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

From the first moment i met Dr Hagen .. I felt a sense of comfort,, he is a kind warm gentle man,
he answered all my questions and was very informative. i feel 100% confident in him..

I really like Dr. Hagen. He was patient and understanding. His office staff was incredible. He was always straight forward and honest. His bedside manner was wonderful, always understanding and non judgemental.

When I met Dr. Hagen, I was impressed with his caring and kind nature. He didn't think I would qualify because he didn't think I had the weight qualifications. I did and he said I hid it well. He has always been an excellent surgeon and doctor to me. He is willing to discuss anything and will find out the answers if there is something he doesn't have the answer for. His office is very busy and at times the receptionists are run off their feet. He does explain the different surgeries he provides and recommends what he feels is better for you. He was at my hospital bed, every morning at 7 am to check on me, always with care and concern. I strongly approve of Dr. Hagen, his mannerisms, compassion and experience. He is definately a leader and a 10 out of 10 in my books.
There were only a couple of negative things that happened to me on my journey with Dr. Hagen and he himself did not do any of it. The doctor that was given the job of stretching my stricture and missing it, was definately incapable of being a doctor and I wouldn't take my dog to him. The only other thing that there was one nurse on the 5th floor who really shouldn't be a nurse as she didn't do her job as we would expect and left me to die, by not attending to me.

When I first met Dr. Hagen I was impressed by his knowledge and sensed that he cared for his patients. I did not feel like I was a number on a file, but a person. He listened to my thoughts, presented his opinion and frequently asked if I had questions. Over time my impression became still more favourable. My date was moved up, I was given a choice of the earlier date or a date 1 month later than the original date. The new date meant starting the liquid protein diet within 2 days and missing out on a planned \"goodbye to food party\". Friends counselled me to cheat. . . thinking about this as an option made me question if my commitment to this surgery was really there. When I called to reschedule for the later date, Dr. Hagen called me back and spoke to me about my reasons for changing. After I explained the situation he spoke to me in a caring manner, literally gave me permission to cheat. Funny thing was when the day came that I was allowed to cheat, I elected not to. Dr. Hagen had made it my choice to cheat rather than dictating that I not cheat. Having the choice was all I needed. The day of surgery, he came out to see me in the pre-op area, he asked if I was ready I nodded yes. He asked if I was nervous and I cried like a baby. He sat beside me, put his arm around my shoulder and told me he would take care of me, he then like a father would a child took me by the hand and walked me into the OR. It was a time of mixed emotion. . . a lamb being lead to slaughter, a small child being taken care of, an adult feeling belittled, comforted, confident. rnrnAs kind, skilled and competent Dr. Hagen is, his support staff is not.rnrnI dislike the fact that Dr. Hagen's office never runs on time, and you are coralled into a waiting room like cattle.rnrnI really like Dr. HAgen and would recommend him purely on surgical skill and bedside manner.

Dr. John Hagen, I can not say enough about this gentlemen! My first impression, I thought he was a super nice guy, very sincere and full of information and answers to every question I had. I met him previously through my fiance who had both the band and then the bypass. He was great with her, with all her needs and he was the same for myself with my needs which were'nt many.rnrnMy impression changed over time to the positive, I only learned to like this doctor more as time went on. The day of the surgery he talked to me and relaxed me and made me feel very comfortable, the day after, he came to visit with me, sat with me at my bed side, and answered any questions I might have had. He was amazing, and his assistant was just as nice also making visits to my bed side. Amazing people!!!rnrnThe office staff he has at his office, I can not say nearly enough about them, they were also so very informative, helpfull and willing to go that extra mile to help me out. rnrnWhat did I like least about him? This is the toughest question, I don't think there was much of anything like disliked about him, I think everything was purely positive and a great relationship, so I don't think I can answer this question, sorry!rnrnI think they should know that he is a busy doctor, but if you need him, all you have to do is call him, any time of the day or night and he is there for you. My father in law had the same surgery by the same doctor, the same day at the same hospital and he had a minor obstruction and he needed Dr. Hagen's help and Dr. Hagen was there for him immediately, as my father in law was asked to meet him at the hospital where he was doing surgery. After the surgery, he was seen and helped, what a great doctor!!!rnrnThis doctor has a clinic that helps out with the information and post and pre op information and they stress the aftercare huge.rnrnThey have a huge after care program, many follow up visits to the dietition and dr. office for check ups and follow ups!!!rnrnWell for me it was simple, I knew the risks well in advance because my fiance went through both the band and bypass surgery so I was well aware well in advance, so he did'nt really strive on the topics of the risks, but he did go over them with me and made sure I was well aware of the risks.rnrnWell I do not have anyone to compare with but I do not think he has lots any patience to date for this surgery but my over all review would give him a 100% perfect score in my books!!!!rnrnI would say surgical competence over bedside manner but both are great!!!!

I found Dr. Hagen very pleasent when I frist meet him. I felt very comfortable with him to do my surgey.Dr. Hagen had keeped my husband well informed after the surgery as he did before. My impression has not change at all he is a very excellent doctor.His staff are very wonderfull and pleasent people.I think that they should put there trust in him because he is a very good doctor. He is very structured in to all your after care that you need. He explains very thing about the surgery before you decide wether or not it is what you want to do. I would rate Dr. Hagen at 100% overall that means before and after my surgey. Thank You Very Much Dr. Hagen and Staff.

Dr. Hagen is absolutely wonderful. The first appointment with him was rather quick, but he did allow me to ask all the questions I had without making me feel as if I was wasting his time. This is important to me as I had heard some negative things about one of his colleagues and was a little apprehensive going in.rnrnDuring subsequent meetings, my faith in his ability as a surgeon and in being a generally decent human being only grew stronger. He was so positive about how this procedure was going to help me and how my life was going to change for the better. rnrnDr. Hagen couldn't have been more reassuring the day of surgery. It's nothing he said really, it's as if he has this aura about him that is peaceful and created a sense of peace within me. I knew I was going to be fine.rnrnPost-Op, Dr. Hagen came to see me twice the first day and then once in the morning the following day to say I was well enough to go home. rnrnHis office staff is great too - very willing to address all issues in a timely manner (quite a daunting task with a practice as large as theirs).

I feel like I had the greatest surgeon in the world... He is fast and you are in and out quickely... If there is a problem then you would be in with him longer, but I was always in and out... Mind you I did have any complications or many questions for him to address with me... i would recomend him to anyone... I guess that him being so quick could also be considered a downside... The only complaint I do have is that I am in a different town than my surgeon and it does cost alot of money to go back and forth for checkups that only last 5mins and they won't work with my local doctor... I don't see why my local doctor can't order my bloodwork and fax the results in to my surgeon and dietition...

I have seen him 3 times - we was very quick, to the point but seems very nice. I look forward to seeing him again soon. His office is always busy but the ladies seemed nice. When I have called they have always gotten back to me.

Dr. Hagen, Toronto Ontario did the surgery on Apr 23, 08.rnrnI had my 3month checkup and I was in the office for about 10 minutes. I have developed a sliding hernia and gallstones and he was not too concerned about either. The response was \"they'll go away by themself\" and if you want your gall bladder out, get it out.rnrnSo I am back to my family doctor.rnrnWith regards to pre-care, I went thru the tests and he was very thorough and added a 1/2 day seminar on gastric by-pass where a dietien gave and showed portion size.rnrnI found that her knowledge not to be very concerned about specific issues. Therefore, I have hired another dietien to follow me.rnrnApparently when you loose weight too fast, could develop gallstones (which I did not know). He said they usually take it out at the operation.rnrnI have a 6 month checkup in Sep and I am not too sure if I will go.rnrnBut I am down 37 pounds which is great.