Stephen Wohlgemuth Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.
Dr. Wohlemuth is wonderful! He immediately made me feel comfortable with my decision and with my selection of him as my surgeon. He's a straight-shooter, which I appreciated yet, he's very warm and gentle. I felt like he genuinely cared about me and my success. rnI have nothing but good things to say about him.
Dr Wohlemuth was my surgeon and is one of several bariatric surgeons with Norfolk Surgical Group. He was highly recommended by my priimary care physican. When I first met Dr. Wohlgemuth I thought he was \"okay\" and wasn't overly impressed but as I have seen him and he performed my surgery I am very impressed with him and his whole team. His office staff is very friendly and encouraging. I have dealt with the bariatric co-ordinator for his office on many occasions and she is very pleasant and helpful. Dr. Wohlgemuth emphasizes aftercare. His office has two support groups and an online support group. I am required to maintain my labs with his office and to see him on a yearly basis and any other times as recommended. He has given me the tool to lose the weight and I need to continue to work with him and his staff to ensure that I use it correctly. One of things that I liked about his office is that I received a book of information concerning the surgery, risks and protocols on my first visit. I was also required to sign an agreement, stating that I would continue with all the required visits after my surgery. He or staff have always been available to answer any and all questions. Dr. Wohlgemuth has a great bedside manner and is a very competent surgeon. I would highly recommend him to anyone seeking wls.
Dr. Wohlgemuth has one of the best bedside manners of any doctor I have dealth with - and through this whole process, I've dealt with many. He's warm, open, and will take the time necessary to speak with you and make sure you completely understand all aspects of this adventure. He's very open about the risks and benefits. I appreciated his candor and honesty. The program through Norfolk Surgical Group is long, and very structured, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. I started the program in the middle of March and my date is scheduled in October. I feel that the whole process has made me a highly educated candidate and made me really think about it the RNY was the best way for me. Pre-op, I would highly recommend Dr. Wohlgemuth and Norfolk Surgical. I'll come back and update post-op.
Dr. Wohlgemuth is without a doubt the most caring and understanding physician that I have ever been to. He is very WLS friendly and never once made be feel bad about my weight and making this decision. He was very empathetic and very supportive. He requires that you have insurance approval and have attended at least one of their support group meetings before surgery is scheduled. His secretary is just as caring and their entire office runs like a well-oiled machine.
I feel very lucky to have found this group and especially this doctor.
This group is just starting to have all of their doctors do the same after care across the board. Up to this point, they were each doing something different. They also have one WLS nurse who will field all the WLS calls. She's actually had the surgery herself and has done great.
The support group meets on the second Tuesday of each month in their Kempsville office waiting room. All are welcome. Post op, pre op and even "just thinking".
The only thing that I can think of as negative is the fact that they only have the one WLS nurse...sometimes she pretty hard to get ahold of and at early post op...EVERYTHING is an emergency to you and want answers yesterday.
My first impression was excellent. I met Dr. Wohlgemuth at an information session. He was using a computerized presentation explaining the procedure to the audience and followed up with a question and answer session. I was so impressed it was "love at first sight". I told my husband that Dr. Wohlgemuth will be my surgeon.
My impression of him did change once I had my first consultation. My appreciation for him as a skilled surgeon continued to grow! He is very friendly. He has a wonderful sense of humor. Both my husband and I laughed a lot during my first visit with Dr. Wohlgemuth.
His staff is awesome. They take professionalism to another level. They make sure to follow up on any questions and they return calls promptly. The staff kept me fully aware of every step of the insurance process. The staff made sure to call my insurance company to obtain what is required for approval BEFORE my first visit.
Future patients of Dr. Wohlgemuth need to be aware that he is very skilled and he is not afraid of a challenge. As a Jehovah's Witness and a suffer of Von Willenbrand Disease, Dr. Wohlgemuth treated me with respect and agreed to have me as his patient. In fact, he explained the possible consequences of refusing a blood transfusion and the possible complications of having a bleeding disorder while having a gastric bypass. Although, the blood issue was serious from a surgeon's standpoint, he realized I was serious about maintaining my religious stand. In response, Dr. Wohlgemuth immediately drew up an excellent game plan by coordinating my operation with my hematologist and family doctor to ensure the safest surgery possible. On 8/8/05, my surgery was a success!
Dr. Wohlgemuth is the director of the Bariatric Program. He strongly emphasizes aftercare. In fact, Norfolk Surgical Group works with Sentara Health, coordinated a program with YMCA, and has monthly support groups with guest speakers.
I would rate Dr. Wohlgemuth as an A-Class Surgeon. Both his surgical competence and bedside manner was outstanding.
Please note: This is my personal impression of my own personal experience. I am not making any statements about what other people may experience.
Thank you
So far, I have only had one consult with Doctor Wogelmuth, and was extremly impressed with this person. Looked me in the eyes when he spoke to me . Seemed so caring . Wanted to get the surgery ball rolling for me right away. His coordinators are very good and they call me to see how I am doing. On a scale from 1 to 10 this doctor gets a 20 for first impressions! Oh yes, they are very concerned for you before and after surgery. They have wonderful programs for you to go to exercize classes, support groups and dietary sessions. They have the most complete program I have seen. He also made sure that I was very aware of the risks. He has a local T.V. show about gastro. surgerys and has been interviewed in several popular magazines! After I meet with him, all I could think was WOW !!! Amazing! Never met a doc. like him. He was great! Can't say enough good about him, really! Hoping the surgery goes just as well as my first impressions were.