El Camino Hospital Hospital

10/1/02 I went for my initial consultation today. I was very nervous. I went in to the office 10 minutes before my appointment which was at 9:00 am. The receptionist was friendly. I filled out basic forms. I was called in at 9:00. They started by taking my weight on a BMI machine. It said I was 10 pounds heavier than my scale at home. That was depressing. Then the nurse took a photo of me. So glad I wore something nice and had make-up on:) Next, on to the exam room. The nurse took my blood pressure. Everything good there. Dr. Foster came in and was very personable and professional. She answered all of my questions. Her main focus was to educate me about the different surgeries. Dr. Foster went over in detail what is expected of me to gain long term goals. Plus the fact that I need to lose 10% of my weight before the surgery. Dr. Foster went over the risks in depth and answered all my questions. I have great confidence in Dr. Foster's surgical ability. At this point I feel she will also have a great bedside manner.

Dr. Foster was great! She is very knowledgeable because this is her specialty! She is very considerate and explains about the surgery. She does have the rule of pre-op that you MUST loose 10% prior to surgery. She will schedule your surgery after loosing 1/2 of the 10%. Her staff was very professinal. She discussed the procedure (lap and open), where the incisions will go, etc. And she discussed the risks of the surgery. Her coorinator, Julie, is nice and is willing to help get things rolling for you. She is very busy so leave her a message-she will get back to you in 24-48 hours. Be patient! All in all, I am very satisfied with my consultation.

April 18th, 02
I met Dr. Wetter on the 19th of March, I also met Terry, his surgery coordinator THEY BOTH ARE AWESOME! Dr. Wetter is a very kind, inofrmative, warm person who answered all of my questions, I didnt feeel rushed at all, I got all of my questions answered. He addressed all of my concerns and was VERY honest about possible complications. I asked him if any of his patients had passed away and he told me that 1 did, but it was due to complications of his co-morbs and didnt take his necessary medications or something like that. I cant wait till I see him again on my pre-op. I cant wait to be his patient on that table!!!!! Terry ROCKS, she always gets back to me quickly when I was having questions about insurance and my paperwork, I felt like she was really on my side and she is very supportive. I CANT WAIT! JUNE 10TH!! WHOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO

Feb. 23rd. 02
I only have dealt with his office staff thus far. They are very nice and helpful. Anne Timberlake is their coordinator, she is very kind and helpful, best way to contact her is via email. Check out www.thinnerfuture.com and it will direct you to Annes information. You HAVE to go through ANNE FIRST before the office staff will even schedule a consult for you with Dr. Wetter. Anne as to determine if you are an appropriate candidate for a visit. As Dr.Wetter is VERY BUSY. I got my packet of information from Anne in the mail in about 4 or 5 days. The packet as a bunch of information that you must read through first.
I DID NOT CONTINUE TO PURSUE DR. FOSTER BECAUSE SHE HAS ONLY BEEN DOING THESE SURGERIES FOR A YEAR... (I am not saying that is bad, im just saying that I don't feel comfortable with that amount of experience) I look forward to my first meeting with them in April.. It seems SO far away.

He had a very relaxed and freindly manner. Very responsive to questions. He addressed all issues honestly. His office staff was nice. The person who handles the insurance piece (TERRY)is just AWESOME. I called her sooooo many times before I was even a patient. She helped me find a PCP, and has just been GREAT.

Dr. Wetter is a very warm person. He gave me all the info I needed to make a well informed decision.

1-08-02
My first impression of Dr.Wetter was that he was so young looking! He was very nice, and very informative. He answered all my questions before I was given the chance to ask them. His staff has been good. I know they are really busy working all the cases that come through there so I am just being patient as i possible can!! Good things come to those who wait,,,right? Dont get me wrong,,,I still call EVERYDAY just so they dont forget about me...i guess i just wanted to be approved that day and given a surgery date--THAT DAY! uhh yea,,,shurrrr!!!
Dr.Wetter is all about making a YOU making the lifelong commitment. If you are not willing to make a commitment to changing your diet and daily exercise then dont bother with this. He reminds you that this is only a tool to "help you". If you cant commit to these changes for the rest of your life (which in the long run is to your benefit)--then dont bother. At least thats how I interpreted it. Overall, I thought he is was very knowlegable in the work he does. He definitly adressed the statistics of the surgeries and the risks. It wasnt anything I hadnt already read here at this site. But at least he hadnt left that out. Well I gotta call the insurance now, i will keep you updated for sure! I would like to hear from ANYONE for support so email me! =)

Dr. Wetter is a very nice man and excellent surgeon. He's willing to spend as much time as necessary to answer questions. As nervous as I was at times b/4 surgery, thinking about him made me relax a little. My surgery went smoothly, I took no pain meds beyond 24hours afer surgery, was able to sleep on my side the 3rd night and generally feel great! I'd recommend him 100%!

Great Dr and friendly staff.

Before and after care program.

Addressed the risk of surgery.

scale of 1 - 10 - 9 (didn't let my husband to be join me during the visit - turned out it was a mistake and he could have joined for question and answer period)

Most important to me surgical competence - I want to live!

I am a doctor myself, an internist, and the general rule is that the only thing that matters in choosing a surgeon is how many cases he/she has done and what the complication rate is. They are technicians, primarily and it is worth putting up with a rude or bossy surgeon if they have done the procedure many times and have a low complication rate.

All that being said, Dr. Wetter is actually very gentle and welcoming. He spent an hour with me and was thorough in reviewing the risks and benefits of surgery. I'm happy with my choice.