Alan Wittgrove Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

I have nothing but good things to say about both Dr. Wittgrove and his staff. He is a very warm, knowledgeable, and caring man. I feel like I am in the best of hands in regards to this rather scary surger. (RNY) His staff have all been friendly and more than willing to answer my questions when I call.

I am looking forward to my surgery in April and will try to remember to update this with more pertinent information at that time.

I went to a different surgeon first and I did not really like him. The minute Dr. Wittgrove walked in and said Hi, I immediately felt comfortable and safe. My initial feeling has not changed in the last year. To this day, I feel comfortable and like I am a part of the family there. The office staff is the best. I have not been in to the office in a while and every time I call they are so warm and welcoming. They take the time to get to know you and your family. He doesnt ever want you to do something you are not comfortable with. He makes sure you are ready, if you are having any doubts, he makes sure that he can talk to you about them or refer you to someone he knows and you can talk to them about it. The after care is amazing. I drive 200 miles round trip to san diego to see him once a month. I love the support group. Everyone is so friendly and nice. From the first minute of your first support group you feel welcomed. I am so fortunate to be one of his surgical patients and a part of the Wittgrove bariatric family.

I first met Dr. Wittgrove at a workshop he put on for potential patients. He seems really nice and answered everyone's questions. He said that he is the first in the world to have done this surgery and has done thousands of them. Right away I noticed that the chairs outside of the presentation room and inside fit me! That was huge! (Excuse my pun.)rnrnHe explained that the surgery itself is not a quick fix - it will take determination on my part. He also emphasized the importance of attending all of the follow-up appointments and the monthly support group meetings.rnrnHe stresses that his program be followed very closely. I have seen a Psychologist, and received a telephone interview with the doctor (who will be the actual surgeon). I am very excited about this.

Dr. Wittgrove seems completely devoted to his science. He has a perfect or near perfect record and takes pride in that.rnSurgery went well, absolutely no complications. Same with recovery. rnrn

My first impression of Dr. Wittgrove was that he is a very caring and personable man. He is so dedicated to his work and loves what he does. I could see that he is VERY concerned about his patients. He is an absolute PRO, and I felt confident that I have THEE best of the best. I was told by other members of the medical staff at Mercy Hospital when I went in for my pre-op tests, that people fly in from all over the world to have Dr. Wittgrove operate on them. I absolutely feel that I am in the very best hands I could possibly be in. There was nothing I didn't like about him or his wonderful staff. Dr. Wittgrove took over an hour with me, getting to know who I am, answering any questions I had, and totally informing me of all risks and benefits of the surgery. I have absolutely no doubts whatsoever now about having the surgery.rnUPDATE: 9/23/06 The surgery went very smoothly. There have so far been no complications or problems whatsoever. I am doing fantastic. It's truly amazing what's happening. I would highly recommend Dr. Wittgrove to ANYONE wanting this surgery. You will be in the best hands. I also was very impressed with his Asst. Surgeon and close friend, Dr. Konstanzer. He is a true gentleman and was just as knowledgable and capable as Dr. Wittgrove. They are the best team you could ever want.

I attended Dr. Wittgroves seminar at Scripps. My impression was that he is very kind and patient, professional and experienced,yet empathetic. He and his staff seem very knowlegeable. He is considered the best in his field and has done many surgeries. He emphasized an aftercare program and addressed the risks. I would rate him highly. I think most people want someone with both a great bedside manner and excellent surgical competence. For me, competence is always first.

My first impression of Dr. Wittgrove was that he was extremely sensitive to the fact that I was scared, anxious and nervous about the surgery. He was very informative (he thoroughly explains the risks of surgery and will answer any and all questions), is patient, and kind. I was surprised that he was so tolerant and accepting of my sexual orientation and my partners questions. He looked her in the eye and spoke to her with the same respect as if my mother or father were sitting next to me. I am not one to trust doctors due in part to years of being discriminated against because of my weight. I weighed 445lbs and it was if he saw a beautiful woman standing in front of him. It was pretty surreal meeting him for the first time. I had heard his name before, but I didn't go in with idol worship or being mesmerized by his reputation. He had to be real and down-to-earth to impress me. In addition to that, he had to be on top of his game in the surgery room. Surprisingly, my impression of him was only validated with his consistency over time. He was everything I needed him to be. There were times when I was passed off to another Dr. in the office for follow-up, etc. All I had to do was specifically ask for him and they made the appt. Sometimes I had to wait a few days longer for an appt., but most of the time Monica (who no longer works there) worked wonders to find me a time and day that worked. I understand that he travels for seminars and teaches other Dr.'s how to perform this surgery. He also travels to have information seminars for bariatric patients, people interested in surgery, and medical personnel interested in learning about his specific technique and program. I applaud his efforts to train and inform. I only wish there were more doctors like him in the industry. His staff was very helpful and sensitive to my needs. I do sense a change, and although I cannot put my finger on it, their is something missing that used to exist in the office. Even given this factor, I do feel that Dr. Wittgrove still impresses upon his fellow doctors and office staff the importance of being real & down-to-earth, positive but not superficial, sensitive, compassionate, and \"available\" to his patients. I do personally miss Monica. I feel that she was a bright light of compassion, humor, and understanding within the office network. I feel that she went beyond the call of duty in staying in touch with me during my pre and post op phase. I can honestly say that I felt a sincere level of friendship with her, Dr. Wittgrove and Dr. Mellnecek (sp?). They were awesome!rnI really cannot say anything negative about him. Other than the fact that he doesn't fit in my coat pocket. I still have my temptations after two years, and sometimes I can see his smiling face giving me the one-two's and telling me to go back to the basics. In my mind's eye he's not an angel or a devil...he's kind of like jiminy cricket. If only he was the same size!

Dr. Wittgrove is absolutely the best surgeon to have Gastric bipass surgery. He is a very warm, friendly doctor who takes time to answer questions. He makes certain that one understands the changes you are going to experience. I did my research and found he performs more of these surgeries than any other physician. This is his life work, his specialty, not something that he "does on the side". This combined with great office staff, available at any time to answer questions, makes Dr. Wittgrove the best surgeon to perform this life changing surgery!

I first met Dr. Wittgrove before I was even contemplating WLS. He was so warm, funny and personable with everyone. After meeting with him to discuss my surgery, I felt even more at ease with both him and the process. He is so knowledgable, yet mellow and not at all arrogant, as some doctors tend to be. Walking into his office, I felt right at home. Each of his staff-members were fun, friendly, and very approachable and seem to really respect Dr. Wittgrove. He has performed surgery on several of his staff members, which says a lot to me when making my decision. To me, both surgical competence and bedside manner are important things to look at when choosing a surgeon. You couldn't ask for better than Dr. Wittgrove. To date, I've been nothing but pleased.

UPDATE: I am now over one year out from surgery and have had the opportunity to further my relationship with Wittgrove Bariatric. During the time that I've known them, they have moved their practice from Alvarado Hospital to Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, which is where I had my surgery. WOW...what an improvement. Their new offices are just beautiful and the care that I received at Scripps was top notch! Dr. Wittgrove, his nurse, Tracy Owens and the others at Wittgrove Bariatric are absolutely the finest. I am certain that you'll agree!!

Dr. Wittgrove was fairly aloof, but he seemed very professional and knowledgeable. My impression has not changed over time, but he is good at follow-up with his patients - it seems once you are a patient you will always be a patient. At the time of my surgery his office staff was nice and polite as well as very professional. I think that if there was anything to like least about him it would be just that he has limited time to spend with patients, but all doctors are like that it seems. I think that future patients that want to recieve gastric bypass surgery should definitely do their homework before choosing a bariatric surgeon and Dr. Wittgrove is at the top of my list for doing this kind of surgery. Now days there are a lot more bariatric surgeons, check out their track record and the amount of these kinds of surgeries they have done before you choose a surgeon. With Dr. Wittgrave you are always a patient of his and there is continuing after care and support with him. There is, or can be support groups in your area or close by just ask his office staff where you can attend one. Dr Wittgrove is in California, but I live in Alaska and I go to a group that is supported by his group clear up here. Dr. Wittgrove fully described all the risks of the surgery and his overall rating with regard to my opinion is - I'd have him do the surgery again if I needed one. Surgical competence is of the most important in my book. I want to wake up alive and on the way to good health and with out competence that may not happen. A doctor with good bedside manner is a plus, but if they do not have that I can deal with that more that the lack of competence. In fact I am not good at tolorating lack of competence in any profession.