Cleveland Center for Bariatric Surgery St Vincents Bariatric Center

What was your first impression of him/her?
*I thought he was actually very funny. He made you feel very at ease instantly.

My initial consultation with Dr. Schreiber was great.
He was quiet spoken and asked so many questions.
Not being nosey, just to ensure that
I understood what the surgery entailed.
I liked his mannerisms and the thoroughness
of our meeting.

The day of surgery, January 13, 2003, he stopped
by to reassure me, even asked if I still had
concerns or questions. The surgery went well.
He checked on me before I was released from the
hospital.

At my 3-week check-up he indicated
that I was right on target and continued
to reassure me of success.

I liked his professionalism, his strong
national reputation, the thoroughness
of his involvement with the procedure.

On the down side, while I realize he has
literally hundreds of patients to see
during interviews and the surgery,
I did wish Dr. Schreiber spent a little
more personal time with me. I felt a little
like being in a cattle call - rushed through
Next! The balance to this is that the
staff at Cleveland Bariatric Center were
great, taking all the time I needed to
work with me, and to work out any issues.

Dr. Sonpal was really great as a surgeon. When my husband and I met with him, he included my husband a lot in the conversation and so that put my husband at ease with my decision to have this surgery. After the surgery Dr. Sonpal and the staff were very concerning and helpful. The helped make this surgery a lot easier to endure. I am recuperating at home and feeling great. Thanks to St.Vincent's and the Cleveland Bariatric Surgery Center - Kudos!

I love this man! He was so funny and nice, he took the time to answer all my questions and my hubby's questions too.. i would recommend anyone to go to St Vincent!

I WAS SO EXCITED TO MEET HIM. HE WAS REFERED TO ME BY AT LEAST 5 OTHER DOCTORS. THEY SAID HE WAS "THE BEST". HE WAS VERY INFORMATIVE AND ANSWERED ALL OF ME AND MY HUSBANDS QUESTIONS. TOOK ALL THE TIME WE NEEDED. THE STAFF IN HIS OFFICE WAS VERY HELPFUL. BUT THEY ARE ALSO VERY BUSY. I HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY CALLING AND E-MAILING AT LEAST EVERY FEW DAYS. DR. SCHREIBER IS STRAIGHT TO THE POINT, WHICH IS WHAT I NEEDED. HE STRESSED THAT THE SURGERY IS "ONLY A TOOL" AND THAT IT WAS A 60/40 SPLIT AND THAT IT WOULD BE ALOT OF WORK.
DR.SCHREIBER ALSO TOLD ME ABOUT THE RISKS OF SURGERY AND THE STRESS THAT IT "MIGHT" PUT ON A RELATIONSHIP.

Dr Sonpal and his staff have benn very helpful in my understanding, and knowledge of what will happen, and what to expect.

I am going for pre admission testing on 2/6/03, and should be able to tell more after that about the doctor.

At first impression, Dr Sonpal appears to be very quiet and to the point. After a few visits with him post surgery I have found that he has one of the funniest senses of humor of anyone that I have ever met. Everyone I have come in contact with tells me he is one of if not the finest Bariatric surgeon in the area of the country and I have no reason not to believe them now. He is one of the finest people I have ever met. Although your time with him is short due to his very busy schedule. I think some of the people take that wrong. Once you get to know him, you appreciate all that he does for his patients. He has a very structured program and I will be seeing him again three weeks post op for a check up. This is my fifth surgery but the first with Dr Sonpal and St Vincent Charity Hospital. If I ever need any other type of surgical care, they will be my first choice.

l-27-03 I met with Dr. Schriber on 1-2l-03. He was in emergancy surgery. My appointment was at 2:30pm. I almost did not get to see him that day. They had said that I could see another doctor, wait 45 more minutes or reschedule for Saturday. I drove lhr. 15min. I wanted to see him, so I waited. At 4:45p.m. the office staff said they had to reschedule everyone because it looked like he wasn't going to make it. I was upset. I was going out of town Sat. and they couldn't get me in until Feb. 4th. After talking with the girls, they were going to try to get me in sooner. After l0 min. I went back up to the window and they said he was there, (Thank you, Lord) and I got to see him.. It was a long day, but well worth it. Now I'm waiting on the Ins. approval. I really liked Dr. Schriber. I did lot of research on him and know that he is a pioneer in his field. I feel very safe having him do my surgery. The girls at his office were very compassionate and understanding of my driving situation and I feel they did everything they could do to help.

I have been looking at bariatric surgery for about a year now. I have talked to many people here in the Cleveland area who have had the surgery and after much research decided to go to the St Vincent, due to their particular program. I like the fact that they have some of the lowest complication rates in this field of surgery. Also, the fact there are two bariatric surgeon doing the procedure, not just one.
I met with Dr Schreiber for another procedure in December. It was minor surgery under a local anesthesia. Dr Shreiber was joking with the staff before the surgery and even had me laughing once or twice. He is a very competent surgeon.
Dr Schreiber is a no nonsense doctor. When I met with him for my consult, he talked briefly about the surgery, although i stated that I had talked to many of his former patients. He talked about how surgery is only 60% anf not a solution...that I play a big part in my success. Dr Schrieber knows I have been attending support meetings. He feels this is an important part of the success.
Dr Schreiber is concerned about my BMI (although i am within their limits). He has asked that I try to loose weight before my surgery, as well as the smoking (which he talked to me about as well).
His staff was pleasant although seemed rushed.

Dr. Schreiber was a very nice person who knows his field well. He is straightforward and lets you know that this surgery is not a magic cure. He lets you know of the risks and make sure all of your questions are answered and that you are full aware of everything wls involves. I feel very fortunate to have him as my doctor. My surgery date has been delayed due to another study that needs to be done, which just goes to show that CCBS makes sure that all the I's are dotted and T's are crossed!