along with your responsibilities. They discussed risks as well--as I mentioned, they are very informative for us patients.

I rate them all excellent, it is very busy there and sometimes the wait gets a little long. But I also know that it was the initial appointment and they want to get all aspects done while you are there.

I first met Dr. Samuel on June 3, 2004 for my consultation at the U of I. The consultation took a total of 6 and a half hours! At times, it became really long, but there was not a lot of down time--his staff was educating us the entire time. The staff was very friendly and informative. First, I met with his nurse Debi, then the nutritionist-Nancy and her intern in a small group setting(2 other people considering RNY-Lap). After going through all of their info, we then met the surgeon, still in small group. He explained the procedure further and answered EVERY question we had. He was very professional, yet he shared his appropriate sense of humor with us. I then met with Dr. Samuel's intern, on an individual basis, who went over our medical history one more time(staff is very thorough). Then, I met with Dr. Samuel, individually. He is so personable, honest and very serious about his procedure, skills and techniques. He went over the procedure again, studied my med history and then answered every question my husband and I posed. I started the day with my list of 31 questions, and by the time I met with Dr. Samuel, only 8 questions remained. I shared my list and he chuckled when he saw the questions numbered. He was impressed that I was so prepared. He knew how serious and determined I am about this surgery. I assured him he ONLY had to answer 8 of the 31 because the other 23 questions had already been answered throughout the day. He said great, what's the first question. I asked about his resume', total number of surgeries and how many per day/week, leaks, mortality rate, ulcers, hernias, his actual procedure, and if ONLY he performs the surgery or do interns assist him. He really impressed both my husband and myself. He expressed the importance of my compliance to his plan for next 3 months and said he would see me lighter in September when we would schedule a date for surgery. He was extremely easy to talk to. I feel very confident having Dr. Samuel as my surgeon.

I felt Dr. Samuel and his staff are very knowlegable and supportiv. They have strict guidelines for this procedure and I know that they are for my benefit and will benefit me in the long run. I ubnderstand that I will be visiting them at least every month for a year after the surgery nad that his staff are available at all times by phone or email if I have any questions or concerns. The work they have you do before being approved for the surgey is extremelly helpful in making your life changing choice to have the surgery and they go over risks and benefits in great detail. If they don't feel you are ready for the surgery they will continue working with you and educating you until they feel you are ready. I feel very comfortable with Dr. Samuels and his staff. Even though I was just scheduled a surgery date I still have a lot to learn.

July 1 - First consultation.
He seemed to be straight forward and knowledgeable, though I only met with him for about 10 minutes. His nurses are great, too.

Dr. Samuel is nice and effecient and obviously knows what he is doing. He made sure I was well informed before I went into the surgery. I feel like he knows more about the surgery itslef than what to do afterwards, but the nurses have been extremely helpful.

Dr. Samuel is wonderful. Very nice and polite. Truly does what is best and safest for his patient. He was able to do my surgery laproscopic when most other surgeons would have converted to open. Very good at explaining things, and not at all bothered by questions.