Alan Wittgrove Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

Feb 2002 Update: I have now met Dr. Wittgrove in person. He is a very caring person and he thoroughly understands the challenges the obese deal with. He connects very quickly on a personal level - as well as obviously being skilled and knowledgable about his work. He has a surgical group that consists of 4 bariatric surgeons and 3 additional assisting surgeons. The group itself does a TON of WLS procedures - and they share their challenges, successes with each other as learnings.

There is a very active nursing staff consisting of nurse practioners, RNs, and LPNs- many of which who are successful WLS patients. Really is inspiring to meet with these folks and find out that the size 6/8 nurse you were talking to ealier used to be a size 24/26!

Aftercare is key. Part of what you pay for with Wittgroves team is lifetime support. I am set up of regualr monthly conference calls and blood test to be draws. In adition they will work closely with my local PCP (I'm in another state.) Immediate help is jsut a phone call or email away.

Jan 2002: I've selected a surgeon who is 1000 miles away from my home, so it was very important for me to have a surgeon who was highly regarded in his field. I will meet my surgeon,Dr. Wittgrove, in person only days before my surgery. However, I have support groups friends who have used Dr. Wittgrove and they have been very pleased, In addition I have talked wioth other patients in my community who have also used Wittgrove and they give similar feedback.

Regarding Dr. Wittgrove's staff: they have been very professional and have followed through in a timely manner on everything they have said they would. I have been very appreciative of their support.

He was caring, competent, and easy to understand. From the first meeting through the surgery he was wonderful. His office staff was delightful to work with, they made sure I had everything I needed pre, during and postoperatively. Future patients should be encouraged to use him as their surgeon. Aftercare is very important and they give you a structured program. The risks of surgery were addressed openly and honestly. I would rate him an 15 on a scale of 1-10. Both his bedside manner and his surgical competence are excellent.

PRE-OP:
I have not met Dr. Wittgrove yet. As a matter of fact, I haven't met anyone from Alvarado Center yet, everything has been done by phone so far which is very strange.
Dr. Wittgrove came highly recommended by a friend that had RNY done by him Feb'00. I've done a lot of research and like what I read about him.
The staff at Alvarado has given me mixed impressions so far. It took 2 months to get them to process my initial paperwork which was VERY frustrating. However, once I finally got the fire lit under them, their follow up greatly improved.

POST-OP:
I met Dr. Wittgrove (Dr. Wit as he's affectionately called) and within minutes I knew I had made the right decision. Even while waiting in the waiting room I knew. One of the other patients in his waiting room was a retired surgeon that had tought Dr. Wit his first laproscopic procedure 20 years prior. When this surgeon decided to have WLS, he flew from Louisiana to San Diego because he wanted Dr. Wit to perform his surgery. What better referral could you ask for?
Dr. Wit is a very kind and caring man and you really get the feeling that he does what he does out of genuine care. My PCP said he "wanted me to go to the doctor in San Diego that does this so often he's like a well oiled machine at it". Dr. Wit is that and more; he's a well oiled machine with a big heart and personality. The fact that WLS is all that he does (and he personally does 10 or more per week) makes his practice a very well oiled machine. They have this down to a science. They know what tests you need, when you need them and what order you need them. They know when to feed you what information and they treat you like a person, not like a FAT person.

Unfortunately I have not met Dr. Wittgrove yet. I will meet him on 9/9/02. So far his office staff has been awesome!

My first imprewsion of Dr. Wittgrove was that he is very nice and caring. He takes his time with you during that meeting and answers all of your questions. I only saw him one other time after the surgery in the hospital for a few minutes. Hiss office staff is great and caring.Aftercare is very important to this office and they follow you for life.I am very pleased with the competence and service from this office.His bedside manner is great too.

Dr. Wittgrove worked out very well for me. I had some problems with things in Portland, so I opted for Dr. Wittgrove after researching the Laparascopic Roux-en Y operation for over a year. I also found that Dr. Wittgrove is probably the best at this type of procedure as he's done hundreds.

As with any surgeon, I recommend that anyone looking to have WLS be thorough and persistent in every way -- from filling out the forms, to justifying it with your insurance company to pre-qualifying your total out-of-pocket expenses and following-up, post-op with your surgeon and his/her staff. Don't take ANYTHING for granted -- this is stressful enough that you shouldn't have surprises to contend with as well.

Of course, these were my fortunate experiences, impressions and opinions. Yours may vary.

I was very impressed with Dr. Wittgrove from the first moment I met him (3 days before my surgery). (I traveled from Alaska.) He did an excellent job of explaining the surgery, the anticipated results and possible complications. His office staff have been, without exception, very knowledgeable, helpful and kind. Several of his staff have had the surgery so you can really get some "first hand" information. Alvarado's aftercare program is very well structured and streamlined. An "800" number directly to the office with any questions--none are too trivial to ask. Monthly phone consults with a nurse are required and the followup blood work is extensive for the first year. They emphasis that I am Dr. Wittgrove's patient "for life" and that I can call anytime with any questions. They are there to help.

I've seen him speak at a lecture, and he was very nice and took the time to answer everyone's questions. I have not spoken to him privately, but I have a phone consultation on March 28, 2002. The staff seemed kinda put-out that I wanted a phone consult and that I was not happy with simply attending a lecture, but this is my life, you know? I am paying quite a bit of money, and so I expect to be able to talk to the doctor one on one if I want to. Other than that, the staff has been very nice and attentive. They are very good at calling up as soon as they need something, or get any new information. I feel I am in good hands.

<p>Phone consult day came- waited an hour until at 11:30am a nurse called saying the Dr. was very busy, and could I please wait at home all day to see if he called? Waited until 3:30pm when the nurse called again saying the Dr. had an important lecture in L.A. and just flew off in his jet, but that I could talk to a different Dr. I talked to Dr. Endres, who was excellent, but I am still a little peeved I didn't get to talk to Dr. Wittgrove, since I did schedule a consult with him.

<p>Only met with the doctor twice. He seemed nice enough. I don't really care. All I wanted was for him to do the surgery well, and he did. Good enough for me!

I am happy with my care from Dr. Wittgrove. I'm disappointed that the office no longer does my surgery (BPD) and that the nursing staff is largely unfamiliar with the intricacies of BPD and the differences between BPD and proximal RNY.

I have found Dr. Wittgrove to be kind, caring, and a good listener, as well as posessing excellent surgical skills.

I had negative encounters with his partner, Dr. Clark, whom I found to be rude, dismissive, and abrupt (Dr. Clark assisted in my surgery); I now only Dr. Wittgrove and I am pleased with how he makes time for me given the vagaries of my schedule (since I live 500 miles away now).

I had my office consultation with Dr. Wittgrove on 25 April. He was a very calm and layed back man. Very nice personality and very thorough in his explanation of what he was about to do to me. He didn't rush the appointment and he made sure that all of my questions were answered before I left his office.
His office and staff are very organized and very helpful.
The one thing I had a problem with as far as my surgeon was that upon discharge from his office in San Diego, I felt he should be the one to examine me and then if he wanted to turn me over to one of his nurses that would be fine. I didn't feel that confident that they were hearing what I was saying, i.e. my rib-cage had a huge lump on it and when I asked what that was, I was told it's just fat or blood moving around in there. I asked the same question of two nurses in his office, once at the first check-up and once on the day of release to return home. You see Dr. Wittgrove at your consultation, the day of surgery and the next day briefly and that is it. I especially feel that folks that come from out of state need that assurance from the doctor that all is okay, after all he is our surgeon.
He and his staff empahsize diet, exercise and following up with your primary care doctor for your intermittent blood work. These test results are forwarded to Alvarado and they also request that you follow-up with them on a monthly basis via phone.
They do provide a special diet for you to follow for 6 months. After surgery it is mandatory that you attend their nutrician and exercise classes.
As a surgeon I would rate him A+. His surgical comptence, bedside manner both are impecable.