"I found out about Dr. Gooden through my mother's sister-in-law. She had her RNY Gastric Bypass done by him in 2001 and he came highly recommended. I was hoping to find a surgeon closer to home (Augusta is a little over an hour away), but the one main group of doctors in Lexington, S.C. that perform the GBP have gotten greedy and charge outrageous excees fees in addition to their surgeon fees. To date, those doctors have lost my business and the business of many others. I plan to go to their support group meetings though. (lol)
My first impression of Dr. Gooden was that he looked rough. I guess that's because he hadn't shaven that day. Anyway, he was pleasant and explained the procedure, although I had already done a lot of research prior. As other posters who have had consultations with him can attest, he does try to scare you about the surgery and he makes sure that you understand the risks involved. It took a while for him to see me, but that was to get the "quick" patients over with so that he could spend all the time needed to explain everything and for me to ask questions. He gave me over an hour of his time which is very uncommon when you go see a doctor these days.
Dr. Gooden is definitely not in the business to just do gastric-bypass surgery, and that's good. He seems to get genuine satisfaction from his work. If I had to give my best overall first impression of his would be that he's your typical country doctor. The only shortfall that I could mention is that his office does not have much in the way of an organized after-care program that other WLS surgeons have.
October 2003: Well, after all this time, I have decided to change surgeons. Although Dr. Gooden is a highly qualified surgeon, my family talked me into finding a local surgeon here in Columbia. Therefore, I am going with Dr. Dalton Prickett. I have yet to meet Dr. Prickett. I met his counterpart, Dr. Tribble at a seminar in September. I was probably the most easiest patient to deal with because I came in already pre-approved. I have my appointment with Dr. Prickett on Oct 29th, so I'll update again once I meet him.
November 5, 2003:
I had my appointment with Dr. Prickett on Oct. 29th. He was nice, but the meeting was somewhat brief. I already knew the routine, risks, etc., so no need to go over it all again. My mom attended this appointment with me. She liked Dr. Prickett because he says that he cares for his patients and made a nice comment about how much he cared for his mom. "
