Richard Symmonds Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

I meet Dr Symmonds in the clinic and he listened to my health concerns and made me feel great about my decission.rnrnAfter Surgery Dr Symmonds came to my room to check on me, told me did great and that he wanted me to take a lap around the nurses station and get some sleep. I did take the lap and sleep alittle.rnrnHe has a great team at Scott and WhiternrnHe has a big ole mustachernrnThat he is simply the best.rnrnFrom day one while you are getting the briefings when you are thinking about the surgery they are talking about after carernrnrn

My first impression of Dr. Richard Symmonds was that he is extremely competent. The seminar that he gives (along with his associate, Dr. Rodriquez) a well planned, informative presentation. I very much like his personal bedside manner. Dr. Symmond's requires potential patients to have a psychological evaluation and other tests to provide the surgical team with as much information about the patient as possible prior to surgery. Furthermore, Dr. Symmond's team, the patient advocate, surgical nurse and other assistants are very cordial and helpful. They have been very supportive to provide me with a surgical date that fits into my school schedule (I am a teacher). I would recommend him to anyone looking to find a bariatric surgeon in the Austin-Temple area.

The first time I met Dr. Symmonds was at the Waco Convention Center in early 2005. I did not realize that he was one of the surgeons at the time of the seminar. I had even forgotten his name. I met him again on Feb 06, 2006; this time as the surgeon that will be performing my gastric bypass on Feb 13th. I liked him the first time and I am even more impressed with him now. He was performing double-duty because he had sent his nurse practitioner home as she had the flu. Dr. Symmonds took the time to speak with me in detail, answered all of my questions, didn't try to talk down to me, and of real importance, didn't seem to be driven by the clock. He did not sugar-coat anything. He told me of some of the pitfalls I would face. He did not make unrealistic promises. He was thorough about the prep, the surgery itself, and what I was going to face upon discharge. He is surrounded by a fantastic team of individuals at Scott & White Hospital in Temple, TX. The hospital appears to tick like a clock. I have not had to wait for any appointment for more than 10 minutes but in reality, have usually been seen earlier than scheduled. Obviously I don't have any other surgeon I can compare him to relative to pre-op but so far I am impressed. He has made me comfortable, has addressed all of my concerns. If there are problems now, it isn't because of how he has prepared me mentally. Scott & White provides each Bariatric patient with a green folder with a table of contents and from what I can see so far, everything that I need on this journey that I am taking. It is now up to me to respond with the same attention to detail and enthusiasm that they have shown to me to date. It feels like I am on a winning (or [grin] losing) team and I have been selected as the MVP! If I fail, it won't be because of Dr. Symmonds and his staff!

Dr. Symmonds is very professional and to the point. We did not engage in any small-talk. However, he was very knowledgeable and was willing to spend whatever time I wanted to discuss the procedure and my prognosis. He was honest and up-front about the risks and his own personal experience as a surgeon. The staff is easy to communicate with. Aftercare is highly recommended and Paulette emphasizes the importance of follow-up every time we speak. I understand from others that the nursing service at the facility can be inconsistent. Until my surgery, I won't be certain that I share these views. Overall, I rate Dr. Symmonds and his staff as Very Good.

My first impression of Doctor Symmonds? Very secure in his field. Not very dramatic, but very straight to the point. I enjoy his simplicity when it comes to his follow-ups for his patients. "You do what I recommend, and you will keep the weight off." "Don't follow the rules, and watch your weight come back." How is that for details!

Paulette/NP is a wonderful lady. I enjoy our brief meetings, and because of her busy schedule, we really haven't found much time to chat other than she providing pre-op procedures.

I feel very comfortable about where and who will be performing my surgery, I just have to work on my Mental preparation to make this surgery work for me.

It's not going to be easy, it will take alot of will power to make this a successful journey!

I love Dr. Symmonds! He is very involved with his staff in the bariatric department and thrives on it running smoothly. He is very nice, kind of quiet, but will answer any question for his patients. He has done this surgery many many times with fantastic results. He is assisted with Dr. Rodriguez on all surgeries. I highly recommend Dr. Symmonds and Scott and White Hospital for WLS.

Surgeon: Richard Symmonds, M.D.
At first at the seminar, Dr. Symmands was very professional, showed us the slide show and answered questions. Very "doctor" like and professional. When I had my first appointment with him, he didn't say a lot, just gave me a date and asked if I had questions, etc: But, after the surgery he came and saw me like 2 or 3 times. He was very very nice and informative, and my impression of him changed immensily. I think he is an excellant surgen, and besides - I would rather have an excellant surgean than someone with a great bedside manner whose track record is bad, you know what I mean, haha! I will be forever grateful to Dr. Symmonds for doing this surgery for me and putting me on the path to a better life. He did an excellant job, my incisions are small, my healing time was short, and I already feel ages better than I did a day before surgery.

Surgeon: Richard Symmonds, M.D.
At first at the seminar, Dr. Symmands was very professional, showed us the slide show and answered questions. Very "doctor" like and professional. When I had my first appointment with him, he didn't say a lot, just gave me a date and asked if I had questions, etc: But, after the surgery he came and saw me like 2 or 3 times. He was very very nice and informative, and my impression of him changed immensily. I think he is an excellant surgen, and besides - I would rather have an excellant surgean than someone with a great bedside manner whose track record is bad, you know what I mean, haha! I will be forever grateful to Dr. Symmonds for doing this surgery for me and putting me on the path to a better life. He did an excellant job, my incisions are small, my healing time was short, and I already feel ages better than I did a day before surgery.

My first impression of Dr. Symmonds was that he is a nice and understanding person. Everyone in his office seems very nice and very helpful. He is very specific about the aftercare. He has strict guidelines that he wants his patients to follow and insures that you will reach your goals and stay there, if you simply follow his rules.

He is a great doctor, he even called me at home after my surgery. He is a really nice and caring man.

Dr. Symmonds is great! At first I thought he was a little distant but after talking with him, he really does have a very good bedside manner and is serious about what he does and expects you to take it seriously too. If you really mean to do this then he will ensure that you know exactly what you are getting into and you will be provided with excellent sources to be successful.The followup plan and group meetings are very helpful.I really appreciate him and his entire staff.