James Wallace Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,Ph.D.

I was orginally scheduled to have my surgery by Dr. Schulte at Froedtert Hospital and Medical College of Wisconsin, however, he retired and now Dr. James Wallace will be my surgeon. I will be meeting him for the 1st time on January 7, 2002.

I was impressed. He answered the few questions I had, but more than that, he educated me about body types, liver placement, open or lap surgery as dictated by my internal organs..and more and more... Very Interesting. I didn't notice much of a sense of humor, but then he repeatedly talked about creating a safe environment for me... OK, do I want a funny Doctor or a safe
operation? DUH! I also discovered that Dr. Wallace is the author of Froedtert's website about bariatric bypass surgery. Good Reading. Froedtert has a wonderful 5 year aftercare program. I am in very good hands.

It has been 5 months since my surgery and I am so happy to have had Dr. Wallace as my surgeon. I have discovered he has a sense of humor and is one of the most caring people I have ever met.

THANK YOU DR. WALLACE.

I only had the opportunity to met with Dr. Wallace for 1 follow up visit (to remove my staples) and since then every month I have met with Debbie, his nurse. (I did however, e-mail Dr. Wallace progressive weight loss pictures to keep him informed of his and my great success.)

Debbie is great. Very caring and so informative. I have very much respect for her and value her knowledge, her suggestions, and her over-all NURSING.

Debbie also runs a support group once a month at Froedtert Hospital for pre-surgery, post-surgery patients as well as those who just want to learn what it's all about. She does a great job. I never miss a meeting.

My first impression was WOW!

I dont mean in a bad way or hey he is great looking.....He is although very distingushed.

I mean he could double as my Father(TWIN).
They say everyone has a twin somewhere, but this is too close!
That made me nervous especially sitting 2 ft away and staring at him while he was talking.. I am usually not so giggly while in a doctors office but I was rather up tight!
I know when I see him next I will mention this to him only so he knows I am not such a
nut case as I think he thinks.

Dr Wallace was to the point and he doesn't beat around the bush.....he is stern but like I said very polite and very well informed.

His staff is extremely busy, but they were well organized and very informed too.

I felt that the 4 hour intro was a GREAT TOOL.
I learned quite a lot (not to mention time spent in the local library.
Incase you change your mind and deceide not to go through the surgery you were very educated when you walked out of the door.

The least likely thing would be the waiting, and red tape!

Aftercare programs are intense
I beleive they said they stay in touch for about 5 years after the surgery.

He did go over the risks, and for now like I said I only had 1 meeting with him.
I will have questions for him upon the next date of visit.

So for now the bedside manner is on hold but Dr Wallace over all I have great faith in.......
I have a personal friend who has had the same surgery and she is extremely happy and adores both Docs, so what more can I ask for?

I have not met Dr. Wallace yet, but would be interested in anyone who has had this surgery done by Dr. Wallace and their impressions.

My first impression of Dr. Wallace was that he is a very thoughtful, gentle and kind man. He takes nothing lightly that is connected to his patient's surgeries. I believe he is in this field because he truly cares about the suffering that obese people endure. By the end of my first visit I was at ease with him.<p>

I have since seen Dr. Wallace four additional times, for continued consultations while I have been losing weight and deliberating this difficult decision. He has spent as much time as I've needed, laying out my options, giving me his honest appraisal, answering my many questions and never rushing me. I believe Dr. Wallace is concerned about my health and the quality of my life. As a morbidly obese person, I have never experienced that kind of caring from a doctor...ever! <p>

Dr. Wallace is compassionate and most understanding about obesity. He placed no blame on me for my excessive weight, but seemed to understand this as a true illness. That is completely foreign to me, after spending a lifetime (since 5th grade) being ridiculed, belittled and blamed by medical professionals. <p>

Dr. Wallace and Froedert Hospital have an excellent bariatric program staffed with caring professionals. I will be meeting with the after care staff next week for more information and instructions and I'm actually looking forward to it! <p>

My surgery date is August 20, 2002. I'm having an open RnY at Dr. Wallace's hand. I have every faith in his ability and desire to perform a safe and effective surgery on me. The rest is in God's hands.<p>

I highly recommend Dr. Wallace...I've never met a better doctor (of ANY kind) in my 46 years.<p>

Karen Lacosse
8-2-2002

Dr.Wallace is a quiet man for what I hae seen of him. My impression did not change. His office staff is excellent, kudos to Laura Burgardt his administrative assistant who work's very hard.. I liked all the staff I met.. His emphasize on aftercareis it will take time and is not a quick fix... He made all te risks of surgery very clear. I feel he is a great doctor.

I have just received his name and the appt is on August 5th, first they said I need to go to a dietician/oreintation class( which is mandatory) then see the doc. I will update
after the visit.

my first impression of Dr, Wallace was that he was all business no candy coating here, he told it like it was. He became more and more interested in who I was and how I was doing. The office staff were wonderful. Dr. Wallace stresses the importance on aftercare all the time for sucess. He does have a structured aftercare program. I was informed of the risks of surgery. I would rate
dr. wallace as a 10. I felt that his surgical competence and bedside manner were both great. I had gotton a severe infection one week after I left the hospital and Dr.Wallace made sure that he saw me every time to make sure I was improving.

I was originally assigned to Dr. Schulte. He does not perform laproscopic surgery. I am a candidate for laproscopic so will have Dr. Wallace perform it. I found the staff at Froedtert in Milwaukee to be helpful and supportive. I will meet Dr. Wallace shortyly and let all of you know what I think.

P.S. I loved Dr. Schulte! He was honest, to the point, and answered my questions with courtesy. Aftercare is emphasized along with sound nutrition, lots of water, chewing very slowly and flintstone vitamins.

I finally met Dr. Wallace during my preop visit. He was very compassionate without being mushy...he was serious yet not arrogant. And, he truly made me feel that morbid obesity is a disease and not a failure on my part. We talked about every aspect of the procedure, anesthesia, after care and risks. He made me feel confident that I would be successful in having and recovering from the surgery. I feel he is someone with whom I will always get a straight answer from - someone who will do his best to help me on my road to new found health.

Dr. Wallace was very understanding about the problems that face those who are morbidly obese. He was kind and compassionate. I liked him immediately and have every confidence in him. The office staff is efficient and has been patient with me and my many questions and problems (ie. insurance denial the first go-round). Aftercare is extremely emphasized with his program and surgery candidates meet with a dietician before and after surgery. I like both Dr. Wallace's competence (he was formerly a trauma surgeon) as well as his bedside manner.

My first impression of Dr. Wallace was that he was a very kind, caring person. His office staff were courteous, although at times it took quite a while for them to get back to me. He recommended I have a sleep study done, which showed severe sleep apnea. The thing I liked least was the long wait to get an appointment (called January 29th, appointment was March 18th). It took about 2 months from the time the sleep study was done until the insurance was approved (it was sent back once). Today (7/24/01) they called and set a surgery date for 8/28. There seems to be quite an emphasis on aftercare. I'm having surgery tomorrow (8/28/01) at 1 pm. Two weeks ago I went in for pre-op tests, etc. I would have liked to have seen him one more time before surgery, as the last time I saw him was 5 months ago. I'll update as soon as I can.
Iwent to a support group the day before I was to have surgery. As a kind of bonus, they were discussing pain control that night. I went to Froedtert the following day at 11:30 (surgery scheduled for 1:00), as I was to be the second one that day. Drs. Wallace and Nakeeb were EXCELLENT surgeons. The surgery was a snap. The following day I was walking around 2 wards four times a day. Pain was an absolute minimal. I left the hospital on 8/31 and haven't had to use pain meds since 10/1. I will say that surgical expertise is the most important. I was in a lot more pain with a lap chole than with the lap roux en y.

When I went in for my 2 week check-up I felt so good that I didn't even feel as though I had had surgery just 2 weeks before. On a scale of 1-10, Dr. Wallace rates about a 20.