St. John Providence Weight Loss Bariatric Center

I could not say nicer things about Dr. Carl Pesta who works out of Bi-County Hospital in Warren, Michigan. Dr. Keith Marshall assisted and I would have pleased with either one of them. I feel they truly concerned about the patient and you get to know them on a personal basis. I appreciated the fact that the hospital was small and felt I got personal attention. The staff at his personal office has been extremely helpful. As far as the Liv-Lite Center goes (Pat Purdy and Polly) will push things through for insurance approval and work with you to get it approved. Whenever you move to another step in food choices they are availabe for any questions. After care is important and I had to see Dr. Pesta monthly for three months and will have blood work done and then he does not need to see me for another three months. I would rate his bedside manner a 10. Actually any rating for any of the above individuals would be a 10+. I could not be happier.

Dr. Kole was very much at ease with the gathered people. He spoke for about an hour then seen each of us individually. I felt very confident and comfortable. Office staff is very nice but unorganized at times. He is a younger looking man but has some very impressive credentials. After care is very important and he stressed that everyone does not recover in the same way. CORI provided me with extensive aftercare information. Even recipes. He was very open about the risks involved and that it was a life altering event. Forever. I would give him a ten.

I was at first a little shocked how young he is.. and a little disappointed because I had originally wanted Dr. Wood. During the "Class" at CORI center I changed my mind. I DO like him and I DO trust him. He spoke of all his trauma training etc.. and it really made me more comfortable. He took his time talking to me, and I really think he would still be standing there listening to me if I wouldn't have run out of questions! Also.. I really wanted Dr. Wood or Dr. Sapala because of all the research I have done. And because I trusted them to do my surgery originally.. I TRUST them to have an excellent surgeon such as Dr. Kole on their team. They wouldn't just hire some bum off the street would they?? I haven't found anything negative, thus far, and I will keep you informed.

My first impression of Dr. Carl Pesta was, I have shoe older than this man.(Ladies, he is FINE, but married) He is great. I have to say one thing, he never rushed me out of his office when I visited and I like to talk. I know I have tons of questions. After, I had my surgery, I was not in any pain, so I thought he didn't do it right. (Yes, I told him) Dr. Pesta wanted to make sure I was please, so he told me, he will order xrays to show me that the surgery worked. Keep in mind, I have lost over 50 lbs in 2 1/2 months.

Dr. Marshall. I am in love with that man. Listen to his patient. Answer any questions without any bullsh*t. Good sense of humor. One thing I would like to say to Dr. Marshall... "LOSS THE GUM WHEN YOU ARE TALKING" and TALK LOUDER." I go to the support group meeting just to see him.

Both doctor don't care if you call them at any time.
Both have great bedside manner. In fact, Dr. Marshall rubbed my back after surgery. Could you ask for anything more. Both doctors seems to love what they are doing and it not all about the dollars. Their office staff is great.

Met Dr. Kole October 1. Seemed competent and was willing to answer all questions. Not only that, but he answered them fortrightly, didn't beat around the bush. I like that. I am comfortable with him.

I thought his examination would be a little more comprehensive, but it was obvious he had studied my file before our meeting. He knew how he was going to handle my situation.

How does someone as slim as him get into bariactic medicine? I've got to ask him next time.

I have never met Dr. Ledgerwood but on my first call I was surpized to find out that she will not operate on people that are over 400lbs. due to "to technical difficult"
This truly pee'd me off seeing that I weight 445lbs. Her staff told me to go on a 800 calorie diet till I reached her desirerd weight. This is WHY I want to get the surgery. I'm sorry if I have offended some one else that has had good results with her but I call this discrimination. Now in her defence I'm sure she only preforms Lap. type syrgery and most Doctors have that general limit. If I was told this on my call I would not have been offended.
10-03-03

Ok I have now meet with Dr. Pesta and he seems to be very knowlelgable and nice in general. All the Doctors in this service seem very good.

I knew very little about him when I first met with him and I put Him on the spot to "sell" me on him. As he explained his experience in this surgery and his recent years in tRAUMA SURGERY, I was happier than ever knowing that I'd be as safe as possible in his care. I felt trusting of him and secure of his competence. I have a sense that he really wants to help people and especially appreciates people who intend to help themselves in the aftercare department.His staff gives every bit of Info needed to have you prepared for the post-op period.
I am so glad I was assigned to him as a surgeon, I don't feel I could have done better in either the Bedside manner or p
rofessional competence department. I had the experience of my brother to compare my time with, so I think I was better prepared than most. Being personally prepared is the best insurance that your surgery goes as well as mine has.

My first impression of him was that I was wondering how did I end up with him when I asked for Dr. Woods. I felt very comfortable after the informational meeting and when he answered all 22 of the questions I carried along with me in my notebook. The staff at Cori Centers was very friendly and helpful. I called about a 100 times with about 100 different questions and they answered each of them as if it was the first time I had called. What I liked least about him was that he wasn't the doctor that I had originally requested. I thought he should have asked me a few more questions before scheduling my surgery for 6 days after the initial consult. Like have you been on a drinking binge in the last 2 weeks?; or have you been taking Motrin in the last 4 weeks? I think these things are pretty important before being scheduled for surgery in 6 days. The fact that he is new to this facility kinda had me spooked at first. He did stress the importance of aftercare. The aftercare program is very thorough. He addressed the risks right off the top. Dr. Kole is very real and down to earth. He'll just tell you like it really is. If he doesn't know something he'll tell you just that. But he will find out for you. His bedside matters are top notch. He sat there with me and just shot the breeze. He answered personal questions that my mother asked him. He joked with my husband about NO SEX FOR FOUR WEEKS!!!LOL I feel that he just went above and beyond. I would have to say that his bedside manners and surgical competence go hand in hand.

Dr Kole has a warm personality, and He is very informative. I have a lot of faith in his abilities.

I liked Dr. Kole immediately. He started the consultation as a group meeting describing the procedure & covering the risks. He answered every question we had and never seemed rushed. He then met with each of us individually for a short physical exam where he again answered any more questions we might have. His office staff was wonderful & made every effort to make sure we had everything we needed when we walked out the door. Knowing I was in the hands of such a dedicated group of people was very reassuraing.