Peter Crookes Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

I meet Dr. Peter Crookes back in 2003 I call him my special angel cause Dr. Crookes is the one that broke the mold. Dr. Crookes goes above and beyond just being a Doctor he has become my life long friend. We worked together with the insurence co. for 4 long years and Dr. Crooks went to bat for me everytime we got shot down, then finally on March 15th he called the insurence co. and I guess they were feeling generous that day cuase they said yes and approved my surgery and I had a surgery date for March 21, 2007, after almost 4 long years, If it had not been for Dr. Crookes caring so much and wanting to help his patients I would probly still be waiting. I credit Dr. Crookes for all my success, he is one of a kind, he is caring, sincere, kind hearted man. You know they'er people who often go out of their way to pitch in when there is work to be done, they show understanding, they lighten our problems they help us in more ways than one. This is Dr. Peter Crookes. He stands beside his patients and helps them through every step in every way he can. He has been blessed in every way he is a wonderful man.

AmAzInG man I do believe god guides his hands and his heart he saved my life! Simply kind hearted and honest!!!!

Dr. Crookes was friendly and provided a complete explanation of the different procedures. He has a number of research projects underway that helped inform which surgery I chose. His scheduling person was difficult to reach but EVERYONE else I dealt with was amazing. So kind.

And when it came to have the surgery, I was worried about how bad I would feel after the General Anesthesia. His Anesthesiology team listened to my concerns and put together a plan for me. When I woke up after the surgery, I was still sleepy but not nauseous AT ALL and my asthma had not acted up at all.

I cannot recommend Peter Crookes more highly. My surgery was two days ago and I feel great and see a bright future for myself.

He is a short little Irishman, I have nothing against short or the Irish. Heck, I am Irish on my mother's side. His personality is AWESOME and genuinely a nice guy and I felt re-assured about my procedure.rnrnHis office is on the 5th floor, exit the elevator and bam your there. Well lit, clean and comfortable chairs. The staff is very kind, caring and willing to go the extra mile to help you out.rnrnDr. Crookes does the DS, RNY, and Band and will work with the patient to find what best possible procedure would be. I walked in, thinking/knowing that I wanted to have the DS, his response was ok now tell me why you want the DS. He told me that there were higher risks and potential problems associated with surgery. He basically want to know if I had any clue about the surgery and its potential problems. rnrnHe is a awesome surgeon and has a spectacular bedside manner. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the best, I would easily make him a 10.

What can I say about Dr Crookes? Let's start with he's an amazingly gifted, kind, caring man who happens to honestly CARE about people. I first met Dr Crookes in 2002 (not sure if he knows that!) when I went to meet with Dr Anthone about the possibility of a DS. He was as sweet and kind then as he is now.

I have a lot of respect for Dr Crookes, and have spent quite a bit of time actually reading over his research work (my father was also in medicine and thought the world of Dr Crookes), and I have a good friend who studied under Dr Crookes and only raves about him.

Truly, I don't think there is a person on the face of this planet, living or dead, that can say anything negative about the man. He is incredibly gifted with his hands, and is a meticulous surgeon with the bedside manner of a saint! His Irish brouge doesn't hurt things, either.

When I decided to continue persuing WLS (specifically the Duodenal Switch) I knew that Dr Crookes was my guy! The fact that he really cares about the wellbeing of his patients is what got me. I have never felt like a chart or a number or that I was just another patient. His agreeing to take me on as a patient with so many comorbidities (and some rare ones at that!) only made me feel better about my choice. The 6+ year fight for approval has only made me feel stronger about my decision of choosing Dr Crookes to be my surgeon. I know that I'm in the best hands, no matter what the outcome.

In less than 30 days I'll be going in for my open Duodenal Switch, and I can say right now, I am not nervous in the slightest because I know the caliber of surgeon and human being that will be working on me is top notch. I can't recommend Dr Crookes enough.

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It's been six months since my open Duodenal Switch and I can't praise Dr Crookes' work enough! This "big huge" surgery was the easiest I've ever had (and trust me I've had some doozies and some "easy" ones). The follow up has been amazing and Dr Crookes' bedside manner is beyond reproach. He visited me in the hospital every single day including both days on the weekend and a couple times on the weekdays. His staff of residents and nurses were constant companions and took care of everything. The level of compassion and care was far greater than I expected. Dr Crookes has surpassed the praise I heard from other patients and previous students and medical staff that I have spoken with. He's taken an active and proactive role in my care and aftercare, something that's pretty much unheard of. Dr Crookes ROCKS!!!

Dr, Crookes is a really neat guy. He's honest and upfront. He will let you know what he thinks and treats you like you're a family member. The staff at the USC hospital were all extremely nice and made me feel welcome.

I first saw Dr. Crookes at my seminar in 1/08. He seemed very calm and confident. I have only heard good things about him. He has let me know that no matter what happens, if I should have any complications, he will be there for me. He will not abandon me. He has made sure that I know what I am getting myself into with the DS. He believes that the metabolic changes that occur with the DS give me the best chance of curing my diabetes and high cholesterol. I am very confident that he is a highly skilled surgeon and I am in great hands. At my pre-op appt, all the interns, docs & anesthesiologist agreed that he is a wonderful and caring surgeon.

My first impression of him was that he was funny and informative. When I met him in his office he was more serious. His office staff is very cordial and informative. There wasn't anything that I did not like about him. From what I have read about him he is a very competent surgeon. He was very straight forward about the risks of the surgery. He makes sure you have all your tests completed before getting a surgery date.

Dr. Crookes is extremely competent, capable, and warm. However, he does not automatically allow anyone to have the DS. He will interview you and determine what your expectations and goals are, as well as your comorbilities to determine if the DS is really appropriate. He told me that he was moving away from doing the DS, and really only does it when the patient is clearly committed, has specific comorbidities that would be resolved with a DS vs. the RNY, and has realistic expectations of the surgery. His main complaint was people seeking the DS, according to him, believe that they will be able to eat everything they want - while that certainly it is the case with a percentage of people, others will have food sensitivities and will have reactions similar to the RNY. He said that there is a much greater risk of small bowel obstruction with DS which is life threatening.rnrnHe did say that he will always be available for follow up. He said, I'll never abandon you. What an amazing man.

Just this morning (8/21/2000) I scheduled an initial appointment with Dr. Crookes to schedule a revision. His first available opening is mid-January 2001. I think he's worth the wait.rnrnI met with Dr. Peter Crookes on January 17th -- and he was well worth the wait! He answered all my questions (although most of my questions had already been answered by my research on this website and its links!)rnrnHe recommended the Duodenal Switch procedure for me, but cautioned me that the surgery would be complicated by the fact that I had already had one weight-loss surgery plus gall bladder surgery and a hysterectomy! He insists on an endoscopy first to visualize what was done in the last surgery. We are looking at May 9th if all goes well!rnrnWell, I've had the endoscopy, the lab work, a pulmonary function test, and the first part of a cardiac stress test. The other half of the stress test - my last pre-op test - is tomorrow (4/19/2001). Then it's on to the surgery still scheduled for May 9th.rnrnIt's June 9th - one month after surgery. The surgery was a breeze, and one month later I'm down 35 pounds, and off most of my medications! Dr. Crookes is a warm and gentle man, with an Irish accent, and a great sense of humor. Most important? He truly believes in what he does!