Duke Center for Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery Hospital

2/18/11 Surgery went great. He did a very good job!! I give Dr. Sudan a big Thumbs Up! I've had a few questions/issues and he came to the office between surgeries to see and chat with me. Gave me his opinion, and did a diagnostic test just to confirm. All seems to be OK, but I was very pleased with the attention he gave to my concerns.

I met Dr. Portenier during the group meeting 2 weeks before surgery. He wasn't going to be able to make it to the meeting but we requested him since I hadn't had the opportunity to meet him. He seemed really nice. I spoke with him again right before surgery when he told me he was changing my procedure from regular to the navel procedure. I didn't like that very much. I didn't have the opportunity to research the new procedure and prepare myself for it, however, I trusted him. After the procedure, he did stop by the hospital to see me. I was in a lot of pain so I only remember this briefly. That was the extent of my interactions with Dr. Portenier. His staff was ok. They had all of the information. The Clinic staff is GREAT. They are very nice, always smiling, very patient, etc. I enjoy it every time I have to go to the clinic. Overall, this is a good experience.

Dr. Yoo is a very smart and sensitive provider. He explains everything in depth and reviews with you to make sure you fully comprehend. He anwsers all of your questions and devotes plenty of time to you as a patient. I am very happy with him. He makes sure all bases are covered and is in direct communication with his staff. His knowledge is excellent and he is very caring. He made sure I had everything I needed before discharge and gave me every possible phone number to reach him or his staff if I needed him once I got home. His staff is very organized and very effecient. I could always contact them through the phone or via email. They made the whole process very easy. I started seeing Dr Yoo in Mid September and Had Surgery in November. He also has a very good aftercare program. Excellent Nutrionist program. They also provide support groups if you need them and send you monthly reminders of meetings. I give him a 10 out of 10. I was off pain meds in 2 days and off nausea meds in 3 days. I don't have anything negative to say about him or his program. Excellent provider and program!!!!!!!!!!

Dr.Portenier is the most kind, warm, comical, down to person ever!'
He is very, very confident in what he does and you can tell he truly enjoys his job!
He really makes you understand what all the procedures will be and assures you that he is going to take care of you..i love him!!!!!!!

My first impression of Dr. Sudan was that he came across as very serious but I liked that. He was very thorough in answering my questions and very forth coming with information. The office staff have all been to my satisfaction thus far. I can't say that I least like anything about Dr. Sudan, so far I have no complaints. I love the fact that he wanted to know and meet the person that would be giving me aftercare; and he did. I am currently developing an aftercare program with my surgeon. He addressed my risk of surgery, as well as the whole staff team, in a very straightforward way. Nothing was sugar coated but at the same time I felt safe enough to go through with this despite the risk factors. Overall, results of surgery pending, I would rate Dr. Sudan a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10 simply b/c I need to have more interaction with him to know for sure, but so far I like what I've seen. Both are great, but surgical competence far outweigh, for me anyway, bedside manner.

The hospital was fine and the nursing staff was great. I had one issue with a "resident" in our bariatric program who I felt was irresponsible to my specific medical needs, but otherwise I had an excellent experience at DRH.

Dr. Yoo did an excellent job with me!! I had no complications and after 2 weeks feel amazing!!

My first impression of Dr. Sudan was a good one. He was very thorough. I have no complaints of his staff, however, they are very hard to get in contact with via telephone. Overall it was a pretty good experience. They were willing to work with my appointments, being that I drive quite a ways to my appointments.

Dr. Dana Portenier is the BEST!! He was the speaker at the info session that my husband and I attended in March 2010 and I remember thinking "Wow...he's hot AND smart!" He is a Southerner and that was a huge motivator for me because all Southerners know every happy or sad occasion revolves around food!! He has been nothing short of kind and considerate at every appointment and he even made small talk with my 5 year old son to help explain my procedure and how my recovery would impact his little world. His associate, Dr. Yoo, is also stellar. Nurse Barbara is just the sweetest woman. I am treated like a friend and not just a patient by everyone in their practice. All of my questions were answered and even when I became concerned a few days after surgery, I called the office and had a return phone call in an hour. The office is very clean and well organized, however, sometimes your wait time is a bit long. I attribute it to patients asking lots of questions during the appointment(s) before mine. I love Dr. Portenier's straightforward manner. He gives you the facts and lets you know immediately what is expected of you after surgery. His bedside manner is the tops and I am SO grateful that he is my surgeon. He could be a very arrogant man, but he doesn't let his skills override his desire to truly help people. I cannot say enough good things about Dr. Portenier, Duke Center for Metabolic Weight Loss and Durham Regional Hospital. They have all been instrumental in giving me a new lease on life. I would recommend Dr. Portenier and Duke to anyone considering surgery.

I am pleased with my experience at Durham Regional.