Donald A. Balder Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

I liked Dr Balder very much. He is very quiet which is how my primary doctor is, so I felt very comfortable like he was listening to what I had to say. I am still very satidfied with the follow up visits and his staff as well.
I feel most patients expect doctors to pet them and what they should be concerned with is the ability of their doctor. I was given a booklet which explained everything and I studied on the procedure before I made the plunge.
I would reccomend him and the surgery to anyone who is 100 pounds over weight.

MY FIRST MEETING WITH DR. BALDER WAS GREAT. HE IS VERY PERSONABLE AND TAKES HIS TIME TO ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS. I HAD DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH AND SO I KNEW ABOUT MOST OF THE THINGS WE DISCUSSED. MAINLY I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH HIS NURSE, ANGIE THROUGH PHON CONVERSTIONS AND THE SUPPORT GROUP MEETINGS. SHE IS THE GREATEST THING SINCE PAPER NAPKINS AND WITHOUT HER THE PROGRAM WOULD NOT BE WHAT IT IS.
I STRONGLY SUGGEST AND RECCOMMEND THE SUPPORT GROUP MEETINGS TO EVERYONE WHO IS EVEN THINKING ABOUT THIS SURGERY. THE PEOPLE IN THIS GROUP ARE VERY HELPFUL AND SUPPORTIVE AND WILL ANSWER ANY QUESTION YOU CAN THINK OF TO ASK. YOU NOT ONLY HEAR ABOUT THE GREAT ASPECTS OF THIS SURGERY, BUT YOU ALSO HEAR ALL OF THE HORROR STORIES, AND THERE ARE QUITE A FEW. OVERALL, I THINK THIS IS WHERE YOU NEED TO BE PRE AND POST OP IF YOU WANT TO TRULY SUCCEED WITH THE LEAST AMOUNT OF DEPRESSION. THEY WILL CERTAINLY LIFT YOU UP!

My first impression of Dr. Balder was (like most everyone else has said!) he is very young. He was very pleasant, caring and very informative. He went through the whole process and made me feel very comfortable about asking any questions I had. I did wait quite awhile in the waiting room and then in the examining room. When he came into my room he apologized for my waiting so long and asked if I could wait another 45 minutes because he had to assist Dr. Allen with surgery. Of course I didn't want to wait longer but I didn't want to re-schedule because this was so important to me. Actually, his thoughtfulness by coming in and letting me know what was going on impressed me. Normally when these things happen the nurse comes in and just tells you. It also comforted me to know that they do back each other up during surgery and that when necessary they do put the patient in surgery first. The office staff was very nice. I think there were 3 nurses in the examining room with Dr. Balder, myself and my husband. This made me feel a bit strange but I am sure the other two nurses with Angie Kriss the main nurse were probably new and learning about the process.

My first and only appt. so far with
Dr. Balder was May 6,2002. It is now Sept.29 I really don't remember what he looks like except that he had a beautiful smile. I will be seeing him again on Oct.17 for the final appt. before surgery on Oct. 22,2002.

My first impression of Dr. Balder was that he wants to make sure people are well educated about weight loss surgery and understand the risk and lifetime change involved. Dr. Balder showed extreme patience when answering questions that I am sure he has answered a hundred times. Dr. Balder requires that you see a psychologist, dietician and an orientation class for weight loss surgery. Everything so far prior to surgery has been explained clearly and in a step by step fashion.

Dr. Balder was great, he took time to make sure that my family and I completly understood what this surgery involved. His nurse Angie is also great, they all work so hard over there! I will write more once I have had my surgery (7 days).

I loved Dr. Balder. He puts your mind right at ease with his knowlege and when you are talking to him you do not feel rushed at all. His nure Angie is absolutly wonderful. She is very helpful and understanding. From what I see he has a wonderful after care program. My surgery is scheduled for July 23rd so I'm sure I will have more information then. So far I like what I see.

My first impression of Dr. Balder is that he is very knowledgeable on his technique, and very confident. He works with another surgeon (Dr. Anderson), so he isn't actually alone when he is doing the surgery. He seems to be right to the point and answers any questions. He puts my mind at ease and tells me to stop micromanaging my surgery and worrying unnecessarily about the things that are his job. He will take care of me, and don't worry. I have a lot of confidence in him, and I am glad that my great friend Mary told me about him. The office staff up front is very rude. His nurse, Angie Kriss is very sweet. I called about 5 times one day, and she never got angry or short with me once. She is very sweet and caring. So far I would rate Dr. Balder as an excellent doctor. My surgery is Monday May 6, 2002 at 6am, so I will know more later.

I really think that he is a very smart, and very cautious General Surgeon. His credentials are great as well as his reputation as a surgeon. He is someone to look up to. He looks very young and healthy, and I think that he is also very optimisic. He has allot of things that he does just in case. I have heard that some doctors don't take all of the precautions that he requires of his patients. I find that refreshing as I am the type of person that believes that if it is done right the first time and precautions are taken, there are rarely errors to fix.

My fisrt impression of Dr. Balder was exactly what I had expected from the research I had done. He was very confident and professional. Dr. Balder explained the risks involved yet still made me feel confident. I did not get a chance to meet Dr. Anderson until after the surgery and I found him to be the same way. I was very pleased to know that Dr. Balder and Dr. Anderson sometimes work together in the OR.
They are both phenominal Surgeons. I thank the Lord for leading me to them.

Angie is the Wls nurse. She is Wonderful!
No matter how many times I have called her she is always kind and informative. I am thankful for Angie!

My overall rating of this team is excellent!

Even though I was not concerned with finding a surgeon with great bedside manner(I wanted the best SURGEON, not a buddy!)I found this team to have it.