ENT & Head & Neck Surgery at Kaiser
Parent Q&A
I don't have extensive experience with him, but i saw Dr Shane Zim out of Kaiser Richmond after a sinus infection caused my eardrum to rupture, and found him helpful, knowledgeable and responsive. Good luck to you - sinus infections are the worst.
Archived Q&A and Reviews
See also: Ear Tubes at Kaiser
Feb 2009
At 39 years old (!) I need to have my tonsils out due to a build up of scar tissue and recurrent inflammation. I am looking for recommendations for a Dr. in the ''Head and Neck Surgery'' department at Kaiser Oakland. I was sent to a Dr. Byl who seemed fine- I just feel a little uncomfortable having a surgery with a Dr. I spoke with for 5 minutes! So I am looking for feedback on any doctors from this department at Kaiser Oakland. Thanks pam
I was initially referred to Dr. Byl in Head and Neck Surgery, and was very uncomfortable with my experience. (For example, he needed to kneel down on the floor to plug in an appliance, and did not change his gloves, which has touched the floor, before continuing my exam.) When I asked several staff at the office who the best doctor there was, they all agreed on Dr. Barry Rasgon. In my experience, the wait to see him may be long, but his demeanor was much more professional, and I have great confidence in his surgical skills. You would be wise to switch.
June 2004
I'm looking for a recommendation within the Kaiser system (anywhere in Nothern California)and outside Kaiser. We've discovered a hearing loss in one ear of my 3 yr old son and we're not thrilled with the Doc we've got at Kaiser Oakland. We need a second opinion about the next steps to take. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks. Sharon
She's not a Pediatric specialist as far as I know, but you might contact Dr. Irene Yu, MD at Hayward Kaiser's Head and Neck Surgery Department for recommendations. She is a fantastic doctor, I have personal experience with her, as do several people I know. Best of luck with your search. Rachel
I'm sorry I can't give you a specific name, as our experience was several years ago and I simply don't remember the ENT's name, BUT....My daughter had a tonsillectomy (which also turned into an adenoidectomy) at Kaiser Oakland when she was 5 and I will say that it could not have gone better. We were so worried about the whole thing, but the team there were pros from start to finish. When my now tween daughter remembers it now, she has only good memories (being given a popsicle by the nurse) and absolutely zero negative memories of it - which also speaks highly of how well they performed the procedure.
I'm an NP at UCSF (full disclosure), and via my pediatric anesthesia and surgical colleagues I know Dr. Luke Schloegel at Kaiser Oakland has a very good reputation and has been around for a long time. I did meet him once at an appt with my toddler who snored, and he was quite thoughtful and measured in his approach, which I appreciated. (We didn't end up doing a sleep study or sleep endoscopy or tonsillectomy.) If my son had needed surgery at the time, I would have felt comfortable proceeding w/ Dr. Schloegel. Hope this helps!
So, no direct experience, except indirectly through .
We saw Luke Schloegel and were happy with him. Shane Zim ended up performing the surgery when a spot opened up, and we were also happy with him. We initially had been seen by someone else, whose name I cannot remember, and I did not feel as comfortable with him. I don't see the name on Kaiser's website, so I am thinking he isn't there anymore.
My daughter had her tonsils and adenoids out at Kaiser Oakland by Dr. Shane Zim when she was 4 (she's 5 now). Dr. Zim was excellent. It's something they all do routinely so I would imagine everyone would be good. I would advise though to ask that the surgeon do the procedure himself/herself. Kaiser Oak is a teaching hospital and even though the student would be watched closely and do a good job I'm sure, I wanted to be sure the pro did the deed on my baby. I made sure to remind them of my preference for this day-of too and I'm glad I did. Procedure was very successful and cured her sleep apnea. Good luck!