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

His staff was courteous. They sent me multiple copies of the pre-reading materials and medical forms. Dr. Schweitzer explained things in detail and was very patient with all of our questions. I feel good thus far about my decision.

The above comment is about Dr. Michael Schweitzer-- I have changed surgeons.

I am now working with Dr. Thomas Magnuson. After months of going back and forth between Cigna and Dr.S's office I finally gave up. I waited 3 months for my initial consultation with Dr.S, then another 2 1/2 months going round and round determining if Dr.S would be covered by Cigna, only to finally find out that I needed to use another surgeon. Although I felt quite confident regarding Dr.S's surgical abilities, working with his staff was a Circus. For that reason alone I should have moved on much sooner than I did.

I have gotten my new referral to Dr.Magnuson, with the help of my very helpful PCP office. Dr.Magnuson has approved me as a good candidate now I am waiting for the scheduler to call me to set up my first surgical consultation. It seems this process may take a bit of time. I may not get a consult till Jan or Feb. At this point I am willing to wait if it means my case will be handled with competence.

Jan 02' update- Dr. Magnuson couldn't even fit me in for a consult until July. While exploring other options, I discovered that Dr. S had been re-contracted with CIGNA. I contacted his secretary who got the ball rolling again. Within a week of submitting my paperwork I got an approval! Yeah!!

March 02'-- I had my surgery 2/25. Dr. S was great. The nursing staff at Sinai had great things to say about him. I felt like I was in very competent hands. At two weeks post-op I have had no complications and am feeling great.

2-22-02
I had my first meeting with him today. He seamed ok and I guess I will be able to say more when I deal with him more. He did not really tell me much, but asked me to tell him what I knew. His office did get my a packet to read over that is suppose to answer all of my questions.

OK, A little stand-offish.
As the surgery came closer and post-op he has become much much better.
The office staff is good. HE was very good aftercare. The hosptitol stay was awful. Because I have sleep apnea I had to stay in ICU for a day and it was extended for a second day when they had no room in the general hospitol. ICU was terrible, the care was terrible the nurse's were the worst I have ever excperienced. I feel that ICU was a detriment to my recovery. Dr. Schweitzer did everything possible to get me out of their. i would recommend him higly.

I have an appointment mid Jan 2002 with Dr. Schweitzer in Baltimore. I emailed him prior to making an appointment and he replied w/i 24 hours. He answered my initial questions and gave me his office information and suggested I call to make an appointment so we could discuss all aspects of the surgery further. I am interested in the Lap procedure as the healing time involved would be faster.

I also have an appt. with Dr. Vanguri also in Baltimore the end of Jan. 2002. I have heard from others that have had him as their surgeon he is an excellent doctor. He only does the open procedure which I am more fearful of. It's the whole pain issue. I am a big baby!

I plan to see both doctors to see who I am the most comfortable with and what procedure would be best for me. Will keep you updated.


1/21/01 I had my consulation with Doctor Schweitzer in Baltimore on 1/16/02. When I arrived I was asked for my insurance card, the packet of information they sent me to fill out, and any medical records or letters from my primary care physician. I was then taken to a room where I watch a 20 mins video outlining and explaining in great detail the 3 types of surgeries the doctor does. At the end of the video one of the doctor's staff came in and gave me printed materials on the surgeries I thought I would be interested in. I was then weighed and my BP was taken. I waited approx 10-15 mins and the doctor came in. He introduced himself and shook my hand. I would estimate he is in his late 30's and he is tall, and a nice looking man. He asked me what questions I might have after watching the video. I asked him about the differences between the 2 gastric bypass surgeries and he said the Roux-en-Y is the most common and the most likely to be covered by insurance. Apparently the Lap Banding procedure and the Duodenal Switch are not covered by most insurance companies. He asked me if I liked sweets and I said yes, he explained that the lap band would not be good for me then because I could eat whatever I wanted to and the only thing is that I would feel fuller faster. All the Lap Band would do would restrict how much I would be comfortable eating at one time. He said the Duodenal Switch leave more of your stomach intact but takes a lot more of the intestines and it is the malabsorption of food from this surgery that causes the majority of the weight loss. This surgery ,he explained, is usually done when someone has major amounts of weight to lose. According to him I would need to lose 157 lbs to be what the weight chats say I should weigh but that is not enough for the
"Switch" surgery.
Over all I really liked Dr.Schweitzer. I had read other peoples impressions of him and they thought his was a bit of a "cold fish" and was not very personable. I found that not to be the case at all. He smiled and laughed a few times at my comedic remarks and seemed open and honest to all my questions. I even went so far as to ask him if he had ever lost a patient. He said yes. He explained it was not on the operating table ar while they were in the hospital but a week after they were home. One would assume it would have been a blood clot or an infection, but an autopsy came up with no explainable cause of death. He said that has been the only person. We talked for approx 30 mins. and before ending our discussion he told me what tests I would need and what I would need to do on my end and what appointments I would need to come back for etc. I was very comfortable with him and I was left with a very good impression of him and his practice.

Prior to choosing Dr. S, I checked him out with other surgeons in both Virginia and at Georgetown where he was previous to Baltimore. Each and every one (out of 6) said the same thing...if they were going to have the surgery, Dr. S would be the only one they would choose. I spoke at length with the surgical nurse he used at Georgetown and with 3 nurses who work in recovery and all said they were very impressed with his caring manner after the surgery. They said he is very compassionate and always looked out for the best interest of his patient first. My surgery with him (LAP RNY) 01/07/02. I was very impressed with him and really apprciated his laid back manner which put me at ease. He is professional but at the same time you feel like you have put yourself in the hands of an old friend. He addressed all my concerns but was very respectful of the fact that I had taken alot of time to research this procedure on my own. My surgery went great and at 14 days post-op have done really well and am losing at the speed of sound. I thank Sue in his office for all her help in the insurance phase of this. The hospital he uses was excellent. I was a little concerned that no one really pushed me to walk as I have read in so many profiles. I did it on my own, but they did help me get up as needed. I also think his nutritionist could be a bit more helpful. I felt like I know more than she did from my research. She was not familiar with this site, which I think would be a great resourch for any professional. (Dr. S kids about how young we all say he is.)

Dr. Schweitzer seems very young, but really knows what he's doing. Prior to my first visit, I read everything I could find on the Internet about the surgery, and found his website, www.smallscar.com. I knew of a surgeon where I used to live in NC, and that surgeon was in some legal troubles from a former (and unhappy) patient; Dr. S. knew all about that surgeon, the variation of the RNY that that surgeon used, and why it wasn't as successful. He had a video and has an extensive website describing the surgery options, benefits, and risks. (I have to say, however, in my opinion the quality of the video recording is awful!)

I was impressed with his knowledge, and with his surgical skills. I was discharged within 2 days (lap RNY) and had no problems adjusting to the new pouch, no big pain issues, no issues with the incisions, etc. Dr. S. also takes the time to follow up and answer your questions. Aftercare is good- he has a good nutritionist and a new office assistant who is much better than the first one I dealt with on my case.

Let me describe Dr. Schweitzer in two words "cool beans!" He is very informative, he provides his patients with a video to watch before you actually meet him. The video offers the patients a full overview of the various procedures - I think this is a great idea. After the video we conversed and he answered my questions and gave me his opinion on a few things. Oh by the way, he has email and he will respond to your email!

I met with Dr. Schweitzer on Friday January 4th. As everyone says he does look young, but was very helpful. He has asked me to write a letter to my insurance company to follow up the information he is sending.

I dont have a date yet. But hopefully soon

I am adding this information on January 8th. Dr. Schweitzer is extreamly helpful to patients. Yesterday I emailed him explaining that I found out my employeer has excluded WLS from our insurance policy. He emailed me back with a bunch of information that is going to help me fight the battle with the insurance company.

<font color=660099>OK, I finally met with Dr. Schweitzer today -- and he really does look as young as everyone says. :) Anyway, I found him very easy to talk to, he answered all my questions and made me feel good about my decision to move forward with WLS.
7/30/01 I haven't been to see Dr. Schweitzer yet -- still waiting. My appointment is October 10th -- which seems like two years away instead of two months at this point I may call next week and see if they can try to fit me in if someone cancels. I've heard very good things about Dr. Schweitzer and am looking forward to meeting him.</font>

I had my consult with Dr. Schweitzer on 09/07/01. He was great, much younger than I expected him to be, but appeared to be very knowlegable. He was very pleasant and relaxed and ready to answer any questions I had. I felt very comfortable talking with him. His office staff was very pleasant and courteous. The thing I like least about him is that his office is so far from where I live. He explained his aftercare program and the absolute necessity for it. He had a video that explained a lot about the types of surgeries he does and the risk and pros and cons of each while that I viewed while I was waiting. He even gave me two pamphlets that explained everything he went over in the consult Overall, I would definately rate him outstanding. I was ready to check in that day for surgery, but have to wait until 10-01-01 when the new morbid obesity surgery law goes into effect. Of course surgical competence is the best, but I prefer both surgical competence and bedside maner.