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

I haven't met Dr. Wittgrove yet, but I know a few post ops that had him as their surgeon. It is funny that I picked him without meeting him but, well, I am aware of his reputation. lol. I will meet with him on January 4, 2002!
OK, it is now after my surgery that was on 1/7/02. Dr. Wittgrove was absolutely the best. He was so calm, and sincere. This man knows is stuff and I am estatic that he was my surgeon. My surgery, done Lap, was 1 and 1/2 hours! That's it!! and well, he was good looking too. lol! The entire Alvarado team was fantastic to work with and if I lived in SD I would want a job with them!!

See my comments noted in my main bio.

8/17/01
I haven't met or talked to Dr. Wittgrove yet but every contact I've had with his staff has been great! I've also heard nothing but great things about Alvarado. They seem very nice and are the first people I've ever felt comfortable enough with to tell them my real weight : ) God forbid I ever get pulled over...the policeman would be looking for a 130 pound woman...lol Someday I hope to match the weight I have on my driver's license! Anyway, I'm in the very beginning process of getting a surgery date but I'll keep updating once I have more! Crossing my fingers that it's soon : )

8/27/01
I must say that this has been the longest 10 days of my life! How am I supposed to survive the 5 month wait until surgery? lol I feel so much for anyone who has to fight with insurance and has to wait. My thoughts are with you! Anyway, talked to Sue(?) with Wittgrove's office today and she is so great! Very nice, professional, thorough, funny and made me so comfortable. She put me on a waiting list for an earlier surgery date but I'm not holding my breath. lol He's so busy and that's the earliest time...oh well, 5 months is nothing, right? : ) Can't wait to meet everybody down there, they sound wonderful. I'll keep everybody posted!

12/29/01
I've had a few more conversations with people in Dr. Wittgroves office and they were all such positive experiences! They seem so excited to see me when I come down there and so thrilled about what I've decided to do about my weight problem. Another big thing to me is that they have all pronounced my name right. It's just a little thing but anyone with an ususual name will know what I'm talking about :) I can't wait to meet everyone I've been talking to...especially Dr. Wittgrove! Do I have a list of questions for him...lol So, only one month to go...I'll be back updating when I'm on the other side and I've actually put faces to the names of my doctors team! Take care!

2/25/02
Oh my goodness. If I had to describe what my perfect surgeon would look like, it would be Dr. Wittgrove. He just looked the part. :) He was such a great guy, made me feel so comfortable, answered all my questions and didn't rush me out of his office and his staff is exceptional! The surgery went exactly as planned and my aftercare and follow-up has been the best. I feel perfectly comfortable with all the staff, especially Melissa and Leslie, and think of them as life-long friends now! Can't say I would want anything different and I'd recommend them to anyone!!

I have not met Dr.Wittgrove yet. I found him by doing research online. He is one of the pioneers in the laparoscopic version of gastric bypass. I wanted the doctor with the most experience.

I have not met with him face to face yet. I did research on the internet and have been on different WLS groups/lists. I have friends in the San Diego area and am familiar with the hospital as I had surgery there as a teenager. So far I feel satisfied with his staff and the pre-surgery care. I do believe he stresses an aftercare program, but I will be out of state/country so will look for something closer to home in consultation with my family physician. I will be able to address the questions in more depth after meeting him in person. Personally I feel surgical competence is an absolute necessity. If a surgeon has a good bedside manner, that is icing on the cake. I do believe there has to be a minimum level of trust and ability to communicate however. I would choose a surgeon I absolutely hated or felt I could not work with at all. That said, I don't expect a surgeon to be my best friend.

Very compassionate and has dedicated his entire practice to WLS, mostly laps.

The office staff is awesome, very helpful

I haven't been to the pre-op physial yet, that is where I will get to know the staff and surgeons better.

After care is extremely important they like to keep detailed statistics on their patients.

Yes there is a structured program and support groups.

The risks were all addressed in a seminar, he stayed until all of the questions were answered.

I had heard about Dr. Whittgrove some ten years ago. I had asked a Dr. at Cedars Sinai (he specilizes in Baratic Surgery) who the best surgeon is, I was then referred to Dr. Whittgrove. It took me ten years to actually meet him. I met him at a seminar that he gave. I drove 3-4 hrs. to get there, that's how badly my husband and I wanted to meet him. We instantly liked him. And more impotantly, we took a list of questions that we wanted and needed answers for regarding this surgery. He answered all my questions, in an informative non-clinical layman's point-of-view.

I then started the process of trying to get my insurance to cover everything. I was assigned Shirley who is an insurance coordinator at his office. She held my hand the whole way. Because I felt my life was riding on this surgery, evryday seemed like a new and overwhelming obstacle. She told me how to do everything. I love her! Some days I cried like a baby, and she just walked me through it. And finally I got approval!

Basically, I have since referred 4 people to his office for surgery. That's what I think of him! His staff, well I think 80-90% have had the surgery, so that kind of tells you something. His nurse Leslie has been a "GODSEND". No matter what my problem was, she always returned my call. And you know I am one of the patients that has a complicated medical and personal history. I only wish I lived in the area to attend their support group meetings.

In closing, my hospital stay wasn't perfect. But then what is? He had a hospital assistant that after I complained--gave me sh#$! She 'ain't' there anymore! He cares about his patients! After I complained he went over to the hospital himself, and he addressed every issue. All I can say at this point is "THANK GOD FOR DOCTOR WHITTGROVE!"

I meet Dr Whirgrove many yars ago during a
seminar in Anchorage he seemed concerned and intelligent.
I have had no further contact with the DR since I met him
approximatley 5 years ago. The staff at
Alvarado has come through with information
in a timley manner.

I have not met Dr. Wittgrove yet. I will be meeting him on September 28, 2001 when I go for my all day physical. As I have followed Carnie Wilson's story (he was her surgeon) from the beginning, I have learned a lot about him and knew that I wanted him to perform my surgery.

I haven't met with Dr. Wittgrove as of yet.
I meet him for the frist time 2/8/02. when I have my pre-op testing and consult.
If anyone has the same surgery date or close and will be going to Alvarado I would love to hear from you. I'll update when I have more Info.