St. Cloud Surgical Weight Loss Program Bariatric Center

He is a very knowledgable Doctor and shows great concern for his patients well being.. He has a very strict aftercare follow-up every month. I think he is an excellent Surgeon and would do it over again if I had to..

I met Dr. Shapiro in June when I went to the informational
meeting. He really gave a lot of good information
He seemed nice. I again met him at a personal appointment on Oct 11. He was very nice, very serious. But I was very relaxed with him. His nurse Tommi was great. mThat was the first time I met her. I have always worked with Karen before this. She is wonderful too.After care with him is more important than the surgery. He says you can out eat your stomach. And that if your not
going to do your part with follow up it won't work. He talked about the risks of surgery and what could happen.But also about the results, and asked why I wanted the surgery.And asked what my goals were. I would rate him a TEN. My boys can't be at the hospital the day of my surgery. And he
even offered to call them after the surgery..I think that is above and beyond the call of duty. I am extrememly happy with
him. He did tell me that I had to tell my parents.He said you need a strong support system. Guess what I called them and they came out and it went great. I think part
it was that I have to have my gall bladder out too as I have gall stones. And by the time my dad had his out it had gangerine
in it. So they were glad I was having that done. But they were great more than I could have hoped for. Well that is it for now. I will add more later.....surgery in 9 days....wow time sure is flying now.

My first immpression was that he was very knowledgable, and he would not do the surgery unless he knew for sure you are ready and would follow the aftercare plan. So he is very strict, and I truethfully was affraid of him, but I knew I had to do this so I followed all his directions and now that I am post-op, I have great respect for him. I know this is going to be difficult and I know I can count on him to know how I am feeling and know what to do if I run into situations I am not sure how to handle. He has 2 Nurses that have been wonderful they are there for you, will put aside what they are doing if you have any questions...there great! Dr. Shapiro has a very strict aftercare plan and I know that I need to follow it to be successful.

I like the man. I think we'll get along fine.

My first impression-very open and honest about the positives and negatives. I believe others see this as abrupt sometimes but I'm happy that he is matter of fact and to the point. What he lacks in bedside manner his staff more than makes up for. I preffer a surgeon that knows what he's doing as opposed to one that wants to be friends!
No change in impression-he's an excellent surgeon with a superb record and I'm thankful to be his patient.
His staff-Beyond belief! Karen is an amazing woman that knows exactly what you need from her! She is also one of the sweetest women I've met! I've also met Tommi and think she's awesome! We didn't get to chat much but I'd say she's also a great person to have on your side!
What I like least?-Nothing at this time. I met with him last week and I still feel the same. My surgery is next week 8/14/02 so if anything changes I'll let ya know!
Future patient info-Ask as many questions as you can, he is more than willing to answer them. I believe that he wants a patient to be as informed as possible.
Aftercare-He insists that aftercare is essential to success! He wants his patients to make a serious committment to aftercare and I believe he watches very closely how committed you are.
Structured aftercare-YES And you will hear ALL about it. I feel very strongly about an aftercare program so I am grateful for this.
Surgery risks-As I stated before he is very upfront about the risks of surgery. He holds nothing back. I found myself a bit frightened after listening to him speak to a group about the risks but I do feel a person should be informed about the risks and he does not hesitate to do so.
I've only met him a couple of times but based on his reputation and my own instincts I'd say he's an excellent surgeon.
Which is better-Surgical competence I'd say but his bedside manner does not put me off either so you'd have to be the judge!
Thanks for reading and I hope I've helped! Good luck wherever you are in your journey.

When meeting Dr. Shapiro for the first time he seemed like he knew what he was talking about. After meeting with him and talking with him one on one a couple of times, I realized he is a gifted surgeon and a kind man. He has a very strict aftercare program and makes sure that you are doing well with it with monthly appointments. His office staff is fantastic, Karen and Tommi are wondeful people who care about you and they make sure you are comfortable and following instructions. I can't say enough good things about all of them. I would recommend Dr. Shapiro to anyone considering surgery!!

Just had my initial consult with Dr. Shapiro a few days ago, and am very impressed with him, and his team. He is direct, which is great-in my opinion, and seemed genuinely interested in my health situation, and in what I wanted to achieve with the surgery (health/life/weight goals, etc). He is very concerned with your commitment to his aftercare program, which is very structured--and one of the reasons I'm so comfortable going with him. I have no doubt that he and his team are the right choice for me. I can't wait for surgery! UPDATE: Well, it's almost a month after surgery, and I am so glad I went with Dr. Shapiro! He's great! I think he is conservative, and has a very serious demeanor, but in my opinion, that is a good thing! There couldn't have been a better surgeon/team/aftercare program--everything is absolutely perfect for me!

First impression from meeting:
Very serious...but I like that. He conducted almost the entire meeting, and I found that impressive that he would take the time. The meeting was small and organized with lots of information given--both pros and cons. It didn't feel like a sales pitch like a couple of the other meetings I had attended.
Scheduling my surgery date and appointments:
I have only interacted with Karen, Dr. Shapiro's nurse. She is FABULOUS. I have e-mailed her a handful of times, and she always replies promptly (sometimes the e-mails come in the late evening, making we wonder how late she works every night!) but she is so friendly and reassures me that she never feels pestered by the patients. Her answers are always lenrthy and thorough, as well. I have had a great experience with their office so far.
First consult: Their office is very efficient. My appointment commenced on time (pretty rare for a docor's office). I finally met the nurse, Tommi, that other patients of Shapiro's mention, and she lived up to every kind word. The doctor spent about an hour with me, but instead of me asking him questions, he asked me all the questions. A bit scary, but he is a caring person, that much is obvious. I wished I could have asked specific questions about the surgery, but I suppose that will come later, after I am cleared for surgery. Overall, very, very organized. I read all the time about paperwork and test results being lost, or mistakes in general at other surgeon's offices, but everything with my surgeon and his office and hopital has been smooth sailing.

So far I have only met Dr. Shapiro in the seminar he gave. I will be meeting with him again before my surgery.
I would like to say that his nurse/coordinator for his program is wonderful. Her name is Karen Walberg,she did all the work for my insurance company, including the appeal she has been absolutely fantastic.

My Dr.Robert Shapiro, is the best he is very understanding he talks to you about everything and he listens. I am glad he was my Dr. he is the greatest.