Duluth Clinic Bariatric Center

Dr. Bertel and his staff provided both me and my husband the best of care we could have hoped to recieve. He is a straight shooter and one of the most ethical and competent surgeons I have ever known. We both recieved such straight forward, non candy coated information that I know there was no doubt in our minds as to what to expect with the surgery. No question was to small and no answer was clouded. Everyone, from the moment we stepped in the door to the minute we left, was as profession and compassionate as anything we could have prayed for. Dr. Bertel is a God given talent and we were incredibly fortunate to have recieved perfect surgeries from him. I thank him every day of my life...I wonder if his ears burn. Every morning when I test my blood sugar I say a little thank you to him and all of his staff for giving me back my life. He gave me the tool, I make it work. You would be lucky to have him. My only saddness is that I waited so long to do this surgery.

Dr Bertel is wonderful!!

MY FIRST IMPRESSION OF DR BERTEL WAS THAT HE IS A KIND AND COMPASSIONATE PERSON WHO TRULY WANTS TO HELP OBESE PEOPLE GET A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE. THE STAFF IN HIS OFFICE IS ALSO VERY GOOD, REALLY IN TUNE WITH INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. I GUESS WHAT PEOPLE THINKING OF GOING TO SEE DR BERTEL SHOULD KNOW IS HE IS ONE OF THE BEST.rnAFTER CARE IS EMPHASIZED A GREAT DEAL WITH VISITS TO SEE SURGEON OR HIS PA EVERY 2-4 WEEKS UNTIL ABOUT 1 YEAR THEN YEARLYrnSURGICAL RISKS WERE DISCUSSED BUT NOT OVER DISCUSSED IN A MANNER TO DISCOURAGE THE SURGERY BUT THEY WERE GONE OVER. rnOVER ALL I WOULD SAY THAT DR CHARLES BERTEL IS ONE OF THE BEST SURGEONS DOING THIS SURGERY AND ANYONE WHO CHOOSES TO SEE HIM IS IN GOOD HANDS.

My first impression of Dr. Bertel is a very careing person and he doesn't sugar coat anything he tells you how it is.

Dr. Bertel is the best surgeon! Very open and always smiling. I have only had limited contact with him, once before surgery, then while I was in the hospital. He made me feel very comfortable and at ease asking him questions even though I may have thought they were dumb. Brutally honest, just what I needed. I wouldn't want a different surgeon after having this great experience with this one. ( Loved his long hair too!)

I am very pleased with Dr. Bertel. He is very honest and pulls no punches. He told me the risks, but also was positive. He did a wonderful surgery!! I had NO pain, I never had to push the medication button.I I am almost four months post op. and I feel very good. I DO NOT weigh myself, I will be weighed again in Sept. I feel his surgical competence is excellent....and that means more than anything to me. I will continue after care forever. The hospital stay was so-so. Felt cramped in my room...I shared with another patient....and not a WLS patient.

My first impression of Dr. Bertel was he is very straight forward about telling you what's going to happen after you have the surgery. I like that in a Dr. and not beatting around the bush. I really enjoyed the fact that Dr. Bertel saw me many times before and right after surgery. I really thank you Dr. Bertel and staff at St. Mary's Hospital. You are all great people.

I first met with Dr. Bertel In september of 2004, My First impression wonderfull, he was very thoughtfull and very professional, He spent so much time explaining every aspect of this surgery. I was amazed at how much time he spent examining me , you expect to go in and ask questions and they tell you what to expect and 15 minutes later you go home , Not with Dr. Bertel, he spent over an hour with me answered any questions I had and even some I didnt even know about, After That first appointment I felt confident I picked the right surgeon for me.
The staff At the office were very professional and curtious, and eager to help with any questions I had . They encourage you to call for any reason or any question you may have not asked at the time.
I can't say that there was anything I did'nt feel comfortable with , When He first walked in he is very tall with long hair pulled back , which at the time I thought Hmmmm.. but it took one minute to get over that.. :)
The Aftercare program is just as important as the surgery, they stress this over and over to be successfull at this weight loss tool, you need aftercare and support. I thought I would have a problem with the aftercare part since I work full time and I am a single Mom, I didn't think I could manage the travel, since I live 75 miles away, and the time I needed to participate, but I felt they knew best and if
I want to be Successfull at this then I needed to do this for me and agreed to the aftercare porgram.
The sugical team was great they make you feel very confident that you are in good hands , I only had a problem with some of the staff at the hospital, mainly the night nurses, I felt I was a burden on them when I called for help from time to time to reposition myself but over all, The Nurses were great and very helpfull, other than the ones at night at least the ones I had at night...
I would Highly recomend Dr. Bertel to anyone who is thinking about this surgery, He and his staff are very careing and I feel very confident in his surgical expertise.
However these are my personal impressions to my experience and every one needs to do theire own research on any surgeon who may be doing theire surgery.

Dr. Bertel is one of the best doctors I have ever had (and I have had ALOT!)I highly recomend him to anyone in my area looking into WLS.

Tall and lanky, Dr. Bertel spoke quietly and with deliberateness. I didn't feel like I was getting a canned speech. My parents were with me when we first met and he was respectful to all of us and included them in the conversation. I was impressed with the fact that he talked about the information I have provided the program without having to look at my chart, so he obviously took time to prepare for our meeting. Dr. Bertel was almost 30 minutes late for my appointment. The LPN who escorted us to the exam room was friendly and funny and helped me to relax. As the clock moved past the scheduled time, I would have appreciated an update on how long the wait would be. (My guess is he was sitting in his office reading through my chart--his prep time.) I've not met any office staff yet. If environment matters to you, the exam room I was escorted to was fairly outdated in decor with an old wooden desk and exam table--more than 2 people in the room and it is over-crowded.

Dr. Bertel likes to do a physical exam as part of his consult. I had not been advised of this or prepared for it. The good news is the room is stocked with exam gowns that are large enough. He checks all pulse points (wrist, head, neck, groin, ankles), listens to heart and lungs, and palpitates the abdomen. After the exam he gives his ruling on whether he will do the surgery or not. Then he spelled out the risks involved and covers what to expect directly after the surgery. I did not hear anything unexpected in this area. SMDC program has a structured aftercare program. Dr. Bertel did stress the importance of getting involved in a support group and exercise prior to surgery. He assured me he does his best for every patient. Since the wait for surgery after the consult is a minimum of 4 months, I am comfortable that he is not over-scheduling himself. I do know that Dr. Bertel is now doing the procedure laproscopically now, so he is growing in his skill level. From what he indicated during our meeting, you need a BMI under 50 to qualify for the lap procedure.