Wes J. Powell Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

Dr. Powell is a kind and caring Doctor. I felt at ease with him from the first time I meet with him in his office. The surgery went very smoothly and I have had no problems at all. I feel Dr. Powell is a fine surgeon and Huntington Memorial Hospital is one of the best. I would highly recommend him for this surgery.

Dr.Powell was very warm and caring. He really cares about his patients and what is best for them, he does not try to force anything on you. Dr. Powell provides you with so much information that you don't have very many questions left to ask. Great man whom I would refer to anyone interested in this procedure.

Dr.Powells staff is friendly.

Dr.Powell really emphasizes after care, he is not only interested in your health before surgery but after and he will do all that he can to help you in any way possible.

Dr.Powell addresses the risk of surgery in a very detailed fashion, but he is also comforting to you allowing you to see every possible option available to you.

I would rate Dr.Powell 100 on a scale of 1-10.

I liked Dr Powell even before I met him just from the responce of my friend who also had surgery with Dr Powell. When I did get to meet him he is ver attentive and personable. Makes you feel like he is listening to every syllable you speak. I am really looking forward to my surgery which I am hoping to save the $700 by December. we shall so what the out come is. I have looked at every before and after picture on the site (I think) and am so excited!!!!!

6/24/04 That was great! Dr Powell and Pasadena's Huntington Memorial Hospital is wonderful! I checked into the hospital and within no time I was waiting in my own private waiting room with my sons. It was very calming. The other hospitals (Bellflower and Long Beach Memorial) had just one big room and we waited behind curtains for our surgery. Very noisy and high anxiety. Bellflower didn't even separate us with curtains ;-) In no time I was in the private surgery room and there were video taping the whole thing. So professional! Steve the assistant and the Anestheiologist were laughing and making me very comfortable. I later woke up in my private room ;-). I was in some pain and then they showed me a pump that I just had to press to get pain relief. That was very nice. They believe in zero pain. ;-) I had relatively no pain at all! My gallbladder surgery was so much worse than this surgery. Dr Powell came in frequently and checked up on me. He and his team also visited my sons in the waiting room and calmed them down. Teenage boys can become very excited and anxious when they are worried. My sons said they even made them laugh! The nurses and assistants were so fantastic! My wounds are so much smaller than the stitches for my gallbladder surgery (2/5/04 - Bellflower) and they didn't use those huge metal stitches that would get caught on my clothes and infected. This experience was very positive! I am home now and my journey continues! Dawn
6/20/04 Father's day I just finished preops I go in on Tuesday. I am so excited! Dawn
"5/1/2004" Because of insurance problems I have switched to Dr Powell in Pasadena. My last doctor was very good and only 10 minutes away from where I live. I went on obesityhelp.com and found other doctors that accepted my insurance (BCBS PPO - Blue Shield for hospital) and I found Dr Powell. I am sure glad my insurance made me change. ;-) It is a bit further to drive but the hospital is a "Center of Excellence". The surgical rooms are private with several cameras. Very Nice! The last hospital (Bellflower Medical hospital) was kinda scary and they had only 1 xray machine and it was broke. So I had to wait several hours while they fixed it. ;-( Dr Powell is very smart and explains everything. You have to go to a mandatory class. He and another doctor explains everything. I thought I knew most of it already ;-) But I learned several new things. I am very pleased. He is much stricter about the nutritional part and aftercare. He requires protein shakes - which I agree with. You really can't get enough protein and I don't want to lose my hair! ;-) His office staff is very nice but very busy. Kim deals with insurance. I was reapproved in 2 weeks! Linda is the office manager. Very nice but a very busy person. They really need more help in this office. They are the best and everyone seems to be going here. You will have to stay on the ball and make sure everything is followed though. Make sure you have your approval letters. Call your insurance, check up on everything. This is your surgery take charge of it. You will have to go to several classes: introduction, nutritional, support... I like that part. I prefer surgical competence and Dr Powell certainly has that. My insurance pays for everything 100% except for the $500 aftercare nutritional support.


" 2/1/2004" Dr McColgan was my doctor. He and Dr
Deutsch are very nice and smart guys too. I have researched very long and hard and have finally made my decision. ;-) I know they
are busy but they take the time to answer my hundreds of questions. I am from the MidWest originally and I like friendly doctors. Dr McColgan is very friendly.

The office staff is very nice.
Receptionist: Very nice.
Gloria is nice and very helpful.
Gretchen wonderful very helpful.
Heather told me to be patient and follow the program ;-) That is funny. It is very hard for me to just sit back and follow the program. I will try though. ;-)

They are taking my gallbladder out first. I am in extreme pain. Gallbladder is gone. No problems at all. Next is the WLS ;-)

They took my gallbladder out. I arrived at the hospital at 6am and left around 7pm. I was very anxious about the surgery. I tried to meditate but my mind kept wandering. The next thing I knew I was waking up and I didn't know I had the operation but It was very very painful in my lower breastbone. So I gathered the operation was over. They gave me a pain shot and it was much better. The next day it was hard for me to move around. I had the pain pills though, which helped. The following day was much better. It has been a week and I had the stitches taken out yesterday. It doesn't bother me a bit and I am eating regular food. Today I go back to work.

These are my own observations. Others may have a different opinion.
Very sharp, very bright, I am very impressed, very caring! Great bedside manner. He has performed over 1,000 surgeries, has an outstanding reputation. He was very careful in describing the risks.

My first impression of Dr. Powell was that he was quite "laid back." But, he seemed very cool. He turned out to be VERY supportive, genuine and caring. His demeanor and personality were truly a blessing before, during and after surgery. He's a great guy who really cares about his patients and I'm so glad that he was the person who performed my procedure. He was so good that I wondered if he'd actually done so because I never felt any pain and was up and around very soon after I got into my room (from recovery).

He had a very good bedside manner. I felt he was very caring and kind. I knew I was in good hands. I attended a symposium that gave me most of the information I needed prior to scheduling a pre-op appointment with him. This was very helpful. He does have a structured aftercare program. His ofice staff are very helpful, but I felt Linda was disorganized. If you are looking for a surgeon I would definielty recommend DR. Powell.

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What a wonderful man. Caring considerate, very thorough in his explanations, put me at ease almost immediately. Has done 224 RNY's all lap, and is quite comfortable with the procedure. He explained all the pros & cons didn't sugarcoat anything, but neither did he try to scare the crap out of me. He only keeps you on liquids for about a week (not 4-6) then you can move to soft foods. He stressed the after care as being essential to maintaining good health and succeeding with this tool. His staff was great, especially Debi, his bariatric coordinator.
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She was a hoot. She makes you feel like you've known her forever.I would unequivocally recommend him to anyone who wants this procedure. His manner and competence are equally great.
The only negative part was the waiting.--
1 hr 15 minutes, after 2 reschedules.

Dr Powell is great. He made me feel comfortable with him from the start. Dr Powell answered all my question and he was very compassionate to my concerns and risk that are associated with the surgery. I was very nervous when I first started this venture but after my 1st consultation with Dr Powell the nerves disappeared because I knew I'd be in good hands. Dr Powell's office staff was also very nice and helpful, but the Ins Coordinator Linda is not very organized. When you call her you get her voice mail, and that's full so you can't leave a message. She doesn’t have a lot of knowledge when come to completing disability forms, which is a very important factor to the patients and their financial situations. Linda needs help!!!! and I hope she receives some soon. But overall my experience with Dr Powell has been very positive and I highly recommend him for anyone seeking this type of surgery.

He was very nice and listened to all my concerns. He really put me at ease. I felt like I didn't have anything to worry about before the surgery. After surgery, he was still attentive and responsive. I had my post-op appt and he asked how I was doing and offered suggestions. His surgical competence and bedside manner are both wonderful! I would recommend him to anyone thinking about having this surgery. Even his staff is great! I honestly don't have anything negative to say about my experience with Dr. Powell.