Felix Spiegel Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

I love Dr. Spiegel. He is a fantastic surgeon who performed a VSG on me. I love his matter-of-fact approach without any bs moralizing or requirement that you have to lose 10% of your weight pre-op. rnrnWent to his seminar in which he described the procedures. I had never heard of VSG before and was thinking of getting a Lap Band. The advantages of VSG were crystal clear and after meeting with him decided to have it. Scheduled surgery a few weeks later and am doing great.rnrnI wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Spiegel.

Dr. Spiegel seems to be ok. Great smile and very friendly. He is confident and really knows his stuff. He tends to rush you through the process because he has so many patients. If you have questions you really have to voice them immediately or risk him rushing out of the room before you've had a chance to ask. rnI understand that he's the best and that's what's important to me.

He was wonderful and his knowledge and experience are what helped me make my decision to go with him.rnrnDon't look for him to babysit you...he gives you the tool and expects you to take it from there.rnrnHis office staff are great, I think I called on a daily basis for at least a week after surgery and they never got frustrated with me!

My first impression was that i thought he was very knowlageble and that his staff was wonderful and that never changed. Of course i had to go through the whole pcp, dietision, psych exam thing that took about 6 months but My case worker amanda at port neches was with me every step of the way. She made it so mush easier for me throughout. When it came time to get my answer from my insurace company She was on the like white on rice until i got my approval. I had my sugery 5 days later. The staff was so kind to me and Pam at the houston office was so sweet and made me feel very comfortable even though i was nervouse about the surgery. I could have asked for better care. I had my surgery at university general hospital and i have to say it was the most beautiful hospital i have ever seen. I got a room of my own and they treated us like vips. Dr spiegel came by right before our surgeries and gave us a wonderful welcome. I would give him and his staff a 9/10. After care was written out verbatum in the lap band bible so i call it. It was in my pre-op bag and i read the entire thing before i had the procedure. So i was very comfortable with the after care. I belive that future people looking to get this surgery should go to The best surgen available and that is Dr. Spiegle. And his staff who of wich most of them have been banded themselves know what it is like for patients and are very sympathetic to those about to have the procedure. good luck to all of you and i hope that your experiance is as great as mine was. Now these are just my opinions but i stick by them. Thanks for reading.

Dr. Spiegel is the best. I have and had complete trust and faith in his ability. Initially, I was a little put off by the number of people there to see him in the group consult. However, I came to realize that Dr. Spiegel is like a LAP-Band ROCKSTAR! He is highly sought after and it would take several months to see him if you didnt go to a group consult to get the info.rnrnI have read some negative comments about the Houston office team here, but that has not been my experience. Lorena was wonderful to me. I went to a consult and two weeks later I was having my surgery. I had to call the insurance company myself to put pressure on them (her recommendation) but I only had to make 2 calls and it worked.rnrnPlease understand when you select Dr. Spiegel, that this office is very busy. If you require a lot of handholding I would not select them. Dont get me wrong the team is friendly, supportive, knowledgeable (Most of his staff has been banded) but they get so many people they can not just sit on the phone with you for long periods of time. I talked to Lorena maybe 7 times within the two week period. She never made me feel stupid or ashamed or as it I was getting on her nerves (I am sure I was). She worked her magic to get me on the surgery schedule, although my approval came two days before the day I wanted to have my surgery. She was kind and compassionate and she knew how I felt and the sense of urgency I had.rnrnIf I had to do it again, I would only do it with Dr. Spiegel. His competence is unmatched. I didn't see him at my bedside much, but the conversations we had were pointed and bottom line HE TOOK CARE OF BUSINESS.

I loved Dr. Spiegel. I had heard his office wasn't run very efficiently, but I had a pleasant experience.

Dr. Speigal and his staff have been great. I am so glad that the insurance assistant used \"tough love\" to make me get the right info in the correct format. By doing this, the approval was immediate and a positive experience. rnI am required to have a cardiac clearance prior to surgery and then I will meet with the doc again.rnDr. Speigal smiles and is encouraging in his presentation and when he speaks with you. He is intelligent and has a great bedside manner. I can't wait to see what he is like after the surgery. I will be required to stay overnight for the lap band procedure due to my sleep apnea and number of epidsodes per night. rn

He's very knowledgable, so is his staff. I chose hm because he is one of the most experienced in the country. Dont look for him or staff to hold your hand, because his operation runs like an assemply line of sorts or rather a well oiled machine. From the initial seminar, to day of surgery, to post op treatment. I felt more like a number. You never have an appt that is designated for just you. If you have a 1 o clock appt then you will have to wait in line with about 10 others. Even on the day of surgery you are asked to arrive at 530 only to find 10 others there as well that you have to wait in line with. His surgical competence far outweighs his bedside manner. Oh, what bedside manner? ha ha ha.. He's a great surgeon who is skilled and has perfected the surgery. I woud recommend him to anyone considering the surgery, but dont look to be pacified b him or anyone on his staff. . My suggestion would be to arrive at least 20-30 minutes early for all appts and surgery. It will save you time in the long run.

My first impression of Dr. Spiegel was mediocre. He isn't what you'd call a \"people person\" and I find myself somewhat uncomfortable around him. However, he has a WONDERFUL staff who will address all questions and concerns and are even willing to give out personal phone numbers to help support their patients. Dr. Spiegel's knowledge and surgical competence are very obvious, and I went into surgery knowing I was in great hands. I've heard wonderful things about his support groups but due to their time and location I have difficulty attending. I often feel as if I'm just a number in his office and that he doesn't see humans, but dollar signs when he looks at all of us. But those are minor details, he's an excellent surgeon who has given me and so many others the tools we need to succeed.

He is very knowledgeable during a patient information meeting. He does treat his patients like a herd of cattle...in and out, but I have my husband's support and the knowledge and information from the internet so I was not offended by this method. The least time with doctors the better off I am. His office staff is unprofessional to say the least. I saw the doctor at the first meeting, but then we said hello before my surgery and I did not see him after the surgery or discharge. He does give you a booklet from Lap Band and his own booklet and he and his staff tell you to read the book over and over again. I would rate the doctor very high but only because he does so many surgeries per day (Tues and Friday). The day I went I heard the nurses say they had 16 patients for Speigal...so I know he does alot and the nurses that work with him at the hospital, note with not for him were very positive about his experiences. So, he is a great doctor but doesn't provide much personal care...even our pre-op was with a staff member, not himself. If you have support and are pretty independent, then go for it with Speigal!!!