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

Met with Dr Schweitzer on Wed-He seemed warm and very confident without being arrogant.Had an occassion to e-mail him a question and he responded with=in 24 hrs.I
am also having my gall baldder removed,a hyatal hernia repaired and he thought,since I once had phlebitus,that it was imporatant to put a filter in my vein so aa blood clot could not travel...was impressed with this.
Watched a vide and was given literature that addressed the first 4-6 wks after surgery:
2 carnation instant breakfasts(sugar free) and 1 oz of a purred food or hot choc.mixed with gnc designer protien-plus water..water...and more water.everytime I visit him I will need to see the dietician,who also said I could call her anytime I had a question.The one thing that disturbed me was that his office hours are on Wed. and Fri am and she comes to the office on Thur. am-2 mornings off from work.different office support staff is in the office while the dietician is there and I needed a not for work,which meant going down the hall to see the doctors staff and they had never had anyone ask for a note,which I found surprising but everyone was friendly and respectful.Cant wait for my approval and date!

I met with Dr. S on 9/28/01... I felt that his office staff was helpful and Dr. S seems very educated. He was willing to answer any questions that I had, I did have alot! The video that he shows did answer alot of questions that I had, but he did not hesitate to reitterate anything that I needed clarified. He not only is thoughtful of the procedure that he will perform, but also advises on Aftercare. I would refer him to anyone else that I know is looking into the procedure. He also performs the surgery Laproscopic, which is less invasive.

I am very pleased with my switch to Dr. Schweitzer. He does the surgery lap. Everyone in the office was very nice. They are all new to the baltimore area but everything has gone smoothly so far.I was very impressed with the fact that I can email my dr. if needed and I have!!! He has his own web site www.smallscar.com It is very informative and I have enjoyed checking it out.I really feel that he is the best surgeon for me.

Dr. Schweitzer is a very personable and through doctor. The information he provides and covers on your visits is carefully covered in depth. He throughly instructs you on what to expect and what the risks are and he stresses how important the aftercare is and you have to agree to abide by all his policies laid out in his program. He gives you a print out of all the information and he also has you watch a video all about your surgery, the risks and aftercare. He spends plenty of time with you and answers any and all questions. He has a email address and encourages you to contact him if you have any questions and believe it or not he answers you almost immediately which amazed me since he is such a good doctor and extremely busy. His staff are extremely nice and helpful. My surgery is Monday, October 1st, 2001.

Dr. S. has been really cool about the whole thing. I first contacted him via email (I got his name from this site, actually), he responded, suggesting that I give his office staff a call in Baltimore and set up an appointment, that I sounded like a possible candidate. I did, and during the appointment we chatted about any questions I might have, his experience with the surgery (he performs other procedures as well, which reassures me - I didn't want to go to a guy who specialized in a knife-wielding version of a fat farm.) He's young-ish (about my age), and is very positive about doing lap procedures - in fact he's one of the few surgeons in the state who does them. He is not touchy feely, and he doesn't spend a lot of time making nicey-nice. He is busy and brisk, and I'm sure some people find him aloof. I liked it that he didn't have any of the squishy, paternalistic hovering of so many doctors in specialties that cater to mostly women. His office staff has recently changed, and the new assistant seems much more efficient that the last - which is a blessing, as the last one delayed getting my letter to the insurance company for some 4 weeks, the ninny. The emphasis at this practice is on self-sufficiency. They have a dietitian on staff, and can refer you to other specialists (ie a therapist, etc.), but they don't demand that one use only "their" people. I rate him an "8" overall, so far. I can say more after October 2nd.

My first impresson of Dr. Schweitzer is that I adore him! I think it is very very important that you "click" with the person you decided to let cut you open and this is exactly what happened with Dr. S. As soon as he walked into the room I felt a connection. And as he talked I became more and more convinced that he was the surgeon for me. He reminded me of my primary care physician, whom I adore, in his easy-going friendly and competent manner.

His staff gives you two comprehensive handouts and has you watch a video/powerpoint presentation prior to meeting with the doctor. They are all very pleasant. Then you have the obligatory weigh in and blood pressure. I do have to say that although the Aide that took my blood pressure was sweet she was not very adept at it. She repeatedly ahd trouble dealing with my fat person's arm and could not get either the large or thigh cuff to work properly. She appeared to get a bit flustered and I am unsure if we ever got an accurate reading.was in line with what I told her mine normally runs. I did have an additional problem with finding out if his office is in my insurance network. His secretary said he was but she would check into it for me to be sure. She was supposed to call me back twice before my scheduled visit to give me the information I needed. She never did either time and as a result I ended up going without a referral because the information my primary care doc's office was getting is that they were not covered. The secretary then told me, after I had paid my copay, that I was not going to be able to be seen today becasue I did not have a referral. When I mentioned that "someone" was supposed to have called me back twice she got very quiet. She was very nice and I am sure she was simply overworked. I did, however, end up paying out of pocket a LOT of money.

But it was all worth it because Doctor S. is just wonderful! He answered every single question I had and encouraged me to ask as many as I liked. He explained the procedure, posible complications, aftercare etc...completely. He said that I am a very good candidate for the lap procedure and he explained how the procedure is done and what makes someone a candidate. He was happy with my diet and excrcise and encouraged me to keep it up.

He emphasized the importance of aftercare and made it clear that no matter where I was in the world or where he was int he world that I could and should contact him if I was experiencing any problems.

Dr S. is a pioneer in the lap procedure and it is clear he is VERY good at what he does. I have total and complete confidence in him to do this surgery.

I had my surgery by Dr Schwitzer on 8/21. He did the Lap RNY. I had a rough first day with nausea, but turned that corner, and feel just fine now. I have never had much pain and only take Tylenol for soreness once in a while. I have 6 small incisions that are healing well. Still eating a pureed diet. I would recommend Dr Schwitzer to anyone who is interested in this proceedure.

Dr. S. seems to be a very nice man. He is very young but has lots of experience. He had lots of information for me to review and answered all of my questions both positive and negative.

When I made my first appointment it was approximately 2 months off. I was devasted. I felt that that would mean no surgery for at least 5 months. I begged for an earlier appointment. The office staff said that they would do what they could. I couldn't belive when they called with an opening about 2 weeks later. The office staff were very nice and welcoming. At this point, they have filed with my insurance company or so I thought. I still feel like I have picked the right place. It just has the wrong staff.

While I still believe that Dr. Schweitzer is a great surgeon, his staff leave much to be desired. They just don't seem to feel what we are going through. I called constantly to follow up on the insurance filing and they treated me like they were doing me a favor by talking to me. Live and learn. Now I wait.

*See below for Dr. Schweitzer comments* Dr. Vanguri is a soft spoken, gentle man. His office is very busy, it takes months to get an initial appointment, and then months to schedule the surgery date. I have been attending his monthly support group meetings for a year now. He has been performing this surgery only for 15+ years. His surgical skill is said to be excellent. Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore apparently has a very good reputation. His staff, altho overworked are very helpful and friendly. In the past year I have not heard any fatality stories or terrible complication stories, either. The only problem I can see with the aftercare program is that there is no associated nutritionist specializing in this weight loss surgery. They are working on that, tho and hope to have one soon.
On my initial visit there, he does a little group briefing, then individual exams. He answers all questions very confidently. I believe he really cares about the plight of the obese.
8/21/01: All tho I really liked Dr. V - I am now having the surgery done by Dr. Schweitzer at Sinai hospital because he does it lap. I really want a quicker recovery and less of a scar. He is new to Sinai and is just getting his practice set up. He does not yet have credentials (his ID#) from all the insurance companies, yet. He is supposed to have it from Aetna by Sept. 1 and I am scheduled for Sept. 10. Jenny, his secretary is very nice and helpful, she is also new working for him. I can tell that it won't be long before she is completely overwhelmed there since Dr. S. is one of the few in this area doing this procedure lap. He has been an abdominal lap surgeon for maybe 8 years, and has been performing the gastric bypass since 1998. He is about 36 years old, but very confident and nice enough. In the two visits I have had with him, he has taken his time and explained all the surgical options and answered my list of questions. I must say tho, that he never examined me at all. Just took my weight and other lab test results. From those doctors that I have looked into, he definetely makes you jump thru the fewest hoops and seems to take an overall less invasive approach. I like that. Last I heard he was in the process of hiring a nutritionist who will also start some kind of support group. Hopefully she will be up and running soon!I'll update on the other side!

I HAVE MY FIRST APPOINTMENT WITH HIM ON AUGUST 29.