Jeffrey B. Matthews Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.
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My surgeon wa Dr. Jeffrey Matthews from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Mass.rnrnMy first impression of him was pretty good he was straight to the point about surgery, and I liked that. He told me that although some surgeons automatically take out the gall bladder as well during surgery he doesn't unless it is neccessary.rnrnWhat I would like future patients to know about him is that for some reason that he can not seem to explain he neglected to tell me that he removed my gall bladder during wls. MY ISSUE IS NOT that he removed it appears it was a necessary procedure. rnrnMY ISSUE IS THAT I found out 5 months later by accident at my primary care's office while she was looking up an related issue for me. She happened to notice it, and mentioned it. I was quite shocked by this.rnrnAs far as the surgery itself he seems to have done a good job, but his not sharing such important information with me rates very low in my book. Had my Doctor not noticed I may never have known.
I liked him. I felt rushed. I would of liked to have a little more time and not feel like he does not have time to listen to me. Office staff is friendly. I,m not sure if he is giving me the right advise on a revision, meaning a revision would work really well for me and the chances of dialation would basically not happen. But on this WLS site I am hearing different things from people who have had a revision. They are saying you may only lose about 70 more pounds and that is about all. Not to much emphasize on aftercare. I feel the risks are more serious then he puts it by what I am seeing on this website. If I had a choice I would go to another surgeon. With my insurance I do not have that choice. I had my surgery Oct 2001 I have only lost 70lbs. I am not sure if I will go through a revision if it is approved. I have to do some serious thinking.rnrnThank You,rn
I liked him a lot.
No.
At first, very hesitant with the information. Once I became a patient, they bent over backwards doing anything they could for me.
I felt kind of left in right fight field after I was allowed back on regular food. They did not have a support group until I was 5 months post op and it was only for the first 6 months after surgery. It may have changed by now, I don't know.
My risks of surgery were pretty bleak - I was probably going to die without it, and that could very well happen if I did have the surgery. He really expected me to have the worst case scenerio every step of the way, but I really did much better than he expected, despite all the things that are wrong with me.
I had to wait for him to move into town to become the only WLS in Cincinnati at the time, but it was well worth the wait. The only thing I really regret is the lack of a support group that could go on as long as you needed it. I feel I'm missing a lot of feedback that I really needed.
I think the surgeon needs both a good bedside manner and competence. You want competency because you want to live through the procedure, but I also need to feel like I matter in the scheme of things. I want my surgeon to care that I make it through the experience.
I only met Dr. Matthews one time before my surgery. I saw him for about 5 minutes. He seemed very nice though. I was comfortable around him. I have not been back to see him however. He is the chief of surgeons for UC hospital. So he's very busy. I go to one of his partners for my after care. His name is Dr. Kelly, and he is great. He has this great sense of humor, but you know the man knows what he's doing.
I feel I made the right choice for me. The man's (Dr. Matthews)credentials speak for themselves. The office staff are pretty nice. The one problem I have is the waiting. I know they are busy, but they give you an appointment time then you get there and it's first come first served. The one problem I had with Dr. Matthews himself, he never came to check on me when I was in the hospital. He sent his other surgeons. I realize that my surgery was only a couple days before thanksgiving. But I thought he might have wanted to check me out himself at least once.
If you have Dr. Matthews for your Dr. you won't see him much, but the man knows his stuff. I wouldn't worry about that. Dr. Kelly on the otherhand, knows his stuff too, and is younger- so he's very hands on.
UC Physicians have a really grate program. They are very thorough on making sure you know all the risks and benefits of this life changing surgery.
I would deffinatly say if you have Dr. Matthews or Dr. Kelly, you can't go wrong.
7/20/03
My next appointment in September, I have to go back and see Dr. Matthews. Dr. Kelly was offered an oppertunity at UCLA medical center and couldn't pass it up. So he no longer works in Cincinnati. But for anyone in the LA area, you are getting a heck of a surgeon!
I got a very good first impression of Dr. Matthews. He was very kind and patient. He made sure that he explained all the risks and benefits of the surgery. He also helped me make the decision between open and lap. I was having a hard time deciding and after speaking with him I was able to make my choice. He also took the time to complete my FMLA and disabilty forms for my employer. I was expecting to have to make a trip back to pick them up and to my surprise he completed them while I waited. He office staff is great. Jessica even took time out of her lunch hour to answer some questions that I had. "Thanks Jessica" I am confident that I made the right choice in choosing Dr. Matthews and his staff.
Dr. Matthews' staff is wonderful. His nurse practioner Kimberly was very nice and asked all the right questions to get the insurance approved. His secretary Debbie, is very sweet and understanding. Everyone is professional and is genuinely concerned with our health and well-being. Dr. Matthews is easy to talk to and down to earth. His personality and easy-going mannerisms makes it difficult not to feel comfortable and at ease with him. He is not anal or stuffy like other doctors could be after seeing the same type of patients with the same questions over and over. He speaks in a calm and reassuring voice and he tells it like it is.
I met with Kimberly in November and I gave her all the paperwork for the insurance company. In December, my insurance approved the surgery and I was given an appointment with Dr. Matthews for a consult and a surgery date of January 29th, 2002.
I met Dr. Matthews on January 2, 2002 for my consult. I was very impressed with his credentials. He attended Harvard throughout college and medical school, then taught there after doing a fellowship in Switzerland. He is now the Chief of Surgery at the University of Cincinnati. I was pleasantly surprised at his down to earth friendliness and willingness to explain little mundane things to me in a way I could understand. He gave me the information I asked for and didn't make me feel like he was talking down to me. That was important to me. He was up front about the risks of the surgery. It was clear to me that he takes this seriously, and really cares about the well-being of his patients.
His office staff were very friendly and helpful. I loved the big sturdy benches in his waiting room. I didnt' have to squeeze into a chair that was too small.
Dr. Matthews has a structured aftercare program, but I have not been able to be a part of that due to living 3 1/2 hours away. His dieticians have followed my progress closely and have even called me from their home on weekends to discuss my nutritional needs and questions.
Dr. Matthews was very calm and his bedside manner was reassuring. I developed a problem with my incision draining and Dr. Matthews actually emailed me from Hawaii to discuss my condition. I think his credentials say more than I could about his surgical competence. He taught at Harvard and is chief of surgery at U of C. It doesn't get much better than that!