Voravit Wongsa Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

Dr. Wongsa is serious and passionate about helping people. He has a level of professionalism that is both scary and inviting. His office staff are very knowledgable. They are patient and professional. I love working with them they are very accessible. If you have any problems with your information you should contact Jackie she knows the requirements and she will fight for you.

Dr Wongsa really impressed me with his knowledge and seriousness concerning my surgery. A good friend and five of her friends have worked with Dr. Wongsa and they all have wonderful expierences. His staff has been wonderful.rnrnI will post more after my surgery.rnrnrnHad my surgery on Tuesday Jan 31,2007 and I am doing great! The procedure lasted a little more than an hour and I was in my room about 1 1/2 hours after that. Dr Wongsa was WONDERFUL to me, very happy that I had followed his directions and gave me grief because I had purchased some low sodium broth when he had not told me to! I much rather get a chewing out than a .....gee I am real sorry I screwed up honey!rnrnrnrnWonderful doctor...amazing staffrnrn

I was referred to Dr. Wongsa by 2 really good friends who had WLS done by him and they had excellent results. I was warned that he had made patients cry if he found out they weren't doing what they were supposed to so I was a little timid. However, when I met him, he was so wonderfully nice and supportive and even joked with me some. He's very professional and takes surgery very seriously and makes sure you understand that. He comes down hard though if you don't take it as seriously as he does because he truly wants you to succeed and be healthy. His office staff is absolutely the best! Jackie and Dee were very helpful and sweet and willing to help you in any way they can. He requests a visit a week after surgery, 6 weeks post-op, 3 months post-op, 6 months post-op and then yearly after that. I would definitely recommend Dr. Wongsa for anyone considering WLS. He may not have a wonderful bedside manner but the nurses, especially Dee Siddens, more than make up for it.

My first impression of Dr.Wongsa was good, but changed after my second visit.I did not apreciate his attitude after that,soI no longer see him.His office seemed inadiquit for his needs.The staff was very nice and pleasant. I didn't like the way Dr. Wongsa made me feel the last time I visited him,he made me feel like I was a failure and told me I was going to mess up a perfectly good surgery.I also found his after care alittle unreasonable.He was very upset when I was unable to get my follow up on scedule because of other health issues.He stressed the risk of surgery sternly, but assured me all would be well.Dr. Wongsa seems to be a good doctor ,but poor on doctor/patient skills.I believe that surgical competance and bedside manners go hand in hand.

Dr. Wongsa...He is just as everyone describes: Stern, stright to the point, and VERY seriuos about the surgery and his job. As a surgeon his he a 10, no doubt in my mind. Dr. Wongsa however doesnt sugar coat ANYTHING, and this in the end upsets some people. I found that i liked the stright answers, cut and dry. I overall liked Dr. Wongsa. One of the downfalls is no aftercare really, outside of your checkups. You are provided the know how and then its up to you to complete. His staff is WONDERFUL and patient! Jacki and Dee are his angels. I would recommend him highly to anyone considering this surgery, just be prepared to hear the in your face truth, which isnt always plesant, but this is a serious surgery and he is a very serious surgeon.

I heard about Dr. Wongsa on this website and decided to make an appointment with him after I didn't hear from an Austin surgeon for over two months after my initial consult. That, plus the fact that the Austin practice kept me waiting for over an hour after my appointment time at my first appointment. The Dr. didn't let me ask any questions and their receptionist acted like all the patients were there just to bother her. rnrnReading about Dr. W. here made me think he was going to be really mean. He's not. He is a plain spoken man. I really liked being talked to straight. He tells it like it is and doesn't mince any words. He told me in no uncertain terms that I needed to change my eating habits NOW! He gave me all the time I wanted to ask questions. I had lots of questions. The office staff is pleasant and personable. It really eased my mind about having surgery so far from home. I feel like I will be well taken care of. rnrnFour months down the road and I still love these guys. I don't like it when Dr. W. fusses at me about my eating but he's usually right. His staff is the BEST! I love working with these guys. I am absolutely sure I made the correct choice. rn

I MET WITH DR. NOWZARADAN. I AM TOTALLY IMPRESSED WITH HIM. HE LISTENED TO ME. HE NEVER ONCE MADE ME FEEL LESS THAN A HUMAN BECAUSE OF MY WEIGHT. HE ACTED AS THOUGH HE REALLY WANTED TO SEE ME HAVE WLS SO I CAN GET HEALTHY AGAIN.
I HAD TO CHANGE SURGEONS BECAUSE OF INSURANCE. DR. WONGSA IS STRICT AND SERIOUS. HE HAS A GREAT REPUTATION. I SURE HOPE THAT IT HAPPENSTHIS TIME.

I had read a lot about Dr. Wongsa so I sort of knew what to expect. At the first visit he is very serious with not much emotion at all. He just tells you like it is and what to expect and you leave. After the surgery, you really get to see a different side of him. I admire him and I highly recommend him to anyone who is considering this. The only down fall for some might be that he does not offer much of an after care program. That does not bother me so it did not play a big factor in it for me.

I should preface my comments by stating that I am an RN, therefore my impressions of his practice may be more critical than the average lay person. At my first visit, I felt that Dr. Wongsa had a very businesslike, professional demeanor. He did not smile much and stressed the required weight loss before surgery and the risks of the procedure. He answered all of my questions adequately. In summary, I guess I would say that he had the typical surgeon personality - competent, no nonsense, task-oriented. I was fine with that, as I was seeking such a physician. I was most concerned with his experience in performing the laparoscopic bypass and Dr. Wongsa, back in 2004, had done over 900 of them with only 2 complications in patients with some significant risk factors.

As far as the office staff pre-op...at the time, they were very disorganized. It took them over 3 weeks to initially submit my insurance paperwork. I was denied, due to the fact that Aetna needed proof of 6 months of MD supervised weight loss effort. I painstakingly did that and attempted to resubmit and someone at his practice told Aetna that I was not a patient of theirs, therefore they denied me again. I finally got that straghtened out and was approved, although the whole process took over a year.

Inpatient stay...Dr. Wongsa was great. He was on time, showed empathy, and answered final questions. He rounded each day and monitored me appropriately.

Post-op...not quite as positive. I required 2 endoscopies to widen the stoma due to scar tissue formation. This is a commom complication, but I feel that it could have been taken care of in 1 procedure, rather than 2, if Dr. Wongsa would permit the gastroenterologists with whom he works, to widen the stoma to a certain size the first time. (Mine told my husband after the first one, "she'll probably be back soon".) I also feel that Dr. Wongsa should have an RN on call to triage his patient's problems. It was not until I had a subsequent problem with kidney stones from all of the dehydration that I found out that Jackie, from his office staff, was not a nurse! I had been sharing all of my clinical signs and symptoms in great detail and could not figure out why she was not notifying the doctor to respond, until I found out that she was a medical assistant and did not understand the significance of the lab tests and symptoms I was describing. When I finally got through to Dee, the RN, things were resolved. Jackie is a very nice and concerned person, don't get me wrong, but it is against the Nurse Practice Act for her to be triaging patients.

Surgical competence... must be pretty good as, 2 years out, I have lost from 260 to 123 and cannot gain a pound, even if I try. The office calls at intervals and sends me for lab work and calls if I need any vitamin supplementation.

Aftercare...very little followup from the bariatric nurse specialist, who I believe was going through some medical problems of her own at the time of my surgery. Dietary counseling consisted of a 3 page diet sheet given to me at discharge. I got most of my nutritional advice from other programs with pages on the internet with specifics regarding appropriate food for each post-op stage.

Summary...competent surgeon with a lot of experience and few complications. Is well known is this area and has a good reputation. he could benefit from increasing his support staff.

Dr. Wongsa is clear about the risks of the surgery. In his waiting room, his post op patients were gracious and grateful and very pleased with Dr. Wongsa's care. His office staff is lovely and informative and courteous. He has a definite program of aftercare, and his patients that follow it are pretty successful. He has a low rate of complications. I am very comfortable with his care!