North Valley Surgical Associates Bariatric Center

Dr. Ludwig is the best! He is very kind without a hint of ego that is a common triat with surgeons. Dr. Ludwig is completely devoted to the emotional and physical well being of his patients. The entire staff is there to help and support you through the process from the start. His nurse, Kathy, is there every step of the way. She meets you at the hospital at the crack of dawn on the day of your surgery and makes sure everything runs smoothly and supports you emotionally until they roll you in to surgery. Then the next day, there is her smiling face again to see that all is well. I thought about this surgery for years and had consulted a few different surgeons, but as soon as I met Dr. Ludwig and his staff, I knew that this was it! I had my surgery on September 15, 2006. The unwavering support hasn't slowed down a bit, in fact, I felt so good about my decision to go ahead with the surgery that I lost 30 pounds BEFORE surgery with the support of the wonderful, caring people in Dr. Ludwig's office. If you live in Northern California it would be to your benefit to see Dr. Ludwig in Chico, Ca. His office number is (530)891-1651.

I was very impressed with Dr. Ludwig when I went in for my first appointment. The two things that my sister and I both noticed werernrn#1 He has a very holistic view of the surgery. I appreciate that he takes this situation not from a solely biological stance, but assesses the cultural impact of everything involved.rnrn#2 He treated his staff extremely well. We walked out to the reception desk after my appointment. Rather than interrupt the office staff's conversation he quietly stood at the desk and waited for them to finish. He then addressed them very politely using words like \"would you please...\", and \"thank you\". This alone makes me like him.rnrnIn the few weeks since our appointment I've had a few questions. These were handled so kindly, and promptly by the office.rn

What can I say about Dr. Ludwig.... He is a wonderful doctor!!! He made me feel comfortable the entire journey from pre-op classes to check-ups! rnrn He has a wonderful staff witch is so amazing!!! rnrnEvery question I ever had was answered!! The after care has been wonderful as well. They have classes on nutrition, portion control, and many other topics. rnrnThen they have the support group witch also helps answer questions that come up from month to month. rnrnDr. Ludwig has an AMAZING program and I would recommend anyone looking for a great surgeon to perform there gastric bypass surgery he is your guy!!!!

Dr. Ludwig is a wonderful talented surgeon. He also cares about his patients. I feel very fortunate that he was the one to operate on me and give me a second chance at health and happiness. The after care program is great and I am just starting to attend the monthly post operative classes.rnrnI am also a registered nurse who works in the acute care setting. I am very particular when it comes to medical care for myself and my family. Trust me, Dr. Ludwig is the best of both worlds. He is an excellent surgeon with a great bedside manner. Northern California scored when he decided to move his practice to Chico!!

I have been blessed to have found Dr Ludwig and his entire team. From the first day that I called his office for just info they have been friendly, helpful, and supportive. Dr Ludwig and his staff has proven to me that he cares very much about his patients and thier concerns pre and post op. This includes after hours also! I personally have called the after hours receptionist with a concern that was very common and immediatly received call from Dr Ludwig himself, to reassure me I was okay and how to make myself more comfortable. Sometimes you need that assurance from your Dr. not anyone else and when I needed to hear it from him, he was there for me. That meant alot. His entire team is wonderful. Dr Ludwig has been very honest with me about the risks and benefits and when I didnt believe him, I was wrong! I really didnt believe I'd be off my high blood pressure medicine after surgery, but... I havent taken my Blood Pressure meds since the day before surgery and my BP has been normal ever since! I cant say enough about this team here in Chico. They are truely a blessing!

Dr. Ludwig's staff was my first contact fr information. I met Dr. Ludwig on my first appointmant, he was professional, personable, and above all direct. He did not treat me as just aother \"FAT LADY\". As an RN I tend to look at a physician's interactions with his staff, and their's towards him. I found Dr. Ludwig and his staff very professional, but definately comfortable with their respective responsibilities. rnDr. Ludwig gave me an overall PE, and explained to me and my husband, in lay terms what the program consisted of, how things would proceed, and his expectations of me, as well as his commitment towards his responsibility to me.rnAll information was given in an understable format, with plenty of opportunities for Q&A's. There are numerous resources, and each member of the team is encouraging, and willing to listen (probably for the umpteenth million time) questions, concerns, and anxiety of the individual.rnBecause of my special financial circumstances, my insurance would not pay; eg. Medicare/CHAMPVA, therefore I used my Medicare set-aside from my work comp settlement to pay for this. I did receive a discount for paying cash, and it helped reduce the financial conserns I had.rnDr. Ludwig and office/hospital staff should be rated 99% great, It's too bad there isn't 2 of him. rnDr. Ludwig and his staff are the best I have found. I have researched lots of surgeons in the Northern California area, and Dr. Ludwig, and Enloe have the best reputation.

I just got home from my six week post-op appointment with Dr. Ludwig. I am down 58 lbs. since my pre-op visit.rnEver since my first meeting with Dr. Ludwig and his great staff I have felt welcomed. Being an obese person in todays society is not always welcoming! His staff and all his support has helped me realize how important it is to take care of me. The process of getting an appointment to surgery only took two months. They had all the insurance pre-approved before my consultation and then had an approval for surgery within a week after my consultation. I went into surgery believing I would come out pretty \"pain free\", I did feel great after surgery, but I have three small children and rest was virtually impossible. Dr. Ludwig and Kathy kept asking me if I was taking my pain medicine every four hours or if I needed sleeping pills and I kept telling them I felt fine. I did feel okay, but if there is anything I can stress is take your time to recover and REST. rnDr. Ludwig and his staff are sincere, genuine and I will be successful because of them.rnrnTHANK YOU DR. LUDWIG AND STAFF, MY FAMILY AND I ARE SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE YOU HERE.

I HAD MY FIRST CONSULTATION TODAY AND IT WENT GREAT. THE DR. IS A GREAT MAN AND HE MAKES YOU FEEL TOTALLY AT EASE WITH THE SURGERY. HE ANSWERS ALL YOUR QUESTIONS AND HIS STAFF IS WONDERFUL VERY SUPPORTIVE AND HELPFUL.rnrn6/28/06rnI WENT TO MY 2 WEEK POST OP APPOINTMENT TODAY AND IT WENT GREAT I LOST SOME WEIGHT ALREADY AND I AM VERY EXCITED. DR. LUDWIG AGAIN IS THE BEST HIS STAFF IS THE GREATEST IF I HAD TO DO THIS AGAIN I WOULD IN AN INSTANCE WITH THE SAME TEAM. THEY ARE AND EXCELLENT TEAM AND I WOULD RECOMMEND THEM TO ANYONE.

'I thought he was young

Dr. Ludwig is an excellent surgen. I'm very impressed with the manner in which he runs he's practice. He is very detailed, he tests for every possible problem before he will do the surgery, lots of blood work, pulmonary function test, EKG, x-rays, ect. His office staff are on top of everything and they help to keep your stress level low. I'm very thankful that I found them. The support that the program offers is outstanding. They require that all paients attend a pre-op education class, so by the time you have surgery you know what to except. From my first appointment to my surgery date was two months two days. Enloe Hositpal is top of the line. They went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. Kathy was great, she was at the hospital the morning of my surgery at 5:30am., she made sure that I had a private room so my husband could be by my side my whole hospital stay. The nursing staff was great. This is a great program that really cares about their paients.