Pamela Foster Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

Dr. Pamela Foster a very caring expert in the Laparocopic RNY Surgery procedure. She was complete in her consultation with me (my two daughters were present). She put my daughters and myself at ease in her explanations of the Laparoscopic RNY procedure and what we should expect. My daughters went in rather anxious about having their mother have this surgery, yet left her office confident that she knew what she was doing.

She explained the risks of surgery and what were common complications. Of course my daughters picked up on the risk of death part, and she told us it was low and that so far she hasn't lost a patient. That really put my daughters at ease!
Overall I would rate Dr. Foster an 10+ for competence, patient/doctor relations, professionalism. I will let you know more after the surgery is performed.
Post-op update: March 22, 2002. I now rate Dr. Pamela Foster a 10++++++ as a surgeon. I would do it over again in a heartbeat under her skilled care.

Dr. Foster had to schedule me earlier than usual, I had fun 'looking' for the office since the front doors were locked at 7:30 in the morning! This was my first consult with Dr. Foster, I really didn't have any expectation, I just wanted to feel secure that the person working with me had answers and hoping for some nurturing qualities. Well, Dr. Foster delivered. I am so looking forward to my surgery date. The time that Dr. Foster took to talk with me, trying to get to know some of the little details. What I was impressed with was how she really needed the facts, not just what she wanted to hear. I left the office very positive and felt that my aftercare would be just as much a priority as to the surgery itself. I think what I liked best about Dr. Foster and her team is that the information came to me with out the 'sugar-coating'. I was told how it was, what to expect and encouraged to join a support group. I am truely blessed to have met this group and I look forward to a new chapter in my life.

7/5/01 - I met Dr Pamela Foster for the first time on 7/3/01. My sister and mother joined me for this first consultation.
On 6/20/01 I met with the Nutritionist K. Birge and the Psychiatrist Dr. Robin Apple who were
recommended by Dr Fosters office since they specialize in this surgery. Those appointments were pretty
standard and were required before my initial Consultation with Dr Foster. When I met Dr Foster, we were all
very impressed with her professionalism, knowledge and good bedside manner. She is very caring and will
answer all of your questions. This first appointment was not rushed at all and she wants to get to know her
patients as much as possible before surgery. She did mention you had to lose 10% of your total body weight.
Luckily at that appointment I had already started and had lost a total of 19 lbs from my highest weigh of 322.
She felt confident in setting my surgery date; but most important she wanted to make sure I was confident in
making this decision as well; since I am so young she said. (I am 22 years old) My date is August 27th,
2001. I am very excited! *****

8/9/01 - I had my pre-op appointment with
Dr. Foster yesterday. Everything went well; she
talked about what will be happening the day of
surgery and what to expect. She also went over
what to expect during my entire stay at the hospital.
Dr. Foster is very thorough and easy to talk with.
She will honestly answer any question you have.
I have lost a total of 36 lbs pre-op and she
is happy that I have been doing my part. *****

9/26/01 - I had my surgery with Dr Foster on 8/27/01.
She was great; very kind and took a lot of time to talk with
me and my family in the hospital. The staff and nurses
are awesome at Stanford! I have no regrets about my
surgery, and no regrets about Dr Foster. I am
excited that my new life has begun! *****

11/26/01 - I met with Dr Foster on 11/21/01 for
my 3-month post op appointment. I weighed in at
235 lbs which makes a total weight loss of 87
lbs. Dr Foster is great... She encouraged more
fiber in my diet. I go and meet with her again
in 3 months for my 6 month Post op. *****

2/27/02 - Everything is on track when I met with Dr Foster for my 6-month Post-Op appointment. All of my blood work came back normal. I am down a grand total of 120 lbs and still feeling awesome!

When I first met her I really liked her. She is very upfront and blunt about things, which is why I liked her. I immediately felt comfortable talking to her, and have since my first visit. Her assistant Trina is the sweetest thing, she as well was very welcoming and comforting. Dr. Foster went over EVERYTHING in detail of what to expect pre-op, during and post-op. She really emphasized the importance of making sure that after the surgery, of how important it is to watch your nutritional intake. At first I didn't care too much about the fact of having to lose weight and excercise, and more so at the fact that she was so adimat about it. Logically, if I could I would, and I would not be here. Realisticaly, I know she pressed the issues so hard for my own good. Not for her obviously, but me. So that I would be in as best health condition for the surgery as I could be.

I can't say anything but, she is awesome, I have'nt set a surgery date, but If all goes well Dr Foster will be my choice. She is very professional, and very informitive. She takes her time, and has a manner about her that makes you feel, she, and her staff, care about our fight with obesity. I can't wait to get approved!

Dr. Foster has been wonderful so far. She has done this surgery exclusively for a number of years, and is very concerned with the development of new habits that encourage long term sucess. She has a number of rules - she refuses to operate on anyone who smokes, and you MUST loose 10% of your body weight before the surgery. Aside from numerous medical tests (blood, sleep apnea, gallbladder, heart, chest), she encourages people to enter counciling before the surgery, and encourages a regimine of exercise. She performs two surgeries a week, at Stanford Medical Center, which is one of the country's best hospitals.

My initial appointment with Dr. Foster was on August 9, 2001. The staff at Stanford is awesome, very helpful and kind. Dr. Foster is VERY nice and extremely professional. She is adamant that her patients lose weight before surgery (nuts!), but hey, if it's in my best interest, then I'll do it.

9/21/01
My second appointment with Dr. Foster. My mom went along this time. She had the same impression as I did. Very caring, nice person, with my best interests in mind. Dr. Foster was thrilled that I had lost 15 of the 25 pounds. She pounded exercise into my head, and also wants me to keep track of the protein that I consume now. All right, all right. I'll exercise and count protein grams. What ever this woman wants, I'll do. I want this surgery!! Again, the staff is awesome. Nurses are sweet and Lorna is a doll.

10/26/01... had my pre-op with Dr. Foster. I was totally freaked that I had not lost enough weight. WooHoo!! I did. Went over the final prep's with Dr. Foster, then up to anesthesia department, to pre-register for next week. The people upstairs in anesthesia were awesome. Sweet, informative, helpful. I am so glad that I picked Stanford! I have one week to nibble on everything that I wont be able to have for the next couple of years. I don't want to gain a bunch of weight back, so I'm just tasting, not pigging out.

11/5/01... had my surgery! Woohoo! I went in Monday morning, and was home by Wednesday afternoon. I do have to admit, there was some pain in the hspital after surgery, and nausea. In fact, Monday night, I vomited blood. But, it was probably just stuff that built up after surgery. The barium swallow was hideous. And the transport staff (the people who push you around in the wheelchairs) were not prompt. I waited for almost an hour in the hallway after my swallow for someone to take me back to my room. And my IV was beeping the whole time because it was somehow twisted and not dripping correctly. But!! The last time I took pain meds was late Wednesday night. I am going to drive today, have some errands to run. Feel fine. Felt like I could have gone into work for a few hours on Thursday, but wisely stayed home. Don't want to push myself too much. Dr. Foster and her staff were wonderful. She has a great bedside manner and was so helpful. The nursing staff in the hospital were very very nice. Couldn't have asked for a better bunch.

Dr. Pamela Foster is GREAT! I really enjoyed our visit. She is very pleasant and informative.She loves what she is doing to help people and seems to care a great deal about you personally.
Her staff is very efficient and caring. I had a good experience with my first visit to Dr. Foster and her staff.

I would recommend Dr. Foster to anyone who is considering this surgery. She was easy to talk to, very informative and made me feel at ease. She took the time to answer my questions, and I never felt rushed. The whole meeting was very pleasant. Trina, her assistant, and Lorna, the patient coordinator, were just as friendly and nice as Dr. Foster. Trina took my blood pressure and took a "before" photo (ugh!, not my favorite part), but I tried to smile through it. Dr. Foster told me that an aftercare program was being implemented again at Stanford and she encouraged me to attend. She provided detailed information about the surgery, eating plans, etc. I don't have any reservations about her skills and expertise. She is a very caring and professional person. I believe that Dr. Foster has both surgical competence and a wonderful bedside manner . . . both of which are very important to me.

I think Dr. Foster is great. She spent about an hour with me and my husband, going over my medical history,explaining things, and answering questions. She was very direct but friendly. I feel very comfortable with her. The only thing I don't care for is that I have to loose 10% of my weight before the surgery,in order to be in the best possible shape. The more I think about it though, it's a good idea. Michelle, her nurse is nice, but is very busy. As far as surgical competence vs. bedside manner, I prefer both of them to be great. After this week, I have to tell you, Dr. Foster is fantastic. My surgery was postponed because of an elevated white count. She came in to the clinic today just for me. I was so impressed. She also called me at home and at work when the problem came up, she didn't have her nurse do it. I feel very important.