St. Cloud Surgical Weight Loss Program Bariatric Center

My first impression of Dr. Shapiro was that he was very passionate and knowledgeable about what he does. I still carry the same impression. His office staff is tremendous and is very prompt to answer questions. I have not run into anything yet at this point (pre-op) that I do not like about Dr. Shapiro. He is very adament about aftercare and has a well structured aftercare program. The risks of surgery are explained very specifically before surgery. My experience thus far with Dr. Shapiro has been very positive. He has been doing the Roux-n-y surgery for over 26 years and I am very confident going into this with his and his team's ability.

Very serious about his career as a surgeon. Made sure we understood exactly what the surgery requiers and what is expected of us as potential patiants. He made sure we knew this is not the easy way out and there are risks involved, we also had a worksheet along with the seminar asking us what are the risks etc. He also requested that we not gain wait and start then on eating healthier so our outcome and recovery are better. (I did and lost over 30 lbs before surgery by cutting out bread and pop)

As much as I appreciat humor, his strait forward no nonsense approach really made me more serious about my weight and making this a life change, not just another diet doomed to fail as all others had. This was also the turning point in my additude and being open about my weight.

His staff is wonderful, always available for any question I may have. And asserted that no question is a dumb question, if you don't know for sure, ASK don't be afraid this is new for every patiant and they only want the best for us.

Over all I wouls Highly reccomend Dr. Shapiro and hir care staff to anyone who is thinking about having surgery. (I say this as I sit here wnating to itch my staples and cut my g-tube off-ha I caught it on the microwave door and got a good tug-ouch)

Anyway this has become a book and I should finsh

Cheryl Tebben

He appeared very knowledgable-concerned-did have strict guidelines-staff very helpful-as of yet cannot say there is anything I dislike about him or his staff. That he is a stickler for details and following his guidelines. He very much empasizes aftercare-setting time limits when to be seen for the rest of your life. Very structured aftercare-does go into detail of rsiks and is sure patient is aware of these.

My first impression of him was he is very serious and direct. He states things exactly as they are. The office staff is wonderful. His nurses Karen and Tommi are very friendly and helpful. From my understanding Dr. Shapiro is VERY demanding from the nurses on his floor at the hospital, that is reassuring. He is said to be very knowledgable and professional. I feel that is better than bedside manner. I have complete trust in his ability.

My first inpression of Dr. Shappiro was that he is very friendly person. I was expecting someone intimidating but he is not like that at all. He and Karen have been very helpful in explaining things to me and makeing sure that I understood them. He is perhaps more strict in what he expects of his patients both before and after surgery than some of the Doctors that I have heard about. He seems very proud of his record as he should be and wants to be sure that you are commited haveing your surgery be a success. i.e.Eating carefully and getting exercise after surgery. He has a program of schedualed appointments after surgery to monitor your health and your weight. I have no problem with puting my life in his hands.

My first impression was not the best. My wife had surgery about 18 months before me. Her roommate had Gastric Bypass Surgery and we were not impressed with doctor Shapiro's bedside manners. He seemed very loud and obnoxious. He treated this woman as if she was a pile of dirt... When my wife & I first meet Dr. Shapiro at his office our opinion changed. He explained everything up front to both of us both the good things that will happen and what could possibly go wrong. He told us of how our lifes would change for the better. He answered all of our questinos that we had. He staff was very helpful. If I called with a question, they would get back to me within a reasonable amount of time. During my stay in the hospital, Dr. Shapiro made daily visits. Sometimes twice a day. Sometimes his assistant Amy whom I was not impressed with at all. She seemed to be out in left field at times and not playing with a full deck. Getting back to Dr Shapiro. He would come into the room and made sure that you were awake. He would check you over and wouldn't cover you back up. After being released from the hospital I had questions it seemed on a daily bases. My wife or I would call and talk with Tommy, Dr Shapiro's nurse. She would usually tell us that "That's normal" but would reassure us that things would get better and they did. My wife asks me, "If you had to do it again would you?" I'm not sure if I would. I had a lot of pain after my surgery and I would not go through that again. It's been 9 months now and I have lost 140 pounds and dropped 12 pants sizes. It's GREAT to be thin...

Very good, careful and sticks with what works.

I had the Orientation and have scheduled the first meeting with his staff.


The staff seem great.


The orientation was very factful and straight to the point.

I was very nervous the first time meeting Dr. Shapiro. He was not rushed and was very thorough in everything he explained. My impression of him was he was direct (which I liked), however seems very caring about you as a person taking this big step. He makes sure you are going to follow his instructions. My PCH was very impressed with Dr. Shapiro calling him to talk about me having this surgery. He also had my regular doctor (internist) do the pre-op physical. His nurses are wonderful and are very caring and always upbeat.

Dr. Shapiro is very professional. He treats obesity as a disease, and is not judgmental of people with this condition. The pre-op procedure he goes through is very thorough and includes a visit with a psychologist and a nutritionist. His staff is very helpful with the insurance stuff.

What I like most about Dr. Shapiro is that I have the impression that he is very well educated in the area of obesity and nutrition. He has a custom diet that he has his patients follow, and can explain in great detail what foods are/are not on the list of what is recommended.

The aftercare is excellent. For the first year he sees patients monthly and then less frequently after that. He wants to see patients yearly after the first two years.

He treats the whole person, because that is what obesity is, not just how much a person eats or what they weigh.

I found him to be very serious about what he does. He views this surgery in the correct way, a serious operation that can be a grest tool to use to help you lose your excess weight.
His office staff is excellent, they are committed 100`%++ to helping you make this surgery help you.
Future patients should know that he expects you to do your part, follow his directions and follow through with his aftercare program.
He stresses aftercare very much as that will help you to get the best results from your surgery.
He offers a monthly support group and scheduled aftercare visits.
He goes over all the risks of surgery and makes sure that you really understand them.
I would rate him as excellent. I am so happy that I chose him as my surgeon.
Bedside manner is great but it is far more important to a surgeon with surgical competence ready to handle any unexpected complication or problem.