Donald Waldrep Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

I was impressed with Dr. Waldrep. He was through and informative. I would definately
use his services again. He office staff was
good too. I don't really have anything negative to say except his appointments are
a little disorganized. They might make an appt only to cancel and reschedule several times.
He made sure that I was seen and assessed by
a medical bariatric specialist before surgery
as well as afterwards. he has a structured aftercare program.
My only negatives did not actually involve Dr Waldrip but were more centered around the hospital he uses. They were pretty indifferent and nursing care was marginal at best.

9.12.00: Dr. Waldrep is a superb surgeon, and the most caring and involved physician you will ever meet in your life. There is not room for all the good things I could say about him. And I cannot think of anything to say about him that would be in any way negative.

He is the best, without a doubt. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... UPDATE 11/15/00: Anyone who's a patient of Dr. Waldrep, Dr. Billy, or Dr. Patching, please join us on our new email support group. It's a mix of Sutter pre- and post-op WLS folks, very friendly and supportive. To subscribe, go to http://www.egroups.com/group/wowsalsa,... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...



10/4/00, 22 days post-op: There just aren't enough good things to say about Dr. Waldrep. The man is an awesome surgeon and is well-respected and well-liked at the hospital. He's also very funny and easy to talk to, and he always makes you feel as if he has all the time in the world to answer your questions. Very caring and generous.

His office manager, Karen Kirk, is a wonder and a godsend. Her patience, perseverance and good humor seem inexhaustible.

I was mentally well prepared for surgery, and my aftercare was superb. Dr. Waldrep checked on me frequently post-op, including a call to the nurse's station at 2 a.m. the first night. He worked to make sure I was as comfortable as possible, even while making sure I got out of bed and walked. After I got home I had a question or two, and he answered his page quickly and kept checking on me throughout the next couple of days to make sure the problem was resolved. He would have seen me quickly, I know, if I'd needed that, even though it was a weekend.

The folks on the post-op floor at Sutter Roseville were also great, and the anesthesiologists made sure all my questions were answered pre-op, and checked on me post-op, too. My pre-op screening, organized by Dr. Hopkins, was handled very well, too.

It just doesn't get any better than this! I felt well-informed and in good hands at every juncture. I just cannot recommend Dr. Waldrep enough.

I must admit that as of today, 8-31-01, I am still fighting with my medical group to refer me to Dr. Waldrep. So far they only contract with Dr. Wolfe at UCD and I have a consultation scheduled with him for May 2002 with possible surgery in November 2002. I requested Dr. Waldrep right from the beginning and have since requested my PCP to make an appeal that I be allowed out of the network to work with Dr. Waldrep. Keep your fingers crossed that I will soon be one of his patients!

<b>My opinion: Incredible surgeon - great bed-side manner, caring, considerate and I obviously trust him with my life. </b>

First impression--very knowledgeable and a good communicator. Very easy to ask questions of, and willing to take the time to ensure understanding.

Post-Op--Puts patient at ease readily; during rounds,repeatedly asks if there are any questions and assures patient of his availability. Was on the phone with nursing staff frequently monitoring his patients.

Ofc staff--Karen's VERY busy, but quite adept, pleasant and helpful. The more specific you can be about what you want or need, the better Sara is able to help you. Don't know why my ins. approval was received only one and one-half hours before my scheduled surgery, by phone via 'urgent approval request.' I'd tried to verify everything on Friday for Monday's surgery and got the answering service, so gave up, exasperated. Had lost Karen's pager number, the most assured way to get a call-back.

It was easy to forget what questions I DID have; post-op visits were almost too fun, so I had to WRITE DOWN questions for review. I was easily distracted (maybe anesthia-brained)and kinda shy about asking some questions.

Aftercare is stressed as important, but relies heavily on patient compliance; follow-up office visits comprise the structured aftercare. WOWSALSA support group meetings are voluntary but very valuable to most.

Risks of surgery were discussed, described on paper, reviewed and I was quizzed on my understanding of the possibilities, prior to being accepted for surgery.

Overall rating of my experience with Dr. Waldrep so far is EXCELLENT in regards to both surgical competence and bedside manner.

I was very impressed how he explained the different types of baraitric surgeries. He sent a long time going over the different types of gastric surgeries. His office staff are very nice and friendly. Karen does a very good job. Dr. Waldrep did not make you feel uncomfortable. He was very,very nice. He explained the risk of the surgeries.

Seemed very compassionate and very thorough explaining the surgery.My impression of him hasnt changed, except that he doesnt discuss my health issues with my GP. He had me go a totally different doctor, who does not know me or my health issues. The staff, when you can get hold of them are wonderful. Most of the time, you have to leave a voicemail. Overall, he seems to be a great surgeon. Because of my health issues, I have talked to a lot of nurses that have worked with him. They all talk very highly of him. He was very thorough going over all of the risks and info concerning the surgery.

My first impression of Dr. Waldrep was a very caring, understanding and genuinely interested in my well being Doctor. My impression of him has changed over time and I only feel we are now more of a team and there is not anything we can't discuss or a time I can't reach him. The office is very busy! Dr. Waldrep's assistant, Karen, is fabulous at her job but is much too busy for one person. She does manage to take care of us all no matter what. There is not one thing I have found not to like about the office or my Surgeon. Aftercare is very much emphasized along with frequent post op visits. Addressing the risks of surgery was handled by a discussion with the Surgeon, a long detailed so called "scarry sheet" of things that could go wrong. I was given this sheet at my consultaion and returned it at my pre op appointment with things highlighted to discuss. I would rate my experience a 10! From the consultation to the surgery and hospital stay, Dr. Waldrep is the best. I can't say enough especially about the way he handles family and friends. Every question you have will be answered and he will always ask the family if they have any questions before he leaves, which was very important to me. Both Dr. Waldrep's bedside manner and surgical competence are top notch. I know this sounds biast but believe me when I say my family could not be happier with my whole scenario. I have met some life long friends at the support group Dr. Waldrep started which has helped me tremendously along this journey!

My impression of Dr.Waldrep is that he loves what he does.He answers all your questions.He didnt try to "sell"me on having him as his doctor. He was honest and I felt I was talking at the same level.His office guru karen is nothing short than amazing.She was so helpful.He explained in great detail about various WLS and why he thought roux=n=y was the best.His competence and bedside manner are a 10 in my book!

I had my appointment with Dr. Waldrep on May 17, I thought he was wonderful. He answered all my questions, along with drawing a wonderful diagram of the surgery. He seemed caring and compasionate, which is more than some of the Drs. out there. His office staff was terrific, and also caring. Thanks Karen for making us feel welcome!!!!! My date is June 25.