John Kellum Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

Dr. Kellum is a real nice man. I would recommend him 100%. He is taking great care of me. I feel John Kellum is for the patients! I am very pleased with him so far.

Greatest Guy you could ever ask for. Extremely competent, caring, and professional. I feel a special bond with him and his entire team. His Office manager, Yolanda is also very special. She is so helpful and understanding. The Gastric bypass Clinical RN, Jill Meador is awesome. She is such an inspiration and mentor. Mrs. Margret McLellan, The dietician is also so nice and helpful. How can anyone fail with a team like that!

I met with Dr. Kellum on December 19, 2003. I was impressed with him as an intelligent professionl person. As one other person has said, his bedside manner isn't the greatest, but I appreciated his forthrightness and honesty. He cut right to the heart of things. Told me I could have the Laparoscopic RNY. He told me since I was a nurse he would tell me I had slightly higher than average risk because of my HTN and sleep apnea. I am glad he told me this so I could make a more informed decision. Yolanda, the secretary was very nice and the bariatric nurse and nutritionist were very efficient and helpful. I am relying on Dr. Kellum's good reputation in making my decision. I haven't talked to anyone who has anything bad to say about him or the surgery program at MCV.

Hi! I finally had my first consultation with Dr. Kellum on 01/30/04. First my husband and I watched the movie on the surgery; it was very interesting and very thorough about the surgery and the risk. Then we meet with the Dietitian. She explained about the supplements that I would have to take for the rest of my LIFE. Then we talked to Jill. She was straight up about answering all of our questions. We finally meet with Dr. Kellum (himself). He was very professional and very nice. He asked us if we had any questions about the movie we watched. He was also straight up about answering our questions and concerns. He also just chatted with my husband about his job. He realllly emphasized EXERCISING after the surgery. My appointment with all the doctors and staff was very pleasant. I would recommend Dr. Kellum to anyone. Now we wait to hear from the insurance company. Pray for me. God Bless. P.S. Thanks Lisa!

Dr. Kellum was really nice. His staff is great. I am waiting to submit paperwork to the insurance company.

My first impression of Dr kellum was that he was very intelligent and he made me comfortable and answered every question i had,although right now i have 100 more to ask. he was not much on the smiling side or one for small talk,but i was not there to make friends but looking for a great doctor.The dietician was nice along with the nurses and receptionist,everyone made me comfortable. he explained all the risks of surgery and that was alittle unsettling,but he spoke the truth. I feel i am in good hands

My first impression of Dr. Kellum, during my consultation, was that he was very dedicated to helping me with my weight and my co-morbidities. He answered my questions, made sure I understood the procedure, and gave me some additional ideas on how to really make this life changing procedure work for me. He really emphasizes aftercare in his consultation with you.

His office staff is, in one word, wonderful! They were so helpful and made the time spent during the consultation day enjoyable and informative and also made me feel more comfortable with my decision to have this major surgery.

3/14/03 WELL I HAVEN'T HAD MY APPOINTMENT WITH DR KING YET. MY APPOINTMENT IS APRIL 18TH SO EVERYONE WISH ME LUCK!!!!! A FREIND OF MINE HAD THE SURGERY ON MARCH 4TH BY DR KING AND HE IS WONDERFUL!!!!!
I WORK AT THE HOSPITAL SO I ALREADY KNOW HIM AND HAVE HEARD NOTHING BUT GOOD THINGS ABOUT HIM. HE ALSO ATTENDS THE SUPPORT GROUP MEETINGS WHICH I THINK IS AWESOME!! CAN'T WAIT FOR THE 18TH. SINCE I HAVE A CLOSE FREIND THAT WENT TO HIM I KNOW WHAT HE EXPECTS AND HAVE ALREADY MADE ALL OF MY OTHER APPOINTMENTS. THINK HE WILL BE SHOCKED WHEN I ALREADY HAVE THE OTHER STUFF COMPLETED WHEN I WALK THRU HIS DOOR!!!
TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE READING MY PROFILE FOR THE FIRST TIME DR KING STOPPED PERFORMING THE SURGERY AND I AM NOW SEEING DR JOHN KELLUM!! AND I THINK HE IS GREAT!!
MY FIRST APPOINTMENT WAS 21/2 HOURS LONG. THEY MAKE YOU WATCH A VIDEO SEE THE DIETICIAN AND THEN SEE THE DR WHO TOOK HIS TIME AND EXPLAINED EVERYTHING DETAIL BY DETAIL. FROM THE GOOD TO THE BAD!! THEN MY NEXT APPOINTMENT WAS 5 1/2 HOURS LONG. THAT ONE YOU TAKE A 2 1/2 HOUR CLASS AND THEN DO ALL YOUR PRE-OP TESTING. IF YOU FAIL TO SHOW FOR CLASS THEY CANCEL YOUR SURGERY!!!
DR KELLUMS NURSE AND DIETICIAN TAUGHT THE CLASS THEY ARE WONDERFUL!! I LOVE HIS STAFF

Dr. Kellum is a very impressive surgeon. I would rate his skills higher than his bedside manner, but, as time goes on, and he gets to know me better, he seems to open up more. However, if I am having surgery, give me a compete surgeon. If I want conversation, I can easily find a good conversationalist!
His office staff is very sweet...Yolanda acts as if you're her best friend *S* Jill, the bariatric nurse specialist for MCV is wonderful...very up to date in her field and always available to help you.
Dr. Kellum is very up front about the risks and benefits of the surgery. I have had a heart attack and have breathing problems, along with a history of arterial blood clots. He informed me that my risk was much higher than most patients. When he met my husband, he made sure that he was also aware of this. He also explained why he thought this surgery was the best thing I could do for myself.
MCV has an extensive aftercare plan. Pre-op, they send you a booklet which outlines everything you need to know through the peri-operative and post-operative stages. (Even telephone numbers to call, and who to ask for.) This booklet goes over the post-op diet in detail. Jill gives her e-mail address as well as her phone number, and she does answer both promptly. You are then required to attend a class (same day as the pre-op testing, and if you live out of town, MCV offers you free (donations if you can afford it) accommodations in their hospitality house. (It was very nice.) In this class, the dietician goes over the diet plan, then Jill goes over the after care and stresses using your support groups. It was very informative.
When I went for my 2 week post-op visit, Dr. Kellum was much more relaxed. He told me how glad he was I decided to do this for myself, heaped on the praises for how well I was doing, and encouraged me to "keep it up." The nutritionist was also there to go over what I had been eating and make any suggestions where needed. They both were quite wonderful!
I would recommend Dr. Kellum to anyone seeking WLS. He was patient with my questions (I took a list of 30+ to my first visit, and asked most of them, even though I had watched a detailed video first!) and he wanted to be certain that I understood what I was going to do and the life changes it would require.

I have my consultation visit Feb. 25, 03
I had my consultation visit rescheduled for March 28th. I was very impressed with the entire staff and procedure. I got there early which was a benefit because I was seen immediately and the whole procedure took a total of 2 hrs. I immediately liked and felt comfortable with Dr. Kellum. He was friendly and very professional. Between the dietician, film and Dr. Kellum, I was well informed of the risk and benefits of the surgery. They have an excellent aftercare program in which I received one of their newsletters as soon as I got there. Dr. Kellum told me I was a canidate for the lap procedure which pleased me tremendously! I have to have a sleep study done which I can do at my local hospital (I live 2 hrs from MCV in Richmond). I was also told since I live over 100 miles away, they highly recommend I stay in Richmond for a week after the surgery just in case there are any complications. MCV has a hospitality house which myself and someone with me can stay until released. I was very impressed with that because it was one of my concerns. All in all, up to this point, I rate Dr. Kellum and his staff a 10+! I feel very confident and secure in my decision!