David Sooriash Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

I did a lot of research before making my appointment with Dr Sooriash. I found him to be very firm (which I needed) and no nonsense. He didn't pull any punches. He told me flat out he didn't put up with Bullshit! His office staff Angie and Linda (his wife) were wonderful and caring. Linda and I joked around about Dr S being a silver haired fox and how I was going to steal him away from her. I appreciated his honesty with me and recommended him to 2 other co workers. He addressed the risks of surgery with me openly and honestly, I knew what to expect from day one.
Overall I would rate him a 10, his bedside manner was awesome and he always had a big hug for me at the end of our visits.

I was very intimidated at first , but Dr. Sooriash quickly made me feel at ease and explained every single question i had.Not once did he make me feel inferior on bad because i was obese. His office staff was very helpful and caring, letting me know if i had ANY questions after surgery to call anytime. I cant honestly say anything bad about Dr Sooriash. Hes a very straight foward honest man who tryuly believes in what he does. His bedside manor was wonderful, he informed me of exactly what to expect after surgery, gave me alot of after instructions, diets to follow. Dr Sooriash fully explained the risks of surgery before and up to the morning i had surgery. As far as rating him, 10 being the best, he gets a 20. i truly had a wonderful surgeon, with a great staff. If i had to do it all over again, id still choose DR. Soorias again, ive even referred quite a few people to him, not sure if he accepted there ins, but if so i would HIGHLY recommend him.

My first impression of Dr. Sooriash was that he is a strong minded individual that cares about his patients and knows what he is doing. Dr. Sooriash knew that I had already gone to two seminars about the GBS but he did not let that get in the way of him explaining the who routine to me again. Angel is a very nice, busy lady that helped me to know wxacty what I needed to have when I returned to see them on my next visit. She is as sweet ass she can be. Dr. Sooriash placed me on a 1000 a day calorie diet with exercise (walking 1 hour a day 7 days a week) until I come back to see him on Nov. 29, 04. Aftercare was only mentioned briefly, said that it would be discussed more at the next visit. Dr. Sooriash explained to me that there are many risks to having the surgery, he included a paper listing all the possible risks, and he went through each one individualy. On a scale from 1-10, I'd give the doc a 10+. His surgical competence is wonderful and I am sure that his bedside manner is all good too. I would recommend Dr. Sooriash to anyone that wants an evaluation. I can't recommend the surgery done by him because I have not had it yet. I am sure that he is great, no doubt. ***Dec.15,2004***I had my surgery on Dec. 10. I made a big ole baby outta myself while being wheeled to the operating room. Yes, I cried, but Dr. S assured me that everything would be fine. I is the sweetest thing once you get to know him. He treated me the same way that he has treated everyone else in the beginning, that is just the way he is. As you get to know him, he is just caring and has to be stern because your life is in his hands at one point. Don't dislike him, he only cares for your best interest. If he didn't he would not even mess around with you!!.

August 18, 2004***I have updated my original comments about Dr. Sooriash...at the bottom of this post you will see my first and second impression of him. However, at the beginning, you will see my thoughts after my revision and recovery and my current impression. There are many patients who think Dr. Sooriash was and is the answer to their prayers. I used to be one of those people, that is, I WAS one of those people until I came to the end of my rope. My complications are no fault of my own, and I believe had an experienced, seasoned bariatric surgeon been consulted about my case I would have fared far better than I have. I bless those of you who have had a great experience with Dr. Sooriash with no complications---I am happy for you. For those of us who have not, we have to be honest and post accurate information for pre-ops. Pre-ops have to educate themselves about all aspects of this surgery and the surgeons who perform it. I hope and pray that the majority have had no complications, and I do realize that many patients have had just that---a wonderful and blessed experience. Everyone deserves the right to choose the things that are best for themselves, and my no means do my comments nor my experience imply or outright state that any pre-ops who use or are considering to use or post-ops who have used Dr. Sooriash as their surgeon will have or have had a negative experience. This surgery is like a crap shoot, and there is no way possible to know what the outcome will be---no matter who your surgeon is, or how it is performed. There are high risks involved with this surgery--remember that.

Still the same old stuff going on here...I continue to take the meds and still cannot eat soft-solids without it. I still have the joint pain, the headaches, and now I am experiencing a numbness in my middle and index fingers on my right hand. I have been checked a few times in the past for carpal tunnel---I used to do office work, and that kind of thing goes along with that type of job. I haven't had any problems with my fingers before though. I have had wrist pain, but not in years---and never any numbness in my fingers. I hope this isn't something that has to do with all the medication I have been on for over a year and a half +++. I hope there isn't any permanent damage anywhere from taking all those meds. My fingers are NUMB. Something new to worry about---one more symptom to add to the list. There have been a handful of people who have emailed me with questions about Dr. Sooriash and how I am doing. The following is taken from an email I sent out to one of those individuals, and please, anyone who still would like to email me about it or with questions, I am here for anyone who does, and I will answer truthfully and honestly. "I am going to shoot straight for you...If there is anyway you can afford it, and if he is willing to see you out of network (if your insurance will approve going out of network) please, please, please see Dr. Yaserabi. He is the only expert here in JAX for gastric by-pass surgery, and I believe that you would have the best chance for no complications and the greatest chance for success with Dr. Yaserabi as your surgeon. Dr. Sooriash, on a personal level, is a wonderful, caring man. He loves his family very much, and his wife is wonderful. His staff are very warm and I didn't have a problem with any of them or Dr. Sooriash on a personal basis. I am not the type of person that goes around verbally slandering someone, and I have not done that yet. I don't want Dr. Sooriash to close up shop and go away, but I do think he shouldn't be doing the gastric by-pass surgery until he receives more training for it. Did you know that there are no required classes or certifications for surgeons to have in order to perform gastric by-pass? This is a major operation, and the surgeon with the most surgeries under their belt are actually the best ones for this job. Quantity does mean quality, and with that in mind, Dr. Sooriash is still practicing this surgery every time he does it---he has not done enough gastric bypass surgeries to reduce the risk of complications. My husband did some research, and a surgeon has to do over 100 gastric bypass surgeries before the complication risk goes down. I believe I made the wrong choice---I made a drastic, desperate, and quick decision when I decided to listen to Aetna US Healthcare and allowed them to choose my surgeon for me. My life and my family's life has been reduced from a "normal" existence to ruin. Financially, emotionally, physically---my family has suffered through all of this along with me. There has been no area of my life that remains intact or untouched by my decision. As an obese woman, I let society and peer pressure help me to decide that I couldn't wait, that I had to have the surgery as quickly as possible. I wish I had done my homework and researched all the surgeons in this area before I made the final choice. I implore you to see if your insurance co. will allow you to go out of network to see Dr. Yaserabi. If you can't afford the higher co-pay, then wait and save until you have all the money together to pay the higher fees. I continue to hear terrible, tragic things about patients that chose Dr. Sooriash, surgeries performed both a year ago and recently. I have talked with several of his former patients who have had complications. Two had their surgeries either a month before or a month after mine, and one had their's at the end of 2003. Three of these people received revision surgery by Dr. Sooriash, and still are having problems. One of these was sent to Dr. Yaserabi, by their primary care physician, and he did revision surgery and corrected the problem. I am not a candidate for a 3rd surgery. Dr. Yaserabi has told me that a 3rd surgery may not change things for me, and that I needed to allow time for the healing process. It has been a year and two months almost since my revision surgery was done by Dr. Sooriash, and I still cannot eat solid foods. No chicken, pork, or beef---I eat foods that are mushy and soft--like baby food consistency--and there is little hope for the future to bring any change. Dr. Yaserabi took me off phenergen--long term side effects from it can actually cause muscle rigidity--and I am on Dramamine--both chewable and regular. If I want to eat a "meal" which consists of a portion of a baked potato and maybe some overcooked mushy veggies I have to take a Darvocet, four regular Dramamines, and three chewable Dramamines. I then have to wait about a half hour to forty-five minutes and then I can eat a little bit. I do this at least twice a day now, so I can at least maintain my weight, and so I won't starve to death. I am affected greatly by the medication--I am sleepy, irritable, and my personality is totally opposite from my "unmedicated" self. I thank God that I have been able to keep my faith through all of this. There are people who read my profile and email me, to let me know they are praying for me as well, and it gives me a little hope---I can get through this with God's help. I would love to talk with you--I really feel that if you need someone to talk to about the bad side of this surgery, I would be willing to do that. You still have time for a second opinion, and if you cannot see Dr. Yaserabi please see Dr. Overcash in Ocala or Dr. Webb here in JAX. Ask for information about every patient that has had any complications from mild to severe to death. Take notes, and if you don't get the answers to your questions, that means you need to ask again. You have a right to the best medical care you can find, and that is why you pay the insurance co. those high premiums. You can demand 2nd opinions and to see any doctor out of network." Anyone considering this surgery, please do not make the same mistake that I made. No one needs to rush the decision making process in choosing a surgeon---find one you are comfortable with and get all the answers from. It has taken me many, many months to get to this point---to be honest and up front. I don't know why, but somehow I feel I am betraying all the people who have had a good experience with Dr. Sooriash. There are some wonderful women whom I came in contact with, who called, emailed, and came to see me in the hospital. I miss being a part of that peer group. I am not an obese woman anymore, so I am not in the pre-op group. My surgery had terrible complications, so I am not in the successful post-op group. I cannot go to Dr. Sooriash's support group meetings, because of obvious reasons, and at Dr. Yaserabi's meetings, I don't feel comfortable because I wasn't operated on by him---what can I say when I meet people there?

After my first visit, my impression of Dr. Sooriash was that he was a professional individual with genuine concern towards the commitment of his patients. At first I was taken aback by his direct attitude and abrupt way of speaking, but I can definitely understand why he only wants to consider the serious individual for surgery. Why would he take on a patient who will not commit to a lifestyle change and will potentially gain back their weight in time? I would rather have a surgeon who requires something from patients than one who requires nothing and will operate on anyone.

The office staff was very friendly and helpful, offering their assistance for any future needs I may have. Nina is awesome! We did not go into any questions about aftercare, but I was impressed by Dr. Sooriash's serious and frank statements about myself and my problem. I appreciated his honesty about his expectations.

I will update this again after my second visit, scheduled for next month. During that visit I am supposed to bring my husband with me to discuss the surgery with Dr. Sooriash and also to discuss aftercare.





August 21, 2002
Well, my second visit with Dr. Sooriash went so much better than the first. My husband came with me, and I was able to ask each and every question I had on my list. I received honest and genuine answers for each one. My husband had a couple of questions of his own, which Dr. Sooriash addressed as well. I am very pleased and feel my second visit was a success, even if I only lost three pounds since my first appt. three weeks earlier. Dr. Sooriash makes it very easy to understand his criteria for surgery and also the reasons why he is so strict. He requires his patients to be at a healthy weight, and also to exercise every day. I am proud to say I have lost seven pounds since Aug. 8th, so now I am down to 328. I will confirm that weight on Dr. S's scales this afternoon or tomorrow, but my goal is closer and closer all the time! I just received a call from Nina in Dr. Sooriash's office asking me if I wanted to be part of a support group list, and of course, I said yes! I think Dr. Sooriash needs a support group started for his patients, and this is the first step towards that end. Anyone who has any questions about Dr. Sooriash or just wants some information, please feel free to email me. I am so looking forward to Sept. 20! Keep me in your prayers!

I do not even know where to start ... What words could I use here to help you form a vision of my experience with Dr. Sooriash? I met Dr. Sooriash 08/02 .... He started to change my life that day ... However, not till months after my surgery, did I realize this. From my first day, Dr. S made it clear in his own words ... IF YOU DO WHAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS DONE .... YOU WILL GET WHAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS GOTTEN!!! Think about it .... He made me understand how important it was to prepare my mind, not just my body for a change. I have observed Dr. Sooriash in many different settings, my message to you ... If your Doctor does not make you feel they are in this LONG TERM with you ... Go to another Dr. until you do feel this. My quality of life has changed for the better, both visible and mentally. You will not be successful after the surgery, if you do not understand this is a change of life, just a tool ... It does not stop you from eating the wrong things, only you can do that. You will change how you eat, think and approach each day. Most are good, some are bad ... I had some bad days during the holidays, I am 16 months post-op and gained 5lbs during December ... I was eating chocolate everyday ... I took my tool for granted ... Today when I saw Dr. S I told him I did not do well over the holidays, HOWEVER ... I was able to push the chocolate away ... Ok, I did not push it away, I had to remove it from my house! I placed it in a large garbage can and took it outside. Dr. Sooriash could have made me feel really bad, but instead we talked about what I did to get back on track. I have never asked Dr. Sooriash what his vision statement is ... I will bet it has a clear message of .... You can not change yesterday, but you can learn from it, and plan tomorrow ... Do what you've always done ... Get what you always have. Just in case I have not made it clear how passive I am about Dr. Sooriash, let me do so by saying ... Thank you Dr. Sooriash for caring about me and my future, for being hard on me, and making ME embrace MY expectations. For all the times you must ask yourself if you make a difference ... You sure do!Advice is what we ask for, when we already know the answer, but wish we didn't. If you want a Dr. that cares about your long-term health ... You owe it to yourself to meet with Dr. Sooriash.

DONT PAY ATTENTION TO THE NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT DR SOORIASH. HE IS ONLY WANTING YOU TO RECOGNIZE THE PATTERNS THAT HAVE PUT YOU WHERE YOU ARE (whether it is eating, depression, socioeconomic etc...). He is not trying to judge you or make you feel singled out. After I read what people wrote about him I was petrified to walk into his office. I went in there and we discussed the surgery, what I have done, and what I will need to do. He complimented me several times during my first visit. I was still scared when I went back for the first weigh in but once again He was very impressed(actually used that word) He is office staff is very nice and put me at ease several times. It is hard trying to stick to 1000 calories a day but as long as you try that is all he can ask. My only regret is that I wasted time trying to go through other surgeons in Jax that only wanted an extra $6000.00 and not once did that other office ininiate to see how I was doing. I got approved and the next day I was given a surgery date that is only 2 weeks away. I say give Dr Sooriash the chance and he will change your life. He is a wonderful person. Everyone in my family that has met him so far is just as impressed as I am. He is strict, but I felt that is what I needed. Just believe it!

When I first made my appointment with Dr. Sooriash, i was really nervous. I had read other patients review of him, and thought, "Oh my God is he intimidating". I thought he would pass judgement on me. But when I went in and met him he was very nice. He was very professional and wanted me to know the truth about myself, he went over all aspects of the surgery and possible complications and side-effects that could or could not happen. I was very open with him as he was with me. He did state that he wanted me to lose 10% of my weight. This he stated would decrease any chance of complications because they go hand in hand, the weight and the complications. I would definitely go to him and would recommend him to anyone..

I had my first consult with Dr. Sooriash on Jan. 19th and just came with hopes that he would be a likeable doctor since he would be a major part of my life soon. I didn't get the warm fuzzies when I finally met him. His personality was abrupt and personally I felt he made certain assumptions about me without even trying to get to know me. I felt he assumed I was not an intelligent individual and he talked down to me. What really irritated me was his insisting that I state my problem is I overeat. Hello! The majority of American society overeats. Excess is the nature of this society. It just manifests itself more apparently on some of us. Just like the post-op for morbid obesity has many requirements, many tiers so did the road that got us here in the first place. That's why there're a variety of tests we have to go through pre-op! The office staff I've met so far, a female (sorry, so overwhelmed with the experience I forgot her name), was wonderful. Very warm and personable. The exact opposite of the doctor. She is the one that told me about this website. I was totally unaware it existed. Maybe if I had, I would have been better prepared mentally. I see I am not alone in my perception of the doctor. As far as the surgery is concerned, he was straightforward and matter-of-fact about what type of surgery he would perform and had a list of risks which he went over, which I appreciated. If I needed an explanation of any of them, he gave it promptly. I did not ask many questions I should have because I wrongly assumed he would cover every aspect automatically. The next thing I knew, the visit was over and my before picture was being taken. It's okay, I'm sure I'll have many occasions in the near future to ask whatever else I need to know. He seems to have no problem answering questions. Only the future will tell if my opinion changes or is reinforced. I will be happy to update as this journey continues!

I had my first appointment today, 1/14/04, with Dr S, and to be honest he had me crying in no time. (but I am admittedly a sensitive soul) He is obviously extremely intelligent, but he is blunt. I know this will not be a "quick fix", and I am determined to do what Dr S says. He wants me to lose 33 lbs during the next five weeks. Though he is not "warm and fuzzy", I can see he does truly care. I am looking forward to the next appointment. :)

1/6/2004: Had my first meeting with my surgeon, he was a trip. People say he is mean, but you just have to understand where he's coming from. This surgery is serious business, and he pulls no punches about the dangers. In my case it's a no brainer, have the surgery or die (Duh!). He gave me the "You can exercise 3 days a week BUT you also can only eat 3 days a week" speech. I did see him almost smile a couple of times. He challenged me to get to a healthier weight to avoid Post-Op Complications, and I gave him my word that I would.