Joseph M. Vitello Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

dr. vitello was great, at first i thought i would be biased being that i work with him in the operating room but, i must admit he treated me like any other patient who comes and sees him eventhough i have seen him perform this procedure many times he spoke to me as if i wasn't a nurse with any medical background. when i went back to see him everthing i had planned to say to him just pushed out of my head and i went blank but it was alright since my original questions i had he answered them, so i would advise anyone else to write your questions down so you forget them. dr. vitello tells you the good and the bad which i feel is the patients right and he did explain that with all surgery it could be fatal eventhough he hasn't had one he just likes his patients to be aware of this. he is very down to earth and any question that you may have it will be answered. he informed me we would discuss aftercare once the insurance went through he would see me again but if you have any questions he will answer them. he doesn't have a group but he can refer you if you are interested

Dr. Joe likes FAT people and is so kind although he did try to frighten me into knowing all of the facts.

My impressions never change as of this time he is a kind person.
His staff were curtious and likable.

I like everything about him.

He cares about our being healthly for the rest of our life and is open to suggestions. He now has a support group at the UIC



In a true cold fact session.

He is a fantastic surgeon and from 1 to 10 he is a 11

both

I thought he was a straight forward kind of guy. He seems very serious and that is fine by me. I was looking for a surgeon with a lot of experience and Dr. Vitello definitely has that. He definetly has done his research of this website and already had a list of questions with the answers prepared for distribution. That was really helpful because you go in with a lot of questions but can't remember all the answers you were given down to the detail.

The first impression was okay i was a little thrown off by our first meeting was a group meeting. That had not been mentioned when i made the appointment and was told it would take about 1 hour. Pack a lunch i was there for almost 3.5 by the time all the people got there and all the questions were asked it took about 2.5 hours then we went to see him individually where he asked specifics about you and talk to you about WHY you think this is for you. He sounded a little cocky but meeting in a group with some people who thought this was going to need no work and wanted magic, you can see where there might be a little attitude.
It took a little over a month if i recall for the appointment. Then it took about 2 weeks for him to get my information to my primary care doctor and then a week for the approval. It took a few more days for scheduling after i got the approval. And I will be having my surgery July 18,2001 and Hes about 6 to 8 weeks after approval for surgery, Hes leaving for vacation at the end of June so I wanted to wait until he came back in July before I had my surgery. To ease my family they wanted me to have it when he would be there for any emergency that may occure. His office is now getting jamed packed with us biggies looking for WLS and he has just recently hired a helper by the name of Mary, It takes a few days for them to return a message you may leave but they do call back.
He sends out an informaiton packet before your doctors apointment and talks about almost everything you can think of during the orintaiton, but i think after care is mostly up to you. The bottom line is he gives you the knowledge its up to us to make it work. and he dose stress that you can screw this up for your self, and He dosnet strike me as sympathetic, he makes a point of discussing some of the WLS patience that have tried to come back for another surgery after they lost all there weight and then put it back on. He will exray you and if there is no medical reason for it, he will not do any other surgery.
His procedure is only open Roux-y he checks for leaks with saline and dye before sewing you up and has never had to go in because of a leak.( I felt this to be a relife) He also checks your other organs to make sure they are healthy and will remove your gallblader if it is sick at the time of WLS. I personally know 2 people who have had the surgery done by him and could'nt be happier with him.They also stressed that besides your regular physicals with him/ after care is pretty much up to you. In the interview he is searching for how much informaiton you have already gotten on the TOOL.

I am very pleased with Dr. Vitello. He took the time to answer all my questions in a manner that shows concern for his patients. He is very 'down to earth' and explains things so it is understandable.
After surgery, he been quick to respond to any questions or concerns. I have had some problems with intestinal infections and he has been following my progress as my family physican treats them. (Dr. Vitello is 200 miles away so a visit is quite a road trip.)
I would recommend him to anyone considering this type of surgery. I would recommend being a buddy with someone who can help with diet recommendations etc as this is mainly up to the individual after surgery. My wife had surgery in St. Louis and they have an extensive post op suggestions which has helped me on what to eat etc. This type of information would help any of Dr. Vitello's patients on post op 'what to do's.

I have not met him personally yet, but he was so nice to me on the phone, I couldn't believe it!! I kept trying to get off so as not to bother him, and he just kept trying to keep me on. He told me he doesn't do group consults anymore, and also let me know that he only does open RNY - no laparascopic.
7-24-01 Met with Dr. Vitello. Very nice and very patient. He made my husband feel much better about this, which made me extremly happy. He said I'm a good candidate, and now we only wait on insurance approval. Mine was an idividual consultation.

My overall impression of Dr. V was wonderful. He was very informative and supportive. My consultation was done in a group setting. The session was conducted by he and his nurse. He gave us a run down of the surgeries, the procedure HE performs Open RNY, a listing of the Pros and Cons as well as a listing of the Risks and HIS statistics (risk wise). He answered ALLLL of our questions and was very REAL. He did not skate around any of our issues or concerns. After the group session, we broke off into individual consults. We were told of the Pre and Post Op things WE needeed to do to insure a successful surgery and recovery. I enjoyed my first visit with him. It is my greatest hope that his bedside manner is the same. So now I wait for my insurance to approve me and for the Dr.s office to give me a date.

Dr. Vitello is an easy man to speak to. He does not lead you on by telling you this is a magic fix. As many others have said it is only the tool to help you.

I had a problem getting a surgeon at first. I have a complicated medical history. I have had other surgeons tell me during my consultation that they declined to do my surgery. Dr. Vitello went throughout my medical records(I brought with me)very carefully. He also listened to all my concerns and accepted referral from all of my doctors. He assured me he would treat me with the utmost care. He was such a gentleman. He didn't sugarcoat anything. He told everything I could expect. He spoke to me several times on the phone before and after my visit. He even took some advice from me on how to deal with my insurance company. All in all my pre-op impression of him is a 10.

I met Doctor Vitello on March 21,2001 at my first consultation,my first impression was that he was very straight forward and honest didn't sugar coated anything and even told me I could die from this surgery.I appreciated his honesty because that allowed me to make a well thought decision about going with the surgery. I had surgery june 11th 2001 everything went great ,minimal pain no complications.I really wish there was an after care program because I been having problems deciding what's good to eat and what isan't. But in generall doctor Vitello is the best I'll give him a 10.