Terrence Fullum Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

My first impression of Dr. Fullum was that he was very knowledgeable, handsome, and caring. You could tell that he was a surgeon who was in it to help the patient, not to help his bank account or his ego. I have only seen him once, and that was at his monthly support group meeting.
His office staff has been EXTREMELY helful to me, although they are very busy and as a result, can be minimally disorganized.
He was very honest about the risks of the surgery. He was forward and sincere. He even told us about his mortality rate, (over 300 surgeries, and only 3 deaths).
Based on what I know so far, on a scale from 1-10, I would give him a good, solid 9 :)

I would say that bedside manner and surgical competence are equally important. That's part of the reason why I decided against having my surgery performed by Dr. Barry Greene, because his bedside manner sucked. So, you can tell that I place a lot of importance on a person's attitude, ego, and personality.
I will update when I have met with him directly and when I have gotten a date for surgery :)

When I first met Dr. Fullum, I couldn't help but notice how attractive he is!!! (smile) He is extremely knowledgeable, personable and up-front with regard to the advantages and the risks associated with the surgery. He is definitely an expert in his profession, an advocate for the laparoscopic method, and very courteous and caring toward his staff and patients. I would highly recommend him and his staff.

Dr. Green (fellow surgeon) is also very knowledgeable, helpful and works well with Dr. Fullum.

The staff is superb in making the required appointments for your clearances, follow-up appointments and preparation for the monthly support group meetings. They are very dedicated to the patients and are the success behind Dr. Fullum's practice.

I found out about Dr. Fullum when I was researching the surgery on the internet. When I did a search, there was a site, www.safersurgery.com. This is Dr. Fullum's site. This is where I learned about Dr. Fullum's practice. I was impressed before I actually met him. I have been to 2 support group meetings and have had my initial consultation with Dr. Tapscott, however, I have not spoken directly to Dr. Fullum. (I'll update when I get to that portion of this journey.) Dr. Fullum appears to be genuinely concerned about helping his patients. I think I would feel comfortable talking to him. I haven't had any questions to bring up during the meetings because he's already answered my questions during the discussion. His office staff is very busy, however, they are very friendly and answer all my questions without making me feel silly. It is difficult to get through on the phone and you will have to wait when you get to his office. I don't mind because I know I am choosing a surgeon with outstanding skills. I can't say there's anything I don't like about him right now. Dr. Fullum's future patients should know that you have to be patient. Expect a long wait when you go for visits (I think they need to re-work the way they schedule patients. He did mention in the last meeting that his office will possibly be adding the surgeon that trained him. He's also hiring more staff and has another skilled surgeon working with him.) Dr. Fullum emphasizes after care. You have different visits up to 18 months post-op (or longer for some patients). There are mandatory group meetings. You meet with several specialists before and after surgery to ensure that your surgery is successful. You definitely know all the risks before surgery. He tells you over and over and over again. He says you have a consent test before surgery so that he knows you know all the risks and requirements. Everyone, regardless of insurance requirements, has to have a psych. eval. to make sure that you fully understand what you are doing. I believe Dr. Fullum is great! Right now, I say that both Dr. Fullum's bedside manner and surgical competence are great! (Remember, I'm pre-op. If anything changes, I'll be sure to update)

Well, I have not actually met Dr. Fullum yet. I have a consultation scheduled for April 24, 2003. I will let you know how everything goes. So far, I have only heard good things about him and his staff. And, I hope I can feel the same.

My first impression of Dr. Fullum, was that he was very knowledgeable. My personal fear of MOST doctors is that they don't have much of a personality "bed-side manner" this by far is NOT apart of Dr. Fullum's demeanor.

Overtime, my impression of Dr. Fullum only improved. I realized that he is sincere about the well being of his patients. In addition he treats you with a holistic approach not just treating you for the cause. He takes a step into all aspects of the life before and after surgery, once again holistically.

I have all praise for his office staff. I feel they are going through growing pains. Therefore some may experience long waits and delayed returned phone calls. But due to the sincerity and strong desire to help I feel that things will get better in the future. I strongly suggest bearing with them at this time. During my pre-op period Karen, Office Manager and Dr. Tapscott would make calls to me on the weekends and in the evenings. They were all about getting the job done. Not wanting to leave out any names out but the entire office staff has a sincere desire to help.

I FIRST SAW DR FULLUM AT HIS GROUP MEETING THAT HE HELD ONCE A MONTH. JUST JUST FOR HIS PATIENCE, BUT FOR EVERYONE. I AM IMPRESS WITH THE IDEA HE HELD THIS MEETING ONCE A MONTH. IT GIVES EVERYONE THE CHANCE TO ASK WHATEVER QUESTIONS THEY WANT TO KNOW AND ETC.

I HAD MY FIRST CONSULTANT WITH DR. FULLUM AND HE WAS VERY NICE AND ANSWER QUESTION THAT I LIKE TO KNOW. EVEN THOUGH HE'S VERY BUSY, HE DOES TAKE HIS TIME TO TALK TO ANYONE VIA EMAIL. HE DOES REPLY MY EMAILS.

DR. FULLUM IS VERY SPECIFY AND CARE ABOUT HIS PATIENCE.. IN HIS MEETING HE EXPLAIN LAPARASCOPIC SURGERY AS SAFE SURGERY AND THE DIFFERENTS BETWEEN OPEN AND LAPARSCOPIC.

THE OUTPATIENCE STAFF ARE VERY NICE.. ALL OF THE DR THAT DR FULLUM REFERAL ME TO WERE VERY NICE AND WELCOMING.. AND WISH ME ALL THE BEST AND ASK ME TO COME BACK AFTERWARD

I first met Dr. Fullum at his monthly support group meeting at Providence Hospital in Washington, DC. My first impression of him was that he was very knowledgeable & competent in doing this surgery and I knew at that time that he would be the one to perform my surgery. Dr. Fullum was very upfront about the risks and the benefits associated with this type of surgery and I appreciated his candidness. Dr. Fullum's staff is also very courteous but due to Dr. Fullum's popularity, the office visits are rather long. He sees so many patients on a daily basis that the wait is sometimes close to an hour before you're even seen. Also, Dr. Fullum is the head of the surgery department at Providence Hospital and sometimes he's called in for emergency surgery, which also delays the office visits. But all in all, I didn't have a problem w/the wait because I knew that it was just a means to an end! I am very pleased with Dr. Fullum and his staff and would strongly recommend him to anyone considering this surgery.

Good Dr. Surgery went very smooth.

1. I thought that Dr. Fullum was informative, kind and handsome.
2.It hasn't. I still find him to be kind, funny and imformative.(and handsome)
3.His staff is great, first impressions are key and I don't have enough room to talk about everyone from the receptionist to Dr. Fullum.
4. Nothing.
5. That he is a great doctor, he is good at what he does and he cares, it's doesn't come off as if he is only doing a job.
6.He doesn't play with aftercare.
7.Yes, he does and you find this out before the operation and after.
8. During the manadatory group sessions he outlines everything and goes into much more detail of the operation.
9. 100%
10. For me with an operation such as this everything is important.

APRIL 29, 2002
doctor fullum AND his staff are extremely caring, efficient, knowledgable and easily attainable at anytime for whatever reason. he and his associates look out for you as a person and not just as a patient. although doctor fullum was very busy at the time of my consultation appointment he still made a round for me and introduced his self. doctor fullum and doctor dan (his associate) teach Advanced Laproscopic surgery nationally. HE HAS A FANTASTIC TEAM OF DOCTORS SPECIFICALLY THERE TO HELP IN THE COMPLETION OF ALL THE PRE-OPT TESTING......i will complete this profile after surgery...may 1st is my surgery date... 2 days to go