Bruce Wolfe Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

I have chosen Dr. Wolfe to be my surgeon. He is very professional. He also seems to be a very kind man. He was extremely serious about me being informed of all aspects of the procedure and it's risks. The dietician was also very thorough. We discussed the nutritional changes that would take place as well as the psychology behind them. The whole staff stressed the idea that the surgery is merely a tool, not a miracle. The office is trying to start a support group, but many of us live quite a ways away, so I don't know if I will join. The post-op diet is fairly restrictive for the first 8 weeks, more so than other programs that I've seen. They want to set you up to be as sucessful and healthy as they can. I was a little frustrated with the office, it took several weeks for them to get the paperwork to the insurance company; but afterward, it went fairly quickly. Phone calls are returned usually the same day, but always within 24 hours--important to me. Everyone involved has been helpfull, friendly and respectful. Throughout my hospital stay, the research team, and Dr. Wolfe visited me daily. They were very thorough in explaining what they were doing and why. If you take part in the study they are conducting through the University, be prepared for a lot of testing, and having your blood drawn quite a bit. In the first 36 hours in the hospital, it was something like 13 vials every 12 hours. That was not fun. The most important part of my follow-ups has been meeting with the dietician. She goes over what you are eating in depth. Your protein goal is really important, and I had a lot of trouble meeting it at first. I'm much better at it now. Low-fat string cheese is a beautiful thing.

The only thing I could say about Dr. Wolfe that might be negative is that he doesn't have the most charismatic personality. But, who cares? He was an excellent surgeon with a real commitment to study the causes and affects of obesity.

Dr. Wolfe is very professional and doesn't
take one's decision to have this surgery
lightly. He wants to be sure that you understand
what the procedure is all about and what to
expect after surgery. His office staff was just
awesome. Everyone understood that I had come
over 300 miles for the appt. and they were
very thorough. The Doctor is very concerned
about aftercare and almost didn't take me on
as a patient because I do live so far away. I
had to reasure him that I would do the follow
up and be a good patient. I think it is important'
that you come to the appointment well informed
and prepared to be assertive about your decision.
If you do not emphasize your knowledge or your
desire to get things going you can expect to
be asked to come back for further appts. prior
to getting any kind of date or approval from
them. UCDavis has a structured aftercare, a
support group and are very interested in your
outcome for research data. All risks were
reviewed and I would rate both Dr.Wolfe and
Dr. Nyguen as very competent, professional
and interested in your individual needs.
I haven't had the surgery yet, so I don't know
how they rate after you are "at their mercy".
So far, though, very good. The medical center
was absolutely spotless, too. It was very
reassuring to come to a clean facility.

UPDATE: 07-01-00: To date I have received the
green light from my PCP (Ken Mullen, MD in Lodi).
He sent his referral letter, recent labs, recent EKG,
and just about anything else we could think of.
I have already had my psych. eval. and dietician
consult. and I will hand carry those reports
to my first appointment. What Theresa (the receptionist)
told me happens is that when they receive my
referral packet from my PCP they then send the patient
patient a packet to complete. Upon receiving that
the "surgical team" reviews all documents. At
that point, if the team feel I may be a candidate
they then "invite" me to make an appointment.
I am waiting for the patient packet. Theresa said
she mailed it to me about 2 days ago. I plan
to return via return receipt mail so I know
that she did actually receive it and I can then
stay on top of the progress. Theresa did ask
me what was my Ins. (Health Plan of San Joaquin,
I work for San Joaquin County). She just said
"o.k." So, of course, I have taken that to mean
that she does not have any major concerns about
receiving approval! I did contact the Ins. Co.
before I started all of this and they told me
that they do pay for the surgery as long as the
Dr. says it is "medically necessary". I have taken
the attitude that this will happen. I am getting
ready by doing lung exercises, cleaning my house,
scheduling car maintenance, vet. appts., home repairs,
etc. so that everything is ship-shape before
surgery. I am also keeping a binder with everything
in it. That way I don't have to depend on my
memory about who I spoke to and what day that
was, etc. I am actually looking forward to this!
I will update as we proceed.

Actually, I saw Dr Wolfe's associate, Dr Ninh Nguyen, at UC Davis Med Center. He was very straight forward and to the point, very informative though and I felt like I connected with him. UCDMC now has an extensive pre-screening program. I am also very impressed with their dietician and her detailed instructions for post-op eating. They have a very structured aftercare program with the Dr's as well as the dietician. They have done approx 120 gastric bypass surgeries in the last year. I like the fact that they have alot of experience behind them. Dr. Nguyen stressed all of the possible complications, but not in a manner that was threatening. I didn't feel that he was trying to scare me, just help me be the best informed possible.

I actually met with Dr Wolfe's colleague today, Dr Ninh Nuygen. Dr Nuygen seemed very nice and was very matter of fact about information. Dr made it clear that this surgery is a huge undertaking and that it shouldn't be taken lightly, he explained what would be done( how procedure would be performed), that I had a choice which procedure I wanted open vs lapriscopically, and also let me know of all the possible complications. I didn't feel like they were in a big rush to cut me open and rearrange my insides, they make you go through a lot of preoperative tests to be sure you don't have other things going on. Dr seemed very knowledgible. I also was seen by one of his residents( I don't remember her name ), but she was very nice aswell--I feel confident that I have made the right choice of surgeon for myself.

personality ....none...lol very impressed with his credentials


He seems to be loosening up now and being a little social

His staff is very helpful and nice to deal with

He never let me get a word in edgewise.

He is very happy with my weight loss now, since surgery and has become very cordial.

Very up front and informative.

My impression has stayed the same.

The office staff was very helpful and courteous.

The only thing I didn't like was that sometimes the doctor was rushed.

Future patients should know that the Dr. Wolfe and Dr. Nguyen are very up front and honest about the advantages and risks of surgery.

Aftercare is strongly suggested and is on a monthly basis at first and then less often.

Dr. Wolfe and Dr. Nguyen were very honest about the risks of surgery and they also explained how exactly the surgery is performed.

I would rate the Dr's and their staff at an 8 out of 10.

His surgical competence is a little better than the bedside manner.

His associate, a very young and poorly mannered dr., was the one I saw. I was treated so poorly that I decided not to get the surgery.

I have not contacted him yet, however, I plan to. Would like anyone who knows of him to e-mail me at [email protected] with info on him.