Abbott Northwestern Hospital Bariatric Center

I met Dr. Drew for the first time at the consult. He seemed to be very nice and understanding. I especially appreciated the fact that he did not talk down to me because I was overweight. I did find out that he will not be able to do the surgery lap, (I have a 60+ BMI) a huge disappointment for me, but Dr. Drew was very professional about it and took a good deal of time to explain why he couldn't do it. I very much appreciated the way he handled it.

8/7/00 Dr. Drew's care in the hospital was excellent. I saw him everyday and he kept me abreast of everything. I highly recommend him to anyone in the area that is looking into the surgery. Also, In retrospect, I'm glad I had the open.

I cant begin to tell you enough wonderful things about Dr. Drew! I truly feel as though he saved my life. He is a very soft spoken and wonderful to deal with. He made me feel at ease immediatly and very confident in him and his staff. I would highly recommned him to anyone. He and his associate Dr Schwartz are two of very few surgeons in this area that do the procedure laproscopically and I was one of there first 50 patients to have it done that way. I am so glad I opted to do so, my scars are tiny (the largest not even an inch) and I only have 5 of them. They are barely noticable anymore.

I have had nothing but success so far with my surgery and he and his staff have been wonderful about providing me with info when I had questions after surgery. They were very upfront and honest about all of the possible side effects and problems that can occur after surgery, thankfuly, I have not had any of them! He had a great bedside manner as well as being a great surgeon. Please feel free to ask questions, I am more than happy to talk about my experiences so far!

My first consult was with the nurse in the office, who so happens to be the wife of the other surgeon in the office. She answered all of the questions the other people in the meeting could have possible thought of. She made sure that we were comfortable and that we left out of that meeting feeling as if we could call her for anything and she would be right there. I have yet to meet the surgeon, but when I do I will let you know.

I met my surgeon for the first time yesterday and was at ease immediatly. He is a kind, caring, compassionate man and I feel he is the best choice I could have made regarding a surgeon.
He took two and a half hours talking with me and answering any questions I had. Everyone I have been in contact with at his office has been so very loving and kind, very concerned about my well being. He is quite funny and both of us had our turns at cracking jokes. He addressed everything very well and I am very pleased that he is so demanding about his aftercare program. It is nice to know that a support group is available on location. I will definately be using that! I haven't had a bit of problem with him and don't anticipate any. If anything changes I will let you know.

I actually had Dr Drew's partner, Dr Schwartz, who is a member of the ASBS. Dr Schwartz took the time to answer all my questions and concerns without making me feel as though I was wasting his time. He seemed personable and both my husband and I felt very comfortable after meeting him.

His office staff is busy, but they do take time to answer questions. I haven't had to call much.

I haven't found anything that I don't like about him.

In terms of aftercare, there isn't a structured program like some surgeons have. There is a support group that meets twice monthly, open to all WLS patients. Dr Schwartz emphasizes the importance of listening to your body and getting in tune with it and eating well balanced meals. He also requires all patients to meet at least once with a dietician after surgery. This is one aspect that I haven't cared for as I felt that the dietician didn't help much. I believe that to some degree Dr Schwartz and Dr Drew are aware of this and will hopefully address this.

Dr Schwartz not only went over the risks of surgery, he went over the risks for me not having surgery, which was a real wake up call. He didn't overdo it to scare me or anything, he was very factual and he told me everything he would do to try to prevent some of the more common complications (ie: blood clots, pneumonia, infection, etc..)

I feel that Dr Schwartz is an excellent surgeon. I was able to trust him totally when going into surgery. I actually never feared surgery or complications. I was more afraid of the after surgery phase, which I am finding to be not bad at all. I would give him a 10 out of 10.

I think both surgical competence and bedside manner are important as both help the patient to trust and feel comfortable with the surgeon. I advise any persons considering surgery to research your surgeon, talk with past patients, meet with them, ask questions and trust your instincts!! Only you will know who is the right surgeon and program for you!

My surgeon is Dr Schwartz-I didn't see him on the list. He is very straight forward, very understanding of the risks and the benefits, and made sure I understood what he was saying, as well as asked me for any questions I had. I felt very at ease with him, and am happy to be pre op finally.:) His office and staff are wonderful, Judy is amazing and easy to work with.

I met with Dr Schwartz on 4/20. Dr Schwartz was great to talk to. He answered all of my questions. He touched on post-op care, but said we'll get into more of the specifics regarding diet in the hospital. I won't see him now until my surgery day. He told me to call if I had questions. He is VERY honest about the risks of surgery (I appreciate this).
Dr Swartz was great!!!!He was wonderful with my family and myself in my early post-op period. I would highly recommend him. His surgical skills as well as his bedside manner are impressive.
He did discuss post-op diet briefly, however left the majority of it to the dietician.

I haven't met with my surgeon yet. Our first appointment is 5/30. I have met Judith Schwartz, who manages the administrative and counseling end of the WLS program for the surgeons. She's great. Got my paperwork moving right away...has been patient and gentle with a slightly nervous client. A real pro.

As of this date I have not met Dr. Drew. I have been to the class that his nurse Judy holds as an information class. She has been an absolute blessing. She is willing to do all she can (however, not do the surgery in my place!) and makes everything as comfortable and easy for me as she can. I meet Dr. Drew on March 31st and by what I have read it is worth the wait.
March 31- I had my consultation with Dr. Drew. In fact, I actuallly got to meet him and he is a very pleasant man. Very willing to answer all my questions (I know he has answered for other tons of times) Made this very personal for me and let me know this was my surgery and not someone elses. That made me feel like he was concerned with me. Very adamet about after care and check ups and following program. He even told me we could go lap so I was thrilled and know if something does not go right he can go open. I really expected to go open in the first place. WOW! What a treat! My husband was with me and we talked about alot of the risks and he answered all his questions directly and that was good. Made him feel as if he was just as important as me. So far, so good. I do like him and feel comfortable.

I liked him instantly. I believe he is very through and cautious. He has become very experienced in the lap procedure and successful.

His staff is very compassionate and professional. They address the risks of surgery very completely and realistically.

I haven't had the bedside manner experience yet. I have faith in his surgical competence and will report back.