J. Michael Rothwell Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

My first impression of Dr. Rothwell was that he was a caring and compassionate individual. He has had this surgery so he knows what you are going through. I don't do doctors that won't take their own medicine so I knew he was the surgeon for me. My impression of him over time has favorably changed. I had a complication in my lung and he went into my lung surgery with me at my request. His office has been very attentative and he also has his own support group and workshops as part of his aftercare. I don't have anything negative to say. I thought at times he was being overly cautious but it turned out the blood work proved me wrong. He knows what he is doing.

Keep in mind that the following are strictly my opinions about Dr. Rothwell.

Give them a call and form your own opinions.

Having worked in the medical field for years I have to admit that my preconseption of Dr. Rothwell was that he was a typical surgeon. When I first met him he made me eat that thought. He is very personable and genuine in his concern for his patients and not only the patients but their family members as well. He did this by the way he presented himself to us.

Well like most people I have a story. My husband had this proceedure with Dr. Rothwell before I did. He had a piece of scar tissue on the outside of his intestines (this condition would not have shown up on any test that could be preformed the only way to detect this is to do exploratrory surgery prior to the gastric procedure- no one does this.)Keep in mind that what I am about to tell you would have happened if he had had to have his Galbladder removed or if a woman was to have a tubal.

Nov. 2003,

The lap procedure went as planned he was in surgery app. 4 hours. 2 days after the original surgery they were increasing his diet to liquid. This triggered the body to start proccessing the food as normal. Due to the situation explained above when the intestines were moved to be reattached to the new stomach it caused the intestines to be occluded much like a garden hose kinks, the body took this condition to be constipation and started pushing fluid into the intestines to free the blockage. Because the blockage was on the outside of the intestines and not on the inside. The pressure in the small intestines built up until it ruptured. Long story short My husband would have died if not for the excellent care and expertice that Dr. Rothwell and a whole host of colleages provided my husband with.

March 2004,

I returned to Dr. Rothwell to have my proceedure done. I had no complications went home in 2 days at my request. Have lost around 97-lbs. feel great and have had no problems since.

My OPINION is that Dr. ROTHWELL AND HIS STAFF saved our lives. I know he drasticly improved the quality of my whole families lives. Clay and I have a 6yr old girl and a 5yr old boy. Whom have parents that no longer have to sit by and watch our children play we can now get out there and play with them. We do so much more as a family Tennis, Bowling, Putt Putt Golf, go to the park and just chase the kids around.

It is a relief to know that you will get to be a participant in your childrens lives and not a bystander. Also to know that they will not be pushing you around in a wheel chair by the time they are 10 because you are over weight. I am 5'7" tall and weighed 313 prior to surgery now I weigh 216. I am now 6 mo. post op.

As for Dr. Rothwells bedside manner and surgical competence. I had such great faith in his ability that I returned to him after what happened with my husband. His bedside manner is great not only for the patient but the family as well.

EVERYONE IN THE OFFICE AS WELL AT THE DOCTORS HAVE BEEN WONDERFUL.

THEY HAVE A GREAT AFTER CARE PROGRAM. WITH A NURSE.

I NEED SURGICAL COMPETENCE AND GOOD BEDSIDE MANNER. DEALING WITH MY WEIGHT WOULD BE
TO HARD FOR ME TO DO WITH SOMEONE WHO HAD A BAD BEDSIDE MANNER.

Dr. rothwell was very thoughtful and helpful. He has an understanding about the procedure that many other doctor's don't have. He was overly concerned about my care before surgery, during surgery and after surgery. He has an open line of communication and he never made me feel like I was in it by myself. The staff at Macon Surgical is awesome. They are so concerned about all our needs. Not one time when I had a question did they act as though I was bothering them. I appreciate them more than they know. the aftercare program that Dr. rothwell has is good. We have monthly lectures and group meetings and we all kind of team up together and have become a family of sorts. Dr. Rothwell was very open about all the risks and the benefits of surgery. I think surgical competence and a bedside manner is a great tool to have because you do want the best people operating on you and you also want them to be approachable when you have a concern or a question.

The first time I met Dr.Rothwell was at one of his seminars and he made a great impression on me. I still think a lot of him, he always makes me feel comfortable. Everyone at his office has always been real nice. I like everything about him there isn't anything I would think less of him on.
He is a very warm and friendly person. He lets you know right off that you will be under their care no matter what, you won't be turned loose. I haven't had my surgery yet but from the information I have so far I think everything they offer is structured. He was very open and honest about the surgery with me. He has very high ratings with me. I can probably give more information after my surgery. No one is perfect and I know everyone's situation is different but I know that I need this surgery because my weight is not good for me.

Dr. Rothwell has always presented himself in a professional, compassionate manner in discussing WLS and other surgeical needs. He has gained my trust and confidence by providing information and answering my questions in detail with the good and the bad. Im always well informed. He is upbeat in attitude and is patient oriented.

From the original consultation, till the second post op follow-up, he is always there for you.

I would highly recommend Dr. Rothwell and Dr. Williams for WLS. My encounter with Dr. Williams (though brief)has been one of thoroughness and professionalism.

I had my consult with Dr.Rothwell on Friday April 23rd. I was very impressed with him and the entire office staff. They seem to be well organized and excited that you are there. I normally am very nervous around doctors and doctor's offices, but I was very calm. My appointment with Dr.Rothwell was brief. He explained that he and his partner have seminars once a month where they go over everything about the surgery and answer all of our questions. I understand that it's hard to do that during an office visit. He said that they would stay as late as we needed to make sure that we were comfortable with everything beforehand. I am looking forward to hearing more at the seminar in a couple of weeks. I was recommended to Dr.Rothwell by a friend who is also his patient. He performed her surgery a year ago and she told me alot before I even met him. After considering other surgeons, I have decided to go with Dr.Rothwell. It's also neat that he's had the surgery himself, so he knows what it's like 1st hand.

I was wonderfully pleased with Dr rothwell from the first time I even called the office. His staff was friendly and helpful and they got me in very quickly (4 days!). Dr Rothwell put me at ease with his knowledge and compassion. Being a bariatric patient himself, he knows what we've been through because he's been there. He is very thorough in everything he does. He went over everything in detail-all the risks, expected benefits, the procedure itself, etc. No question is considered stupid or insignificant. He is the "complete package".

Dr. Rothwell is so caring about his patients. He doesn't cut any corners or sugar coat anything. He shoots straight from the hip.

A couple of days post-op, I called him because of some pain, and he was so patient with me. He didn't seem agitated or anything. I would recommend him to anyone deciding to make this life altering decision. He is gifted in his craft and has taken exceptional care of me.

Definitely a 20 on a scale of 1 to 10.

My first impression of Dr Rothwell was that he is very straight forward with the information on WLS and that he truly cares about his patients. His office staff has changed alot since I first started going to the office in January, 2004 (some people leaving and others coming in), but his staff has always been very nice and willing to answer questions and help whenever needed. Dr Rothwell and his office have a really good aftercare program that includes nutrition, diet, support groups and doctors visits to make sure everything is going well. He does not sugar coat the risks of the surgery, which is good because you should be totally informed from all aspects. Overall I am very happy with my experiences.