Goco Surgical Associates, PLLC Bariatric Center

Surgery was the worst decision of my life. It failed miserably. I left her care and went to another doctor. From this initial surgery, I have had to have 8 endoscopic dilitations. I got MRSA in the hospital. I had 2 lap hernia repairs from the incision site and finally another open procedure involving a plastic surgeon as well. I have to take iron as I am now anemic from the surgery. Calcium and vitamin D since I can't absorb them either. I have frequent kidney stones, another complication that I was not made aware of before hand. To top it off, I lost almost no weight, another possibility that no one wants people to know about. I will not blame it all on Lori, it just doesn't work for some people and after YEARS of counseling I am able to accept that and know that it is not my fault either. I do wish that I was put through the ringer before surgery as most people are. I would not have had it if I knew then what I know now (not that I'd have all these complications, just that they were a possibility.) I hope that she is more in-depth now. Please try to talk to several people who have also had bad results from the surgery before you decide. You may go ahead with it, and that's fine. I didn't, and because of that I rushed into a surgery for a magic bullet result. Sometimes things go wrong, and I'm a good example of that. If you have bad results, know you are not alone and don't let people make you feel that you did something to make it fail.


I just read through all of Dr. Kellam's reviews and found one that I wrote back in 2002, Samantha B. I didn't know it was still on there as my account was terminated. If you read that one I go more into the problems I had with her and her office. The account above really deals with complications I have had and I tried to be positive. Like I said, this is after years of therapy.

I had weight loss surgery in March of 2004. Dr. Lori Kellam was and is fantastic. I don't thinks she is doing gastric bypass surgery anymore though. rnrn

Dr. Kellam is GREAT!!! She is very friendly and is willing to help you. Her staff is the same.

well i sort of knew him , since he did my best friends surgery . so i felt comfortable with him.
it is still the same i really like him..

very nice and caring people

couldnt understand some things he says .


he is an older man , speaks ok english , and is very nice ,
he is on top of it , he wants you to come in every so many weeks
he tells you what he wants you to do and it is based on each individual person
he lets you know right off the bat what the risks are and makes sure u understand them
i would recomend him to anyone thinking about the surgery

too me it would be both ,

I first met Dr. Kellam at a support group meeting. I was impressed that she had made the time to be there to answer questions. She was completely approachable and answered questions in terms that I was able to understand. My experience with Dr. Kellam has been wonderful. I find that she has an excellent bed side manner. Dr. Kellam's office staff is pleasant and helpful. Glenda has been an angel. I have had a few complications that were diagnosed very quickly due to the availability of my surgeon. Dr. Kellam has a very structured aftercare program and made sure I knew of all of the risks of surgery. I would highly recommend Dr. Kellam for anyone considering WLS.

Dr Kellam was very nice and answered all our questions, my husband went with me. She told us all about the surgery procedure and explained it thoroughly. She came very highly recommended by a surgeon of my husband, mom and sister, and we have trusted him on several occasions. So I have complete trust in her. Her staff is great, Amanda is a real sweet person and stays on top of things, she also answers any questions you have too. I look forward to going to my first support meeting the 19th of February 2004. Dr Kellam and Amanda both are very caring and emphasize the importants of your health care after surgery. Dr Kellam's aftercare program is more structured than some surgeon's I have read about, which I think is great especially for me, I think I'm going to need all the help I can get. At this point I give them a A+ rating. 8/04 I think Dr Kellam is the greatest, she is very caring and her bed side manner is excellent. I would reccomend her in a minute. She takes her time to make sure your needs and concerns are taking care of. Still a A+ she is a angel.

I met Dr. Lori Kellum back in March of 2004. My first impression of her was good. She was very nice and sweet. She took a lot of time during the consultation visit. She went over my history, how the surgery was performed and what the risk of the surgery were. Her office provides a support group that meets once a month.

After choosing Dr. Kellum for my surgeon and after having my surgery, I have been very disappointed in my followup care. I was in the hospital for 8 days only seeing Dr. Kellum herself twice during that time. All the other times I saw one of the other Dr's in her office. I understand that sometimes you have to see the other surgeons as they all work together but my experience with the others were not pleasant. They didn't know any of my background and medical problems I already had, they didn't seem to listen to what I would say, my medications were never right at the hospital and they were not that knowledgable. I was very disappointed that I didn't see Dr. Kellum more.

My followup care after being discharged has been even more unpleasant. My first appt that I had with Dr. Kellum to get my staples removed, I received a call saying she had been called to surgery. Understandable....they scheduled me later in the day to see one of the other physician. Within an hour of that appt, I got a call saying he was going to surgery. So I had to reschedule for 2 days later but at that point I was told that Dr. Kellum was booked up for 2 weeks and I would have to, again, see one of the other Dr's.

Now it is time for my next appt with Dr. Kellum. I get there and the staff says, we have been trying to call you and have left you 3 messages because Dr. Kellum is NOT here! I asked where did you call and was told they had been calling my office. I told them that I hadn't been released to go back to work and if they had left that many messages, why wouldn't you try calling someone at home. Then I got to thinking, how incompatent....my VM message at work said I was out on leave so one more reason they should have contacted me at home. I only had 3 days and I was to be back at work so I told them I just wanted to be released to go back to work. I, again, saw one of the other Dr's.

I was upset that I never get to see Dr. Kellum. I feel that once she does your surgery, she no longer has time for you. I feel that part of their office staff is very slack. Afterall this is a surgical office and people are out of work so why wouldn't you call them at home before trying a work number? I was upset and left a message for the office manager to call me and I have never received a call.

I now have a totally different impression of Dr. Kellum and her office staff than I did when I went for my first consultation. I would not recommend this office especially if you expect to see, at least part of the time, the surgeon of your choice.

Please note that these are my personal impressions from my own personal experiences. Other people may have had better experiences, I sure hope so.

Dr. Kellam is a wonderful lady!! She was so very nice and polite and took alot of time explaining the risks and the most common ones. She was very patient and informative. She took time to explain things and didn't make me feel rushed. She talked to my and my husband both about it all. She basically explained things so well that the questions I had to ask her were answered before I had a chance to ask them. The biggest part of her office staff seemed really nice and polite. I met a couple of them but only learned ones name and that was Glenda!! She was super nice also!! So as of right now I feel I have made a very good choice in going with Dr. Kellam as my surgeon.

Dr. Kellam is a wonderful lady and shows that she knows what she is doing. She answered any question that I had, even if I thought it was silly she didn't. Everytime I talk with her she leaves me feeling good about myself. She is very encouraging and has a wonderful bedside manner. She is not condesending in any way and always has time to listen and answer questions even after the surgery. Anyone who chooses to go with her is making a good decision in my own personal opinion and experience.

03/29/2004 I've not had my surgery yet, but I have met with my surgeon once and I really like her. She seems to be a genuine person, as well as a doctor. She showed interest and concern as well as offered some opinions about my situation. She seemed really nice and not one of those "i hate fat people" doctors. I really enjoyed talking to her about everything and felt confident when I left her office that my surgery would be a success. Everyone I've delt with at her office was really wonderful. I'll write more after the surgery.

05/03/2004 I have had my surgery and I am feeling great. I'm almost 1 month post op and and doing very well. Dr. Kellum has still been wonderful. She has been stressing aftercare (esp. of my wound) and has been quite pleased with my progress. I haven't had any complications thus far save my wound. It hasn't healed up completely yet and we're having to pack it twice a day, but she's been wonderful through the whole thing. I definately feel as though I made the right decision in choosing her as my surgeon. If anyone has any questions, please let me know, I'd love to answer them. I realized that not everything can't be "great" about somebody, but I seriously haven't had any problems with Dr. Kellum, and I hope that I won't.

I was very skeptical of how Dr. Goco would perform at first because of his age. However, after talking to him a little I became more at ease. He was very informative and straight forward about the risk as well as the positives. He and his staff were more than helpful and willing to answer any questions. I have only experienced a few minor complications after surgery and Dr. Goco and his staff always made time to squeeze me in for an office visit if necessary. All of his staff treat you like part of the family when you come in. Amanda who coordinates your surgery is "THE ABSOLUTE GREATEST". She always returns your calls and finds the information you need. My overall rating for Dr. Goco and his staff would be a 9 out of 10. Nobodys perfect (smile). He would be perfect if he would do my tummy tuck for FREE. Sorry, but I don't have one negative thing to say.