"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! "
