"When I first met Dr. Valin, he put me very much at ease. He was very up front and clear about the procedure and spoke in terms that I understood (since I"m not a medical student).
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4/1/01 - Now that I'm 10 days Post-Op, I want to add a few things about Dr. Valin here. While I don't have another gastric surgeon to compare him to, I HAVE known many doctors in my day and he ranks right up there with his measure of caring and compassion. I had a leakage scare after I'd been home from the hospital just a few days, so I called his office with my concern. Dr. Valin called me back personally to talk about it with me and he put my mind at ease. During my hospital stay, he was very willing to take the time to talk to me and answer any questions I had. I never feel "rush-rush" with Dr. Valin. I have the utmost respect for his skill, ability, and motivation. During some of my pre-op testing, I was talking to other hospital workers about the differences between Dr. Valin and Dr. Reinhold, and everyone felt that Dr. Valin's skill level was just as good as Dr. Reinholds eventhough Dr. Reinhold might have a lot more experience. I really believe that Dr. Valin goes the extra mile for his patients and makes every effort to stay informed and up-to-date with the most recent advances in this procedure. I am very happy I chose Dr. Valin, and I am very happy that I'll be able to continue working with him as I recover and for follow-ups. One more thing... as I was waiting to be wheeled into the O.R., it really meant a lot to me that Dr. Valin took the time to come talk to me before surgery. I don't know if he always has the time to do that with everyone, but it was comforting. I do think that he would do well to have an actual "nurse" in his office and I think Cecile could use some help because she pretty much does all the scheduling and insurance handling. She's very caring and always amazes me how she gets all the appointments right and remembers everything so well with all that she has to do. I also think he needs an office overhaul because it truely does NOT reflect his professionalism or the respect he commands.
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