Dr. Winterstein/Methodist Hospital in Omaha

Hey!

I am looking for other patients of Dr. Winterstein in Omaha.

Methodist has been doing bariatric surgeries since 2003 and was recently awarded the Center of Excellence designation. There are two doctors doing surgery here: Dr. Winterstein and Dr. Anthone.

Dr. Anthone does gastric bypass surgeries - primarily the duodenal switch (DS). He's been at Methodist for 5 years.

Dr. Winterstein is new to the bariatric program at Methodist. I think he's been doing bariatric surgeries for less than a year. He does the lap band and vertical sleeve gasterectomy (VSG) surgeries.

I love Dr. Winterstein's laid back attitude and sense of humor. He's very big on listening to your body and working with your band. I picked him over a more experienced surgeon in the area primarily because of his personality and his staff. They are helpful and friendly. It never ceases to impress me that Dr. Winterstein and his staff know me by face and voice. I feel like they care about me and want me to succeed.

I attended the support group meeting last Thursday and I was floored when I realized I was the only lap band patient there. Of the three other patients of Dr. Winterstein, only one was done with her WLS. The other two were having the DS done in stages...first the VSG by Dr. Winterstein, then the intestinal rearrangement by Dr. Anthone.

The nutritionist that runs the support group stopped by to talk to me. She wants to do more with the lap band patients, but it seemed like she didn't know how very different our eating habits are from bypass patients. Dr. Winterstein doesn't require visits with nutritionists, before or after surgery. I suspect she doesn't get much exposure to lap band patients.

It has become clear to me that the support from Methodist is aimed primarily at the bypass patients. I'd like to get together with other patients of Dr. Winterstein to talk about what we need in terms of support. I don't think nutritional classes are the answer...but I do think it would help to talk about the challenges we face.

I would also love to start a program where post-op patients talk to pre-op patients about what they can expect. I know a lot now that I wish I had known pre-op.

So...to make a very long story short...is anyone out there a patient of Dr. Winterstein?