Flagstaff Surgical Associates Bariatric Center

Dr Aldridge is a wonderful Doctor. He answered all my questions, no matter how dumb they were. lol. He is professional, yet you can tell he truly cares about his patients. I rate him 5 stars and AAA+. I had my surgery at Flagstaff Medical Center. I was treated great and have no complaints. I recommend Dr Aldridge and Flagstaff Medical Center. I had the Roux N Y or Gastric Bypass. All the staff at Dr Aldridges office or Flagstaff Surgical Associates were friendly and professional. I have absolutely no complaints.

Dr Berger is amazing! It now has been 3 1/2 years and I have maintained my weight loss though RNY. The whole team was so attentive and amazing. I actually didnt have to jump through as many hoops as I did, The insurance was so good, but Dr Berger made me beccause he cares that much about his patients that he wants to make sure that they are successful.
I absolutely love him! I wish my insurance still covered my aftercare.

Dr Berger was an amazing surgeon and I am very happy I chose him for this surgery. I felt he was very professional. I liked that he talked to me like an adult and didn't patronize me or make me feel like I was a bad person for being so fat. He was very open to different surgery options and discussed them all with me, telling me it was my decision. When I chose the DS, I knew he had performed them before but only in separate procedures. I wanted my DS done in one surgery. He responded that as long as my vitals were good and there weren't complications after the stomach reduction portion, he would go ahead and do the intestinal bypass. He was very up front that I would be his first patient to have both steps performed in the same surgery. I really appreciated that he was honest on this point and not trying to appear as over-confident super-surgeon. He came to see me several times while I was in the hospital. Again, very professional and kind each time. He listened to me describe my experience and if I had any pain. I did not feel rushed or that he was itching to leave and see the next person. As far as aftercare, I have a great program but it is supervised by a different doctor and not my surgeon (although Dr Berger is closely affiliated with the rest of the pre- and post-op program).

The only negative experience that I had was 5 days after surgery. I had some major pain in one area and I had to keep calling the office to find out if anyone was available to see me. I was really mad that they weren't calling me back. However that is more of an issue I have with the office staff than with Dr Berger himself. Aside from that incident (which was resolved, just not as quickly as I had wanted) I have had an excellent experience and would not hesitate to recommend him.

I chose Dr. Berger between two available at Flagstaff Medical Center because:

a. He has the most surgeries under his belt.
b. He conducted the informational meeting in such a way that I felt he was caring yet focused.

When I met with him the first time, he efficiently zeroed in on the important things out of my 17 page patient profile. It was a fast visit, and he had just come out of surgery, so I understood the need to be no-nonsense rather than to become good friends with a patient who might not even make it through all the requirements for surgery.

What impressed me even more than Dr. Berger, at the time, was the other members of the Bariatric Team. The Patient Advocate is extremely upbeat and efficient, the Dietician is very calm with a good sense of humor and excellent suggestions for change and improvement, the Bariatrician is very educated across a broad spectrum and I appreciate his honesty and focus.

After meeting with the Bariatrician, Dietician, Surgical Nurse, Physical Therapist, Insurance admin, and Dr. Langsdorf from the Psyche Clinic, (Some of them numerous times) I was cleared to make my pre-op appointment with Dr. Berger and to get surgery scheduled.

The 2nd time seeing Dr. Berger was immensely more satisfying and personal. I had jumped through all the hoops and his attentiveness was genuine. He answered all my questions and, with more eye to eye contact this time, instilled a confidence in me that sealed the deal.

All in all, I've been very impressed with the whole team. the fact that they do not put anybody on "fast track", even if they want to pay cash, is reassuring to me regarding their intentions. They are all about making sure the patient is fully informed, educated, prepared, willing, & able to be compliant... in order to avoid disastrous results. It might help keep them from getting sued, but more importantly it gives the patient the best chance for success possible. I like that.

So, with all that being said, I HAVE A DATE with my surgeon scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 9th, at 8:30! Believe me, I am jazzed. By June 1st, I intend to be on the back of a horse again. :-)

Life is good and my new (borrowed) motto is, "Nothing tastes as good as this FEELS!"

EDIT note: My surgery was blissfully uneventful, as has been my stay in the hospital. I have been doing my part as Dr. Berger and his team did theirs and together it was, and will continue to be, a success. I tip my hat to my surgeon and the whole Bariatric Team & Nursing Staff. Highly Recommend them to anybody in Arizona, not just Flagstaff area.

Dr. Aldrige is awesome!! He is very friendly and kind. He is more than willing to answer all of your questions. He is a very competent and his bedside manner is fantastic. He came into the hospital to check on me first thing in the morning which was nice because that means you get out of the hospital sooner!!

Betsy is the go to lady at the office and she is fantastic!! She will answer any questions and if she doesn't know the answer (and there is very little she doesn't know) she will find the answer or tell you were you can find the answer. She will call you back usually within the same day. Even though she sees a lot of patients she seems to know everyone by name and will be your cheering squad at the office!!

My experiance with Dr. Aldridge, Dr. Berger and thier staff was nothing less that amazing. The first time I spoke with them on the phone to begin the process I spoke with Betsy who was informative, friendly, and very encouraging. She told me to join them at a informational seminar that they do every 2nd Tuesday of each month. Then told me what kind of information I would need to gather for my Insurance and where to download the paperwork for thier office. I went to the session with everything in hand and ready to be turned in. The session was quite informative and even had a few of their patients that had gone through the proceedure share thier experiances. After that they had a q&a with the Doctor's and staff for more personally specific questions.
A day or two after the session I recieved a call from Betsy to schedule my meetings with the Nutritionist & Bariatrician. I had those meetings then I was scheduled for a Psych eval, second meeting with the Nutritionist & Bariatrician. Once that was complete I then had a informational class and was scheduled for surgery. During this time I met with the surgeon to discuss my surgery, health conditions and Gall Bladder problems. He and his staff kept me informed, comfortable, and were ready, willing and able to answer any questions I had. They were always cheerful, courteous, and efficient. This in itself set me quite at ease. I would reccomend Flagstaff Surgical Associates Dr. Aldridge and Flagstaff Medical Centers Bariatric Program to anyone that is considering Weight Loss Surgery.

Thank you to all of them for helping me in my journey to save, improve and enjoy my life.

At the end of this update page it suggests that negative experiances are somehow necessary to validate my experiance...I disagree, and in my case there was no negative experiance involved unless you want to include the delay of my surgery of two weeks to re-address some health concerns the doctor had not yet cleared up...but I see that as a positive not a negative.

Update: I had my surgery on 2/22/2010 I have lost 132 lbs and frankly would not change a thing. I still have not seen, or felt any negatives with my experiance. I would not change a thing. The support and encouragement from the staff at FMC, FMC Bariatrics and Flagstaff Surgical Associates is nothing less than amazing and very genuine. They are available to you as often as you need, for as long as you need. The support groups are informative and a great go to resource for your ever changing body and needs.

Thank you for providing me the tools, support, and knowhow to succeed in this journey, and Thank you for helping save my life.

So far so good...he is personable and makes me feel comfortable

I am actually seeing Dr Aldridge, but he is not listed here. He is partners with Dr Berger. He is awesome! rnrnUpdated 1/18/10 I LOVE DR ALDRIDGE! He is amazing. He was so kind during the hospital stay and afterwards. My mother is a pastor and he was more then happy to pray with us before surgery. He saw me every day that I was in the hospital and called to check on me afterwards when I got home. He has a genuine concern for his patients. I highly recommend him for this surgery...or any surgery for that matter!

Dry, but smiley and nice, he is a great surgeon. I have worked with him for about 7 years.

Can I just say how ironic that he is Dr. Berger? I think Dr. Haagen daas would have been better!!!

My first meeting with Dr. Berger was at an informational meeting I was required to attend before seeing him in his office. He came in like a celebrity and I was half tempted to clap. The next time I saw him was in his office and we talked about what I wanted, what my goals were and how realistic he thought I was being. He thinks my goals are attainable and I am a good candidate. His office staff is very professional. They are all nice and willing to answer any questions I have. I donn't like that he is so mono-tone. I am expecting him to start saying Bueler, Bueler...at any minute. He isn't that peppy and not much for humor. But he is very straight forward and real about what's going to happen and what part we both play in making it happen. rn Overall he is awesome. Even if he isn't a funny guy or peppy enough for my tastes I know I am in very skilled and intelligent hands.