"1st impression: Dr. Kligman is brilliant. He is very well educated and up-to-date on technology and practice. He is very thorough and matter-of-fact.
Impression changed: First I had to learn to TRUST a doctor! EEK! (and trust him with my very life) Dr. Kligman eventually earned my trust and gratitude during my extended hospital stay. He put up with a lot of bull from me because I was really scared!
Office/Staff: Dr. Kligman's staff is very knowledgeable, friendly and supportive. Claudia even visted me in the hospital and brought a prayer plant from her and Dr. K.
Claudia is a phone call away, and if she doesn't have the answer, then Dr. Kligman will call you back and help you.
What I liked least: Dr. Kligman's brilliance can get in the way of his bedside manner. Sometimes he's just very matter-of-fact, when you feel like you need or want something else, a little more empathy. I think I felt that way because of complications and my own fear. When doc is theorizing out loud about complications you're having and you get scared, all you really want is reassurance. He did try to give me that. I just had to accept that things weren't going to change overnight. I HAD TO BELIEVE AND TRUST, and once I did, then everything was fine. Dr. Kligman kept telling me it was his job to worry, and it was my job to work on getting better. By the end of my hospital stay, I didn't have anything I disliked about doc. He tries hard. He really grows on you! He saved my life!
Future patients: Mark Kligman is like a god to all his patients. We highly respect this intelligent and capable man! He was so generous once (actually his wife and kids too) that he stayed home from a holiday vacation at Christmas time to do surgery and post-op care on a patient. We all gave a round of applause recently at a meeting. He really is a caring and generous person. He gives his time and life to saving people, what more can you say? He doesn't HAVE to do this--he WANTS to.
Aftercare: Dr. Kligman recommends regular follow-up vists and blood work, and a specific calorie and protein intake, with additional daily multi-vitamin and mineral supplement (like a Flinstones chewable complete), additional B12 and iron, especially for women who still menstruate. He is still studying the effects of rapid weight loss on individuals and cares deeply about our success by proper nutrition. I believe he'll strive to work closely with other professionals, like nutritionists and dieticians to develop the most successful aftercare regimen he can. We got where we are today, through trial and error and all patients are not the same. What's good for one is not for others, and some people need additional supplements. If you look at the post-op diet handout from Dr. Kligman's office and compare it to the one the actual hospital dietician will bring you in the hospital, you'll see they're nearly identical. Dr. Kligman works hard to make sure we enjoy our new life to the fullest. If he learns anything new I'm sure the information will be filtered down via the site, other patients and the support group. If we find facts or read something, we likewise should share it with him. It's a great learning process for the doctor and the patient.
Structured aftercare: Dr. Kligman's wife has been gracious enough to moderate a monthly aftercare meeting. A clinical psychologist also attends. Dr. Kligman was at the first session to do Q & A for new patients and to see how we all were doing. There is a variety of post-op patients from 1 week to over 1 year with a lot of happy results. In time it will grow. We plan to choose a name for the group at our next meeting and set up a telephone/e-mail help list for those considering surgery or who just want to share. Everyone there wants to help others, especially those facing the decision of surgery. We all have a unique story and are more than willing to help, talk, hold others' hands, whatever it takes to save one more life! One of the suggested names for the group is NEW LIFE, because that's what we've all been given! Thanks to Dr. Kligman.
Risks: Dr. Kligman was very serious in discussing risks of surgery. From death under anesthesia, possible problems like needing to go from Laporascopic to wide open, to excessive bleeding, blood clots, etc. and even the surgery itself not working. He believes more in reduction (small pouch) vs. malabsorbtion. He doesn't like to take out a lot of your intestines, because to live happily and healthy, you need a lot of small intestine to do it's job correctly. We've seen the horror stories on 48 hours, 20/20 and in the news, of people who look like skeletons or severe anorexics who can't keep weight on them after an unsuccessful bypass surgery. I was worried more about that than any other complication! He reassured me that the way he does HIS Rouen-Y, it wouldn't be likely I'd ever suffer like that. He explains EVERYTHING and if you have more questions, just call and he'll call you back! He wants his patients to be well educated and he is a great teacher!
Rating: 10
Dr. Kligman continues to develop a fantastic bedside manner with all of his patients. He now has a terrific balance of competence and bedside manner that make him EXCEPTIONAL."
