Stephen Wohlgemuth Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

Dr. Wohlgemuth is a self assured individual -- which allows for increased patient confidence in his abilities. He has been with Norfolk Surgical Group (NSG)(Norfolk, VA) forever! In 2004, so far he has performed 76 laproscopic WLS's and 4 open WLS's. I feel that he has substantial knowledge of WLS and will be my first choice for surgery.

There is a great emphasis on aftercare. This will a lifetime commitment. After the many medical evaluations that will occur the first year, I will be committed to annual evaluations for life.

NSG has established a Bariatric Unit at Sentara Norfolk General. This is a unit of about 6 beds that is dedicated to bariatric surgery.

Jeannie Sander is the program coordinator for the Bariatric Program at Norfolk Surgical Group. She is very, very busy, but has been quite helpful and returned each of my calls and answered my questions.

I do appreciate good "bedside manner" -- but my first concern is with competence. With Dr. W, I believe I have the best of both!!

he kicks ass

What can I say about Dr. Steve... he has the perfect personality for his job. He immediatly made me feel comfortable in a very uncomfortable situation. If you are in the Hamptonroads area and considering this surgery you may want to meet with Dr. Steve.

Dr. Wohlgemuth was very professional, and made sure I understood the risks of the surgery. During and after the surgery, he made sure that my waiting sister knew exactly what was going on and what to expect. I especially appreciated the attention he gave her and the enthusiasm he had when describing the surgery. He was just very genuine. Future patients should be aware that he and the other surgeons in his practice insist on a 4-week clear liquid diet following the surgery. They believe it is best to let everything heal inside you before stressing your new digestive system with solid food. I understand the reasoning but this is especially hard on those of us who used food for comfort, which is exactly what you need following this surgery. Dr. W's office has a monthly support group that you must attend at least once before the surgery. I found my first meeting very uncomfortable, with a crowded overheated room where people chatted in small groups so you couldn't hear the speaker. I'm hoping my next experience won't be so negative. It is the one thing I would say needs improvement in an otherwise excellent experience with this doctor.

First impression was I have to say WONDERFUL
he answered all my questions fully.

We had a group meeting prior to meeting with Dr. Wohlgemuth, where they went over everything about the surgery and how team of surgeons works. They told us how you will be eating after surgery and what is expected of you.
Emphasizing the this surgery is just TOOL not a quick fix.
When I had my first meeting with Dr. Wohlgemuth he was very pleasant but straight forward about this surgery. He made sure all my and my husbands questions were answered..

Dr. Wohlgemuth was fantastic. He cut right to the chase and answered all of my questions very sincerely. He has done this surgery on one of my best friends, the mother of another, and will soon be doing it on a third acquaitance. I was at the hospital with my friend when she went through her surgery. He was wonderful then as well. His office visits are handled very thouroughly by his WLS surgery nurse Frieda who was an absolute gem. She has been through the surgery herself, so she knows first hand what the patient will be going through. His office has a very structured support network in place afterward.

Stephen Wohlgemuth, M.D. (Norfolk, VA)<P>
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I was impressed with my initial consult with Dr. Wohlgemuth at the Norfolk Surgical Group. He is trained as a bariatric surgeon and specializes in the use of the laproscope. Not all surgeons in the VA Beach area have this training and subsequently can only offer the open proceedure. Additionally, he is an assistant surgery professor and helps to train residents. <P>

Positives: He is confident and knowledgeable. Dr. Wohlgemuth also has good bedside manner, is personable and even gave me a hug on our first meeting. I really enjoyed his sense of humor. He recognizes obesity as a disease needing treatment, like any other medical problem. I was told the practice has done over a hundred cases and have been fortunate to have no deaths thus far. <P>

His follow up care appears to be among the best. He came to the hospital well after 6pm one night to check in on me, prior to going home to see his own family. Mind you, I had been seen by a resident and another doc in the practice previously that day. Additionally, I paged a doc on call for a minor post op concern. I expected a resident to get in touch with me. Nope, Dr. Wohlgemuth himself called me back. <P>

Are surgeons GOD? No.... but this one is close! SMILE! :)I do not think you can get this level of professionalism and genuine patient concern from just anyone. I have already made a patient referral to this doctor and will continue to do so. <P>

The nurse and obesity program coordinator is Frieda. She had the surgery herself and is very knowledgable. She is a no holds barred type of person. I think that is great as far as following the program. On one visit I was being weighed and the scale was UP 50 lbs from my expected weight. She had her foot on the scale and after I figured that out, I laughed until I had tears in my eyes. She is supportive and Im sure she will help keep me on track.... OR ELSE!<P>

Martha, from the support staff kept in touch with me, returing every phone call within a day. She also completed typing my initial consult information immediately. Within 2 days my insurance company had everything they needed. I had insurance approval ONE WEEK of my initial consult with Dr. Wohlgemuth. <P>

Negatives: As with any practice, it is a busy office. They juggled about 3-4 patients in different rooms while I was there, making our first visit about 2 hours with waiting. A small price to pay for the likelyhood of an additional 20+ years of my life.<P>

Recommendations: 1. I do recommend that the waiting room get larger chairs to accomodate 'us' bariatric patients. There were 2 loveseats that are comfortable to sit in. The rest of the seating consisted of chairs with arms. They are asetically pleasing but not fat friendly. :) SMLILE!<P> 2. This is more of a reflection on the postop nursing care at Norfolk General. The hospital nurses were not following my post op dietary restrictions. <P>They gave me 100% apple juice, no dilution and offerd gingerale. Thankfully, a doc from the practice expressed concern over my can of juice and pointed out the carb content to me. He is the juice police! :) SMILE! <P>I was also offered tylenol PILLS by one nurse. OUCH! Less importantly, another nurse told me her sister had the operation and that they ALWAYS take out the gall bladder. <P> I feel there is a communication break down between the docs orders and the actual nursing care post op. I do not feel this reflects on my surgeon. Overall, I had amazing, hard working nurses at Norfolk General Hospital. I do hope they learn more about the proceedure and follow up care. <P>

<font=bold>Dr. Wohlgemuth/ Norfolk Surgical Group Overall Rating: Very Good. God Bless these guys and the work they do. They really give people their lives back. :)

DR. WOHLGEMUTH AND HIS NURSES HAVE ALL BEEN GREAT. IN MY CASE IT WAS A RUSH JOB BECAUSE OPTIMA ISNT PAYING FOR THIS SURGERY AFTER JANUARY 1, 2002 SO THEY HAD ONLY 1 MONTH TO PLAN EVERYTHING INCLUDING GETTING IT APPROVED BY MY INSURANCE CO. THAT TOOK LESS THAN A WEEK.