Surgeons at Kaiser
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
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Kaiser Oak Pediatric Surgeon
May 2009Our daughter has been referred for surgery at Kaiser Oakland with Dr. Olagire - has anyone had experience with this doctor, or with pediatric surgery at Kaiser that can share your thoughts? also curious about ANY pediatric surgery experiences (particularly with ped. anesthesiologists) at Kaiser Oakland or Santa Clara...thank you!
I had a great experience with pediatric surgery at Kaiser Oakland. My so (who is now 10 months) needed surgery at 8 weeks old. He has a kidney/bladder abnormality which Kaiser caught at my 20 week ultrasound. They monitored it throughout my pregnancy and did a number of tests on my son after he was born. They determined that he needed surgery at about 4 weeks but advised that we wait until he was 6 weeks+ because of the risk involved with anesthesia. My husband and I were nervous of course - I've never had to deal with anything like this with our first born. But we felt confident in our surgeon (Dr. Krishnan - pediatric urologist).
I was beyond tense the days leading up to the surgery but Kaiser is great about making you feel comfortable. They answered all our questions, make drawings so we could discuss with family. They were great - the day of surgery went off without a hitch (except it took longer than expected and each minute felt like an hour). But he recovered well, no complications. And now he is a fat and happy 10 month old. If you want to talk feel free to send me an email. brenda
There are two pediatric Surgeons at Oakland Kaiser Tertiary Care Center. Dr Odouw and Dr Kim are both surgeons at Oakland Childrens Hospital and are the exclusive pediatric surgeons at Oakland Kaiser on contract for the last three years. There are at least six or eight pediatric anesthesiologists at Oakland Kaiser who mostly trained at top universities with large Children Hospitals. The new director of the PICU at Oakland Kaiser is the former PICU director at Oakland Childrens. Hope this helps
Hi, I want to highly recommend the pediatric surgical staff at Oakland Kaiser. Of course, the environment was a strange one. But the nurses were caring, sweet, helpful and understanding with both my son and I. It was difficult for me to see my child drugged, but in the end I was so glad for the kind of experience we had there. I would not hesitate to go there again if the need arises. Been There
Kaiser Head and Neck Surgeon?
Feb 2009My teenage daughter smashed into a wall last summer and requires surgery to fix her now deviated septum. We are Kaiser members but since the Oakland branch is a teaching hospital, I worry (and have heard one horror story) about a resident practicing on my daughter's face. Has anyone out there had experience with a good Head and Neck surgeon in the Kaiser system. Or any warnings, help or guidance you can offer?? Worried Mom
Dr. Joshua Gottschall at Kaiser Oakland saved our son's life. Here is his bio from the Kaiser website: http://www.permanente.net/homepage/doctor/joshuagottschall/ I could not say enough wonderful things about him. I am sorry to hear about your daughter and wish her the best of luck in her recovery. Grateful Mom
Experience with Kaiser Cochlear Implant?
Nov 2008I'm severely hard of hearing and considering getting a cochlear implant at Kaiser, where I have an individual insurance plan. I'm interested in the experiences of anyone else who has had this operation done at Kaiser. How much did you have to pay out of pocket, including post-op rehab? Did you have a hard time getting approval for the operation? Did you fear you might be dropped for your coverage entirely by requesting this expensive operation? Were you satisfied with the care? How is the implant working for you? How long was the rehabilitation period? And were you given the option of binaural implants (in both ears)? Any advice on dealing with Kaiser on this issue would be much appreciated. Thanks!
I had a cochlear implant at Kaiser in Oakland. I am profoundly deaf. If you have regular insurance with them, they cover the majority of the costs, including hearing and speech therapy you will need after the operation. I only had to pay co-payments. Before I could get the implant, I had to be approved by an audiologist there. The audiologist determines whether or not you would benefit from the implant. I was never dropped from the coverage afterwards as a result from the implant. I was very satisfied with the care. You stay at the hospital only a few hours after the operation. I was given very clear instructions for the post-op care. The recovery period is approximately one month, to give your implant a chance to settle in before it is turned on. If the audiologist determines that you qualify for binaural implants, you could get both. Good luck. If you have more questions, please write me at arojob -at- gmail.com. An implantee
A friend of ours had a Cochlar implant done through Kaiser for their daughter, They have been very happy. Anon
Surgery to remove tumor from husband's spine
Nov 2007My husband is having surgery to remove a chordoma (cancer) tumor from his spine on 11/07. Dr. Granelli will be performing the surgery. Anyone have any experiences good or bad to share? At this point we have lost faith in the Kaiser system due to several errors in judgement on their part leading up to this surgery. We are uncomfortable at best. Unfortunately, can't afford to pay out of pocket to go anywhere else. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Should have gone with a PPO
I can't respond to Dr. Granelli's surgical skill because fortunately my breast cysts did not require surgery. However, I saw him for an aspiration procedure and for several follow ups and can atest to his kind, gentle manner. My friends thought I was nuts, but I actually looked forward to seeing him for follow ups because of his patience, kindness, and un-rushed manner. Best of luck you your family. Debbie
My experience with Dr. Granelli has been outstanding. He is expert in what he does, is very knowledgeable and has an outstanding reputation and is highly respected in his field.
He performed major surgery on me with a successful outcome. He was kind and caring to my family during our trying time. (They think he's great!)
He has followed my recovery and my progress conscientiously and judiciously. I trust him implicitly.
I can totally understand how very worrisome it is for you to be faced with a serious medical situation. You are very wise to research information about the surgeon who will be performing the surgery. I can wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Granneli.
Wishing you a successful and speedy recovery. Barbara
Jaw surgery for 16-year-old son
March 2005My 16-year-old son apparently has a jaw anomoly that his orthodontist is recommending major jaw surgery to correct. After 3.5 years in braces, the orthodontist removed them after realizing that he could not correct the problem with orthodonture. My understanding is that the lower jaw is continuing to grow while the upper jaw is not, and also that one side is growing faster than the other. This apparently will cause ongoing bite problems unless it is somehow corrected. I am wondering if anyone else has had experience with this, and I'm looking for recommendations about where to go for help. The ortho recommended Michael Doucet, DDS (the same surgeon that removed my son's wisdom teeth earlier). The problem is that our insurance coverage is with Kaiser (only medical, not dental). The ortho thinks Kaiser should cover it, since it is a medical problem, not a dental one. I am wondering if anyone has had experience with this type of surgery with Kaiser, and are there any doctors you would recommend (or ones to avoid!). I'd also love to hear about any alternative therapies we should investigate. Any advice you have would be much appreciated. Diane
My husband had lower jaw surgery through Kaiser last year. Dr. Felice O'Ryan was his doctor and we were very happy with her. We felt very confident of her abilities and liked her bedside manner. Kaiser Oakland performs the maxillofacial surgeries for all of Northern California so it's likely that they'll be very experienced with the type of surgery your son requires. The flip side is that it may take awhile for the surgery to occur. I think my husband's surgery was scheduled six months in advance. Feel free to email me if you have any questions. Paula
Breast biopsy
Feb 2004I'm scheduled to have a breast biopsy performed at Kaiser by Dr. Granelli. I'm just wondering if anyone has had any experience with him, positive or negative.
I saw Dr. Granelli for follow appointments after a cyst aspiration. I found his ''bedside manner'' to be wonderful. He was reassuring, but also completely informative. He also promised to do re-exams according to my comfort level, and never made me feel like I was overdoing it. I highly recommend him. I can't personally speak to his surgical skill, because it was not necessary in my case, but I remember being told by one of the staff that I had ''the best.'' Good luck to you. Debbie
I had a similar situation a couple of years ago where a hemorrhoid surgery, or rather the aftercare, got screwed up by a UCSF doc which led to inflammation and a fistula. To get this sorted out, I saw Dr. Million at the Center for Colorectal Health. She scheduled a sort out-patient procedure that healed well. She's not in the East Bay and not Kaiser, but I can recommend her hands-down.
I didn’t get to choose, but Amy Michelle Tolan at Kaiser Oakland did my surgery and so far, so good! Wishing u the best.
My husband had fistula surgery with Dr Olakunle Oluseun Ajayi at Kaiser Oakland and recommends him. He had a great experience, the surgery went well, fistula didn't come back, and Dr Ajayi was personable and made him feel well taken care of.
Dr. Rupert Horoupian is a great surgeon who does lots of fistulas and hemorrhoids but he's not part of Kaiser. His office is across from Summit Hospital in Oakland. 510-465-5523
I've done a lot of research before choosing a Kaiser doctor for my hemorrhoid surgeon. In Oakland, two were highly recommended by both patients and Kaiser department staff (that was 3 years ago): Dr. Tolan and Dr. Ajayi. In the end, I chose Dr. Tolan, because I am a woman and the thought of a big male doctor handling my behind didn't feel right to me. I am not sexist in any way, but somehow the gender of the surgeon mattered to me. I was very happy with the surgery, and still am glad that I had it done. In fact, I can't imagine how hard it would be to still be dealing with the hemorrhoids, especially now during the pandemic. You'll have a great outcome if you pick either Dr. Tolan and Dr. Ajayi. Here are their web pages:
https://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/providers/olakunleajayi
https://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/providers/amytolan
Good luck!