" I did a lot of leg work attending seminars and consulting with other surgeons before choosing Dr. Horrilleno. I liked him because he was honest, humble and approachable. He was open and up front about surgical risks. He allowed for Q & A from potential patients. He performed my surgery on May 26, 2002.
I had a large varicosity in my leg prior to surgery and knew it increased my risk of bloodclots somewhat. I was given heparin prior to surgery and wore the pumps on my feet as preventative measures. Even so, a few weeks after my surgery, I developed blood clots in my leg and Dr. Horrilleno's associate, Dr. Randall Kirby (a vascular surgeon), took over my care. I ended up being hospitalized 3 additional times (and had 2 other surgeries). Dr. Horrilleno would see that I was back in the hospital and stop by my room just to check on me. It meant a lot to me that he would take the time out of his busy day to do that. I think that speaks volumes about the kind of doctor he is.
You ask which is better, surgical competence or bedside manner? I say BOTH are important. I rejected one possible surgeon even though he had an excellent surgical record because I didn't trust his bedside manner. I am so glad I trusted my instincts on that. Dr. Horrilleno has excellent surgical skills and my complications were not because of him.
As for the staff. The nurses, Leo and Marge are absolutely the best. The process of getting approval has it's ups and downs and I encountered a few while getting everything together. I have to give the office credit though because if you communicate with them they try hard to help. As for my follow-up appts. His staff would always work with me so that I could see both doctors (or nurses)in one visit instead of having to make 2 trips (a 2 hour commute).
The thing I liked least was a pamphlet given out titled "Advancing your diet after surgery". It has some serious flaws and it was not written by a medical person. It states that "anemia is literally no blood" which is not at all true. It is full of other errors and not easy to follow. I had serious concerns about this representation from his office. I am glad that I didn't let this stop me from using Dr. Horrilleno but I do think this pamphlet needs some professional editing.
Overall, I would rate Dr. Horrilleno a 9.5 and I am very grateful that I have my life back (I lost 85 lbs in the 5 mos. since surgery). I would do it again in a heartbeat!"
