L. Michael Howell Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

My first impression of Dr. Howell is that
he was straight forward. I have had only one visit with him. I was very nervous during this visit and didn't ask alot of questions. I will not see him again until the day before my surgery and look forward to seeing him again.
His assistant Cindy, who has had the surgery
herself was very nice.

I LOVED DR HOWELL, HE WAS VERY PLEASENT, HE REMINDED ME OF MY GRAMPA, HE STARTED DOING THESE SURGERIES, THE YEAR I WAS BORN.

I ONLY SPOKE WITH HIS ASSISTANT CIDY, SHE WAS PLEASANT FOR THE MOST PART, BUT SOMETIMES I FELT SHE WAS OVER WORKED, AND GOT ANNOYED IF I ASKED TO MANY QUESTIONS.
THEY EXPLAINED AFTER CARE IS VERY IMPORTANT.

I visited with Dr. Howell on May 3rd and we discussed WLS. The DR was very professional and answered each of my questions as if they were very important, although I'm sure he's answered them a thousand times before.

I have my first appt. with Dr. Howell and a
dietician on 10-7-99. So far my contact has
been with his coordinator Cindy as well. I
also find her very pleasant and courteous.
Dr. Howell and Cindy were even featured on a
local news program regarding WLS. I will post
more after I actually meet them. I am really
looking forward to my visit next month.

10-10-99 I had my first visit on 10-7-99. The
Dr. was very nice. He was open to any questions
and addressed the risks openly to me. The dietician
was nice as well. She gave me paperwork on the
gastric bypass diet and I will meet with her again
when I have a surgery date. The diet and aftercare
has an easy to understand structure and should be
very "user friendly" as long as a patient pays attention
and uses common sense.

11-02-99 I attended a local support group for WLS
patients. I went with a post-op friend and I really
enjoyed the people. The surgeon was there and lots
of people asked a lot of good questions. They were
all in various stages of weight loss so it was very
enlightening!

03-22-00 I have had the surgery (2 mo. post-op) and have
seen Dr. Howell several times since then. He is very
supportive and open to questions and has a lot of
opportunities avail. for patients to learn about this pro-
cedure. I have gone to a few of the support meetings
which is very helpful.

My surgical consult with Dr. Howell was 2/17/00. I spent time with both Dr. Howell and his PA and found both to be pleasant and informative. He is a "to the point" Dr. which is fine with me. There is a stuctured aftercare program with follow-up visits to the surgeon and a dietician as well as a support group. When I first contacted his office they sent a booklet that described the surgery in detail, listed potential complications and addressed the risks of surgery. The booklet emphasized that this is not a cure-all, it's a tool and that after-care and doing your part are necessary to the success of the surgery. I would recommend Dr. Howell to anyone.

i liked doc.howell right off. he is a honest and to the point man. tells you like it is and he sits and listens to you and what you have to say. his office staff is just great . they help you in so many ways. and before everything the staff you can call if your scared and they help you through that part.lord knows i was scared. there is nothing i didn't like about doc howell. i would trust him with my life. he tells you what to do after surgery and its up to you if you want to do it or screw it up. doc.howell would like to see you 4 to 5 times in the first two years.after surgery to better monitor your progress.the risks that was talked about was a person could die,it may not work,you could get blood clots,chooking to death,you could rip stiches,and a few more it all depended on the person. doc howell was just great about everything in my case.

Dr. Howell's assistant, Cindy, has been very helpful so far. She has sent very
informative brochures and information sheets. She has also told me what items I needed to get done ahead of time for insurance requirements -- such as 3 months of supervised weight loss in past 12 months, psych evaluation, records from doctors over the past 5 years.
(JANUARY 28, 2000)
I met Dr. Howell. He is professional and knowledgeable and quite at ease about the whole thing which is helpful for his patients. He requires that you also visit with a dietician during your first visit who explains your post surgical diet and gives out valuable information so that you can have your pantry ready for when you get home from the hospital. Dr. Howell seemed willing to spend as much time talking and explaining and answering questions as I needed.

I was very encouraged when I met Dr. Howell. He was courteous and kind. When I was talking to him about being overweight and trying every diet under the sun I described it as climbing a cliff with your fingernails, every once in awhile you get a little further only to slip back to where you started, he continued with my analogy to say, " yes, being overweight is like climbing the cliff while everyone else is having fun on the top" he continued to say" we can make that cliff a whole lot easier to climb"! How great to have someone who understand us.His coordinator Cindy has been excellent in calling back with information and always takes time to answer questions.He fully explained the procedure and what would happen.

Quiet and unhurried. Took time to explain procedure and answer any questions. Office staff helpful. Has follow up schedule, and staff send out cards for appointments. I am glad I chose Dr. Howell. When I asked for a referrel, I asked my primary physician to send me to someone who does these procedures all the time, and I felt very comfortable with the competency of Dr. Howell and staff.