Joseph M. Vitello Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.
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I liked Dr. Vitello the first time I met him. I am another person that doesn't like the "sales pitch" approach. A friend gave me the video from "another" bariatric clinic and we felt like we were watching an infomercial. It was very cheesy. That led me to the internet and this site. Based on comments and e-mails from other patients of Dr. Vitello, I knew what to expect and he sounded like my kind of doctor. He was very upfront about the risks and what this surgery was all about. It made me think very hard and took a long time to make the final decision, but I'm glad that I had all of this information. I feel that this is the right thing for me and I can't wait to meet you all on the "other side". My surgery date is 9/27/00, so I'll keep you posted after that.
I did not like him at first. In fact I did everything I could to find another doctor, but my insurance would only pay for him. He told me the surgery would not help me. He was rude.
His staff was great. I had heard over the web that there was a patient flown in from LasVegas, to Chicago UIC to have the surgery done, and I asked him if he did it he said yes. After that I had a better feel about him, kinda respect.
He turned ou to be wonderful. I am now 4 days post-op. When I saw him after surgery I said are you sure you operated??? I have not had any pain. He said yes I have done my work the rest is up to you. I only have a piece of tape over a set of stitches. He told me I could shower.....and even go swimmig in a couple of weeks. I am going to see him again on June 30. I am on a liquid diet he told me as long as I could put it in a blender I could eat it.
I will write more after June 30.
Linda
DR.VITELLO IS GREAT.HE WAS VERYTHROUGH AND KIND. VERY STRAIGHT FORWARD AND TO THE POINT. I LIKED HIM IMMEDIATLY AND CANCELLED MY OTHER CONSULTS BECAUSE HE IS THE ONE I WANT. I ALSO GOT TONS OF GREAT FEEDBACK ON HIM FROM MEMBERS OF THIS SITE VIA E-MAIL. NOT ONE HAD ANYTHING NEGATIVE TO SAY.i'm post-op and still believe he is wonderful and realistic. very kind and helpful and always available if you need him. i'm glad i picked him !! I went for my first post-op visit and had lost 13 pounds. this guy was genuinely happy for me! he seems to relish in our successes and i think thats wonderful. i would highly recommend him!!!
he was very friendly and upfront about everything..my impression never changed over time, he is still the same. The staff is very courteous and friendly..Future patients should know that he is a very thorough dr, and he always call back if you page him or leave a message. He emphasizes aftercare a lot. He goes over the risk of surgery and tells what percentages of the risk; ex:infection, blood clots, etc..Overall, I give Dr Vitello a 10 out of 1-10!
Staright Forward and to the point. I liked it. No run around.
Never changed
He works basically alone, the hospital staff was nice and when I needed to contact his nurse she was nice.
Sometimes I had to push for the unknown. I was nervous.
He cares but is real straight forward.
He is good on aftercare. He told me everything I had to do and kind of hammered it into my brain.
He scared me half to death about the surgery but I wanted it bad.
He is an excellent surgeon and I prefer that better than personality... Not to say that he had none ... I like him very much. No bull kind of person.
I liked him all around he was good before and after surgery. He always looked in on me and made sure I'm good. When I needed him and still do at times, he's there.
Dr. Vitello is a very straight and forward individual. I have spoken to 3 other surgeons about this procedure and Dr. Vitello was the only one who did not throw a sales pitch for the surgery nor other services. He was honest about surgery period. The only down fall is he is very passive, but he will definitely answer ALL your questions and address ALL concerns.
The nurses in the Surgery Center were great, although the rest of the staff had bad attitudes.
If people are considering going with Dr. Vitello, please be aware that aftercare is really left to you. I happen to hate sale pitches on other services and because I like things done quick and out the door, I felt comfortable with Dr. Vitello.
For people who like direct answers and are independent of decision-making, see Dr. Vitello. He will give you the facts as the other surgeons should do. He is very quick to answer emails and phone calls.
I had problems with getting answers from other surgeons. It would take numerous calls and messages and at times never got a response or felt stupid by the other surgeons as to my concerns.
OMG, I hope my future dealings with Dr. Vitello are as great as the first! I've had 2 meetings with him, and something about him makes me feel VERY much at ease. He was totally no BS, told me what to expect and even admitted that having surgery like this would not be a choice he'd make, yet knowing that I was able to make a more intelligent decision. There seems to be no dealings with the phone staff, he handles everything on his own (so it seems) but he's AWESOME with e-mail! I have NEVER had such open communications with any doctor, ever; and I don't feel guilty like I'm taking away his time, because he e-mails within a day when he has the time, so it doesn't take away from his office time.
There has not been much explanation of aftercare, I probably should have asked more questions, but I didn't. I would rate him better if he could assure me I'd be back at work in 2 weeks. (<-- sarcasm)
I found using the phone with his office to be extremely frustrating, but the fact that you're here, means you have access to e-mail.
UPDATE: I am now post-op. The doc has been very laid back about the aftercare because he's responding to my personality. I felt that MUCH more emphasis was needed on post-operative diet and nutrition. I don't know if it's his nature to just try to have me feel that this isn't a big deal, and I shouldn't go nuts with worrying about designer proteins and stuff like that, but I would have liked a more comprehensive, itemized menu containing do's and don'ts.
I felt he addressed the risks of surgery enough to scare the daylights out of me (I am not saying that is negative, we need to know the truth.) Even right before they wheeled me in for the surgery, he came and told me it's not too late to change my mind. I feel he is extremely competent, but truthfully, the competence of the nursing staff and some of the residents left much to be desired. This was VERY upsetting to me although it gave me incentive to go home as quickly as possible! If you don't have a strong support team at home, you might want to take the time to visit the hospital and see for yourself how things are handled on the surgical floor so you can form your own opinions. My experience in the hospital was not exemplary, but my PCP had sent someone else to the same hospital, and they had no complaints (so the PCP said). When I informed Dr. Vitello of my displeasure with the nursing staff, he responded immediately by having hospital administrators come in to talk with me. I was impressed that they personally responded to me, although, it didn't seem to change anything much.
Feel free to e-mail me directly.
Dr. Vitello is absolutely great. He has a very personable manner and takes the time to explain everything to you himself. He goes through all of the pertinent information regarding the operation.
Dr. Vitello is has to be the most considerate and attentive physician I have ever encountered. I believe my success and quick recovery from surgery is due to his individualized explination of the procedure and excellent surgical techniques.