Brad Amson Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

I have lost 51 lbs so far and only a quarter of the way to my goal.

Dr. Amson is awesome. He makes sure that you are active in support groups, making pre-surgical lifestyle changes with both food choices and exercise. He constantly emphasizes that the wls is only a tool and the way I use it will make the difference.
I can not say enough good things about this doctor...his bedside manner, his experience, his advise, his judgement, his surgical competence...all amazing! I now know why people wait years to have him do their surgery.

At first I thought he didn't really know what I was going through, emotionally as well as physically.rnOver a period of seeing Dr Amson, my impression of him changed, he is a very caring person, who only wants to help, not only by offering the surgery, but also by steering you in the right direction towards a better, healthier, happier life.rnrnI still have to go through the surgery procedure but have to say, some of his staff are angels, but... can't say the same about the lady at reception unfortunately, just my own experience in dealing with her and the TAP forms.rnrnI will have to update this after surgery as well :)

I am extremely impressed with Dr. Amson. My first impression was his compassion and understanding of the struggle of people who struggle with their weight. His office staff is professional and efficient. Dr. Amson is very thorough and he is very focussed on aftercare and a support system for post-op patients. I would rate Dr. Amson as excellent. rnrnWhat is better: his surgical competance and bedside manner is excellent.

****http://members.shaw.ca/kris-wls**** rnrnI spoke with my family doctor about surgery and he in turn referred me to Dr. Van den berg, she in turn referred me to Dr Brad Amson. My initial consult with Dr Amson turned out to be a group consult with 4 other patients. I was very impressed with Dr. Amson - he seems to genuinely care for his patients - he listened, expressed opinions, and did not judge us/me. I'm doing all that Dr. Amson suggested in the consult - support group, learning all I can about wls, exercising more, and eating healthier. Dr. Amson highly \"suggests\" that not only do you see your family doctor every 2 weeks (which I did religiously for 16 months and then switched to every couple months) but that you also excercise for approx 2 hours a day; the last one is a hard one, with working full-time, having a home based business and caring for my 5 year old daughter, but... I'm trying! There is a whole team of people that you have to see if you are a patient of Dr Amson's to see if you are a suitable patient emotionally as well as physically. Dr. Amson's waiting time, from initial consult, seems to be about 18 months to two years IF he sees you are trying to change your lifestyle - after all, wls is a TOOL not a cure to obesity. rnrnI am happy to report that I had my surgery on November 8, 2004! Dr. Brad Amson was my surgeon - and he was great :) You can read all about my surgical experience by visiting my website at http://members.shaw.ca/kris-wls (it's too much to type out again!).

I am just disgusted that so many people find Dr. Amson to be such a good dr. I find that he has a GOD complex and likes to mess with peoples lives. When my gastroplasty went wrong it took 5 years on the urgent list to have it fixed. (bypass) But when the time came to go into surgery DR. Amson decided that he should reverse it instead of doing the bypass. My thought is that he just wanted to leave early. I begged him not to reverse it because i knew what would happen. But being GOD he decided to do it his way and not do the bypass. As a result I am heavier than i ever was, i now have diabetes and high blood pressure. None of which i ever had before he came and ruined my life. Now all I can think of is how can I end my life so I dont have to live like this until he decides he is going to fix what he should have fixed in the first place. SO DONT TELL ME WHAT A GREAT DR. HE IS. HE IS NOT!

rnI thought that he fit my impression of most surgeons, busy, professional. My impression did not change over time. His office staff were friendly but also busy. rnrnWhat I liked least about Dr Amson was that he pushed swimming to fervently. I understood his attitude about excersize and the reason that I wanted the surgery was to get active to keep up with my kids, but I would often leave the office feeling like really sad. rnrnKnow that the appointments are long, and with other patients rather than with the surgeon. If you have questions, write them down and stick to your list when he pops in your little room. He wants us to gain support from each other and that is awesome, but if you want to talk to him about stuff, you have to jump in quick.rnrnHe wants us to care for each other, not necessarily through him. I have had one aftercare appointment and that was about 3 months out. He took out my gallbladder at about a year but I haven't seen him after that either.rnrnHe was very thourough about talking about the risks, he shows videos, he gives articles.rnrnHe did a good job on me. I have had no problems with any of his surgical work.rnrnHe has a typical specialists bed side manner. Every surgeon I have met has a similar one, they are good at cutting people up and fixing them, not so good at making nicey nicey. I would rather have his skills at the cutting me up, I can deal with out the nicey nicey.

My first impression of Dr. Amson was that he was a quiet competent surgeon. My first appointment included two or three small groups made up of both pre and post op patients, all at different stages in the WLS journey. I found this to be extremely helpful as I could have questions answered in person by those who already had surgery, and feel the peace that comes from talking to people who know just where you are coming from. rnMy impression of Dr. Amson has not changed over time, but I can appreciate how much time and energy the surgeon puts in to pre op tests, trying to help each person be as ready as possible for the surgery.rnMost of the office staff has been informative and friendly. I son't envy their job, coordinating different appointments and fielding phone calls from 550+ patients who all want to have their surgery sooner rather than later. I think future patients should know that their appointments may be 3-4 hours in duration, but if you are prepared and open to the experience, it can be a very informative and supportive day.rnAs the wait can be long for the surgery, come to each appointment armed with questions and show him the changes you are making to your lifestyle regarding diet changes, exercise, as well as developing a support system. Show him what you have accomplished, rather than the things you can't and the reasons why. rnOverall I would say that Dr. Amson is completely dedicated to his profession and his patients.

Dr.Amson is the nicest man. He makes you feel so comfortable. rnI find him to be professional at all times. He truly cares for his patients and their well being. rnHis staff is pretty good. They can be frustrating some times. One will tell you something and another will tell you something else. Quite a long wait list time.rnBut well worth the wait.rnrnOn a scale of 1-10. I would rate Dr.Amson a 10...hands down..... I would trust him operating on me anyday. Actually he has operated on me 3 times. And I would want him again in the future if I ever needed surgery again.rnrnDr.Amson has great bed-side manners and superior surgical competence.

My first impression of Dr. Amson is that he is very, very busy. He does care about all his patients but does not always seem to have enough time. His staff is great. You will always have a long wait at the office and you get to meet a lot of his other WLS patients which is great. Dr. Amson is really big on changing your life style before surgery such as eating right and lots of exercise even if it just walking around your block. Over all I would not have wanted anyone else to do my surgery. He came and saw me everyday in the hospital. The nurses are the best at Victoria Jubilee.