Midlands Clinic, P.C. Bariatric Center

I met Dr. Rizk with I had my gallblader taken out in May of 2002. "Bedside Manner" like I had never seen. Concerned about me as a person and not just another patient. Not only is Dr. Rizk wonderful, his staff mirrors his professionalize with the great touch of caring. Dr. Rizk is an easy person to talk to. The only thing I don't like is that our appointments are shorter than I would like and too far apart. When I come out of the office from one of my check ups, I will like I have been given a boost to keep going in this ever changing "New and Improved" body. Being straight forward is one of Dr. Rizk's best qualities. No beating around the bush with him!! One a scale of 1 to 10, he's an 11!!

However, I have only had one set back. My stomach closed just 4 weeks after my surgury. Outside of that, I feel great. And I'm told I look great. My personal set back - looking into the mirror and wonder who that person is looking back.

I loved him. He was absolutely fabulous. I was a little nervous because this is a huge decision but after meeting with him and his staff--I felt very comfortable with him. I will definitely have him do the surgery. I had a friend (who is also a physician) refer him to me, and I could not have chosen a better, well suited physician on my own. He was very professional, thorough, friendly, and he has a great bed-side manner.
I've only met him once, but I have e-mailed him a few times and he has answered all of my questions. He is very thorough.
The office staff was very friendly. I live in Nebraska and I have been researching this surgery for quite some time. I've called many offices trying to get information about these surgeries. Out of all of the Dr's offices that I called, Dr Rizk's office was by far the friendliest and most helpful. They went out of their way to answer all of my questions.
I really didn't dislike anything about him. I have always preferred to have a female surgeon but after meeting him, I immediately felt very comfortable.
I felt that he did a great job of going over the after care and the importance of it. He also did a great job of going over the risks and complications that could arise from the surgeries.
Even though I have not had surgery yet, I would give him the highest rating. I feel very confident that he is very competent and that he is going to be the one that will change my life for the better. I would not hesitate to recommend him. I live about 150 miles from his office, and believe me, I would drive a lot further just to have him do the surgery.

I knew Dr. Vollstedt since he use to work that the clinic I am working at now.
He is very soft spoken, understanding,
and allows time for questions.
I was very nervous at the hospital right
before surgery. He came and visited me twice with reassurance and held my hand.
The office staff have been very under-
standing and non-judgemental. When I had
some problems, they got me in touch with the
Dr.

My first impression of Dr. Rizk was positive. He and his staff seemed to be concerned about my well being and did so without appearing to be judgemental. While in the hospital he was very good as well. He came to visit me everyday and even twice on one day. He is new to this type of surgery so they are in the process of starting an aftercare program. During my first visit with him he was very honest about the pros and cons and the risks of this surgery. He told me that an 80% loss of excess weight is what is considered successful and gave me realistic goals. I would give him a high rating based on his skills as a surgeon and his interaction with his patients.

Other people may have a different experience with him, however, I have no complaints.

10-31-02 I have seen Dr. Rizk for several follow up visits and I am still very impressed with him. Not only is he a good surgeon but takes the time to spend with his patients. He is not like most surgeons who do better when there patients are asleep. He is caring and compassionate. I still would recommend him to anyone who asked.

I selected Keith Vollstedt as my surgeon because I liked him as soon as I met him. He's a tall big guy with a warm firm hand shake and a good smile. He was as informative as I was hoping but really listened to me. He was very honest with me about the seriousness of the surgery but very optimistic about all the ways it would help me. I was already familiar with his office and staff as I had been seen there previously by another physician for another reason. So I feel somewhat familiar in his office. As soon as we hear that I've been approved for surgery I'll be seeing him again to schedule a date and make arrangements for all the pre-surgical stuff. I hope I still feel as good about Dr. Vollstedt as I do now.

I have my consultation scheduled for August 6, 2002. I was referred by my PCP.
08/12/02 - I met with Dr. Rizk for my initial consultation. His nurse had me watch a 30 minute video first, complete paper work, then I met with Dr. Rizk. He was very friendly and I felt comfortable with him. He said I was an excellent candidate for Laproscopic RNY and would submit a letter to my insurance company. When either his office or I receive a letter of approval we can schedule my surgery at that time. I was very impressed with his willingness to answer my questions and the amount of time he spent with me explaining the surgery and aftercare. I left his office with plenty of information (written and verbal) and feeling very comfortable with his competency.

My first impression was that he cared. He listened to your questions and answered them patiently. He was very informative and explained the options, risks, benefits. Always quick to respond to concerns that you may have. His surgical competence and bedside manner were fantastic. The office staff all were kind and helpful. I would recommend Dr. Vollstedt for surgery if you are researching this type of surgery. The aftercare program consists of office visits - he has your PCP follow up with blood work following the surgery. However, if any problems should arise - he is always there.

Very nice man. He seemed well informed about the gastric bypass' and was able to answer all my questions. He also was very helpful in getting the insurance company to approve this procedure for me. I would highly recommend Dr. Vollstedt to anyone.

I was originally going to see Dr. Hardy in Ames, however I somehow fortunately happened to cross a profile from a woman in Sioux City who has a surgeon who performed the procedure lap and also, when I called his office, I discovered he would do the procedure at a Mercy Hospital which is what I wanted in the first place. Dr. Vollstedt's office has been wonderful, they are quick to call me when they need something and are incredibly friendly when I call. I have my first appt. with him tomorrow, April 29, so we'll see how it goes. I'm beyond excited!

My first impression with him was that I felt very comfortable with him. There was something about him that I knew that he was going to be great.His staff was very nice. He is a wonderfull person. I was his first lap rny. It went very smoothly. I would recommend him anyday.