Phillip G Alston Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

When I first saw Dr. Alston I thought he would be rude. But once he sat down and talked with me I discovered that he was patient and was not arrogant at all.I thought maybe the film was a little old but I really thought he gave me a lot of informative information. His staff worked real fast for me and gave every info. that I
needed to follow before and after surgery.

Dr. Alston and his staff was wonderful. They made me feel very confortable. He has very nice bed side manners. He really seems to understand what I am going through. It took a very long time to get in to see him but it is worth it. They worked very hard to get me approved. They are easy to get hold of and are very concerned about you. I look forward to my next visit and my upcoming surgery. I takes a while to schedule the surgery, too. But I waited this long what is a little longer!

9/8/03-I met with Dr. Alston. The first impression I perceived from him was that he talked above your head-and that he had the personality of a stump. After talking to him one on one for a while, he seemed to change and he described the procedure thoroughly and answered all of the questions that I had asked. He made me feel very confident in this surgery and the skills he has in being the right doctor for me. He discussed the risks as well as the benefits of the surgery. We talked about approximately how long the hospital stay would be, and what I should expect after the surgery. He did emphasize the importance of keeping all appointments after surgery so that they will know how you are progressing or if you are having any problems. He is very upfront and honest with you and I like that. The ladies in his office have been so helpful and are willing to go out of their way to help with anything.


12/19/03-I can't say enough good things about Dr. Alston and his staff!! They have taken such good care of me. Before and After care has been wonderful. If any one is considering using Dr. Alston, you have gone to the right Doctor!!

my first impression of Dr Alston was that he knew what he was doing. when you first see him you are given a video to watch and the video basically tells you everything needed to know about the surgery. then he comes in and examines you and answers any questions you might have. i had no questions because the video answered everything. he has a one year waiting list and they contacted me at about 6 months to come in and have my first appointment. His staff was great they were very nice and helped every time i contacted them. Dr alston seems like a compassionate man and he is very nice. he emphasizes after care a lot. he especially emphasizes after care diet. he lets you know of all risks.i would give him a very high rating overall. i think both surgical competance and bedside manner are very important. the only negative aspect i can comment on is the video he played. It was about 20 years old and had never been updated so he is missing a lot of the correct aspects of surgery. he does update this at a later time but he should think about updating this video

I HAD MY INITIAL CONSULTATION ON DEC 5,2002 AND I MADE MY APPT MARCH 2002. SO I WAS EXCITED AND SICK THAT DAY FROM A BOUT OF FOOD POISIONING. I HAD DID A LOT OF INTERNET RESEARCH AND DR. ALSTON WAS VERY PLEASANT AND MADE ME FEEL COMFORTABLE RIGHT AWAY. HIS OFFICE STAFF WAS GREAT, NOT IN THE PROCESS WHEN TRYING TO GET MY INSURANCE TO APPROVE. I WAS TURNED DOWN TWICE EVEN AFTER I GOT INFORMATION THAT THEY HAD ASKED FOR I WAS STILL TURNED DOWN, MY BEST ADVICE WOULD BE NEVER STOP APPEALING . APPEAL UNTIL THEY GET TIRED NOT YOU AND ASK GOD FOR GUIDANCE. DR. ALSTON IS VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT TO EXPECT AND IF YOU FOLLOW HIS INSTRUCTIONS I WAS AWARE OF THE RISK AND I THANK GOD EVERYTHING WENT BEAUTIFULLY. I THINK DR ALSTON IS THE BEST AND HE HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR AND MAKE YOU UNDERSTAND THE PROS ANS CONS. I HAD RESEARCHED THE SURGERY THE DOCTOR AND I WANT BE NEGATIVE. MY NURSE IN THE HOSPITAL SAID SHE HAD BEEN THERE 15 YEARS AND I WAS THE FIRST PATIENT SHE SAW THAT HAD DID AS WELL AS I HAD SINCE SHE BEEN THERE. AND OVERALL I THINK THINGS WHERE GREAT YOU CAN ALWAYS COMPLAIN ABOUT THE HELP BUT WE ALL PRAY FOR THE BEST.

Upon meeting Dr.Alston, I was a bit apprehensive. He is very serious about what he does. He saves lives. But as with anything in life-you must be willing to make the necessary changes too. I was a smoker and he told me right from the beginning-"I will give you more life, but you must quit smoking-what good is it for me to do what I do if you dont help me by quitting smoking". This was the hardest of hard things to do. It was months before I saw him again, but when I did-I was commited and ready to have the surgery. Pre-Op testing went really good-He did a complete work up to make sure my body could handle the surgery and there weren't any underlying problems. I saw him the day before surgery and we went over everything. It was my last chance for questions and answers. He answered them all. The next morning at 6:00am I put my life into his hands. And since I am sitting here typing all this in-He brought me through it :) I am 12 days out from surgery. Dr.Alston keep good tabs on me when I was in the hospital. He doesnt beat around the bush and is a straight shooter. I would recommend him to anyone. He performs open opposed to lap, which is a preferance to me. I believe if your gonna open me up and get friendly with my stomach-open it up and check them all out. I am under Dr.Alston's aftercare now and will be for the remainder of my life.

I have only met Dr Alston once, but it was a great appointment he was very informative. He also spoke with my husband in detail almost as if he were the patient. So far so good!!

My surgeon is Dr. Phillip Alston. My first impression of him was that of compassion. He seemed very open and honest.

Dr. Alston's office has been terrific! It takes several months to get in to see him but it's well worth it. He talks to you in GREAT detail, no question are left unaswered. He and his office staff were also wonderful during my 2 appeals with my insurance company-always positive. My OR nurse friends assure me he is the greatest too. Dr. Alston has a great success rate and very low complication rate as well (very important). There isn't a thing I don't like about him. Once your insurance is approved, it takes about 3 months to actually have your surgery. That's because he limits his surgeries per week. His surgical competence and bedside manner are wonderful (both are very important).

Dr. Alston does not currently have a structured support "group" for aftercare (although he has tried on numerous occasions). Several of his patients met independently. I am starting a support group for his patients in June or July 2003 (hopefully)& a support website (www.TNObesityNetwork.com).

I would rate Dr. Alston and his staff a 10 of 10!

My first impression of Dr. Alston was that he was a very caring, christian man. I didn't feel like I was being judged for being overweight. I was very comfortable with him and he explained everything in a way that I could understand. He also patiently answered every question I had. I am post-op six weeks and my first impression has not changed. He always takes his time with me and never rushes in and out. I feel like he really cares about me and how I am doing. I don't think there is anything I don't like about Dr. Alston. He follows up on his after care, and I believe that if you do everything he says, you won't have any problems. He made sure that I understood the risks of the surgery. He told me that this was something that was very important and he wanted to make sure that I knew the risks. His surgical competence and bedside manner are wonderful. I have not been in alot of pain from the day of surgery. I would give him and his staff the higest rating posssible. I would definitely recommend this surgery and Dr. Alston to anyone who is obese. Please understand that I am not speaking for everyone who has had this surgery. I can only speak from my experience. I can tell you this, if you are considering having this surgery, please make sure that you receive alot of prayer. My church, friends, family, co-workers, etc. was praying for me up to the time I came out of the hospital. My faith in God and all of the prayers on my behalf is what pulled me through this surgery as well as it did. Please do not consider having any major surgery without faith in Christ.