John Monk Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

Dr. Monk did a wonderful job and he is very caring. I got a staph infection in my drain wound and had to go back into the hospital for IV antibiotics. Other than that I have had a great experience. I recommend him highly.

My first impression of Dr. Monk was \"he doesn't look like I expected him to look.\" Which is totally silly, how did I think a surgeon was supposed to look? But he was very organized, he knew what had to be done and told me that I would have time for my questions now and at a later appointment. I was still not sold on the Roux En Y surgery at that point. Truthfully, I hesitated to tell him that I was also considering BPD/DS also, since he only does RNY. But his staff was so nice, I decided to shock him. I asked him to tell me why he feels RNY is better for me than the BPD/DS. He took it in stride and was not snotty in the least bit! He said that there definitely more malabsorption with the DS and that it did have an even higher success rate with people keeping the weight off. However, in my case, as in most females case, there is the calcium issue, so the RNY would benefit me there. Also, according to my labs, and previous labs that I submitted, I am already not absorbing protein as well as I should be and he felt that post-op protein absorption would be more difficult for me in particular. I went in to his office on a see-saw between the two surgeries and came out on the RNY side, with a small sigh of relief, the battle has been taken out of my hands for now....

Very knowledgeable and skilled - has a dry sense of humor that I like. Was able to answer all my questions and explain all in detail for me. Sue is his right-hand person, she is very busy but always pleasant and gets back to you in a timely manner when you call with concerns or questions. He requires you to go to a weightloss clinic, G Bp group, and all the blood test, physical checks and psychological eval before he submits your paperwork for approval - and stresses aftercare also. I knew all the risks ahead of time. His office is a Center for Excellence and he has had years of doing RNYs. I was very comfortable eventhough this was my first surgery ever and I had only been in a hospital once before for about 2 days. Good experience.

I had heard nothing but great things about Dr. Monk. I know four people that have had him do their surgery. When I went for my first visit I had already made up my mind that I wanted to do this. Dr. Monk came in his very straight forward manor starting talking. By the end of that visit I knew that I had made the right choice for my surgeon. Sue, his assistant has been wonderful, answering questions about everything and anything. (I just wonder how she does it all?)

They make a great team. I saw Dr. Monk right before I went into surgery and he was wonderfully reassuring. Then again once I was back in my room he came by. It was very comforting.

I would recommend him to anyone that is considering this surgery.

Dr. Monk was wonderful. He followed me very closely post-op and he and his nurse, Sue, were very responsive to any questions or problems that I had. My incision herniated after the staples came out, so Dr. Monk had to stitch that part back up. Evenutally it required another surgery to fix the hernia, but that went just fine. His only concern was that I lost weight too fast, and went past my goal by about 35 pounds. He had me gain about 25 pounds to get to a healthy weight for my size. I would recommend Dr. Monk to anybody considering WLS. He was just starting to do laproscopic procedures when I had my WLS done, but I wasn't a candidate for that anyway.

First off let me say that what you are about to read are my thoughts and my thoughts only on what I have experienced with Dr. Monk. I do know others that say he is the greatest and would never choose another doctor. Again these are my opinions about him. So take it for what it's worth.

What was your first impression of him/her?
Dr. Monk seemed very dry. No frills or lightheartedness in him.

How did your impression change over time?
My impression of him still has not changed.

How would you describe his/her office staff?
Very impersonal. I feel most of the time like we are interupting their day by being there.

What did you like least about him/her?
The fact that I did not even see the man the day of my surgery before I went under the knife.

What should future patients know about him/her?
If you are expecting to have aftercare with this doctor, you are not going to get the experience you are looking for. If you are expecting to see alot of this doctor in the hospital, think again. My wife and I both had Dr. Monk. and we both did not see much of him in the hospital. We did however see alot of the students they are teaching. Which they never informed us of before surgery. We are not happy at all with the Dr. or the hospital.

How much does he/she emphasize aftercare?
Not much.

Does he/she have a structured aftercare program?
If they do they do not really say anything abou it.

How did he/she address the risks of surgery?
Yes, he did make this point very clear.

How would you rate him/her overall?
On a scale of one 1 - 10. I would say about a three. In the office they really are not forthcoming with information. If you don't ask the question they really don't bring anything up. I mean I know you are supposed to ask any question you may have, but we all know that we don't think of alot of questions. These people deal with this surgery everyday and they probably get the same questions daily, then why don't they just offer up the answers to these question in the consult.

Which is better, surgical competence, bedside manner, or are both great?
His surgical competence. Bedside manner and aftercare leave alot of room for improvement.

Dr. Monk is a godsend. From the day that I met him I knew that he was the one that I wanted to perform my surgery. The staff at his office is great and his nurse, Sue, is the sweetest person. From the start, he was so sure that this operation was the best thing for me to do and that is exactly what I wanted to hear because I wasnt too sure of myself. I healed very well after surgery and he did an awesome job. I am 2 1/2 months out and have lost 60 lbs.!!! Dr. Monk is great.

I adore Dr. Monk. He had performed two previous operations on me, so I knew I was in safe hands this time around for my RNY. He is up front about all the risks of WLS. He is kind and sensitive towards his patients. His nurse Sue is wonderful! They require aftercare appointments and labwork regularly to make sure you are on track. They provide aftercare resources as well. I can never thank you enough Dr. Monk!!! The only negative is that I live about an hour away, which can make things difficult to schedule. Also, his practice is always booked with patients, so sometimes it can be hard to schedule an appointment.

MY COMMENTS ABOUT DR. MONK ARE TO NUMEROUS TO MENTION, BUT HERE ARE A FEW.
I WOULD RECCOMEND HIM TO ANYONE, HE IS COMPASIONATE AND DEDICATED.
HE EXPLAINED ALL THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE SURGERY. I WAS WORRIED ABOUT THE RISK BUT AS HE SAID THE PATH I WAS GOING ON I WAS AT RISK WITHOUT THE SURGERY.HE DID NOT PRESSURE ME IN ANY RESPECT BUT INSTEAD PUT ME AT EASE. HIS NURSE SUE WAS EXTREMELY KIND AND ALSO HELPED PUT ME AT EASE.

I WAS EXTREMELY SCARED AND ASKED SUE IF SHE WAS GOING TO BE IN THE OR AND SHE SAID NO THAT SHE DOESN'T GO TO THE OR. I TOLD HER I WAS SCARED AND ASKED HER IF SHE COULD GO WITH ME AND SHE GOT DR. MONK TO TAKE HER INTO THE OR WITH ME AND SHE HELD MY HAND.
OVERALL RATING FOR HIM AND SUE IS FABULOUS IN ALL AREAS, COMPASIONATE BEYOND MY EXPECTATIONS, COMPLETELY TRUTHFUL IN EVERY ASPECT OF MY PRE OP AND POST OP. I CAN NOT SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT THEM.
I LOVE THEM BOTH AND AM FOREVER GRATEFUL

RESPECTFULLY
KAY GRUNERT

Dr. Monk is very knowledgable and is no-nonsense. He has done many RNY's and has never had any major problems. I visited him several time over the course of 18mos as well as several other bariatric surgeons. He is the "Doc" for me! Sue, his nurse, is top-notch and knows her stuff. When I had a problem scheduling with a consulting physician, she got me in the very next day.
His Aftercare is intensive and structured and he did not candy-coat (sorry, no pun intended) the risks associated with such a drastic procedure.