"Called the UIC surgery clinic and was told they were not accepting patients. On a lark I called Dr. Vitello's office (got the number from the internet) and he answered the phone himself. He scheduled to consult with me on his day off! He presented copies describing the procedures, all the possible risks/complications and his personal track record (percentage of cases he has performed that developed complications). I found him to be a friendly, introverted, and likable man. Leaving after the first visit, I had all questions answered, including what to do next. I managed my own insurance navigation and got approval within 2 weeks of submitting my letter. I contacted his office and we scheduled my surgery date. A second meeting to discuss my labs, meet the anesthesiologist, etc and it was snip snip for me on 12/03/02. Dr. V. popped in the hospital room for 2 min. a day, most care was handled by residents, students...I don't have a clue who they were! LOL. Anyway, back to the clinic for a 1 week and 1 month follow-up (34 lbs gone forever) and life is fine. I think his surgery skills are wonderful, he is straight-forward and to the point and will take you safely through this life changing ...no make that life SAVING... event. Thank you Dr. V. for giving me my life back!
ONE NEGATIVE THOUGHT: I didn't like the UIC hospital care. The staff was terribly overloaded and I couldn't get help when needed. They took the foley catheter out after day 2 but I couldn't get help getting out of bed and actually had to spend part of a night lying in my own mess."
