John C. Alverdy Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT WITH DR. ALVERDY, BUT I HAVE NOT AS YET MET WITH HIM.

Well right now I have only met with Dr. Alveverdy one time and at that time I found him willing to listen and ask questions. From my research I found that he has done over 700 surgeries with the lap method. I beleive that he is very knowledge and the idea of him having a team of people make the decision is wonderful to me. The staff is just as great. I will be admitted in the hosptial on the 13th of August even though my surgery is not scheduled until the 22nd. This is because I have volunteered for a research program that they are having at the Unversity about sleep apnea and lap surgery. So until then I have to wait to tell you more..... Well here I am again six months later and I have got to say I believe that Dr. Alverdy is the best in the field. I say this because I have come acroos a few people who have also had the surgery and they have had some major set backs. I have had none. Well you know I can't give all the credit to Dr. Alverdy I must give the glory to GOd!!! He is the author and finisher of my faith and I didn't want to do this if God was not going to get the Glory!!!!!

1st Consult scheduled for July 2003.

Dr. Alverdy is wonderful. He is personable, friendly, caring and skilled. My impressions of him only got better as time went on. His nurse, Kim, and the two dieticians are also wonderful. Everyone there is very concerned and pleasant. I feel free to ask any question at any time without worry. I had two visits with him pre-op that were group visits (4 of us) and we all had surgery on or near the same date. That was nice because all of our post op appointments are scheduled on the same day and we get to "compare notes" before our individual appointments. The after care program is very structured. I met with Doctor or Kim and a dietician for my one week and 2 week post op visits and they explain every thing in the next step. Overall I rate Dr. Alverdy and his team an 11 on a scale of 1 - 10.

My first phone call to the Center was in February of 2001 and at that time the first available appointment was in October! That was the longest wait! But it finally came. Dr. Alverdy did the initial physical exam and I immediately knew he had all of my trust. He had an incredible understanding of obesity. He gave me a whole new outlook when he explained that he didn't really believe much in the notion that obesity is an emotional issue. He said I was a good candidate for the surgery, and explained that it would take a few months for the insurance to be approved. A few months stretched into several (sleep study and more referrals, etc. thrown in for good measure)but I was finally scheduled for surgery on June 3, 2002. I was a little put off by Pat McGinty at first, but I think she is just busy running the show. Kim Nevens is spectacular! She was never too busy to take my calls, answer my pages (especially the first few days after I got home from surgery). Annette and Heidi, the nutritionists are very helpful and understanding. Overall, I would rate the program at U of Chicago to be outstanding. By the time my surgery date came around, ALL of my questions had been answered to my satisfaction, I understood the risks, knew what to expect after surgery, and felt very well taken care of.

Dr. Alverdy was a good surgeon, very knowledgeable, organized and has been performing this type of surgery for a long time. The whole staff was well educated regarding how to answer your questions and actually everything was really spelled out for you. I found myself having no general questions for any of them because they covered everything in the first appointments. The whole process gives you all the information you need to make up your mind about the surgery and Dr. Alverdy includes all the possiblities both good and bad.

The aftercare is as thorough as the preinformational visits.

I would definitely recommend Dr. Alverdy.

Dr. Alverdy was direct and to the point. But I liked that and realize that he is a very busy surgeon, so he really cannot afford to spend lots of time with anyone unnecessarily.

Very nice guy. I highly reccommend.

Dr. Alverdy was very nice and helpful. I did not expect him to be as nice as he was. The staff was helpful as well. I had a mixup with the date of my initial consultation, but that was not his fault. It was the fault of the scheduler. Overall, I think that he is great.

My first impression was that he is very straight forward,thorough and has a view that the patient should be treated mentally and physically. His office staff and him are so busy that they basically get you in and get you out. Are you alive? Yes, then they are happy. I am sure it will be different when I am post op and actually have a problem. Hopefully that will never happen. I have FULL faith that Dr. Alverdy and Kim Neven R.N. will be FANTASTIC!!!!! Pat McGinty, the patient coordinator, is so overworked that she just cannot handle anymore work thus she can come off as somewhat cold. Don't let that phase you. She is so busy especially now that she has two doctors to take care of. My advice is to kill her with kindness, get all your paperwork together and give her early deadlines as to when you need it. Amazingly she manages to keep all files and things organized. You may have to remind her to get things to you but all in all she does a great job. The rest of the office staff is extremely courteous and welcoming. My other piece of advice is to make a list of any and all questions you want to address with Dr. Alverdy. I will tell you more when I am post op and review the service at the hospital. I keep hearing nurse horror stories and there lies my nervousness as well. More to come later.

Overall rating for Dr. Alverdy, Kim, Pat and the program is A++++++++!!!

Dr John C Alverdy is the kindest man Ive ever met in my entire life yet he tells it like it is. He is very straight forward and will not sugarcoat anything. I dont know about you all but thats what we should be looking for in a doctor. My impression of the doc has only become better overtime. As i stated in my profile I had some complications after surg (as some folks do,not the docs fault) and he helped me thru it just as a best friend would. DR Alverdys staff couldnt be more perfect. Kim,his head nurse,has put up with so much from me,and others Im sure,questions,phonecalls etc and is still an angel and heidi too,shes the nutritionist,what a blessing to have people like this around for people like us. There is nothing I didnt like about my Doc,how could dislike anything about a human being who helped me help myself. Aftercare is very important to Dr Alverdy and there is an extensive aftercare program at the U of C. Dr Alverdy's bedside manor is without a doubt,wonderful,his warmth and honesty is refreshing and makes you feel truly comfortable. Even as he rearranges your insides) HA HA HA HA