Cleveland Center for Bariatric Surgery St Vincents Bariatric Center

I had heard that Dr.Schreiber was a man about business, and he is. I knew that he was a serious person, my sister-in-law's consult was with Dr. Sonpal (same office as Dr.Schreiber) and she said he has to be the funny one. Dr.Schreiber is a very nice person from what I have seen. The staff is great, the have some post-op employees. It is very encouraging to have them there to discuss their success. Dr. Schreiber isn't Patch Adams, so be prepared for what he is like. He is a very serious guy. The aftercare with Dr. S is extensive. They follow your progress for 2 years. My consult was a group thing. First they weigh and do your body mass index, then they take the group into a projection room and one of the nurses does a presentation. All of the possible side effects, success photos etc. I can say that Dr.S has only had one patient die after surgery. It was a congenital defect that no one knew about that was aggravated by surgery. I think he passed away after 5 months. Overall, I like Dr.S. I am very excited. I have heard that his surgical competence is the best. Usually a surgeon performs surgery with a Surgical Tech, Dr. Schreiber and Dr. Sonpal perform surgery together that way you are only in surgery for 90 minutes. They have performed so many surgeries together that they can anticipate each other's next move. Usually the surgery is a couple of hours or so. They only negative thing I can say about my experience so far is the wait. My initial consult was May 5, and I am scheduled for November 19. Since it is just the two of them doing surgery the wait is long. But, they said in our group cosult that they are hiring another surgeon.

DR SCHREIBER WAS A GREAT DOCTOR. VERY STRAIGHT UP AND TO THE POINT. THAT IS WHAT I LIKED ABOUT HIM. NOW MY VIEW IS THAT HE HAS NO TIME FOR POST OP PATIENTS THAT ARE STILL GOING THROUGH HEALTH ISSUES. I HAVE A HERNIA THAT NEEDS ATTENTION AND I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET IT TAKEN CARE OF FOR A YEAR WITH NO HELP. I AM WORRIED THAT IF IT DOES NOT GET TAKEN CARE OF THE SURGERY WOULD HAVE BEEN A WASTE OF TIME. I AM WORRIED THAT I WILL START GAINING WHAT WEIGHT I HAVE LOST RIGHT BACK. IT IS A VERY PAINFUL EXPERIENCE AND SOMETIMES I WONDER IF IT IS A HERNIA. I AM VERY HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS THAT THE SURGERY HAS GIVEN ME. MY SURGERY WAS FEBRUARY 9,2000. AT THAT POINT I WEIGHED 355 POUNDS. IT HAS BEEN 1 YEAR AND 5 MONTHS AND NOW I WEIGH 210 POUNDS. I AM VERY SATISFIED WITH IT. MY LIFE HAS CHANGED. I DO FEEL BETTER ABOUT MYSELF. MY HUSBAND IS VERY HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS AS WELL. I ALSO LOOK AT OBESE PEOPLE IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT. I KNOW THERE IS HELP ABD I TRY TO GIVE THEM THE CONFIDENCE TO GO THROUGH WITH THE SURGERY. IF ANYONE HAS GONE THROUGH A HERNIA COULD YOU PLEASE EMAIL ME AND LET ME KNOW HOW YOUR'S WAS????? THANKS.

Dr Sonpal was very nice and easy to talk to. Office staff has been very helpful and friendly. The seminar was helpful and I really enjoyed meeting people there and listening to their stories. I no longer feel so alone!
I really researched this procedure and have talked to several friends who have had this surgery and really feel this is for me. I now have hope!
I understand well the surgery and what will go on before and after and am willing to give this my all!

I met with Dr Sonpal a few weeks ago for the intial consult. He was nice but very rushed. Everything seemed like a routine but it was far from routine for me. It was 5 pm and there were several patients waiting to be seen. Everyone in the office was nice and most of my questions were answered during the educational session. I guess we all have the same questions so they know what are our concerns. I like the idea that 2 qualified surgeons are there for the surgery. Unfortunately, I am looking at a November or December surgery date. I was also told my BMI is too high, (over70) so I have to lose 50 pounds. He did act like it would not be hard to lose 50 pounds and I feel that was a little bit unrealistic. It will be very hard. I have heard very good things about his competence.

Office staff are nice but no one realizes, including the insurance company, that they hold your life in their hands. The wait time will be the roughest. We are desperate when we are seeking this treatment

There is an aftercare program but they only talked briefly about it

My rating overall would be good. I believe competence is most important and I believe he is competent. Patricia Choban in Columbus also in my opinion is competent but she does not take my insurance. I am hopeful his bedside manner is good. I don't anticipate any problems.

He is a very caring doctor who really wants to help.


They just kept getting better...

The staff is very nice and on the ball, always willing to help.
Waiting for my surgery date.

You are in the best hands.

Aftercare is very important to your sucess.

Yes a very good one.

I was well informed on everything.

High in my book.

My doctor and nurses and St Vincent Charity Hospital staff made my whole procedure great.

DR. Sonpal was very caring and had a funny sense of humor. He was very informative and answered all questions very fully. The office staff is very considerate and I felt very comfortable. The wait is long to get an appt. but I feel that St. Vincent's has a real committment to bariatric surgery and it shows in every thing they do and how they do it. The support pre and post surgery is very good. I am a nurse and have asked around and St. Vincent's has the best reputation in this area.

I haven't met Dr. Schreiber yet, but have heard only good things about him. I will be meeting him on June 22,2001. Dr. Schreiber e-mailed me himself and apologized for the long wait. It was a very nice letter, and he pointed out some things I had not thought of. I feel much better now about waiting to see him.
6/23/01
I met Dr. Schreiber yesterday at my initial surgical consultation. What a nice guy! He was warm and welcoming, professional but relaxed and we had a good conversation. I have every confidence in him because he struck me as the kind of doctor who will not tolerate anything less than perfection. He explained all the benefits and risks and used visual aids to make his point. He emphazised the importance of aftercare and has all kinds of printed pamphlets about it.
He is very proud of his success rate, as well he should be. He told me about a "graduation ceremony" that they have for patients who have acheived their goal weight. I can't wait to attend that! You can tell he puts alot of time and energy into his practice. I would rate him a "9" on a scale of 1-10. After all, nobody's perfect!
I bet he would agree with that, because he seems to be the kind of guy that is always looking for ways to improve or refine the procedure.
The above statements are my own personal opinion and have no bearing on what others may experience. I would recommend Dr. Schreiber to anyone who is considering having bariatric surgery.

Originally Dr. Schreiber was the surgeon that I had picked, however Dr. Sonpal and Dr. Schreiber do all of their surgeries together. Wether you see Dr. Schreiber or Dr. Sonpal you are getting them both!!!
I felt that Dr. Sonpal was very pesonable and felt at ease talking with him. He went over all the important aspects of the procdure to make sure I knew just what was going to transpire. This was my first meeting with him so I'll reserve futher comment until I've had more contact.
At this point I'm pleased with Dr. Sopal.

My first impression was, he is very explanitory.He tells it like it is.My impression is the same I like him.The staff is wonderful! they take care of everything from insurance to questions to aftercare. I liked everything about Dr. Schreiber and his staff at Cleveland Center for Bariatrics.Future patients should know, Dr. Schreiber came highly recomended by my primary care doctor.Dr. Schreiber is the best in my opinion.Dr. Schreiber and his staff are very clear about aftercare they explain everything.Do they have a structured aftercare program? YES YES YES!!Dr. Schreiber talks about the risk of surgery.Overall I would rate Dr. Schreiber and staff a 10!!Surgical competence and bedside manner were both very good!!!

I have heard only great things about Dr. Choban, I have not met with her yet, my first appointment is Feb. 8th 2001. I'll let you know what I think. WeIl the BTC in columbus was very nice but I decided to see Dr. Sonpal in Cleveland. I've heard so much about Dr. Sonpal that I want to talk to him. I have my first consultation with Dr. Sonpal on Feb. 28th, 2001. I heard he does the surgery a little bit different than other surgeons like when he connects the small pouch to the intestines, it is virtually leak proof. Everyone says he is the best, so I want to meet him and I'll let you know what I think. Well I've met with Dr. Sonpal and I know I've picked the best surgeon, he definately knows what he is doing and I feel good about him. my surgery date is set for July 13, 2001. My pre-op testing is June 29th. I am very excited and at the same time nervous about the operation. I can't wait for this whole operation to be over with so I can start my new life. I started buying my powdered protein drinks and vitamins, I'm starting to think about what I can have after the surgery.

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Well today is May l0,200l and I am on a waiting list so maybe I will go sooner than July 13th, I hope so. I am getting very anxious to start my new life.