Robert Althar Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.
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Hello everyone. Yes I am the Melissa in Dr. Althar's office that most of our patients have spoken of, I am also 7 days post op from the Laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve done by Dr. Althar. I am so excited as most of our patients know I also have battled my weight most of my life. I know what it's like, and I've seen the results over the years from our patients. The reason I elected surgery was because after the birth of my son I couldn't get the baby weight off no matter what I tried. I gained 60 pounds and was gestational diabetic. Although most of the weight fell off I couldn't get the last 25 lbs to come off & I was overweight before being prego. My father and all of his brothers are diabetic some with HBP, Heart disease, Kidney disease. After a procedure last year I had a hard time healing because of elevated Blood sugars. I didn't want to be labeled diabetic (with jacked up health & life insurance premiums) or take diet pills & dieting is expensive & to fail over and over. It was time for me to get off the roller coaster and enjoy life, the life changes I've seen first hand by WLS patients. I've had several patients to ask why I hadn't done WLS yet and my answer was affordability (as my insurance doesn't cover WLS). The sleeve is affordable and already I'm glad it's done. When I weighed the cost of Medical Care for a diabetic & obesity related issues vs the cost of Weight Loss Surgery, the surgery will win everytime. I'm just like you, except I've seen over & over what WLS can do for people. So enjoy life to the fullest and know that you are not the only one out there who has suffered but there is hope. Best of luck with what you pursue and do your homework on your surgeon and type of surgery you select. To all of Dr. A's patients I did it !!!!rn
Extremely happy with his attention to detail. Would highly suggest Dr. Althar to anyone researching WLS.
first impression--very honest rnoffice staff --very polite and helpfulrnaftercare--he said that he is very sticked about keeping up with his patients after surgeryrnrisks---very informativernrate---right now pretty high rating
Love him...He is always straight forward and you never have to worry where you stand with him...great beside manor and real life savor..literally...really great staff as well ..they are always ready to help and very informative and sometimes just there to lend an ear..THank you Melissa!!!!
Dr. Althar is a very gifted surgeon. He always encourages me to be the best person possible. I like his positive attitude.
The day I met Dr. Althar, I was impressed. He is very "matter-a-fact" and answers any of your (or your spouses) questions. He has a very strick layout for before surgery and after. I really like this so that there are no surprises. Everything is up front and if you have any questions, Melissa (at Dr. Althar's office) will answer anything you need to know. Dr. Althar does come across as being very "DRY" but he is professional and honest. I have met many people at the support group meetings that he has done the surgery on, and no one, and I mean no one has said a single negative thing about him. This has been very reassuring to me and let's me know that I am in good hands.
I had met Dr. Althar a few years ago. He was very informative.
Everyone in the office is very helpful and willing to answer any questions I have.
I had mixed feelings when I first met Dr. Althar. I did not feel like he was really talking to me as a person because he has a tendency to dominate the conversation and his responses often seem rehearsed. As we got to know one another, I have discovered his personality is multifaceted and he often surprises me with his level of concern and his desire to see his patients change their lives with this surgery. Since he was mine and my mother's surgeon I am able to compare notes with her and we both agree he is very good at what he does!!!
Dr. Althar's office staff is wonderful!!! They are always available to answer questions and are extremely patient even when one has quite a few questions.
Aftercare is emphasized from day one. The office could use help in structuring their aftercare instructions. The information contained in handouts contradicts itself as well as the information presented by the staff. The staff always remains consistent in their responses but it is confusing when you forget something and you try to look it up and the information is completely different from what you were told.
The risks of surgery where discussed on numerous occasions. However they were always compared with the risks of not having surgery and remaining morbidly obese.
Overall, I am pleased with Dr. Althar. I would rate him highly and would have no problem referring friends and family to him.
Dr. Althar's surgical performance is far better than his bedside manner. His bed side manner is sufficient, not extraordinary.
Research tells me Dr. Althar in Milton at Santa Rosa Medical has performed over 200+ lap RNYs since 2002. Although Dr. Nye in Pcola at Baptist Hospital has done 2000+ over many years, I don't think he does lap and I know he doesn't take BCBS of FL. I was especially drawn to Dr. Althar because I think he only does RNY and always does it lap unless your body requires him to do it open.
Dr. Althar has a very structured program, which I like. Several appts before the big day (psychologist, cardiologist, pulmonologist, nutitionist, physical therapist, and a few lab tests.) But I REALLY like that. This surgery costs around 20,000 so I'm going to be maxing my out-of-pocket on my insurance, then everything after that is "free" anyway. So I say, line me up with as many appointments as we can between now and the end of the year. I might as well get every body-system checked out while it's "free" to do it. Plus, the more accurate a picture of my health that Althar has, the better he can plan out my surgery and recovery. I especially LOVE that I will have an appointment with a Physical Therapist who will tell me, among other things, what my best exercise plan will be post-op. I want to maximize the opportunity this surgery will provide.
As for first impressions: Althar strikes me as a strange guy; very intense in conversation. Second impression: Very meticulous and knowledgable - definitely a must in a surgeon which made me REALLY like him. His bedside manner is not so important to me. I figure I've got plenty of friends, what I need is an Excellent surgeon. Hopefully I've found that in Althar.
I'm still pre-op so I'll have to update you all later on how everything else goes.