El Camino Hospital Hospital

I am 100% satisfied with how things have worked out for me. Dr. Zare is a wonderful surgeon. He performed a VSG for me on August 14 2012. My surgery went off with out a problem. I recovered very quickly and within 24 hours was up walking the halls like a made woman! I had very little pain after the procedure. I would recommend this procedure and Dr. Zare to anyone considering weightloss surgery as their next option to get healthy. This has been such a positive experience that my husband is now considering it with Dr. Zare as well. I'm 16 months out since I first met with the Doctor and started to fulfill my surgery prerequisite weightloss and 4 months post op. I've lost 40 pounds since surgery and a total of 68 pounds total. Yes I'm very happy with my experience with Dr. Zare. He's a talented surgeon and a very caring individual.

I had been looking into shedding my excess weight for about eight years and finally had enough with just dieting and not getting anywhere. At the time I was 340 lbs. and had been fluctuating up and down from that mark by about 20 lbs. Dietitians, ephedrine, starvation diets all never worked for me. Finally I approached the idea of surgery and it's pros & cons. The one thing that I wanted to do during the whole process was to get informed, so when I met John, I was very impressed with how thorough he was in answering my questions. He made it a point to run through every little question that I had for him and made sure that I understood. He even went over the statistics of and the risks of anesthesia with me, which is what had given me the greatest apprehension about the whole process. After a date for the surgery was set, I still had doubts, but his gentle reassurance and my resolve got me to the OR.

The surgery went swimmingly I'm told (I was asleep for it) and I awoke in the hospital for the post-care. If there are any complaints that I have, this is where they would be found. There were some small oversights that I feel could have been improved upon by John communicating to hospital staff the special circumstances of larger patients and their specific needs. As I have been told at the monthly group support meetings, some of the suggestions that I had mentioned (whined about) have been addressed and people that I have referred to Dr. Rabkin have never seemed to have those issues. Also, I am a San Diegan, and it's quite hard to get up to San Francisco for follow up visits in person, so after a little bit of prodding, I got them to allow me to do them over the phone as long as I get them all pertinent info.

One of the things that I like most about John and his practice is the after care that is available. He keeps himself or somebody on his staff on-call 24/7 in case something comes up. Luckily for me, I didn't have any complications other than me accidentally ripping off the stitching tape and screaming like a little girl about 3 days after surgery. It was also helpful that his staff sets up group support meetings. This more than anything was helpful because normally I wouldn't call my doctor if I have a cramp in my side, but I'll readily discuss it with other people that have been in my shoes. The group members and staff that attends regularly are also not shy about any related topics as well and there is never any embarrassment about asking a room of relative strangers about your bowel function.

In summary, I was 340 lbs. and am now 190 after six and one-half years and couldn't be more satisfied with my choice of surgeon, his staff, the quality of care that I received and the quality of life that I enjoy now because of it.

Dr. Zare and his staff have been a pleasure to work with. I had the VSG on 10/23/12. Dr. Zare is very professional and thorough. Dr. Zare and his staff continue to answer questions as they come up from time to time. I was provided with an information binder which covers what to expect before, during and after surgery as well as what you should be eating and the vitamins you should be taking. I would highly recommend Dr. Zare to anyone including close friends and family.

Dr. Zare and his entire practice are outstanding! Amelia is so helpful and supportive. She makes the process so easy to walk through. Dr. Zare thoroughly explained my surgical options and the associated risks. On the initial consultation, he provided a detailed package of information that answers nearly all questions. Dr. Zare's interpersonal skills demonstrate compassion and confidence. I knew I was in great hands with Dr. Zare. His is a Center of Excellence provider affiliated with Good Samaritan Hospital. The aftercare program includes regular support group meetings and even conference calls for support. Ample literature is available for reference which is especially helpful because it is difficult to remember everything you learn.

Dr. Zare is a great surgeon and a kind, compassionate human being! I strongly recommend Dr. Zare and his practice to anyone ocnsidering bariatric surgery.

I was sleeved on October 23. Dr Zare did a great job! He came to see me several times after the surgery. Made me feel very comfortable. I would recommend Dr Zare to anybody who is considering a WLS.

Had my surgery and I LOVE DR MARC ZARE... Very happy with my surgery. Highly recommend him.

Terrible.

That is about the BEST word that I can write to explain the experience that my Wife, and our family had with Dr. Rabkin.

With that said, let me explain the story in brief detail.

Dr. Rabkin is a perfectly nice guy. He has the best intentions, and pre-surgery has fantastic goals that "you" will achieve. Those goals are unrealistic for most people that require such surgery.

My wife had traditional RNY twice in the past 6 years. For one reason or another, those did not work very well and she gained back most of the weight. She ate well, for the most part, and had a decent exercize routine - but - she gained it back. She seemed perfectly fine to me. And to be honest, I liked her at the weight she was. It's not to say that I don't like her weight now, but I didn't have an issue with it. I liked it.

In comes Dr. Rabkin.

He had a seminar on Duodenal Switch(to drum up business, like he does every month) and my wife was sold. She gave his office a $10,000 advance so they could even get started early. Dr Rabkin jumped at the opportunity and within a month or so she was on the operating table.

In that time I also met with the dr to ask about his mortality rates, his experience, what to expect. And I was sold as well. "She will be about 175 pounds within two years" was what we were told. She was about 350ish at the time.

All the records were sent over to his ofice from the other surgeon, but with specific questions that I asked I could tell that he had not fully reviewed them. We also asked if she should get an X-ray, CT, or an MRI to see what the previous surgeon had done. He assured us it wasn't necessary, and we rolled with it.

The surgery....

Supposedly it went well... It was a "little different" than he had expected. (probably should have gotten an MRI), but she seemed OK.

Then, the leak....

Well here is where it goes a little bad. There is a leak. A rather big leak. Seems that if you have had surgery before, according to Dr Rabkin "Scar tissue doesn't hold sutures very well". Hmmm, it might have been nice to know that, seeing that most previous surgeries cause scar tissue.

Long story short... after it goes REALLY BAD....

After about 6 Months, in and out of ICU, emergency rooms, other surgeries from other doctors at other hospitals, and about $25k in home health care aides my wife has been back at work for a week. She can only work part time, because of the trouble she has.... But she is finally feeling better on most days. And within the year she will probably be back to a normal life. No thanks to Dr Rabkin.

I don't think she has even met, or spoken with him in months. He always puts his PA Maria to do the dirty work. You'd think after putting our family through hell, we might get an apology of some sort. But no, nothing.

Well, we did get back $8,500 of the $10k we originally gave him to get a jump start on surgery.... That's something I guess.

Dr. Zare is an excellent surgeon! Cares about his patients, is quick, thourough and honestly... saved my life

I met with Dr. Zare just 2 days ago for my first appointment. He was respectful, caring, and informative. He looked at me and told me that He knew I would be one of those people who had WLS that would meet their goal and stay at it. He actually said he was glad to see me now before I had health problems, and knew I would succeed. I feel that the staff of the office are sociable, kind, and considerate. They greeted me with smiles and helped me understand the process I needed to take to meet all the requirements. I would recommend Dr. Zare and his staff to anyone considering RNY or VSG surgery.

I went to see Dr. Zare on May of this year. I told him I was interested in the lap band. He was very straight forward in telling me that I needed to do more research about it because it was not as effective as RYN or VSG. He went ahead and explained to the the pros and cons of the lap band and then he went into more detailed about VSG. He invited me to do more research and the think about my choice. Based on my meeting with him and based on his professional demeanor and thorough explanation of the procedure I pretty much instantly changed my mind about the surgery I wanted. I did tell him I would think about it and let him know. I also asked him how long the authorization process took and he said about one month and half...and voila here I am; I will get my VSG surgery next week. I will be able to comment on his surgical competence and aftercare. As of right now I can tell you that he is a wonderful doctor and his staff is readily available to help you.