Ellner Bariatric at Alvarado Hospital Bariatric Center

Dr Ellner was very attentive. We met before surgery and she took time to show me what<br>
would happen to my "insides" because of the
surgery. She answered all my questions<br> and I never felt rushed.<br>

Four days after my surgery, I experienced intense pain and my JP bag was filling with <br>black liquid. My husband called the on call nurse and was told to get me to ER.<br>
By the time we got there, Dr Ellner was on
the phone with the ER physician ordering tests.<br>
By the time my tests were completed, Dr Ellner was at ER and we were back in surgery<br> very shortly after that.<br>

During my additional stay in the hospital after the 2nd surgery, Dr Ellner<br>
actually gave me her private cell phone number. <br>

She is not only a great DR, but she is a wonderful person. I felt that
she<br>
cared about me very much and I really appreciated the care that she gave me.<p>

The entire staff at Alvarado has been great. They have followed up with me post-op.

Dr. Ellner is the most AMAZING woman I have ever met. She is so warm and down to earth it's like talking to your best friend you have known for years. Also a killer sense of humor to boot!
You can tell just by looking at her hands that she was born to be a surgeon.
She has been kind, compassionate and just fabulous to me. I can't say enough about her. She goes out of her way to help you and make you feel comfortable. She came to see me every day in the hospital, one one occasion twice in one day. Not many doctors can say they do that.
I can't recommend her enough.
GO SEE JULIE, GO SEE JULIE, GO SEE JULIE!!

September 8, 2002

I now speak with Dr. Ellner at seminars and conferences... sharing my story of success. She is a magician to me! I have watched as dozens of others have gone through her hands and am amazed at the miracles in their lives, too. I have sent many people to her and the comments are ALWAYS postitive and loving. She is simply an amazing woman. Dr. Ellner and I eventually hope to write a book together!

Pre-op comments below:

I met Dr. Ellner at the Informational Seminar the first week in February. She was very kind and after the seminar, my partner and I spoke with her for about an hour. I have some control issues surrounding surgery (I am in the health care field) and she listened to and accepted my quirks... she said that my preferences would easily be accomodated. This sealed the deal with me even though originally I went there thinking I wanted Dr. Wittgrove to do the surgery. Dr. Ellner has artist's hands and I could see them plunging around in my guts, making me a newer version of myself. I look forward to surgery with her!

Julie was quite pleasant.She was very attentive and made me feel cmfortable.The officestaff treated me like family.I wish she would have visited me before zi left the hospital and after my anesthesia wore off.She has a wonderful personality and informed my family very well after surgery.
She was very firm about after care and follow-up.Yes, monthly calls if you are out of town. she was very informative about the risks and didn't sugar coat anything.I would rate her as an excellant doctor.She has surgical competence and great bedside manner. she made sure I had a full understanding of the procedure using charts and even showed me the instruments.She is great!I don't have anything negative other than a visit before i left the hospital would have been great. It was the weekend and Dr wittgrove and Hiser made the rounds.

Dr. Ellner is the best. She is a very skilled surgeon and my surgery went quickly and with no complications. The staff at Alvardo is wonderful and very helpful and caring.

I have not met with Dr. Ellner yet, as I am coming from Iowa. They allow me to come three days before surgery to do a whole days worth of testing, etc. before the surgery. That way I don't have to fly out there twice.

7-21-02
I am 10 days post op and down 15 lbs. I have met with Dr. Ellner frequently while I was in San Diego. My first impression was very caring. She took a large amount of time with my husband and myself answering and just chatting. My impression did not change of her over time. Her office staff was excellent, it is a well oiled machine. She was very open and understanding and checked on me frequently while in the hospital. Her surgical competence was great, as I had less problems, pain, or complications than i thought I could have.

[Pre-op]: Julie conducted the meeting I attended. I was impressed by her knowledge, enthusiasm, her genuineness and she really seems to believe in what she's doing.

Although I only spoke with her briefly, I will meet with her at my pre-op.

I chose her because she seems well qualified and I hope that she has good bedside manners. I want to know that I'm safe!


[Post-op]: I am so happy I chose Julie! She is a wonderful surgeon. She did a fantastic job on my incision. It is already healing and disappearing.

While I was in the hospital, I had a breakdown and cried. When I told Julie about it, she had a lady from the surgical team, who I met before my surgery, come to cheer me up and brought me a cute little stuffed animal. It was very sweet.

Her office is always quick to return my calls when I have questions.

Dr. Ellner was very friendly and open to any questions. I really liked the fact that she made sure you knew exactly what the procedure was going to be. She was great. The staff at the clinic was wonderful. They were just so nice to deal with. No complaints at all. The aftercare follow up was very informative. They had two workshops to attend after the surgery which really were great. You were able to meet with other patients in this setting and all ask questions. I had a great experience with them.

I haven't talked to Dr. Ellner yet. But she gave the introduction lecture. She's very personable and knowledgable. The office staff are friendly and helpful.
The only drawback so far is they require a $7,000.00 deposit at time of initial surgeons consulation. Where am I going to come up with that money?

5/6/02 Dr. Ellner is very nice. She even remembered me from the lecture months ago. She is approchable and ready to answer any questions I had. She went over the surgery, made sure I understood every thing and even showed me the tools they use. While I was in the waiting room two different past patients came in to update them on their progress. One was even 4 months pregant. She was welcomed with hugs and excitement. I feel that this office really follows the patient for a lifetime. The other office staff are friendly and patient. Many of them have had the procedure, so they know what youre going through. I know Dr. Ellner and Alvarado Weight Loss Center was the best choice I could have made.

I was very impressed with Dr. Ellner; she had a calm, friendly demeanor, and took the time to answer questions and concerns of mine. She also showed me the instruments she would be using for the surgery. She did inform me that I have a big liver, so she might have to do an open procedure. She then put me on a liquid diet for three days before the surgery to give my liver a break.

In the end, she was able to do the surgery laparoscopically! I would strongly recommend her; she has a good bedside manner and is a very gifted surgeon.

The office staff is also wonderful. They took good care of me. I had a problem with the healing of one of my incisions, and they followed up wonderfully.