Dr. Sonnanstine??

Hello all. I am currently looking into getting the Lap Band procedure done. I live in Fort Thomas KY, and have been looking into Dr. Sonnanstine's group, has anyone went to him or is going to him now?

Welcome aboard, Dr Sonnanstine has operated on my entire family. One sister had bypass surg 21 months ago, My daughter had bypass in May of 2006, I had bypass in Oct of 2006, and my youngest sister had lap band in Nov. 2006. Dr Sonnanstine is fantastic, He is extremely skilled and is so extremely caring, he has become part of our family. None of us have had any problems with our surgeries combined we have lost approx. 500 pounds. Feel free to IM me anytime for questions or whatever....Several of his patients are on here a lot, so I am quite sure you will be hearing from them...Best of luck to you, we are all here and pulling for you Amy

So does his office offer any payment options?

Not sure about that. Call and talk to Christina, she handles all the insurance issues, and I am sure she will be able to answer any questions about payment options.

All of his staff is fantastic, and very helpful.

Amy

Yea I have been speaking with Taryn, and she has been really nice so far. I will definately call Christina and ask her. I have Alliance Select Insurance, but I know they do not cover the full procedure, so I was wondering how all the payment issues go. Thanks!

My daughter has alliance sellect, I just called her and she said they paid for hers...Her screen name is mom2mcrew...she may be able to answer some questions too...Her name is Sarah.

Dr. Sonnanstine didn't do my surgery but he may as well have..sometimes I forget he wasn't my original surgeon!

I spent a little over a year with him training as a patient advocate.  My time was with him personally so I can say I know him pretty well.  I still spend time with his patients, attending surgery day where I can walk you through the process and sit with you places the family cannot.  I can also attend any office visit or band fills if the patient ask for me to be there.  All that matters to him is the patient is confortable and informed.  Your time in the hospital is very protected as he spends a lot of time on the floor since his office is within the hospital.  He visits his patients 2 to 3 times a day and more if the need is there.  I have had patients tell me they called him in the middle of the night, he told them to go to the ER...there wasn't a wait or another doc there to great them..there stood Dr. Sonnanstine waiting for them.  He is a very caring and concerned physician.  He absolutely loves what he does. and each and every patient means a lot to him.  I spoke to him over the phone the other day...I ask him about his seeing his patients further out since he is so busy (something many surgeons do not do)...he told me that was the fun part to him...seeing people like Jane, Amy, Sarah and Mimi and many many more..coming in after the weight loss...seeing them so happy and loving life.   Taryn is his RN..and also a patient..she looks fantastic and completely understands weight loss surgery.  His staff is growing as is his office..yet he teaches a pre-op class once a month..you will see him and me there..he opens up to questions and loves it when patients are very open about it.. I have spent time with about 15 surgeons now..when it came to my own needs I chose Dr. Sonnanstine for my gallbladder and after complications from plastic surgery.  I knew he and Taryn would take care of me..I was not disappointed.  And another thing I love is the size of the hospital..it's small, not crowded or congested..easy to get to, easy parking and very friendly.   I know his OR staff..his office staff and many of the floor nurses that will be taking care of you...(by the way some of which have also had the surgery).. If I can answer any questions personally about Dr. Sonnanstine, please do not hesitate to ask. Brenda [email protected]

I personally know you won't find anyone better.  He is the best at what he does.  I had surgery 21months ago.  His preop program is great and you learn alot.  When you have your surgery you WILL know what to expect.  You will know what you will be able to eat and how to eat.  It will change your life and then the post op program is great and will keep you on track.  I have stayed the same wt and size now for a year which is something I have never accomplished in my 47 years.  I feel wonderful.  All those things everyone says is true.  If you read these profiles you'll find we all basically have the same story, just a little diffrent version.  Good luck as you begin.  It's a wonderful journey and Dr. Tom and his staff are the best you will find.  Like AMy said he has changed our family so much.  We can't change our genes but with this surgery and finally getting healthy he has helped us to change our future.  Jane 311 is where I started my journey and I stay around 153.  Went from size 28 and 4x to size 8 and medium tops.  Have endless energy.     

LOL....I'm not sure there's much more I can say .....but I certainly agree with everything Amy, Jane and Brenda have said.    When I was deciding on having surgery and deciding which surgeon to go to, I talked with a lot of people that had surgery.   One thing that Dr. Sonnanstine's office offers that many programs don't offer is a lot of education prior to surgery.  I wanted to know as much as possible about the surgery and about how my life would be after surgery.  I wanted to understand what I needed to do immediately after surgery as well as months/years afterward.  All those concerns are addressed in the pre-op classes as well as in the monthly support group meetings.   That impressed me.   What else impressed me is Dr. Sonnanstine himself.   He has had extensive training in bariatric surgery......and I wanted to go with the surgeon that knew what he was doing!!    He's not only extremely skilled.....he's also extremely compassionate.  I've never met a doctor that genuinely cares so much about his patients.    I honestly believe Dr. Sonnanstine is the best choice to make.   Have you been to one of his information sessions?   They're held the first Thursday of the month and it gives you the opportunity to not only learn a little more about the surgery, but to meet Dr. Sonnanstine as well.     If you ever want to talk.....I'd be happy to.

Dr. Sonnanstine did my Lap-Band surgery on November 27, 2006.  It was the best decision of my life.  Dr. Sonnanstine is, without a doubt, the best out there.  I did a ton of research before deciding to have my surgery and Dr. Sonnanstine was the only docotor who made me feel comfortable enough to have the surgery.  The education you get before your sugery is the key to making everything work.  The nutrition classes, psychological evaluation, etc. just help prepare you for the life changing event you will be going through.  Dr. Sonnanstine is also there through the whole process.  He was there to answer ALL of my questions so that I didn't have any doubts or worries about what was happening.  He tells you on your first meeting that he will be your doctor for life, and it really is true.  He truly cares about his patients and puts them first.  I wish he could be my primary doctor somtimes!  If you choose to go with Dr. Sonnanstine, you will not be dissapointed.  He is the greatest.  If you have any questions, please feel free to message me, or email me @ [email protected]

~Sara