John Alexander Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS

My first impression of Dr. Alexander was, "He's short like me. Good." :-) His office staff was pretty nice. I only got to talk to one of them, but she was ok. I thought she was a little pushy, but she probably has to say the same stuff all the time and gets a little bored. Dr. Alexander pretty much threw the info. at me, but since I had researched this so much before, I knew what he was talking about. He gave us some stats about his surgeries and then drew pictures so I could see what I would be doing. Overall our first meeting was kinda rushed, and if I hadn't already done a lot of reading on the surgery, I'd probably a little scared. But as of now, I'm completely confident.

Both my wife and I met with Dr. Alexander and we were both impressed with him. We had done lots of research and had a good idea what to expect and Dr. Alexander answered all of our questions and gave us a good idea of what we can expect. We were especially impressed with his plan for a modified or semi open procedure that leaves only about a four inch scare. Ann submitted our insurance papers and now we are playing the get it approved game.

We will continue to update as things progress.

From day one, he was absolutely WONDERFUL. He sat patiently and explained the procedure thoroughly to me. I had MANY questions (being in the medical profession), and he was open, honest, and sincere upon answering any/all my questions/concerns. He still encourages, listens, and answers my questions fully!! ALL of Dr. Alexander's office staff was kind, courteous, and friendly. They helped me through my insurance certification step-by-step. Dr. Alexander is "quite emphatic" about exercise and walking, in general, after surgery. But as far as aftercare, most of his emphasis was on eating appropriate portions, NO sugars, keeping scheduled appointments, and exercise. He wants ALL his patients to succeed, thus, he advises any/all about care (before, during, and after). He discussed openly and thoroughly ALL the potential risks (and benefits) of the proposed procedure (even the unpleasant risks) with me. However, I must admit if I had known going into the surgery that the first 5-7 days were going to be "difficult" from a lack of resting/dietary standpoint, I "might" have reconsidered the surgery. As far as I'm concerned, Dr. Alexander is #1 (caring for his patients not as numbers or statistics, but as individuals). Both his surgical competence and bedside manner were great. As a side note, the hospital staff at RHD Medical Center, Dallas, TX, was fantastic!!

August 3 , 2002
Hello! I am 13 days post-op and feeling pretty good. The first 4 days I hated myself for doing this and cried alot. It was like overnight I felt better and I began to get a handle on things. Dr A was wonderful in the hospital. He had a great bedside manner with me. No complications from surgery, and feeling better daily. Dr. A got a new nurse, Her name is Denise. This young Lady is wonderful. Very caring , compassionate, and very , very knowledgable. He made an excellant addition to his staff, he really needed her. Now the office is so much warmer and friendly. My follow-up appointment was with her, Dr. A did come in for a minute but if he hadn't I would of felt like I was in good hands. She answered all questions and would of sat there all day with me if I needed. She seems very pro aftercare and knows her stuff!!!
July 14,2002 Hello All!!! I have finished all pre-op tests and it took 2 days. The EGD was rough, I had a terrible sore throat and I felt like I had been chewing on a rubber tire. I Had to go by Dr. A's office to pay the 1000.00 and was really pleased with the way the office staff treated me. Lynn was great this time and was very helpful., and as usual, sweet little Anne was very kind! I bought some great vitamins there, and went across the hall for the bloodwork. Now I am having my 7 day countdown. Please send good thoughts to me and my Pal Brian Larrison, we are going in on the same day. A big Thank-you to Tiffany C for doing double angel duty.I Will update and give a full report post-op.
6/18/02 I had my consultation with Dr. Alexander on June, 4 2002. The wait in his office was not very long. I went prepared for a long wait, but was pleasantly surprised. The office staff seem nice enough but could really work on their warmth. Lynn was cold, kurt and not interested if I was there or not. I called her back to tell her she mailed the pre-cert. letter to the wrong place ( I tried to give her the correct address at my consult but she blew me off, sure enought she mailed it to the wrong place) but when I called her back to tell her she mailed it to the wrong place before I could even get words out of my mouth she picked up the phone and said "I have not heard from your ins. Co." I said " I know, you mailed it to the wrong place." I ended up having to work on my own with great help from Ann. She is very sweet. Lynn needs to realize that it is the patients who pay her salary. Moving on, I had my consultation and found Dr. A to be nice and seemed very knowledgable on the WLS subject. I have been to Jones/provost seminar and have an appt. with Dr. Mccarty but think I am going to go with Dr. A. I have read the 2 recommended books so the consult was short. I have done so much research that I knew alot of what he was saying. My Hubby went with me and is very supportive. Dr. A sure talks fast. He is not big on support groups , says they pass along bad info. Over all, I trust him.

when i met dr leverton I thought she was nice and generally seemed to care about my well being she does not cut any corners where your health is involved and was very thorogh. I really liked her and she took her time explaining everything to me. I Have not met dr alexander yet but have been researching him. my first consult in on 08-08-02 I LEFT BTC FOR THEIR UNCARING PERSONEL AND RUDENESS NOT BECOUSE OF DR LEVERTON SHE IS TRULEY CARING ABOUT HER PATIENTS. BUT I WISH TO BE CLOSER TO HOME.

Dr. Horrilleno is a VERY thorough doctor...he and his staff make sure that EVERYTHING has it's place and everything's in its place...I was very impressed with him when I first met him...he's a little guy from the Phillipines but seems to have his head and his hands together.. The only thing I didn't like was that because he is so thorough, he takes quite a while to draft up the letter needed that is sent along with all documentation to the insurance company. Future patients should know to be prepared to WAIT...Because this was my second surgery, I didn't have to attend his MANDATORY seminar that he requests of all patients that comes to him for surgery. He can be a bit overly cautious sometimes...

Now that I'm no longer Dr. Horrilleno's patient, I wouldn't recommend him to my pet rock!!!! He's a scary little man, who's afraid of anybody who's beyond risk...I hope my coworker comes out of her surgery (7/24) ok...My new doctor is Dr. J. Alexander and he's seems to be pretty good!! I have a coworker who just had her surgery (5/29) with him and she's doing great....So aside from Dr. Alexander's cowboy boots, he's great!!!

Dr. Alexander is wonderful! He explained the surgery completely to me and to my family, even drawing pictures on a dry erase board of what was to occur. He was terrific in the hospital, although not a huggy-gushy type of bedside manner, which I would not have liked anyway. He is more of a reserved person, but friendly and approachable enough. He insists that you call him if you have any concerns, questions, or problems. I've paged him often enough on the weekends that I've apologized for bothering him. He was always nice even if it was Sunday! He kept insisting that I DO call whenever I felt like it and made me feel much better for calling. He doesn't emphasize aftercare much, which is one drawback, yet then again, since you can call or go see him any time you want, it doesn't bother me. I, again, wouldn't like the hovering or the constant return trip to the office. I went at three weeks to have the tube removed, then my next appointment is at three months. Again, you can call or go see him if you have any problems or if you just wish to do so. I think his surgical competence is high, after all, I trusted him with my body, my life! As for bedside manner, his was fine for me, but some people might perfer a doctor who hovers more. He addressed the risks of surgery on my first visit when he discussed the surgery, drew the picture, and answered all my questions. I would rate him overall as a terrific surgeon, and I highly recommend entrusting yourself to him. Make sure you understand what he is saying because sometimes his accent and quick speech are hard to understand. He will slow down and explain if you just ask.

I have had my surgery! I will start with the EGD. I was very worried when they addmitted me and had me put the gown on.Health South is the best hospital I have ever been at.I love them, they are so nice and caring.Even though I am 31 I feel like such a baby when having anything done because I am so worried about pain.They cared for me as if I were there own child.They cracked jokes and rubbed my arms which relaxed me.They sprayed some awful stuff in my throat and the next thing I knew I was done. I have no idea what all went on.It was great.Next was the coloyte.I had diarhea for two days before I ever started because I was so worried so I only drank about 1/4 of the container and I was clear as water. Thank goodness because that stuff is gross!!I had my surgery 2 weeks ago and am doing great.I had mentioned before about the dr.s complaint but I guess there wasn't one.The doctor brought it up to me and explained everything.He is so great.I am very lucky to have picked him.I couldn't say enough about dr.A and Health South.And if any of you are lucky enough to get Tommy as you nurse for surgery, well you have the best then.The tube is a pain in the butt,but my scar looks great.He does an awsome job!

I ahve changed MD's due to some problems with the staff and agreements that have not been kept.
I have seen Dr Alexander and feel very confident with him. He answered my questions and was very honest with me. He really tried to work with my schedule. The office staff was very efficient and helpful. Before and aftercare are very much emphasized, there is no variation. He was up front about the risks of surgery and the reasons why he preferrs to do open instead of lap.

I felt very comfortable when I met him for the first time. He took all the time I needed to get all my questions answered. I had my EGD today 6/20/02 and the staff were just great! I did not feel like one of the heard of patients that go through a doctors office every day.

A'm still working on getting my insurance approval. Getting very little help from his office on this. Their response is "Keep calling and bugging them"

I work with two ladies that has the surgery on the same day last month and they are doing very well. I am encouraged and have alot of confidence in Dr. Alexander after watching their recovery.