Surgical Associates Ltd. Bariatric Center

First impression was of a very busy doctor. He was nice enough. Very professional. Addressed my concerns and answered all my questions to my satisfaction. The more times I met with him and after the surgery he became more personable. His office staff is very friendly and helpful. He emphasizes after care alot and is very good about wanting to make sure if you have questions that you contact him or his staff to get the answers. He has a wonderful support group that meets every other month the 3rd Monday of even numbered months. There is always a guest speaker, and Dr. O'Brien is there with his nurses and nutritionists to help with any questions or problems you might have. I went 3 times before I had my surgery and met many people, men and women who were in various stages of post op. They were all so supportive and kind. Many of them had before pictures along with them. I would rate him an 11 on a scale of 10. He is an excellent surgeon. I would say his surgical competence is great, his bedside manner very good.

PRE OP: Dr. Graham was very calming and reassuring. I met him on September 10th, for my first contact. He answered all of my questions and laid out my options plainly. I trust him. He has done the surgery since 1980 and I felt as though I was with an expert. I will be having my Gall Bladder removed. Dr. Graham said he will approach Aetna, as he has much experience with them. His mellowness was extremely calming for this very scared patient. I also appreciated his complimenting my prep studying of the surgery. (Thank You Obesity.com!) His nurse was very friendly and helped me to understand both her questions and answers. I recommend Dr. Graham and his staff for you, especially if you are hesitant or scared. A cool cat!

POST OP: This guy IS a cool cat! Very Professional and mellow. Sioux Valley showed me what the nationwide Nurse shortage is like YET Dr. Graham and the corp. on floor 2000 were utterly Awesome! He continually was encouraging me and I count 3 times Pre Op and 3 times Post Op (In the Hospital) that he verbally (In front of me) told other collegues that I was one of the most prepared pattients (for this surgery) that he has had in his 22 years of doing Gastric By Pass. All of that credit must go to Obesity Help! I fasted longer than asked, and made sure that the Magnesium Citrate was taken a few hours before I was asked to take it, to make sure I was clean in my colon and bowl. Dr. Graham 'Rewarded' me with NO external drainage tube, and one of the straightest incisions I've ever seen. Some people may not like his 'quietness', but I found it thoroughly Professional and emotionally stabilizing, during a frenetic and scarey time in my life. I rate him and 8-9 on a 10 scale!!!

We had a very short initial visit. So I had little for a first impression. He was nice enough. But again, it was a short visit. Initially, my insurance company claimed they did not have enough information to approve my surgery. The insurance company requested to speak with the surgeon. He (and anyone at his office) was unwilling to make that call. His theory is that the initial letter he sent should have the proper information needed to approve the surgery. That really turned me off. But, I gathered all of the information I had from the surgeon, the psychologist (I had to have a psych eval), and my family doctor. I re-faxed all of the information and got it approved myself 20 minutes later. Yeah me! I haven't had the surgery yet so I have little additional information.

My first impression was that he was a very busy man.. the inital visit was not at all what I was expecting.. but I am glad of the outcome..

Just wanted to post how well a job Dr. Obrien did on my surgery. Couldnt ask for a better Dr. or nursing staff. He did a wonderful job and would recommend him to anyone. He was very thorough in explaining everything and came in twice a day to visit after surgery while in hospital. He is an A+ in my book!!!! Thanks Dr. Obrien!!

very nice and easy to talk to office staff very helpful waiting long time for appt answered any questions i had very clearly i would rate a 10 because i have had no problems and scARE IS HEALING GREAT PROBABLY SUGICAL COMPETENCE BUT BESIDE MANNOR WASN'T BAD

I found Dr. Graham very straightforward and direct with information. He spent time answering questions and saw me every day of my hospitalization. (even weekends!) He is an excellent surgeon and nurse, Cheryl, was very helpful.
Dr.Graham encouraged me to continue follow-up with my primary care physician. He did not draw any blood levels and did discharge me from his care at 6 months post-op.

I met with Dr. Graham on 2/27/01 and left feeling very confident in his abilities. His demeanor was great, and he answered all my questions clearly and directly. His nurse, Sheryl, has been wonderful (I've spoken with her several times on the phone). I did all of my "testing and teaching" before I met with Dr. Graham, and since I had already secured approval from my insurance company before our meeting and set a surgery date of 3/15, he just gave the green light. It's a go--YEAH! I'm a little scared, but I know that this is the best thing I can do.

The first person i talked to was the Dr.'s nurse who was very kind and helpfull, answered all my questions, so i didnt have alot to ask the Dr. since the nurse answered them for me. left me with just the interview with Dr. Graham, and he supplied me with everything else i needed to know, very knowledgable, in 20 years, over 2,000 gastric bypass surgeries. That's a person i can trust with my life. everyone was great. : )

The Doctor was very friendly and answered all of my questions. always willing to help in time of need. If I had any questions of complications, he and his staff were there for me. The staff was great. Before you see your doctor, have a list of questions to ask him/her. He was very concern about my health and saw him on a regular basis. I saw a dietician and his staff to monitor my progress after surgery. Dr. Graham was very up front about risks on my surgery and told of possible complications. He gave me reading material and even sat down with me and drew a picture of my stomach and what they would do to it. He is an excellant doctor. He had great knowledge of the surgery and was always concerned about me as a patiant/person. There were times thou, that I tought he was second guessing himself. As I had some complications and nothing seems to work, in getting me better there for awhile.