University of Maryland Medical Center Hospital

I entered my profile on obesityhelp.com on January 17th. By January 19th I got an e-mail from Claudia at Dr. Kligmans office. Claudia is amazing. She will answer all of your questions. She even has offered my family members to just call and she will answer their questions. We set up an appointment for the end of February. My appointment was great. Dr Kligman is very straight forward. He tells you how it is, not just what you want to hear. I had approval on March 7th. All my tests were done by March 15th and my surgery is scheduled for April 6th. Dr Kligman recently spoke at a support group that I had been going to. In past months we had 12-16 people there. There were 47 people at this meeting. If you are from the Toledo area, please please please, for your sake, look into Dr Kligman. We have heard some nasty things about other local Doctors. This whole office is just wonderful. They do all the insurance work too.

Well I haven't met him yet but I have not heard anything but great things. And that puts me at ease. I have my appointment set up for May 31,2001. Its seems so far away, I know it will drag so slow. Every ounce of my body wants this surgery done. I know if I get approved it will then turn into fear. I know its something I need down for myself and for my husband and 5 kids. I just know I wont be around as long as I would like if I don't get it done.

Dr. Kligman and staff and the best! From the first consultation to post op, they have been just wonderful. I was given all types of information and was explained to that this is a very serious surgery and not to be taken lightly. Dr. Kligman visited me many times while in the hospital, I was even visited by Claudia. This made me feel very special, I was not just a number to them. I have had the best experience and now I'm looking forward to the weight loss. I would refer any patient's inquiring about bariatric surgery to Dr. Kligman.

THANKS Dr. Kligman and staff!!

Dr. Kligman and his office were great. My consult went perfect! I have a surgery date of 4-13-01! I was very impressed with the office. I didnt have to wait at all. The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. I handed him a typed pape with 20 questions that I had and he took the time to go over each question with me which i really appreciated. Ill update more after the surgery. I give the initial consult a 10.

Dr. Kligman was very professional, thorough and did not pull any punches. He was right up front and told me what I could expect. He also made it very clear what he expected from me. He said I may seem like a nice guy today but I'll become your drill sargent the day after surgery. That impressed me right there. This was my first appointment. I made my decision right there that he was the one I wanted to perform my surgery.

Claudia, his assistant, has a lot on the ball! She has been very accomodating and very understanding. My impression so far is that they make a good team.

Dr. Kligman and Claudia, both recommeended this web site.

Dr. Kligman at first seemed to be a hard, no bull kind of doc. It came to pass that he is, but only with your best interest at heart. You can see this behind his kindly smile that tells you he cares.
Dr. Kligman's staff are exceptional! Claudia is his office assistant and she goes beyond the call of duty to ensure all your needs are ment.
I have nothing negitive to say about my doc or his staff. Befor you can even have surgery you must take a written test over the surgery and after care, if you fail this test it is said that you will be unexceptibale and refused surgery. I don't know if this is true, I passed with a A. Dr. Kligman test you so that you understand the risks of this surgery and understand how to care for yourself afterward.
Overall, judging this experance I would give Dr. Mark kligman 4 stars. I am so lucky to have found him.
March 2, 2001
Michelle Carroll

To assist me in making an informed decision I reviewed approximately 25-30+/-% of all the entries, in all the states, listed on this website. The website has proven to be an effective tool, for example, in comparing and contrasting the various surgical weight loss procedures as well as individual experiences. I have also used this website as a path for exploring past and current research articles, clinical trials, legal and nutrition issues, and other bariatric websites.

Prior to my appointment with Dr. Kligman, the comment portion on the website provided me with a “glimpse” of Dr. Kligman and his professional staff and their approach towards the patient and patient care. During my appointment with Dr. Kligman, I asked some very open and direct questions that may, in other cases, have offended some physicians and/or staff members. However, with Dr. Kligman and his associates, their responses were favorable, thus providing me with an opportunity to make further inquiries. An important point worth mentioning, at least in my opinion, is that Dr. Kligman/staff promotes a pro-active vs. reactive approach to patient care thus minimizing pre and post-op complications.

He is very skilled and knows his 'stuff'. He was refered by my family physician. I have complete confidence in him. Claudia is the best! She took care of everything. The letter they sent to my insurance company must have been great, since i got approval in less than a month.

From my first appointment with Dr. Kligman, I was extremely impressed with how he dealt with me and my sister who was with me as my support person. Dr. Kligman answered all my questions and my sister's questions and all the questions that we had brought with us from family and friends! He and his staff were VERY patient, kind, and considerate in every aspect of the appointment and follow-up. You couldn't ask for a better office staff to work with. Claudia is Dr. Kligman's nurse and she is wonderful! She and her son came to see me and bring me a card in the hospital the day after my surgery! Now, that's a caring staff!! I should also tell you that my family was very impressed with the Dr. and appreciated meeting him before the surgery and then talking with him afterwards about how everything went. Another patient of Dr. Kligman's, Charlotte Parks, came and stayed with my family most of the day while I was in surgery and talked with them extensively about what I was going through and how life would be afterwards. My whole family was very thankful for Charlotte and all the time she spent with them. She came back to talk with me after I went to my room but unfortunately, I was sooo sleepy I couldn't talk with her except to thank her for coming and being such a nice support. My family noticed that Dr. Kligman and Charlotte seemed to have a close bond when they spoke in the waiting room when he came up to talk with my family. Charlotte told me that I could trust Dr. Kligman with my life before I decided to have the surgery and now I understand why. He is so caring and personable and explains everything so well, that you know that you are in good hands. It also helps when you can talk with others who have had the surgery and can tell you of their experiences with Dr. Kligman. I am very thankful that Charlotte was willing to let me bug her with my fears and questions!
I just can't say enough about how well everyone in Dr. Kligman's office treats you. And I was also impressed with the thoughtfulness of the staff of MCO during all the pre-surgery testing and during my hospital stay. Everyone took their time, didn't rush through procedures, and was very patient with all my questions. The one thing that would have set my mind at ease a bit more would have been if I had known that the follow-up "upper GI" test was not that horrible THICK stuff to drink like in the first GI tests! I got nauseated after surgery from the anesthesia and I was very scared to have that GI test because I thought that it would be that thick stuff and a lot of it and I couldn't figure out how I would be able to do it without puking. Specially with my new "little" stomach. I should have asked more questions about it and then I wouldn't have been so afraid. Believe me, the stuff I had to drink a few sips of what pretty nasty tasting but nothing like what I had conjured up in my mind! The nurses were quick to tell me how good Dr. Kligman is and what a wonderful man is he is also and they are so right. I should have aksed him more about the GI test and I'm sure that he would have told me all I needed to know to put my mind at rest.
The day I was released from the hospital, Dr. sat with me and went over the diet and the aftercare procedures very carefully so I would know for sure what to do when I got home.
Oh, I forgot to tell that Dr. Kligman is very thorough in talking about the risks of surgery. I had a lot of questions because of other health issues and felt that after speaking with him, he knew everything that he needed to know to do the best he could in my surgery. I felt assured that if anything went wrong, I was in the best place possible to receive the best care possible. I had to get special permission to have Dr. Kligman do my surgery and have it at MCO and I think that it was worth the extra effort.
To sum this all up for now: I had my surgery on 1/12/01 and am due to see Dr. Kligman on 2/1/01 for my first follow-up appointment. I feel GREAT! I've lost 20 pounds as of 3 days ago!! I am not hungry, have not gotten sick to my stomach, all my little "port" holes are healed, and I couldn't be happier. I can't wait to see what Dr. Kligman and Claudia think when they see me on Thursday!

Dr. Kligman is the "BEST" he is the most compassionate caring person I felt very comfortable with him from the first minute I met him. The entire office just made you feel like family, they made me feel like I was family (everyone of them). My mom and grandmother went to the first meeting as my support and we all three walked out of there with a real comfort and understanding of what it was I would be going through. Dr. Kligman was very honest all the way through. I was the first patient that he had a complication on ( I had a small pin hole size leak) he was honest and told me this and kept me an extra 4 days all with antibiotics watching me to make sure it would seal itself. It did thank god. However Dr. Kligman could have just sent me home without saying anything and I could have had alot of problems BUT, that is not him he was very concerned and kept coming in and checking on me to make sure I was comfortable and I didn't have anything else go wrong. MCO hospital was wonderful as well if you can have the surgery there I would highly recommend it the nurses and aides were wonderful and did whatever needed to be done immediately with a smile everytime. I loved all of the people at MCO and Kligmans office. I would have Dr. Kligman do any surgery I would ever need or my family as well.