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Surgeon Testimonial

Wayne Schwesinger, M.D.
I just found out about him. I talked to his secretary, Rollette, on the phone and scheduled my 1st consult for Sept 26th. She was extremely nice. I found out that he is a professor at the Univ Medical School and teaches surgery, but does consultations for this and other surgeries too.

9/26/01 I was not very impressed when I 1st got to the office. 1st of all I was told that my appt was for 3:00pm and I distinctly remember that on the phone they said 4:00. It was a very basic no frills appt. No videos or long talks. I filled out a 4 page questionaire that asked about medical history and gave a small psych eval. I was given a 10 page print copy of a report on Bariatric Surgery with a picture of the RNY procedure. I already knew much more than this report said through all my internet research. My 1st impression of Dr. Schwesinger is that he is a very busy man and he goes straight to the point. He reviewed my questionnaire and I gave him more details about some tummy problems that I have had because he said nothing about having an Upper GI or an Endoscopy. Nothing about a sleep study. Things I keep hearing other people say are required by their surgeons. He is not part of the main group of drs that do this surgery in SA so his routine is a bit different I am sure. He also does not have the 17 month waiting period that they have just to get in to see them.


10/8/01 I finally heard from Dr. Schwesingers office assistant, Debbie who takes care of referrals and follow ups. She said that he is away for a week but that she is handling my referrals through my PCP and will make sure that the good Dr. gets right on to writing my letter of necessity for the insurance when he gets back. She was very nice and sounded very compitent.

12/10/01 My insurance does not approve surgery until all the pre-op visits are done. Drs. Office did not explain that up front to me so I was guessing about approval for a long time. I just had what was suppose to be my final pre-op with Dr. Schwesinger and he now wants me to see a cardiologist and a pulmonary specialist because of my med history. I dont mind seeing them just wish he had told me to schedulde those visits a long time ago...like when he 1st met with me in Sept. So if you see this group of drs, point out things to them early like if you took phen/fen (cardiologist appt) or if you have a history of asthma/pneumonia (pulmonary specialist appt.) so that it doesn't cause you delays when you think you are almost ready to schedule surgery.
Oh yes, office visits still continue to take forever so take a good book with you. The nutritionist Dr. Dent and the 2nd Surgeon on staff that did my 2nd opinion, Dr. Strodell were great, very informative and very personable. FYI Dr. Strodell also does these surgeries at the Christus Santa Rosa Hospital NW not only at University Medical Center.

3/19/02 I am now post op and I have nothing but good things to say about Dr. Schwesinger, his staff and the University Hospital. All the residents that work with Dr. Schwesinger I am sure make his job so much easier. They are always there looking after you in the Hospital. FYI...my incision looks great a very nice thin line
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SARose61's Journey

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Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.
I have been overweight literally all my life. I was the biggest and tallest person in all my classes in elementary school. I remember trying various weight loss strategies. Anyone remember Aids candies - eaten w/a hot drink before meals to curb appetite. Or prets tablets chewed w/a whole glass of water before meals...Yuck!!! I have so many ugly memories about growing up overweight. No dates...lots of pranks against me. I always ate for comfort and still do and I wonder how that will change for me after surgery.
Latest Surgery Support Comments

  • Comment by zeeanna35 on 8/19/03 8:54 am
    Rosemary, I can truly identify with your struggle. I am having the exact same issues with food. I am a food addict. I am having major mental issues with food that of course lead to me bingeing. Of course a binge now is not quite the same as pre op, but nevertheless........ ...its still not good. I am also 18 months post op and I know what your going thru. If you like.....perhaps we could offer support to one another, just email me at sarajackson4@comcast .net. good luck with everything and hang in there, if you are a praying kind of girl, try that, it does help. God Bless You. Sara
  • Comment by LMCLILLY on 8/18/03 1:55 pm
    Wea re all here with you. We understand and we are here for you. Please lean on us. You are NOT a failure. You may be having a difficult time, but you still have your tool, you still have us and you are 100 lbs lighter! That's certainly not a bad position to be in.
  • Comment by JOLENE D. on 8/18/03 1:10 pm
    Hi Rosemary, sorry you're feeling down but just think you've lost 100 pounds!!! I can't wait until I can say that. I've been through the "blues" at only 5 months out but we just have to take it one day at a time. Vow to do better tomorrow, I will be praying for you. BIGGHUGGZZZZ Jolene
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SARose61's Blog
SARose61's Blog


Transected or Not that is the question!
on March 16, 2007 11:11 am
Well I recently found out that my surgeon was probably not transecting back when he did my RNY in 2002.  I may have a staple line disruption and that would explain my stomach aches, bloating, gas, acid reflux and ability to eat much more.  I have an appt on April 10th to get things checked out.  I'm really upset, all of this may just not be due to my lack of self control in eating and little exercise.  All I know is I dont want to ever weigh over 300 lbs again and I'm in great danger of getting there if I dont do anything
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