Ernest Rehnke Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

I really liked Dr. Rehnke and his staff from the get go. I have been seeing him off and on for 3 years and they have been trying with my insurance to get me this surgery. Last Jan. I changed insurances and we are trying again. I know his after care isn't the greatest, but I feel if I can get the surgery, I know alot of other places I can go for the after care. Dr. Rehnke was very clear on the risks of the surgery and even drew a picture of what would happen with my stomach. Overall I would have to give Dr. Rehnke high marks on his knowlege, bedside manner and caring. He and his staff really do seem to care and understand what we, as fat people are going through.

So far, Dr Rehnke and his his staff have been great. The Doc seems to know his stuff, and his staff has been kind and very expedient with all the paperwork. I was surprised to have everything come together as well as it did........Guess it really was meant to be.

I first met Dr.Rehnke at his support group. I started attending several months prior to my consultation. I already knew quite a bit about the surgery and risks from searching the web. I immediately found him to be very caring and professional. I would definately recommend him to anyone considering wls. His staff is also very caring and efficient. I feel that there could be some improvement concerning the support group. We spend too much time introducing ourselves every month instead of doing other things. Like, I would like to see a nutritionist come in and maybe give out hand outs on dieting after wls. Or have people talk more about the recovery. I think the recovery has been the toughest for me. I don't have any complaints about Dr.Rehnke or his staff. He is a great surgeon and a great person. He really does care about his patients.

I liked Dr. Rehnke quite a bit at my first appointment though he did keep looking my body up and down throughout our conversation. This made me uncomforable because he was trying to hide it. Even my partner who was there noticed it. I would have been willing to have a physical examination if one was requested. It was just a bit odd. He was very friednly and willing to answer questions. I made my appt in Feb 2001 and had it July 12. I had all my records including the psychological evaluation with his recommended Dr., and brought it with me. The only comorbidities I had were joint and back pain and lower leg swelling. I was approved within 2 weeks of my visit and had surgery 9/10/01.
As far as office staff everyone was exceptional except his RN Julie. I found her manner abrasive and patronizing at times. Marlene the surgery scheduler was so nice. The overall experience was good with Dr. Rehnke. However I was surprised at how little I saw him in the hospital. He was honest about risks of surgery and I always felt he was a very competent surgeon. There does seem to be little emphasis on aftercare and the monthly support group meeting is not at all a support group. Dr. Rehnke does attend, but bascially it is a 2 hour question answer session with pre and post op patients. I am disappointed at the lack of aftercare but have reached out to people on my own. Overall I recommend him because he is a nice person and a great surgeon. Just be aware that aftercare is very much up to the individual.

Septemner-2001- Met with Dr. Rehnke today, what can I say this man is awsome, he is very caring and took his time with me. I feel very lucky to be one of his patients. I am currently seeing him on another matter but we are all working for the same end result. I must say that Patti the office manager is the best she is very helpful and returns phone calls quickly! When they made her they made a great person, plus the fact she knows her stuff does not hurt either. I would recommend this doctor to anyone needing any kind of surgical services, he is professional, courteous and very knowledgeable in his field. What elese can I say: DR.REHNKE RULES!

Very friendly! Answered all of our questions. Patty his nurse has been very helpful during this whole process.I just had my surgery on 8/27/01 and i'm not to impressed with his aftercare I only saw him a total of 2 times and I was there a total of 6 days.and futhermore Please make sure this is something you really want to do and is the last resort because at the begining theres alot of pain but i guess in the long run it may be worth it.

From my 1st consultation, I was totally impressed with this man! Always a big smile on his face-he left no stone unturned and no matter if I had questions during office hours or late at night I had a problem..he returned my call within 10 minutes!!!
Because he primarily does this procedure as the biggest % of his operations-he gets you in & out in record time!
Be assertive, ask all the questions, and be thorough but brief,in reporting problems, etc..and you'll have no problems with him.
He holds support group meetings 1 Sat. per month and he is ALWAYS there too!
Between Dr Rehnke, his right hand lady-Julie..they stay on top of everything with you-both during your hospital stay & afterwards.
TOTAL surgical expertise, bedside manner is awesome and out of 5 major surgeries-this was the 1t Dr who didn't end up having to treat me for internal post surgery infections!! That's why he graciously agreed to do my panni, also!
A++++++++++

Negatives? Honestly..the only thing would be I wish he'd have come around daily in the hospital to see me-he sends Julie if the patient isn't experiencing any difficulties. But really-it was okay-as it meant he was in the OR, helping another person get to the 'other side'!

Well I had my first consultation on 9-28-00 with Dr Rehnke. I really liked him right off the bat. He is a very nice soft spoken man who answers all your questions. The office staff and his nurse Julie were just great.
I am now waiting for my medical clearance from my cardiologist and pcp. Then on to the insurance for approval. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Dr. Rehnke does have an aftercare program. There is a support meeting once a month.
I liked him very much.

Well I had my surgery and was not that pleased with the doctor. He was a good surgeon but I was in the hopital 11 days and only saw him once. His nurse Julie did come by about 3 times. I think he could have shown alittle more interest in his patients especially since I had problems after the surgery.

I think that bedside manner is just as important as competence. The doctor should at least show some compassion, of course this is my own opinion. Someone else might have had a different experience than I.

My first impression of Dr. Rehnke and his staff is that they are very caring.They run a support group every maonth and I was very suprised that the Dr. was there the first time I attended a meeting. He reccomends that you attend meetings.The risks were discussed with me and also the reasons he perfers to do the open RNY.

I found Dr. Rehnke to be a very sweet, mild mannered man who was very friendly and nice. His office staff is professional, helpful and there to get the surgery approved. Patty is terrific with the paperwork and her follow-up with me was very timely. I had my list of questions for the doctor and that was the first thing we did after introductions. He then went on to explain the risks of the surgery. I told him I had done many, many months of research on this type of surgery. Perhaps that was the reason we never got into any deep discussion of the actual procedure. He informed me that he would require me to attend a group support meeting before and after the surgery. Since I brought every medical record and diet history needed including the required psychological evaluation and letter from my PCP, I was immediately given a surgery date that would fall between the 2 group meetings pending insurance approval. I believe this was also done since I am traveling from TN to FL just so Dr. Rehnke can do my surgery. I think Dr. Rehnke's prime concern is for his patients well-being. I believe him to be a very skilled surgeon and feel extremely comfortable with his hands performing my surgery. Of course these are just my personal opinions.

Now that I am 7 weeks postop I would like to add a few comments. I never saw Dr. Rehnke before being put under before surgery nor did I see even once in the hospital stay of 7 days. His nurse, Julie came in on the weekdays and another doctor came in on the weekends. I found the aftercare lacking. Dr. Rehnke does not use the "belly banding" which at my size I think should have been used as did the nursing staff. I knew there were other types of beds available so I asked nurse Julie if I could get one that would be more comfortable for me, particularly the Barricare bed so it would be easier for me to get in and out of. I was told I should use the regular one I was in. I later spoke with someone I know on staff about the situation and she informed me that that bed would not be suitable for me as I am short, 5'4". Thankfully though she listened to my pleas and saw to it that I got to use a gel bed. It was quite comfortable but my body molded to it making it even more difficult for me to move or even get up. This person also ordered an air bed for me which was comfy also but is not made for a sheet to be put on top. But if it had not been for her I would have felt like I was up a creek without a paddle. I asked for a prescription for a hospital bed at home and a home health aide to assist in personal hygiene and was refused that as well. I had a great deal of incisional leaking even upon being discharged and was told I could not have a wound care nurse at home either. When I asked to speak to a wound care specialist at the hospital, it was finally approved for a one week period.

When the time came for the staples to be removed I was still leaking in several places. Dr. Rehnke removed all but 5 staples and told me to come back in 1 week never telling me there was a "hole" at the bottom of my incision that you could look in to. I was never told how to care for it either. I later learned from another one of his patients I had met who had a similar problem.

Although I believe Dr. Rehnke is a good surgeon, I believe if I had it to do all over again I would look into Dr. Butler. He is now doing a lot of these surgeries in Pinellas County and is much easier to get along with for aftercare.

Also if you have Dr. Butler do your surgery at Palms of Pasadena Hospital you probably would be put on their Bariatric unit where the staff is trained for WLS patients. Dr. Rehnke will not put his patients on that wing. I don't know why.
These are all just my humble opinions of course.