El Camino Hospital Hospital

6/7/01--Dr. Wetter did the surgery, some nurses there have had him do rny's for them, so you know he's good. But I still really do like Dr. Baggs, who checked up on my and got me ready to go home.

5/29/01--Met Dr. Wetter, he's very nice and answered all my questions. Since he's the Sr. surgeon he made a big deal about Dr. Baggs finally giving him a patient after all the patients he's given to Dr. Baggs.

4/13/01--In the waiting room I met another patient who was post op and had only good things to say about the surgery. The office staff was nice.

My first impression of Dr. Baggs was neutral, I was expecting to meet with Dr. Wetter. Dr. Baggs explained the procedure and asked questions. He's very straight forward and honest. I felt that he was hearing everything I said and was not distracted.

By the end of the appt. he was very interested in helping me solve this health problem (obesity) I got the impression that he is very concerned that this is the right choice for me as an individual, he's not in a hurry to just do another sugery.

They have a comprehensive program at Mills, which is why I chose them over the "local guy" They stress that I must attend support groups and may want to have some personal counseling as well. Also, Dr. Baggs stresses working with a nutrionist. His attitude is that this is a comprehensive change that must be addressed from all areas of my life.

Terry (surgical coordinator) did an excellent job of keeping on top of things and getting my approval quickly.

Some information on my doctor for anyone who is considering using him.

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I had my surgery with Dr. Wetter on 7/25/00, lap RNY. I started at about 300 pounds (with clothes) and had severe sleep apnea. I am convinced he is a master surgeon. He was very patient in each of my visits with him and answered my long lists of questions very thoroughly. I did find him more rushed at the hospital after the surgery but he did stop in each day and if I had any questions he took the time to answer them. My recovery has been going well. My new stomach certainly tells me when I eat too much or too fast! (That feedback loop was completely missing prior to the surgery).

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One person that is part of Dr. Wetter's support staff is Anne Timberlake who works at Peninsula Hospital. She is on Email "[email protected]", and will answer all your questions promptly and completely. She is much easier to get ahold of than going through Dr. Wetter's office staff. And she doesn't stop after the surgery ... she told me as long as I had questions about the surgery or any post op issues to feel free to contact her.

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The only negative for me was that I did find the interactions with the insurance company and the hospital scheduling to challenging. I could never tell how much was attributable to Dr. Wetter's office staff and how much was caused by the insurance company and hospital schedulers.

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When my insurance was initially denied, Dr. Wetter called me personally, made recommendations about what I needed to do, and he wrote another letter as well addressing the issues that were raised by the insurance company. I was later approved.

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I don't know if Dr. Wetter is responsible for the hire of Ann Timberlake or the training and protocol for the staff at Peninsula, but they all do a terrific job. He has a wonderful support team at the hospital. The nurses often praised my efforts to get up and walk around, and my courage in getting the operation. I had the medicine pump with the pain killers when I woke up. Most all the nurses were extremely well educated about the surgery. I felt that the hospital stay was the best hospital stay yet (and I have been in several times).

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When I found out that one of my medications could not be stopped for the 3 days that one usually can't have food, and that it couldn't be delivered by IV, Dr. Wetter worked with my other doctor to find something that would work. He left in the NG tube from my nose to my stomach after the operation so that the pills could be crushed and given to me that way. (The tube isn't as bad as it sounds and many doctors leave them in for all patients after the surgery).

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There is a Northern California Support Group that meets the 3rd Saturday of every month at Peninsula Hospital. You are likely to meet many other patients of Dr. Wetter there. The web site is: http://www.obesitysurgerysupport.org/

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This reflects my own personal experience and your mileage may vary.

Welllll I finally met Dr. Wetter and he is great! I feel very comfortable with him and I'm confident everything will go well.

I started out going to see dr.verria I have meet dr.pamela foster his partner.And was very happy with her and his nurse michelle.my dr was changed to dr foster.and well she was fantastic and wounderful and smart and knows her stuff.nice and yet firm and charming.michelle was wounderful and nice and firm and is great at her work.i had the most wounderful stay at stanford.the nurses are great.truley dr foster was good.this is only my view.and i truly have no complaints.

DR LEGHA IS A VERY GOOD SURGEON AND HE TALKED TO ME QUITE A BIT ABOUT THE SURGEERY. HE CARES ABOUT HIS PATIENTS ENOUGH THAT HE KEEPS YOU IN THE HOSPITAL 6 DAYS JUST TO BE SURE YOU ARE FINE AND ALSO TO MAKE SURE YOU CAN EAT YOUR FIRST MEALS WITHOUT PROBLEMS.HE MAKES FOLLOW UP APPOINTMENTS TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE DOING WELL WITH YOUR DIET AND FEELING WELL. I WOULD RECOMMEND DOCTOR LEGHA MY SURGERY WENT WELL AND I ONLY SPENT ONE NIGHT IN ICU BEFORE I WAS MOVED TO A SURGICAL FLOOR. HIS BEDSIDE MANNER WAS GOOD WORKING IN A HOSPITAL SURGEONS CAN BE VERY DISTANT BUT I DIDN'T FIND THAT WITH DR LEGHA.MY FOLLOW UP VISITS ARE SCHEDULED SO I SEE HIM EVERY MONTH FOR AWHILE AND I'M FEELING GREAT IF I HAD CONCERN THEY HAVE A BARIATRIC SURGEON ON CALL 24 HOURS A DAY TO ANSWER MY QUESTIONS. ALSO I'VE CALLED HIM JUST FOR ADVICE AND HE IS ALWAYS PROMPT IN HAVING HIS STAFF GET BACK TO ME.I HAD MY SURGERY AT SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO KAISER THE GROUP OF BARIATRIC PEOPLE THAT RUN THE PROGRAM ARE GREAT I FEEL THEY HELPED ME UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING BEFORE I HAD MY SURGERY.

When I first met Dr Wetter on Nov 15th I was very impressed by his knowledge and 'bedside manner'. I also enjoyed meeting his Surgery Coordinator, Terry. Unfortunately, it is now Dec 18th and I still don't have the Medical Necessity Letter from the transcriber.
After a long wait, my surgery is scheduled for 4/23/01! It will be performed by Dr. Wetter and assisted by his associate, Dr. Baggs.
Keep me in your prayers.

My first impression of Dr. Wetter was very positive. He was very supportive and positive. His office staff are very nice, as are his support staff. If I have questions I e-mail his program advisor and she always answers within 24 hours. I am still pre-op, and so far they are top notch.

I had my appointment with with Dr. Legha on March 6, 2001. He is a very nice doctor. He told me all I need to know about the operation and the death percent of these gastic bypasses. He stress that Kaiser was very saft and the rate was low. He been around for a while but didn't say how long. He checked me out and told me what type of surgery I would need, open or lap.. He did speak alot to me, not like the rest I hear. He ask me alot about my medical history. He like that I attends the Tuesday meetings.
Dr. Baxter, Nadia and Marina are all very nice too.
I would recommend Dr. Legha.

I met Dr. Legha, on Feb. 6, 2001. He seemed quite. He first just kind of listened to me tell him what I knew about the surgery. Then after that he kind of smiled and said well I guess you don't have any questions. I've researched so much in the past year and a half. That I think there was really nothing else for me to ask. The only concern that the dr. had for me was that I was on the diet pill Phen-phen. So he ordered a Echo for me. He said that he would rather be safe than sorry. So, I know that deep down he is a very caring person. He just seems real professional like. But over all he was great. I am so looking forward to having him doing my surgery on May 24, 2001. I have lots of faith in him. Also, there is another person that I would like to thank. That is Marina Burmen (spelling?). She was just great. Whenever I had a question and I called her she would return my phone call without making me wait forever. She is also the one that taught me that if I was patient it would all come out in the end. So, Marina if you or anyone that knows you gets a chance to read this. I would just like to say "THANK YOU".

have not met him