C. Gary Cooper M.D. Bariatrics Bariatric Center

I thought his shirt was unusual and interesting. It was black with white little cacti and or palm trees, I believe. He did not look like a doctor. His hands! I have to say I LOVED his hands. Interesting hands! Strong hands! Working hands! Dr. Cooper had a warm smile. He seemed to have a rather dry sense of humor that didn't really show a lot. He was extremely knowledgable (cool, huh?) and to the point. He did not mince words. The second time I saw him, he had on another interesting shirt. This one had a zillion little fishes on it. His office is spotless and cool and comforting to me. He is definitely an outdoorsman...a hunter. His receptionist, Diane...well, she is just about the kindest, warmest person you could hope for. She asked, to me, a VERY meaningful question. She asked if I had all the support I needed for this surgery. I answered, "I SURE DO!!" :)
I would say, Dr. Cooper appears to have the surgical competence. I will see, though, won't I? ;) Good luck, Dr. Cooper..and SMILE! I LOVE YOUR SHIRTS!

He didn't seem very nice

My impression changed to that of realizing that he does have a since of humor and does care in his own way.
his office staff person is a very nice, helpful and knowledgeable lady.

I guess if I had to say something it would be actually having to get used to his personality

He emphasized walking and following the after surgery diet
yes

yes, he has a whole list he goes over

1-10, I'd say a 9

All I care about is surgical competence, there are enough other people around the hospital etc. to cover the bedside manner issue.

Dr. Cooper was very straight forward and matter-of-fact at first. He asked what I assume are the usual questions about current health and past weight loss attempts. As time went on, his dry sense of humor became more and more apparent. He gave me plenty of time to ask my questions and receive the information I needed, even though he answered many of my questions before I even asked them. I was struck by his calmness, confidence, knowledge and sincerity. Dr. Cooper really emphasized the aftercare program. I received a complete booklet on how to eat during the postop stages and he basically let me know that I had to make changes--there was no magic cure. He did reassure me however, that he would give me the tools I need to make these changes. He did address the risks, but didn't hammer them home. I asked about my biggest concerns, staple leakage and incisional hernia. He described his methods to avoid staple line leakage as much as possible and warned me that my postop behavior might also impact this complication. When I asked him about the incisional hernia risk, he said that he was proud of his "needle work" and always took great care with stitching, but there is no guarantee against this.

Dr. Cooper does not have a warm, cuddly personality. I could see where if I had extreme anxiety and fear about this whole thing, I might not have received the reassurance needed. Luckily, my anxiety is manageable and my own research is helping with that aspect.

His assistant, Diane, is nothing short of wonderful. She has helped me tremendously with insurance issues as well as calming some fears I had. She is very patient and genuinely concerned and always, always cheerful and friendly.

Since my appointment, I heard from an independent 3rd party that Dr. Cooper has an excellent reputation in Chico as a surgeon and a person. That just confirmed my first impression. I was excited about the surgery beforehand, but walking out of the consultation I felt so much more confident and happy about my decision. I think that says a lot about Dr. Cooper and Diane.

My first impression of Dr. Cooper was good. As I was waiting in the exam room, I could hear him on the phone making reservations for a really fun cross country bike trip that he was going to be taking. So before I even met him I knew he was not a stick in the mud. He knows how to have fun and he has a healthy outlet from his work. When I met him face to face, he was polite, quiet, to the point and nice. He went over step by step of what to expect and how important it is for me to be responsible for my new stomach. Diane, his office manager, is a gift from God, she is so helpful and is very capable of putting you at ease. My co-workers knew all about Dr. Cooper and said he was the best in our area, so I feel very confident that I have the best performing my surgery.

I met Dr. Cooper on June 11, 2002 for the first time. I thought he seemed very kind, prudent, rather to the point, but I felt he answered all of my questions, addressed my fears, and was overall very pleasant and likeable. His southern accent and slight hearing loss reminded me of my grandfather and put me at ease, despite my nervousness, almost immediately.
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He emphasized the number of failures rather than the successes and discussed with me the primary reasons 10 - 20 percent of the Roux-en-Y patients fail. Dr. Cooper gave me an extensive list of former patients who had the gastric bypass surgery and were welcome to the idea of meeting with or discussing their experiences with potential surgical candidates. He also provided me with a multitude of post-operative diet plans, tips for success, and other such information.
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Dr. Cooper's staff, Diane in particular, was efficient and very personable. She seemed sincere in her expeditious effort to contact our insurance and "get the ball rolling" so to speak.
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Dr. Cooper and his staff, thus far, seem to be very worthy of praise, and I would recommend that anyone considering the surgery visit with him, as he will let you know all possible outcomes, whether they are postive or not!

Dr. Cooper is very professional. he is very open to questions and encourages them.
He doesn't have the most personable bedside manner but, i think he's a great surgeon and i have spoken to quite a few people who think so also. I'd rather have a great surgeon vs great bedside manner.
Diane his nurse/office person is wonderful also. I've called her numerous times with all sorts of off-the-wall questions. She is very helpful and answers them all. She has been wonderful with my insurance and the issues that have come up with them.
Overall I would rate both Dr Cooper and Diane Wonderful.

I HAVE NOT MET WITH THEM YET , HOWEVER THEY HAVE BEEN A GREAT HELP IN THE OFFICE ,I AM COMMING FROM OUT OF STATE TO HAVE THE SURGERY . THEY HAVE BEEN WONDERFUL ABOUT ME CALLING ASKING QUESTIONS , AND SCHEDULING APP.'S LONG DISTANCE. I WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN I MEET HIM ON JULY18TH, AND JULY31ST FOR MY SURGERY!!!!!!

I have not meet him yet but I have had communication with Diane and she is wonderful. Im looking forward to meeting them both on May 13th :)

I meet with Dr Cooper On May 13th and Loved him right away. He has a great sence of humor. Also Diane was wonderful. So nice and helpfull. I can't stress how comfortable I'm with my decision of having Dr cooper as my surgeon

I really liked him. I just had my first visit with him today. He was very nice and informative.


His office person Diane is very warm and friendly.







Yes


He gave me verbal & written info on the risks involved, and asked if I had any additinal questions.



I will post more after my surgery. But so far my first contact was very good & positive.

My first impression of Dr. Cooper was not what I expected (I've watched too may Gary Cooper movies, I guess!) I found him to be quiet and professional. He is not very charismatic, but I do trust him to do a good job on the surgery. He also talked in a very simplistic way so that anyone could understand. Diane, his office assistant, has been great. We have had to pester Pacificare a lot, and she has hung in there even though she is very busy.

He was very emphatic about sticking to the program and doing exactly what he told me to do. He seems to be very easy to understand and clear, so that should not be a problem. He was also clear about the risks of surgery. After one office visit, I rate him as very good. I am basing much of my opinion on him on the testimonials of others who have had the surgery, and I agree with their assessment of his bedside manner being a little cool at first, and then warming up as you talk longer. He definitely made me feel as if the decision about the surgery and the goals were up to me and that I had to take the responsibility to work hard at making this work, but he also was assuring that it could work if I did what he said.