Tower Health Medical Group Weight Loss Surgery and Wellness Center Bariatric Center

My first impression was not very positive. Dr Meiland was running over two hours late for my initial consult.

After finally him, I felt very comfortable and confident I found the right doctor.
Nyeesha Miller (Dr. Meilands adminstrator assistant) has been great. She answers all of my Emails, and returns phone calls

About a year ago, I made an appointment to see Dr. Meilahn. There was a three month wait before the appointment. The day of the appointment I was ofcourse very nervous but excited too. When I first walked into that waiting room, my nervousness almost turned to panic. Being a person over 300 pounds and being very shy and self conscious, I always avoid crowds. His waiting room is a shared waiting room with about 100 seats. When I walked in about 90 of those seats were taken. My appointment was scheduled for 1:00pm. I sat in that over-crowded waiting room for over 2 and a half hours. I was finally called at about 3:45pm. His nurse first walked me down a hall crowded with med students all standing around talking, then into a small room with a scale and another four med students, again standing there talking. Then into an even smaller room with a sink, table, one chair and one stool. In comes another med student. He wrote down all my information. Then in comes the doctor and another med student. The doctor took over and explained the procedure and asked if I had questions. The doctor was in the room maybe 10 minutes. Then he told me I could see Nyeesha at the desk to get started. I left immediately and have not been back since. This is in no way a "bad report" about the doctor himself. I did not have the surgery. The reason I'm posting this is because if someone reading this is considering going to Dr Meilahn, they should be aware of the waiting room situation. If I had known, I never would have gone. For someone like me, who has is obese and very self-conscious, it was a traumatic experience and I only hope to prevent it from happening to someone else.

I met with Dr. Meilahn on 7/5/02. He seems to want you to have all the information he can possibly give you. He didn't rush and made sure to answer any and all questions.

Dr. Meilahn is a gentleman. Sweet, calm, serious, with a twinkle in his eye to show he has a sense of humor. When I first met him I nervously made a sarcastic joke - and he looked at me and said 'Hey, you have to pass your psych exam first, you know.' YIKES! then I saw that little twinkle. I was very happy with the way he addressed my 15 yo daughter who accompanied me to my second consult (where you review all the bad things that can happen and sign consent forms!) He told her to feel free to ask him any questions. She asked him how many gastric bypasses he had done. His answer was "About 150 now as of this week - enough to know what I'm doing, but not enough to be cocky about it!" Excellent answer! He says he has a 'low threshold' for complications, meaning, he doesn't like to 'wait and see' - if there's any doubt - back you go into surgery! That's fine with me! Dr. Meilahn's assistant, Nyeesha, is a great asset. She is super efficient and extremely competent. I advise patients to feel free to contact her to ask questions - but no need to 'nanny' her. Dr. Meilahn has recently started a monthly support group for his patients - it is included in the $250 fee (which is not covered by insurance) YOu must pay it when you go to your nutritionist consult. The fee coveres nutrition consults and support groups for a year. The support group covers special topics each month.
I have my surgery with Dr. Meilahn on Thursday (Jan 16) and I am extremely confindent in his skills.

My first consult with Dr.Meilhn is March 12,2003. So far all I have had done is some pre-test and blood work.

Dr Meliahn is a very friendly and caring doctor that cares very much about his patients are going to go through, He is very thorough and precise and makes sure that you understand what it is you are goingto go through and all the risks involved. My impression of him after knowing him better is I would refer him to everyone.His office staff especially Nyeesha is very very helpful and supportive and they go out of their way to help get things done.Hmmm the thing I liked least was nothing at this point! Future patients should know that they will be in very good hands with Dr Melilahn and all of his residents in training they are all very kind and thoughtful as well.He places a good deal of importance on his aftercare and makes sure you understand the importance of what needs to be done for my care to continue. The risks of surgery were well defined to me as he also likes to have a significant other there as well with you so everyone gets the full picture of the risks at hand.To rate Dr Meliahn overall I would have to say he is an excellant doctor and the world can use plenty more doctors like him that truley care about the health and well being of thier patients.

My 1st impression of Dr "M" was that he was
a confident/serious surgeon.
I go for my Pre-surgery visit 12/4 and will
update my impression - so far everything has
gone very smoothly.
Nyeesha has been great! I tried to follow the
"rules" and Not call - everything went
smoothly.
Dr M gave me all the info on the risks and
sent me to the pre-surgery education seminar
that was great! I learned alot and felt even
better about my surgery!
Also... Make sure when your PCP faxes all your
test results that you get a copy - that way
you have all your information at hand.

When I met Dr. Meilahn I thought, wow, he is really well versed on this surgery. I am so pleased about that(smile). He has a comfortable demeanor and I was very at ease speaking to him about such a delicate subject. I had not spoken to Dr.Meilahn since our initial visit, but seeing him again during my Pre-Admission testing day was pleasant. The office is quiet, so you have the opportunity to think and reflect about your decision. His staff as far as I know consists of one Executive Assistant named Nyeesha Miller. She tries to be as patient and helpful as possible. However, she can be short at times. I fully understand why though. Everyday, she is overwhelmed with duties. She schedules appointments, gathers information, and appears to single handedly run the entire office. Future patients should know that this process is long and results from this uphill battle are sometimes frustrating. You will learn patience. The doctor reiterates that he has all of his patients see a nutritionist for a year post-op. He talks a lot about the vitamins that MUST be taken for the rest of your life. There is a structured aftercare that consists of follow-up visits and Nutritionist's visits. Dr. Meilahn was very up front about the risks involved. He gave accurate percentages and when asked a question he never hesitated to answer. Dr. Meilahn is beyond a 10. He knows this surgery, and I feel comfortable in his hands.Both are great. He will be helpful in the recovery process, I'm sure.

I have only met with Dr. Meilahn once for my consult. He was very informative and took as much time as I needed to understand the surgery and answer my questions. He was very honest about the risks and complications. His administrative assistant, Nyeesha was very helpful. She gave me a complete list of tests and consults that I needed before the surgery and her e-mail address if I had any questions. The wait for a consult appointment was 2 months. I wish I had asked for a list of tests and consults so I could have had those scheduled while waiting for my appointment.

My first impression of Dr. Meilahn was very positive. I first met with him in May, and felt comfortable with him from the start. He took his time explaining everything to me, and seemed to really want to make sure I got all the information I needed. His office staff was very nice, and Nyeesha, the office assistant was helpful in explaining next steps. I ran right out and got all the necessary tests, and then the problems began. Every time I called, there was some new test I needed. It seems like Dr. Meilahn is revising his protocol, which may be good, but it's extremely frustrating. Every time I think I'm done, there's one more. The process has dragged out since July, and I am finding it tougher and tougher to get any information from the office. That said, I'm sticking with him, because from all my research he is very highly regarded, and I do feel comfortable with him as my surgeon (if we every get it scheduled, that is!)