Christian Tvetenstrand Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

He is a very easy person to talk to. He answers any and all the questions you have for him.
His office nurse is great I've called a couple of times and she has gotten back to me on the same days.
Do your homework the more you know about WSL.The less lost you will feel. And by all means if you don't know something ask !!
Make a list of your questions, he will answer them all.
I will answer later on the aftercare as I have not reached that part yet.

Dr. Tvetenstrand is a very good doctor. I really researched the different types of surgery 2 months prior to calling him for a consult. He could of been a little more thorough. But that is the way he is. I would recommend him to other people wanting the surgery. He goes over everything with you.

I really like Dr. Tvetenstrand. He was personable. He answered all my questions. He explained the procedure to me. He also stated my after-care will be monitored closely. Also there are risks with involved with the surgery and wanted me to be aware of them. His nurse (Liz ) was very helpful with all the insurance stuff. And the doctor was very attentive. I made the right choice in choosing him as my surgeon.

Although I highly recommend going through
with the gastic bypass surgery, I would not
recommend Dr. Tvetenstrand or Wilson Hospital.
I would advise anyone to go with a surgeon
who is a member of the American Society of
Bariatric Surgeons (www.asbs.org)
Feel free to contact me for the specifics on
my experience.

I've met with Dr T once for an initial consult. He seemed nice and very willing to explain the surgery. He gave me a packet of info that he had copied from some other place that explained the surgery but you don't really know what his policies are that way. He has a very busy practice but since he's in with a group and does general surgery too there are not a lot of set procedures for WLS. I waited 3 months for the first visit and then had to get the insurance stuff done. The office person is very helpful but I'm not sure how much experience she has with insurance. However when they were safisifed with the insurance, the surgery was scheduled quickly and I will see him again on Tuesday(10/09/01) for the pre-op physical so I can get some helpful info then.

Dr T was great when I was in the hospital and for surgical aftercare. I saw him 6 or 7 times in the first 3 months as my incision opened at the top. As a surgeon he is top notch and is now doing lap RNY also I heard. Right now, there is not a structured aftercare program, but he is working on a support group to start in the fall of 2002 to address pre-op's and I'm sure post op's as well. He also now has a yahoo group for his patients so more info is available. I would rate him very highly and only hope the practice evolves into more of a clinic someday!

my first impression was somewhat good. he did a brief physical exam, gave brief description of surgery, gave a much more detailed booklet of info on surgery and post-op diet,asked about previos surgeries,health, diets tried, etc.
his staff was very friendly and helpful.

I think Dr. Tvetenstrand is one of the best, if not the best, surgeons in this area. I felt very secure having the surgery with him as he is a trauma specialist and I felt that if anything went wrong he would bail me out. He has taken very good care of me. I had a Staph infection and leakage from my wound and the care for the last 11 months have been the best. He and Liz,his assistant, have been there for me. I just had a wound exploration on 2/27/02 and everything is great. Without this surgery by Dr. Tvetenstrand, I would probably be dead by now. I have lost so far 183 lbs. in 11 months. I have done a lot of research for this surgery and it was easy to discuss this with him. I would rate Dr. Tvetenstrand as one of the most caring surgeons in the area. He wants to help us have a better life. I would rate his surgical competence and bedside manner as great.

Dr T was very nice and explained it as best i could understand. His nurse is very nice and is helping me get my primary Dr.off her butt to get the paper work done. he did explain the risks with me.He told me my ashma is the biggest problem but he believes its not at dangerous stage. I have only seen him once so I really cant say to much now.DR T was the kindest and understanding dr ive ever had for surgery.he answered all my questions and even some i didnt have .when we had an emergency with absess after i got home he met me right back at the hosp and was really as gentle as he could be his office got me all the care people i needed after i came home because i live alone

My bowel ruptured three days after the RNY surgery.
A couple of days after the second surgery,
I found out I was Dr. Tvetenstrand's first lap RNY.
Lesson: ensure you have an experienced surgeon and
if I had it to do over again, I would ask for references.
I wish I would have know about this site before my
surgery as I would have checked for a surgeon with
multiple positive comments before going forward.
I spent 15 days in the hospital, came home with wicks and drain
tubes coming out of my abdomen, was on antibiotics for months,
and couldn't go back to work for several months.
It wasn't a good experience.

The post-dietary care was sorely lacking. I was quite
weak, unable to eat, suffering from malnutrition, and losing
my hair. I didn't turn the corner until my primary care physician
referred me to the Nutrition Network, a local practice.
My nutritionist was great! She had me focus on getting 40 grams of protein each day
and taking two chewable multi-vitamins daily.
She told me not to worry about the fruits and
vegetables as much because I would get those
nutrients from the vitamins. It really helped, my energy
increased and my hair got thicker and back to normal.

I've met Dr Tventanstrand a couple of times and each time I've met him he seems to have a wonderful but stern pose about him. He is very willing to answer questions.

Liz is his nurse that does all his scheduling and she is a bit different then him, but still has a wonderful personallity.

I've had to wait about 6 weeks for my approval so Dr T and Liz felt it better if I went to see him about a week before my surgery. I thought this was a good idea also.

Dr T addressed all my concerns and answered all my questions. I didn't have many because I did so much research about the surgery.(about 4 months worth).

I think both bedside matter is great but I think surgical competence is better.