Donald Scholten Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

9/24/01 I am changing surgeons back to Dr Scholten. BC/BS made an exception for me in their policy to deny DS approval as investigational. I am very happy that I will be able to have the surgery close to home and have complete confidence in Dr Scholten as a surgeon. It will also be much easier to attend the support groups post op. Dr Scholten does not charge for his support group. That will be a nice savings as Dr Lutrzykowski chatges $4500 for a 2 year commitment. I was very impressed with Dr Lutrzykowski and regret that he will not be doing my surgery. 8/19/01I had to switch surgeons from Dr Scholten in Grand Rapids to Dr. Lutrzykowski in Bloomfield Hills because Blue Cross and Blue Shield will not pay for the DS coded as Dr Scholten does it. I first met with Dr L on August 17,2001.
I found his office to be quite humble. Over the past few weeks I had many phone conversations with Julie and Kim his support staff and nurse. I found them both to be helpful and courteous. Some of my paperwork did get lost which I found annoying but I have been through such a hassel with BC/BS that it did not take much to frustrate me at that point.
My daughter came with me to the appt. I really liked the way Dr. L addressed her questions and concerns as well as my own. He is very frank and professional. I like his directness. He did not rush the appt and I liked that he took his time and was very through.
Dr. L ordered quite a bit more pre op work than Dr Scholten did. He is insisting on a Pulmonary and Cardiologist clearance. He also ordered blood work to measure various vitamins and minerals in my blood.
I asked him if he had any problem with my listening to a tape during surgery and he was amused saying they have rock and roll oldies on in the OR. Now those are a favorite of mine but I am planning on listening to music that facilitates healing and is closer to my heart rate. I also told him I would have a Reike treatment before surgery and during recovery. He gave me a smile and his eyes said " Is she granola grannie or what?" but at least he will go along with it.

Dr. Scholten educates in patients so well
before surgery that there are very few
surprises. I appreciated this a great deal.
When something comes up, I can refer to his
reference material and answers to my concerns
are usually right there in black and white.

8/22/01 Saw Dr. Scholton on 8/9. Appt was originally for 8/23. Everyone in office was wonderful, and very supportive. Amy got all papers together and to my pcp and assisted them in getting their part together. I got my approval today, one week after they were submitted. I should be on the surgery schedule in Oct., possibly sooner. Took me almost a year to get here, and now its moving so fast. I still have some weight to lose,as he requires all patients to lose before surgery, but i know i can do it. I still can't believe its right around the corner now. Dr. Scholton is a very compassionate understanding and humerous man. He really explained the surgery well and that it is just one tool to help me. Also stressed my aftercare is very important and what my responsiblities are. Made me feel very comfortable with my decision to have surgery and to have him as my dr.!!!
1/3/01 I haven't had my appointment yet, in process of getting it scheduled. He requires psyc eval
to be done first and also sends a packet of info and forms that need to be returned first. Also
requires attendance at support group meetings. Have gone to two meetings so far and everyone I have
met has been very helpful. The people in his office have also been very helpful anytime I have called
for anything. Dr. did attend Dec support group meeting, but due to holiday and group party didn't
get to speak to him one on one. Am hopeing for an early March appointment. Have heard glowing reports
from patients, about his helpfulness, understanding, requirements, education, and general caring for
all his patients. Am much more comfortable about having surgery now than when my pulmonary Dr. suggested
it.Will update as I go along, but would already recommend him to anyone wanting the surgery.

VERY CONFIDENT
ONLY MEET HIM ONCE SO FAR
VERY EFFICIENT
BLUNT
VERY COMPETANT
My second meeting with Dr Scholten was on Thursday I am even more impressed with the man than on the first meeting. he is a warm person and seems very competent. His nurse Mary Kay was very helpful answering my questions and assuring me if I have questions after surgery she will be there for me. All of the doctors staff are very helpful. I am now 1 week to surgery and I am very confident with my decision to have Dr. Scholten as my surgeon

July 23, 2001--three weeks post op:
Opinions do change. I like people I can kid with and Dr. Scholten is one of those kind of people. He is much more 'regular' now that I've met with him several times. He is concerned about his patients and his bedside manner has been excellent.


My first visit and the impressions:
Dr. Scholten seems to be a pleasant professional man. He didn't seem to be particularly 'warm and fuzzy' to me, but maybe this will change as time passes.

I've spoken with several members of his staff now. Ann is very pleasant, and seems to genuinely care about us. So far I feel as if the office is run like a well oiled machine. That sounds impersonal but except for Ann it has been rather impersonal. Another thing that time may change.

This doctor emphasizes aftercare. They have support groups in various cities that you are required to attend before you are even seen by the doctor. I've been to a few now and I can see where they will be helpful. So many people in the same boat. It's amazing.

When I saw the doctor he explained the surgery wonderfully. How much do I remember? Not much. But he drew a little diagram and made some simple notes that do refresh my memory when I see them. His discussion was informative.

I met Dr. Scholten for the first time on July 12, 2001. He is very caring man. His smile and eye contact are excellent assets. He described things at length to myself and my husband. His handshake is very gentle, that tells me that as a surgeon he is gentle.

Dr. Scholten is a remarkable surgeon and genuinely
kind person. He is always friendly and very knowledgeable.

My experience with Dr. Scholten was unique because
I did have some complications after my surgery and
ended up staying in the hospital 10 days instead of 3 days.

He came to see me everyday and always interested in all of my
concerns.

I've been to all my follow-up appointments with him and
the aftercare has been excellent.

On a scale of 1 to 10 he's an 11!

He was very helpful.
I like him more every time i saw him.
His office staff is always very kind and helpful just like him.There was anything that
i did not like about him.That he is a great
doctor . He is the most caring doctor I have
ever seen.He is very good about after care.He
told me about all of the risks of the surgery . I would say that he was and is a
wonderful doctor.his bedside manner was great
as was every thing he did as far as the
surgery.

Dr. Scholten is very professional, very well educated, explained the procedure from beginning to end, expects his patients to be very involved in this process from the very beginning which includes losing as much weight as possible before surgery so that there is less chance of complications. I have been very impressed with the fact that he demands something from his patients before he does the surgery because it prepares me for the fact that this is not a cure all surgery. I will still have choices to make even after the operation.
Dr. Scholtens staff are wonderful. They have worked with me through some difficult times of family illness and unfortunate delays in my surgery. The before and after care is great. The support groups just keep growing. They meet once a month in various locations in mid Michigan. I was told all of the risks and benefits of the surgery. I feel very confident in my choice to have Dr. Scholten do this operation. The most important thing to me is that he is surgically competent and and as a bonus he happens to be a very nice person.

My first impression of Dr. Scholten is that he is very knowledgeable of the surgery. He seems to understand what the patient is experiencing, is willing to answer questions, and takes time to make sure the patient understands completely the surgery and what is needed from them to accomplish the desired weight loss. The office staff is friendly and helpful. I had to change my appointment date approx. 2 months before the appointment and whoever I rescheduled with forgot to change their schedule, but they worked me in and I wasn't made to feel that it was an inconvenience to them.