Julie Ellner Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

everything was great to all questions ,

My husband and I first met Dr. Ellner at an information workshop in San Diego. The first thing that impressed me was that the seminar was not put on by some business office trying to drum up new patients. Instead, Dr. Ellner was able to provide a very informative overview of the different types of surgery options and the various risks and benefits. She spoke of both national averages, as well as Alvarado's averages as well. This was critical in my research and I was completely satisfied. Dr. Ellner seemed to be a very empathetic and caring physician. I decided that day that she was the surgeon for me.

The staff at Alvarado has been wonderful, but Dr. Ellner is simply the best! It is apparent that they all work closely with one another to get you through each step from paperwork submission to scheduling surgery, as well as the entire pre-op process as efficiently as possible. My husband and I have been very impressed.

My husband and I met with Dr. Ellner again today and my first impression of her at the information seminar was right on! She allowed us to take as much time as needed to get all of our questions answered and then spent some time explaining the exact procedure she would perform. I never once felt rushed and I knew I was in good hands.

I feel very confident that I am in gifted and caring hands and this makes me that much more prepared for my March 18, 2004 surgery date.

Dr. Julie Ellner at the Alvarado Center for Surgical Weight Control is an angel from heaven. My first impression of her was that she was extremely knowledgeable, genuinely cared about her patients, and would have a personal relationship with me as a patient. I learned that my impressions were true, and she did everything she could to make my family and me feel comfortable and completely informed. As a female, I felt most comfortable with a female surgeon, and Dr. Ellner is one of the best in the world for weight loss surgery. As I was in the hospital recovering following my surgery, Dr. Ellner came to visit me and brought me a large soft teddy bear with the note "Congratulations!", with a TheraBand Bow to begin my exercise. Dr. Ellner's bedside manner was superb, and her surgical competence is unsurpassed. I highly recommend Alvarado for gastric bypass surgery, as it developed the surgery originally and is one of the best, if not the best, locations for it in the world. I had tons of literature on the surgery, knew exactly what was going to happen and the risks associated, knew all about my diet and exercise following surgery, and felt more relieved that I wasn't left with questions. I give Dr. Ellner a 10.

Dr. Ellner is confident and caring. She exhibited total confidence and skill while providing empathy and genuine concern. I recommend her with out reservation. She is a special individual and a highly skilled physician. She explained everything clearly prior to surgery and there were no problems post-op.

Dr. Ellner was interested in me..not a number or a price tag. I thought she was a warm ad caring individual from the first time we spoke. If anything I developed an even stronger "like" for Julie from day to day while working with her. The office staff were well trained and very professional. I know this sounds corny but I never found anything about this doctor that I didn't like. After care was emphasized from all staff at every turn. The entire Alvarado practice has a very structured pre and post op program. I saw the NP before being discharged from Alvarado and allowed to return to Alaska at which point I found out that a "pucker" on the left side of my stomach was a collection of fluid and had to be treated. The NP lanced the area in the office. Other than that the whole experience was much less traumatic than I ever thought it could be. I was well informed of the risks associated with the surgery except for the "pucker" but it wasn't a big deal. On a scale of 1 - 10 Dr. Ellner rates a definite 10 in both bedside manner and surgical competence!

I'm hoping Dr. Ellner will be my surgon. She's amazing.

Dr. Ellner was wonderful. She was very compassionate and caring and took her time to be sure that my husband and I were familiar with the procedure and comfortable that all our questions had been answered. She did not sugar coat the possible negatives and made sure we were aware of the risks as well as the advantages. I would rate her a solid 11+.

I 1st met Dr. Ellner at the seminar and really liked her personality and knowledge. I was really happy to find out that I could chose her. I am really impressed by the compassion the staff already has shown to me. When I arrived at the seminar I received a hug from "Shirley" the insurance gal. I will update this next month when I have my pre-surgery date. One more thing...I called all the surgeons in San Diego to find someone who cared about me and didnt have a 6 months wait. Alvarado by far is the best

OK 12/2/02 I have now met with Dr Ellner and her staff and am ever so much more impressed. Her bedside manner was very comfortable and not intimidating at all. I would cry normally at the thought of a stranger (Doctor or not) to view me in all my glory. She made me forget about that by just being normal. I think she is great and I recommend her thus far. My surgery is scheduled for 12/5/02 first thing in the morning. Wish me luck

I met Dr. Julie Ellner at an informational seminar on January 3, 2001. I talked with her briefly. She seems to understand the plight of obese people. I doubt that she remembers me, but I have envisioned her as my surgeon since that day. I received insurance approval on February 28th. Pre-op will be on March 30th and surgery on April 2nd.

I could not be more pleased with the results of the surgery with Dr. Julie Ellner. The Lap RNY left me with 6 small holes, 4 of which are almost invisible at 1 month post op. The drain hole is just a little bigger - but nothing to worry about and the largest hole, about at the waist on the left side is healing fine.

I found Dr. Ellner to be a caring individual who visited and talked to me each day at the hospital. She never seemed too busy or too rushed. I could not be happier with my results.

At my 7-month follow-up visit, Dr. Ellner greeted me like we were old school chums. She couldn't have been friendlier, nicer, or more supportive. She talked about EVERYTHING with me and was supportive of how successful I have been. I would recommend her to anyone interested in Lap RNY.

At 12 weeks post-op. I joined a gym and got a personal trainer. The trainer wanted to get clearance for me to start a program. The trainer contacted Dr. Ellner and not only got clearance - but also got Dr. Ellner's suggestions about target heart rates, cardio workout, strength and toning that would be appropriate.

At 14 weeks post-op, I went to a symposium and out of a large audience of women, Dr. Ellner recognized me as one of her patients and talked personally with me after her presentation. She had not seen me since my one-month follow-up --- which was nearly 10 weeks ago. I was both pleased and shocked.

At 7 months post-op, I saw Dr. Ellner in person. She couldn't have been more enthusiastic or supportive. She spent quite a lot of time talking to me - about everything. She told me I was right "on track" for weight loss and that I would likely reach goal at 11-12 months. WOW! She also told me that she thought I should weigh in the 140s - rather than my goal of 150. We shall see. We talked about many things --- including plastic surgery. I shared with her my "progress" pictures and gave her a copy. She now wants all her patients to keep track of their progress in pictures.


My plastic surgeon was Dr, Robert Pollack - next door to my Alvarado gastric bypass surgeon in San Diego. He does a lot of the Alvarado gastric bypass patients and I found him to be great. He was supportive and helpful in every way - even calling me at home to check up on my progress. He preforms his plastic surgeries as an out-patient procedure which saves the patient money and was great for me. I had a tummy tuck and arm lift - which took about 6.5 hours. I am not quite 2 weeks out of surgery and can see some good results already. I'll update my progress later but have seen some of his patients and been very impressed with his skill.

My first impression of Dr. Ellner was very positive. She is extremely compassionate, which is very important when you are making such a life changing decision. Her staff is wonderful.

The aftercare program through Dr. Ellner is very detailed. It was was great having a structured diet to follow after surgery.

I would rate Dr. Ellner as a 10, because she is the whole package, a great surgeon, great bedside manner and very compassionate.