Timothy S. Kuwada Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS, FASMBS

My pre-op care was excellent. I am now 7 weeks post-op, 51lbs lighter and any appointment I've had with Dr. Kuwada has been very informative. He is a kind, respectful and brutally honest man. That is a necessity when you're dealing with a patient's life. I would absolutely recommend Dr. Kuwada.

I have been very pleased with Dr Kuwada from the first visit to the procedure and now for the after care.

I couldn't have asked for a better surgeon. He was so professional and did an amazing job. I had barely any pain after the surgery thanks to him!

I am nearly 4yrs out and have lost a great deal of weight so the surgery itself went well. (BUT I give credit to that from my dedication to the gym, following the diet that I looked up, and the support of my family and friends.) In the beginning the office staff seems less then friendly which is frustrating with the amount of money it costs to go in and be seen. I know that when I had mine done there was no aftercare group at his office for me to join and when was formed I was told "if you dont know how to do it right by now you wont ever figure it out" So I was left to trial and error. For the most part Kuwada was a nice person (when I actually got to see him, most visits were conducted by PA) The last visit I was having issues with my band and as much as I didn't want it, i was very aware I needed a total unfill so the band could rest (I have a slight slip). I went in and a strange Dr came into the room and started talking to me, asking me questions that MY Dr should know (why did u get the band? how long have it? kind of band?) When I became leery about this person and asked him isn't all this in my chart? His answer to me, "sigh, we see alot of patients and if I read every chart we would never get done." I informed him he could leave now, he could go find Dr Kuwada and send him in. I wasn't letting anyone touch me that didnt even have the decency to look at my chart. Dr Kuwada came in, I told him about the issues I was having and the need for an unfill.....HE REFUSED.... saying needed to see it next week under fluro....(oh I'm throwing up everything I eat btw, everything).... So I go in for the fluro after a week suffering and guess what? its a slip...small slip he says. He refuses to take out 2cc because there is so little in my band atm (4.5cc) when I ask him why...he says..well we don't want you getting fat do we? we might as well let it do what we can until we have to take it out. When I asked him what he was talking about, there were things we could do to try to fix it. He said there is no fix, only removal. I have been suffering ever since, hoping it would actually fix it but it hasn't so now after months of gathering the courage to find a new Dr I am in the process of getting my medical information from them (harder than sounds) and setting up an appt. I can eat some things but many cause me to be sick or hurt and I have little restriction sometimes. I am successful with my band, my surgery was good, my aftercare......AWEFUL! Oh, and to make things worse, remember the visit they sent in some random person and then refused to take fluid out? I actually got charged for that visit too...bye bye $200 and hten the $800 for fluro :( $1000 gone and still not right....June 2012

ADDED JULY 13, 2013
As my time increases having my band I have figured out how to best take care of me, and it....mostly on my own, with very little consistent information from my Dr office. When I talked about my aftercare not being good...I was being honest, my band got tighter and tighter as time went on, and I was eating less and less. It got to the point that all I could eat were sliders and then ones full of sugar honestly seemed to go down better...The acid got worse in my throat and tasted aweful but I remembered what he said about "not wanting me to get fat..." what if I did? I mean what if I work up one morning and every pound was back? (Dont act like you never thought or worried about it, because you either have or you will....in time). Stopped sleeping at night, proped body straight up in bed to help prevent acid reflux (it was HORRIBLE at this point....I suffered through the first of hte year, but found myself having to plan my lessons so that I could dash out to the hall bathroom to throw up in between groups (even if all was having was water)...I finally got brave (guess I worried that they would tell me the same and want to simply take it out) but I got brave and went in....they had fluro in the office and there is no extra charge for appts that need it....what? AND I dont get a bill after I pay the $70 copay? wha? After seeing my poor stomach and band under floro I thought the PA was gonna cry....she just kept looking at it and looking at me....she pointed to the screen, see that pouch? Ya that's not suppose to be there...THATS why you have so much acid reflux at night. We ended up draining the band and giving it a break.....I cried all the way home... I just KNEW I would wake up fat in the morning...to my surprise it took several weeks before I noticed any difference, once the acid was no longer an issue I actually began to enjoy food again...but I waited to get a fill...I wanted to be sure the band had time to go back like it was suppose to be..... so it wasn't until 3 weeks ago I had any fluid put back in my band and while restriction is not at 100% at least I am not throwing up everything I eat. REALITY CHECK: Did I gain weight? I have an eating disorder like so many. But I can get myself back on track and start making the right choices for me and my band. Oh...if you are reading this and you are looking for a Dr ....NOT Kuwada.... I use Southeast Bariatrics....very nice group. :)

Dr.Kuwada is awsome very very nice doctor. He explains everything.

Wonderful surgeon, felt confident in him doing the surgery and aftercare! Being a Christian, I knew that I had the Great Physician on my side and guiding my surgeon's hands!

I'm a patient of Dr. Kuwada's and he is an amazing doctor who is passionate about what he does. I'm up for surgery w/ him on this coming Monday, 3 days away!!!! And I can't wait for the first day of the rest of my life 8/22/11 and am thankful to have found Dr. Kuwada to lead me there. He is a kind man, he wants you to feel well informed about what you are doing and why, and he is personable enough to talk to you on your level. I get disappointed when its his assistants and not him, not because they aren't just as good, but because he is just THE BEST! I'm so glad that when I went to my 2nd info session (3 yrs apart) that Dr. Kuwada was there and that God included him in this journey to changing my life, I admire his word and appreciate how he gives of himself to others and to the profession that he serves.

My surgeon will be Dr. Tim Kuwada at Carolinas Weight mangement in charlotte, NC. I've only met with him once, and it was very informative and he was very positive and encouraging. The staff at the facility were all very professional and patient. Dr. Kuwada and his staff took the time to go over the benefits and risk of each surgery and let me decide what I thought was best for me with their professional input. There is a structured after care program with group meetings as well.

I have been very pleased with the process thus far. Surprisingly, it has been very fast! I was set to endure a 3-6 month process from my initial consultation to the approval process. Instead it took only 20 days! Unbelievable!

I was blessed with being able to schedule each test and evaluation in just a couple of days. My primary faxed in my weight documentation immediately and the information was sent to the insurance company. Two days later, I received that joyous phone call that I was approved for the gastric bypass!

I'll update this post from time to time during the process to see if my opinions of the group and experience with them changes. I'll reserve my rating of them until later as well.

J. Hill

06.21.10
I'm about 10 months post-op from RNY and 120 lbs less of me! I couldn't be more thrilled with my progress. I chose an excellent surgeon and facility with Dr. Kuwada and Carolinas Weight Management. This facility has been very responsive to my needs and concerns. I have visited the facility for my regular check-ups and have been pleased. The last appointment I had for my 6 month checkup however, I had to wait several hours before I was seen. It seems as if everyone in the reception area had the same appointment time. It was frustrating learning that we all had been overbooked for the same time, and patience was growing slim, including mine. Besides that, I have no major complaints.

J. Hill

My surgeon to be will be Dr. Timothy Kuwada from Carolinas Weight Management in Charlotte, NC. My initial impression of him was that I thought he would be taller. LOL Not that it mattered but that's what stuck out, no reason, it just did. He was very quiet but listened to me and asked if I had any questions. I like him because he was referred to me by my church sisters who had him for their WLSs and since I work for the hospital, I was familiar with his name and what he did and said I'd choose him if I ever went this route, so I did. The office and staff are exceptional. I am really, really impressed with the setup there at the office, one-stop weight management. Everyone seems so professional. The dietician should smile more and be more personable but she taught me a lot. Overall, I would rate CWM a 10+ for having it all together, as far as I know. I have yet to have surgery but I'd feel confident doing so with this office.

I liked Dr Kuwada as soon as I met him at an information session. He's intelligent, articulate and focused on a positive outcome. My opinion hasn't changed since having surgery. He's still the one and only choice for me for WLS !rn Probably the most surprising thing for me thus far was the call I got on a Sunday nite (the nite before surgery) from Dr K asking if I had any questions or concerns or anything at all that I wanted to talk about before the surgery. He indicated hern had as much time as I needed to talk. (little did he know my mind was 200% made up so I didnt have any questions) but just getting the call reassured me that his concern was for me and not just ticking off a number on his surgical calendar. He wanted to be sure that I was still sure this is what I wanted and that he put any fears to rest that I might have before the BIG DAY !rn Not much else to say but GREAT Doctor. rn