Adrian Heap Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

my first impresion of doctor heap was that he is very straight forward doesnt fool around he gets right to the point . well i went in because i was trying to get pregnant and i guess i couldnt because of my weight si i decided to get into diet excercise but dr heap told me he couldnt help me because he would just take my money and the most id probably go down would be 50 pounds to regain double if i wasnt very into my diet so he told me the best would be the surgery but im realy scared i have probably been thinking about it for 3 - 4 years and still havent decided .

my first impresion of doctor heap was that he is very straight forward doesnt fool around he gets right to the point . well i went in because i was trying to get pregnant and i guess i couldnt because of my weight si i decided to get into diet excercise but dr heap told me he couldnt help me because he would just take my money and the most id probably go down would be 50 pounds to regain double if i wasnt very into my diet so he told me the best would be the surgery but im realy scared i have probably been thinking about it for 3 - 4 years and still havent decided .

My first impression of Dr. Heap, was a very calm, quiet, approachable, type person. He seemed to be very caring and kind during the consultation and every encounter there after. A sense of humor also. He was very thorough about explaining the procedure, risks and benefits. The office staff are helpful and friendly. I would rate him high as a surgeon in both competence and bedside manner.

Dr Heap is a great Surgeon and cares about his patients. He is very skilled in this procedure and I was very happy that he was the one doing my surgery. He is very nice and professional... he knows his stuff when it comes to bariatrics.. Thanks Dr Heap for saving my life!!!rnrn** Update 5.20.2006 ** I am now 6 months post op .. I have lost 85 lbs. I think Dr Heap and created the perfect procedure.. no complications and no nasty side effects of any kind.. My life is completely 360 degrees different that 6 months ago... for the BETTER... Thank you Dr Heap.. you are my Hero! ***

My first impression was surprise. I was surprised that he made time for me when I had just walked in to meet the secritary and see what the office looked like.
The only way my impression changed was good. He is a good man and he is very nice. He is very knowlegable and answered all of my questions.
His secritary is a very nice woman and if she had the time she would talk for hours with you. She is very knowledgable about what is going on. I like that:)
I dont know if there is anything that I least like about Dr. Heap. Ask me in a few months. 5-7-06 I can tell you that there is nothing negative to say about Dr. Heap, he is a wonderful man who just wants to help people out. He really cares about his patients
Future patients should know that Dr. Heap is British. If you don't understand him just ask him to repete it... He will until you understand.
There is a structured aftercare program, but I would have to copy it from the sheet and I cant find the sheet right now.
Dr. Heap addressed the risks of surgery very seriously.
I would give Dr. Heap an A.
His surgical competence is much better than his bedside manner. He is direct and to the point. Not much joking around. 5-7-06Now that I know Dr. Heap better he does joke around, it just takes a while to understand his sence of humor.

I had my consultation with Dr. Heap today (3/23/06). I was really impressed with how much time he devoted to questions. He was very up front when I asked about his mortality rate. He also finds the fees that some hospitals charge outrageous. I feel pretty confident about the procedure now that I have seen him, even though I have done so much research. He even performed the surgery on his own son.

Doctor Heap told me exactly what he was going to do, he is straight up about the surgery. I went back to him for one follow up appointment and then I started going to my own PCP. I would give him a 10 for a surgeon.

Dr. Heap is very matter of fact and straight forward. You'll get straight answers from him, there's no doubt about that. He hides nothing, puts it all out on the total. I really appreciated that. He's very warm in a fatherly way which gave me a very safe feeling and a feeling also that he truly cared and believed in helping those suffering with obesity.

I felt very comfortable with his office and staff. Very welcoming! NOT stuffy at all!

I'd rate Dr. Heap a 10 in my book.

I honestly have nothing negative to say about Dr. Heap. I did read from others that he smoked, however I never really noticed it. Maybe the smoking ban in Washington State has something to do with that.

I love Dr. Heap, he saved my life. I spent many months researching types of surgeries and surgeons and found his many years of experience to be impressive. His theory on weight loss surgery struck a positive cord with me in the fact that my anatomy stays intact, and that in the long run I don't have to worry about malabsorption and vitamin deficiencies. Due to previous dirt bike and skiing accidents, I had major scarring on my spleen and pancreas. Dr. Heap was able to work around these problems for a successful surgery and recovery. He truely cares about the health and dignity of all patients. My first impression of Dr. Heap was that he is more than competent. My impression over time only got better. As problems arose during recovery, my confidence in Dr. Heap and myself only got better. Dr. Heap has a very good program established with Kennewick General to make self-pay patients such as myself able to afford WLS. KGH administrative staff were very helpful with my insurance claim for complications - which my insurance is picking up. Overall, Dr. Heap is a superhero. Thanks Doc!

The following statements are MY OPINION based on my PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. Don't sue me because my outcome was complication free.

My initial interest in Dr. Heaps' procedure was the line on his website describing the "magnificient eating quality" of his post-op patients. Having seen friends suffer from dumping syndrome and gas after other types of bariatric surgery, I was motivated to find out more.

During the surgical consultation, Dr. Heap answered my questions thoroughly and without hesitation. After I finished, he began taking my medical history without judgement. He eventually said "you are a good candidate for this surgery and I will be happy to help you. I think you will do beautifully." About that time, a five-day-post-op patient came in to have her drain removed. Dr. Heap invited her into my room, and allowed me to ask her any questions, which I did without restraint. Since she looked almost NORMAL I asked if her result was typical. He assured me she was quite normal, and I could expect to do just as well. I felt reassured and confident in my choice of surgeon and procedure.

Joetta, Dr. H's sole office assistant, is a dynamo! She has always followed through on my requests for faxed info, and is a perfectly delightful woman to deal with. By the time I made my first appearance in the office, I felt I was meeting a friend.

What I like the least about Dr. Heap is he is a smoker. I understand having a habit that is hard to break and is life-threatening. I ate myself into diabetes, heart disease, and sleep apnea, for goodness sake. I can only hope he is one of those people who lives to 110 and smokes a pack a day with no ill effects. His accent is not hard to understand, but pay special attention to end of sentances, where he runs the last five words together into one. =D

If you are considering a Dr. Heap's Mini Switch, read about it, know your stuff. Understand the changes that will happen your body, KNOW THE RISKS and if you have any reservations, go on another diet. This choice HAS to be all you, you make the decision, you decide to accept all the risks. Be the best patient you can, follow the rules, take your vitamins, drink your water. Part of a good outcome depends on YOU. (Can I say that any other way? =D )

Because it IS all you, you are responsible for making sure your aftercare is in place.

Risks of surgery: Here is a cut and paste from a letter to a friend:
~~~~~~~~~~~start~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, I have a minute to address dying. =D It is something to think about. Dr. Heaps' statistics are about 1 in a thousand, typically it is 1 in 200. To keep from kidding myself about the seriousness of the procedure, I adopted 1 in 200 as my odds. When I asked Dr. Heap if he had any advance notice, if he could TELL if a person was not going to make it, he became very introspective. He remembered in a musing sort of way every patient, every detail, and exactly what happened. It seemed to me that he had mulled over each event, analyzing them, and I think they still bothered him. He sorta won my heart at that point. He cares SO much. I knew that whatever happened to me, it would not be caused by his lack of skill, or efforts to save me. But sometimes stuff JUST happens...freaky, unexpected, horrible outcomes from surgery. I can say in way of being positive, that even with my heart condition, diabetic condition, and my surprise sleep apnea discovery, my vital signs did not even blip out of normal even once during surgery, but you have to weigh it all yourself and decide what kind of risk you are willing to face. My health made it easier for me to decide.

~~~~~~end cut and paste~~~~~~~

Dr. Heap took his knowledge, his 35 years of experience, his competency and skill and developed a procedure unlike any other, which negates dumping syndrome and other unhappy side effects of other bariatric surgeries ... Personally, I have to give the Doc a 10. He figured out a way to do it better ... didn't accept the status quo. I think that takes bravery, brilliance and skill.

I found his surgical competence to be excellent. As for bedside manner, he is brisk, thorough, but very compassionate and positive. He is a unique person practicing a unique surgery with a unique personality.