Michael Schweitzer Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

7\14\02. i am offically 6 months out today. my comments about the doctor stands. he is the best. i have had some difficulties eating and keeping food down. this poor man has had to deal with me for the entire time. god bless his heart. i am just shy of 100 pounds lost and feeling better that way. dr. schweitzer has been there to answer my emails, to see me in his office(only to hear me say no to his suggestions), and just plain putting up with me. he is a doctor who is in this for the long haul. for that i am grateful. at times he can be a bit short(if you are sensative like me, don't take it personally) but always professional. he has and is trying to save my life and hasn't kicked me to the curb. give him a chance. my first impression, like everyone else's. wow, he is young. but how knowledgable. he is there for you. no matter how crazy you drive him. and i got to tell everyone, i have driven him nuts. he is confident(i admire), compotent, and talented. he is there for his patients. if you do something right, he is there to praise you. if you do something wrong, he will let you know that to. i am a very nervous, anxious person. he has taken his time with me and for that i will be ever so grateful. if you are considering this surgery, take the time to meet with him. he will win you over.

I HAVE SWITCHED SURGEONS TO HAVE IT DONE LAPAROSCOPICALLY AND I AM VERY CONFIDENT IN MY DECISION TO HAVE DR. SCHWEITZER PERFORM IT. HE SEEMS TO BE A VERY KNOWLEDGABLE AND ENTHUSIASTIC SURGEON. WHEN I FIRST CONSIDERED SWITCHING SURGEONS, WE COMMUNICATED VIA E-MAIL. AND TO MY SURPRISE, HE ALWAYS RESPONDED VERY QUICKLY. THAT SAYS ALOT TO ME. HE TAKES THE TIME TO CARE AND THAT HE IS ALSO A VERY GOOD BUSINESSMAN. SOMETIMES TAKING THAT EXTRA STEP IN CUSTOMER SERVICE CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD!HIS OFFICE ASSISTANT GENNY IS ALSO VERY RESPONSIVE AND KIND. I HAVE FOUND THE RIGHT SURGEON AND OFFICE FOR ME AND MY SURGERY DATE IS SEPTEMBER 13, 2001! THE EXACT DAY AS MY PREVIOUS DATE WITH MY FORMER SURGEON! WHAT A COINCIDENCE!

I felt Dr. Schweitzer to be up front, relaxed, and professional. The initial process of explaination was a little cold, but he warmed up as we spoke. He was patient as I questioned him about the operation. His staff was somewhat cold and clinical as I inquired as to why it was taking so long to get asurgical date. Finally after their mistake was resolved, they seemed to warm up. Dr. Schweitzer was very detailed about the risks envolved, but very "matter of fact", as though he had done this a thousand times before. I did get a sense of confidence in his ability to bring me through this. I suppose I would rate him as one of the best and I am very familiar with the hosp. With 3 weeks to go, I am not extremely anxious.

6/4: Dr. Schweitzer came to the support group meeting on the 28th. It was a great meeting. He asked questions that I didn't even know I needed to know. He was informative and compassionate. I see him again on the 19th for my 6 month checkup. I wanted 100 pound weight loss and it's not going to happen yet, but he made me feel okay about that. I was all worried about not losing fast enough and my window of opportunity would be gone. After talking with him, I lost that tenseness and lost some more. He's a good man and an excellent surgeon. Shame he doesn't do plastic surgery too.

1/29: Had problems not related to surgery but was worried that meds I was taking would hurt me. Also weight loss had stopped at 7 weeks out. I emailed Dr. S. and he was in contact with me throughout this problem. I can't thank him enough. I would recommend this man to anyone who was thinking about WLS.

1/3: One of the best things I like about this doctor is that he answers emails. I wrote him when I was not losing and he responded with suggestions. That is so cool. I emailed him with a one month update and he responded. His office staff still stinks but as I am past that part I am okay. But I feel sorry for those starting this journey as they may be put off with having to do all the work themselves.

12/20: I find that each time I speak with this doctor I like him more and more. I am glad that I chose him as he did a great job.

I initially contacted Dr. Schweitzer after visiting his website (www.smallscar.com). I sent him an e-mail providing a little bit of information about myself and asking if I might be a good candidate for WLS. He responded the very next day! When I called his office in November, 2001, I was very disappointed to find out that the first consult appointment I could get was the end of January!

When the date for my consultation finally arrived, I was glad I'd waited. After checking in, I was invited into a room and left to view a video describing weight loss surgery processes. Having done a great deal of research on my own, I knew most of the information, but the video also emphasized Dr. Schweitzer's specific instructions. After watching the video, an assistant (nurse?) took me back for the weigh-in and showed me to an exam room where I waited for the doctor.

Although my processing by his office staff seems to have been a whirlwind, Dr. Schweitzer is a caring professional who has a great balance of candor and sensitivity.
We discussed my personal circumstances and he emphasized both the benefits and risks of the surgery. He requires a visit with a Nutritionist, which can be scheduled through his office if you choose to go to his Nutritionist (Yvonne).

I left the office with literature about the procedure and aftercare, an appointment with the Nutritionist, instructions to see a Psychiatrist for an evaluation, and wishes of "good luck" for gaining insurance approval.

Overall, I am very pleased to have Dr. Schweitzer as my surgeon and trust in his ability. The administrative stuff that I did on my own (insurance approval, etc.) was well worth the benefit of having such a skilled surgeon. My only disappointment is the wait. Now that I have obtained insurance approval, my surgery has been "tentatively" scheduled for AUGUST!

Dr. Schweitzer is a top notch surgeon with an overworked, undertrained staff. He is not exactly the warm and fuzzy type either, but he is an excellent surgeon. He's also very much in demand. I understand there's now an 12 month plus wait for an initial consultation. My impression of Dr. Schweitzer is that he's no-nonsense, very straightforward, and non-judgemental. One thing you must know before choosing him... you must be willing to take command of your own case. You can not wait for his staff to take care of things for you. If you call, and you don't get a return call in an hour, call again. You need to bug them every step of the way. Even with my persistence, it took three weeks for them to mail the letter to my insurance company, and almost two weeks after getting approval for the scheduling secretary to call me back to schedule my surgery date. I had to chase paperwork the day before surgery, because the office claimed they hadn't received the results of my pre-op physical. As far as the surgery, everything went off without a hitch. I have experienced no complications, and he did the procedure laparoscopic. Now, I saw him all of 30 seconds outside of the operating room, but the roving hoard of residents at Sinai took good care of me, and relayed little messages from him while I was there. Aftercare??? I downloaded the post op instructions from his web site. Otherwise, I would have been clueless.

Bottom line. Excellent surgeon for someone who is willing and able to take command of their own care.

P.S. He reads and responds to his e-mail. Definitely a plus when you get frustrated with his staff.

My Dr. is wonderful. He is very nice and helpful. There was need for improvment with his office staff however he has already made that improvment and it is much better. He is very big on aftercare particularly family support.

My first impression of Dr. Schweitzer is that he is a very very knowledgeable man.He was very prompt in answering all my questions. He made me feel very confident in the decesion Iam making far as surgery goes.He eased all the fears I was having about surgery and assureed me that I was in good hands. As for his staff they were ok a little slow but ok.

My first inpression of Dr. S was that he was very well informed in this field and knows his stuff. He was very willing to answer all my questions and took his time doing so to make sure that I understood what he was saying. His office staff has been helpful althrough I had to call them just about everyday to get the ball rolling and get the approval process going I was finally approved Thank God and it wasn't bad at all.
To me he didn't seem to be all that tall or young looking that might be because we are the same age but not the same height.LOL

Laid back, I was amazed at his matter of fact like attitude and it put me at ease. Now I kind of wish that he were a little more available for things that might not be a big deal but are still questions. Unfortunately the office staff leave a lot to be desired, I realize that they're busy but you have to keep on them. If you are considering this doctor know that the best way to communicate with him is via email. Aftercare is pretty much a packet of instructions, it's best to know this inside & out. Though he doesn't have a structured aftercare program we the patients have formed a support group that often helps. Risks of surgery were explained in a video and in paperwork. Overall I would rate him as an excellent surgeon for patients that don't need a lot of hand holding. His surgical competence is definitely the highest in the state MD as he is one of few who perform this surgery laporscopically and the only one with years of experience.