John Paul Gonzalvo Bariatric Surgeon D.O.

Dr Haicken was a nice sweet man unfortunately he retired on 12/31/2005. However he had 2 doctors (John Paul Gonzalvo and Richard Gordon) take over his practice. Dr Gonzalvo will be doing my surgery. I have seen both doctors in support meetings however had not meet them personally. I had my consult with Dr Gonzalvo and he seems to be very knowledgable about the surgery and the wants & needs of the patients. He explained what and how he will be doing the surgery, which made me feel comfortable. He also explained the pre-op diet that he has his patients begin 2 weeks prior to surgery. In all he made me feel good about the decision of having RNY surgery.

At first I thought he was very business like. I have met other surgeons before because my husband has had heart surgery and they were also business like. He was very direct about the percentages of things that can go wrong mostly less than 2% in most cases and he answered all my questions no matter how stupid they sounded. ......I went for my two week check up and he was so kind and considerate and still willing to answer any stupid question!!!,,,he's the man! The office staff was also very nice they also answered questions for me. rnrnHe stresses excersie, walking after surgery. It does not matter if it is for 10 mins or 5 mins. Walking after surgery helped me alot. rnrnHis surgical competence is super. I have had little or no pain from this experience. For the first week i was uncomfortable getting and standing up but that soon disappeared. I had a slight 'pulling\" feeling the he said it was just a part of healing....I had no fever no infections.rnrnDr. Gonzalvo is a very good doctor.rnrnI am still in recovery as my surgery was on October 30th 2006 and it is now December 1st 2006. I took two weeks off work ( Oct 31st thru Nov 10th )for the surgery and that seemed to be just enough time. One week more would not have made much diffrence. I feel good, my husband and I bought a treadmill so I can do my walking every morning before i go to work and on the weekends whenever...but mostly in the a.m.rnrnI had a very good coach. She had biatric surgery and knew all the things that I really shouldn't do....I have followed her plan to the letter and I'm feeling great. rnrnRight now I only eat mainly soft scrambled eggs with vegitian beans and cheese. I have protein drinks. rnrnSince this is winter I get cold alot easier than I used to...so i don't try to eat thick hot food that will make me sick, i either have a cup of decaf coffee or sugar free hot chocolate.rnrnAlso, what they don't tell you. The product rnPro Stat the drink that they give you in the hospital is a very good source in helping in recovery at home. You can buy it on the internet, and I belive that because of this product I feel as good as I do as I am getting all the protein that I need.rnrnI weighed in at 256 lbs before surgery...I weighted at my mom's house on november 25th and i writh 220 lbs. things are moving. I don't really feel it yet but I will someday.rnrn

My first impression was that he cares. His office staff were and are extremely caring and helpful. What I like about him is that he takes all the time you need to ask questions. I would recommend him to all

I really liked Dr Gonzolvo, he did a great job, is very supportive and will really listed to your concerns.