"My first impression about Dr. Rodriguez was that he was all business. I had been told he was absolutely the best in this field but that he was a jerk. I personally don't think he is anything but professional. He was very direct and specific about what he expected from his patients. He also has the greatest staff of any Dr.'s office I have ever been in. His chief nurse, Karen, is extremely knowledgable and always willing to answer even the dumb questions with patience and understanding. So far there is not anything I am unhappy about. The only thing someone should know about their office is that they now charge a $100.00 appointment fee because of the number of cancellations and no shows they had been having. This is applied to the costs of the surgery after you keep the appointment. At your appointment you are told exactly what to expect and what they expect from you after the surgery. They stress a diet that contains at least 45g of protein/ day and a rigorous exercise routine. They stress that this is just a step of your success and that it does not happen without some work on your part. I like that because it makes you realize that you did not choose the easy way out. They were also very blunt about the dangers involved. They made me aware of the possibility of stomach cancer in the section that has been detached and a whole list of other possible problems you can experience. But with his aftercare program of 2wks out, 4 wks out, and once a month thereafter for a year, I feel confident that they would find a solution quickly if a problem did arise. Overall I would say that so far I am extremely pleased with the process. I beleive that his surgical competence will far outway his bedside manner, but the surgery is the hard part. As long as he does his part inside I don't really care what he's like for the 4 days I'll be in the hospital. "
