Mills-Peninsula Health Services Hospital

I met with Dr. Wetter on June 19th. I really liked him. He was very open and seemd to be honest about possible complications, especially, since I'm 50. I would recommend him. The only disappointment is that he's booked so far out. Surgery could be Oct/Nov/Dec. I guess it depends upon the insurance approval.

When I went in to see Dr. Cooper here in Chico, he was very upfront and straight forward. He was a little older than I thought he'd be for some reason... His office is quite outdated, but the staff is nice. I was dissapointed because they mailed me a packet of information about 2 months before my appt, basically at the consultation (that cost me $50 cash) he read the booklet to me... I had already read it about 3 times by then... and I was practically finishing his sentences for him because I already knew what he was going to say. I have decided to check out a few surgeons in the bay area because I am interested in laparoscopic surgery, and Cooper only does open. Dr. Wetter in Burlingame seems to be a good one to research, so I'm going to check him out, and make an appt. for a consultation.

She was very nice.
Her staff is very caring and just as nice.
The first visit she was about 1.5 hours late.
She is a very serious person.
No aftercare program that I know of.

My first inpression of Dr. Foster was that she is very caring and patient she answers all your questions and is very informative. Her nurse Michelle is very nice and also caring and is is very supportive and guides you along the way. Dr. Foster does make you lose weight before the surgery, I didn't think I could do it but I have and its been hard but I know it is for the best.

Dr. Foster see you 2 weeks after surgery and I think 6 weeks after surgery. One of my best friends had surgery by Dr. Foster 5-23-01 and Dr. Foster spent a great deal of time with her after surgery and we can't say enough about both Dr. Foster and MIchelle

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.

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.