Mark D. Kligman Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

Dr. Kligman seems to really care about his patients and what he can do for them. I think he is very confident in his skills, and expects the patient to do their part to make this a success. He wants the patient to be well-informed, and responded well to all of my questions. He and his office staff have been extremely nice, making me feel comfortable instead of embarrassed about my weight.

I had my consultation visit on 4/10/01 and I thought Dr. Kligman was a very thorough in explaining the pros and cons of the rouex en y surgery. He answered all of my questions and helped put my mind at ease on certain issues that I had. I found Claudia very nice and helpful. She returned every email and phone called that I had for her within a day or two. I was approved on the first letter to my insurance company. My surgery is scheduled for July 13, 2001. I would highly recommend Dr. Kligman.

I am starting week 3 post op. I feel wonderful. I have already lost 15 pounds. I'm getting a bit tired of the liquid diet though. Dr. Kligman was wonderful before and after surgery. Claudia has answered all of my questions immediately. Dr. Kligman was very honest with me about every aspect of the surgery. He is also very caring and considerate. I go back for my 3 week followup visit on Aug. 2.

I only have had a required seminar with Dr. Kligman so I haven't had a one on one with him yet. But he seems very knowledge able about what he does. Very informative and very straight forward and honest. Answered any and all questions I had in my language(not medical talk).His assistant Claudia also seems to know all about what goes on and is very friendly and willing to help in any way. Totally explained the whole surgury procedure. What to expect before , during and after. Sees the patient from 3wks to 18 mon. after surgery. To me from what I have seen in him I would rate him a 9. Very professional yet talked to us like humans.Not like he was trying to impress us with what he does. He is also head of his Hospitals trauma unit and works in the Critical Care unit. Which makes me feel even more comfortable. Am very anxious to get started.

My First Impression of Dr Kligman was that how could this man understand what I was going through he is so skinny himself. However, I was soon to find out that he does understand because he has devoted so much time into research and assisting others like myself lead more healthy and productive lives. Claudia is worth much more than her weight in GOLD!!! She is wonderful and very caring. She is very courteous and prompt in calling back and answering all your questions or getting an answer. Future patients should ask LOTS of questions. They also need to understand that the Medical College of Ohio is a teaching a hospital. There a times when you may be working with interns. Dr. Kligman has a seminar where he goes over at least 3-5 different procedures and discusses in great detail possible complications and aftercare. I was VERY impressed with his seminar and took explicit notes. I rate Dr Klingman thus far as an A+. If you have a concern he is willing to talk to you about it and get things straightened out. He really cares about his patients. I feel that surgical competence is of the utmost importance however, since this surgery presents such a life changing event it is definitely a PLUS to have a physician who also has a good bedside manner as well.

Dr. Kligman was terrific... I was scared to death to even go to the first appointment.. However, once I met him I was relieved... He made no bones about the risks as well as the benifits of the surgery.. My first appointment lasted quite a long time going over insurance requirements, exam, talking about the surgery itself... I was still very worried about everything that was going on... Dr. Kligman put me at ease. My insurance approved me within a month and as soon as the holidays were over we scheduled a date. My surgery was February 14.. What a Valentines present to give myself... I did extremely well in surgery. The surgery lasted about 4 1/2 hours... I had some discomfort after the surgery however, Dr. Kligman instructed the nursing staff on 5A of MCO the proper way to admisister pain control and I was able to get some relief. On the next day after surgery (Thursday) Dr. K came in and asked why I was still in bed and told me I had to get up... Little did he know but I had been getting up and sitting in the chair and doing a little walking all night long... He was very impressed at the ease and speed that I got out of the bed and decided that it was time for me to go home.. I was expecting 3 to 4 days in the hospital and I was home the next day!!!.. It is nice to recooperate in your own bed... I had a little problem on the Friday after surgery.. Had a 102.5 degree fever and Dr. K. told me to come right into the clinc and he saw me right away... Things were ok. I am now 16 days post op and have lost 22 lbs and I see Dr. Kligman on the 8th of March, I cannot wait... Dealing with him and his staff (especially Claudia) is wonderful... Claudia (His assistant) came to see me after the surgery and called on a frequent basis to check on me... Even Dr. Kligman called over the weekend to check on me... My family physician that refered me to Dr. Kligman was so impressed at the relationship that Dr. Kligman forms with his patients.. He could not believe that I contacted Dr. Kligman in mid November and my surgery was in mid February.. I am very lucky some patients wait a very long time for this.. I would warn future patients to understand that this is a LIFE changing surgery and you must be emotionaly ready for this huge change... Your eating habits will be changed forever... If you need support ask Dr. Kligman and he will help or refer you to someone who will be there to support you... I wish everyone who wishes to have this surgery the best of luck and hang in there if your insurance is giving you a hassel... As far as your choice in surgeons... You could not have picked a better one... Thanks to Dr. Kligman and his staff I am beginning a new life.....7/7/01... Well I am just about 5 months post op and I have lost 103 lbs... and feeling great... I see Dr. K. again in August and cannot wait to see the progress that I have made... Once again I would like to emphaqsize for everyone waiting to have the surgery or consult with the doc... be patient... it is well worth the wait...

I had my first appointment with Dr. Kligman last week. It took about 6 weeks to schedule the initial consultation...he said he was working on that so that the wait wouldn't be so long in the future. Before I was even finished filling out the forms I was called into the office. The nurse took my vitals and weighed me (in front of my husband - ugh!). The next wait was only about 5 minutes before a resident came in to take my medical history. He spent about 15-20 minutes with me and then after only a 10 minute wait I met Dr. Kligman. He spent close to an hour with me! Explained things that had never been explained before, even though I have had an initial consultation with the BTC once before! He was so concise it was actually as if he was trying to scare me away! He was very thourough and took the time to answer the questions I had written down to take with me...there weren't many after he explained the surgery though because he virtually left no stone unturned. We actually overheard him in the hallway telling a nurse he would have to reschedule a personal appointment because he wasn't done speaking to me and he wasn't going to cut my appointment short so he could go...that was impressive. Never had a doctor do that before! I will now wait for insurance approval. I was told if all goes well I may be scheduled for the actual surgery within 2 months.


05/25/01 Well it has been a while since I have been here.

I had an appt with another doc in Cleveland, but after much research decided to see Dr Kligman in Toledo. He only performs laproscopic surgery and that is the surgery of my choice. I can hardly wait to see him May 8th. **I had my first seminar with Dr Kligman and he seems just great. I feel comfortable with him as my dr. I see him again May 15th with a consult. I got to meet Claudia his assist and she has a great, cheery, personality. May 15th I met one on one with Dr Kligman and like him very much. He is very concerned with my well being and wants extra referrals from my rhuematologist and an MMPI from a pyschiatrist. He took all of my vitals and examined my body, (he even looked in my nose)LOL!

1st impression: Dr. Kligman is brilliant. He is very well educated and up-to-date on technology and practice. He is very thorough and matter-of-fact.
Impression changed: First I had to learn to TRUST a doctor! EEK! (and trust him with my very life) Dr. Kligman eventually earned my trust and gratitude during my extended hospital stay. He put up with a lot of bull from me because I was really scared!

Office/Staff: Dr. Kligman's staff is very knowledgeable, friendly and supportive. Claudia even visted me in the hospital and brought a prayer plant from her and Dr. K.
Claudia is a phone call away, and if she doesn't have the answer, then Dr. Kligman will call you back and help you.

What I liked least: Dr. Kligman's brilliance can get in the way of his bedside manner. Sometimes he's just very matter-of-fact, when you feel like you need or want something else, a little more empathy. I think I felt that way because of complications and my own fear. When doc is theorizing out loud about complications you're having and you get scared, all you really want is reassurance. He did try to give me that. I just had to accept that things weren't going to change overnight. I HAD TO BELIEVE AND TRUST, and once I did, then everything was fine. Dr. Kligman kept telling me it was his job to worry, and it was my job to work on getting better. By the end of my hospital stay, I didn't have anything I disliked about doc. He tries hard. He really grows on you! He saved my life!

Future patients: Mark Kligman is like a god to all his patients. We highly respect this intelligent and capable man! He was so generous once (actually his wife and kids too) that he stayed home from a holiday vacation at Christmas time to do surgery and post-op care on a patient. We all gave a round of applause recently at a meeting. He really is a caring and generous person. He gives his time and life to saving people, what more can you say? He doesn't HAVE to do this--he WANTS to.

Aftercare: Dr. Kligman recommends regular follow-up vists and blood work, and a specific calorie and protein intake, with additional daily multi-vitamin and mineral supplement (like a Flinstones chewable complete), additional B12 and iron, especially for women who still menstruate. He is still studying the effects of rapid weight loss on individuals and cares deeply about our success by proper nutrition. I believe he'll strive to work closely with other professionals, like nutritionists and dieticians to develop the most successful aftercare regimen he can. We got where we are today, through trial and error and all patients are not the same. What's good for one is not for others, and some people need additional supplements. If you look at the post-op diet handout from Dr. Kligman's office and compare it to the one the actual hospital dietician will bring you in the hospital, you'll see they're nearly identical. Dr. Kligman works hard to make sure we enjoy our new life to the fullest. If he learns anything new I'm sure the information will be filtered down via the site, other patients and the support group. If we find facts or read something, we likewise should share it with him. It's a great learning process for the doctor and the patient.

Structured aftercare: Dr. Kligman's wife has been gracious enough to moderate a monthly aftercare meeting. A clinical psychologist also attends. Dr. Kligman was at the first session to do Q & A for new patients and to see how we all were doing. There is a variety of post-op patients from 1 week to over 1 year with a lot of happy results. In time it will grow. We plan to choose a name for the group at our next meeting and set up a telephone/e-mail help list for those considering surgery or who just want to share. Everyone there wants to help others, especially those facing the decision of surgery. We all have a unique story and are more than willing to help, talk, hold others' hands, whatever it takes to save one more life! One of the suggested names for the group is NEW LIFE, because that's what we've all been given! Thanks to Dr. Kligman.

Risks: Dr. Kligman was very serious in discussing risks of surgery. From death under anesthesia, possible problems like needing to go from Laporascopic to wide open, to excessive bleeding, blood clots, etc. and even the surgery itself not working. He believes more in reduction (small pouch) vs. malabsorbtion. He doesn't like to take out a lot of your intestines, because to live happily and healthy, you need a lot of small intestine to do it's job correctly. We've seen the horror stories on 48 hours, 20/20 and in the news, of people who look like skeletons or severe anorexics who can't keep weight on them after an unsuccessful bypass surgery. I was worried more about that than any other complication! He reassured me that the way he does HIS Rouen-Y, it wouldn't be likely I'd ever suffer like that. He explains EVERYTHING and if you have more questions, just call and he'll call you back! He wants his patients to be well educated and he is a great teacher!

Rating: 10

Dr. Kligman continues to develop a fantastic bedside manner with all of his patients. He now has a terrific balance of competence and bedside manner that make him EXCEPTIONAL.

Had my surgery on 4/9/01. Everything went well. About 7 hours later was up walking with Dr.Kligman assisting. Even finding me a pair of socks. I was very impressed with the bedside manner of Dr. Kligman. He was very compassionate and caring. I have my next appointment April 24. Can't wait to see the results. Looking forward to meeting Claudia. She called me on Wed. the day after I came home. The support you receive from the Dr and his staff is overwhelming. Especially knowing if I have a question after hours I will receive help.

Dr. Kligman is a wonderful surgeon. He specializes in laproscopic roux-en-y bypass surgery so the recovery time is much less. His office staff are also very caring and compassionate. The only thing that bothered me a bout the whole procedure was when I had some slight complications I felt he did not take them seriously and it made me worry a lot and even wish I had not gone through with this. I had surgery 3 months ago and do not regret having this done becuase I have already lost 60 lbs, but I hope someday to enjoy eating food again. Right now I still have to force myself to get the nutrition I need. I suppose this will pass with time. I am very greatful to have been given a new chance on life.