James A. Sapala Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S., F.A.S.M.B.S.

Hi to all who read this. I want to tell you about a man who absolutely changed not only my life but the way I live it. Dr. James Sapala is above and beyond a surgeon. He is a friend, life coach, unwavering cheerleader and the most overall health concerned doctor I have ever met. I, unfortunately have had many health issues arise right after my bypass in Sept of 2009. He was with me every step of the way - even when it fell to other specialists areas of concern - he stayed involved and never once let me feel like I was a "burden". We all must choose what is right for each of us but on this journey you might be about to take you OWE it to yourself to listen to one of the foremost pioneer's in this field. His surgical skills are outstanding but it is HIM as a man and later a lifelong partner in this wt loss journey that stays with me most. Caroline Mastro

Dr. Sapala was on the question and answer panel (along with his nutritionist Mary Zoto) at the Sexy in the City Confrence this past weekend. They both did a fantastic job. I encouraged several people I met at the confrence to attend the presentation and they were all impressed.
I consider myself so very fortunate to have such a knowledable and outstanding surgeon and support team at Brookhaven Hospital Bariatric and Wellness Program.

Dr Sapalla and his staff both at the hospital and in his office are excellent. You are treated as a person not a number. You feel like family from when you are greeted at the door by your first name. Then ther is Mary who is the nutritionist who gives great diet recipes to add to your sucess in the entire process of your weight loss. These people are not just recomended in their profession by other collegues but by people like me who have had many surgeries in the past. So please investigate his office and support group . They are the means to a successful journey in your new life.

Dr Sapala has changed my life for the better. Its been over a year after surgery and doing fantastic. I would recommend him to any person looking to get this surgery performed. He is a wonderful doctor and has saved my life. Thanks Doctor Sapala.

If you are not coming to the support group, you are really missing out on a lot of valuable information along with an amazingly good time. We have so much fun at these meetings, it really uplifts me for the rest of the month. Meeting all of the pre op and post op patients and making new friends is such an important part of the weight loss surgery experience. Dr. Sapala, Mary, LeeAnn, Allison,and Pat make it easy to stay on track. Now we have Denise keeping us on track with our vitamins and supplements. It just keeps getting better and better. I have a new, happy life which I owe to Dr. Sapala and his amazing staff. Don't be scared, this is the best place to come to for your weight loss needs. Do this for you, you owe it to yourself. We get so busy in life doing for others that we are the last person to get any attention. Dr. Sapala is just amazing!!!! Come join us, see how your life can be different. Dr. Sapala can make that happen for you.

Dr sapala is one of the most amazing people i have ever met. Thanks to him I have my life back. I am scheduled to have my tummy tuck done on monday and I know that I am safe in his hands. The entire staff makes you feel at home and at ease. i know that making the decision to have this surgery was the best thing I could have done for myself and my family. Words are not enough to express my gratitude for having Dr. Sapala and his staff in my life.

dr.sapala is a great doctor i have recommended many of my friends and family to go to him. i woiuld reccomend him to any one who wants a great surgeon

gwagon

I am a health care professional who has been overweight all of my adult life. Thanks to my colleagues for finding Dr. James Sapala at a professional meeting and starting me on the greatest adventure ever known. From the first meeting I knew I was in good hands with this practice. Thanks to Dr. Sapala I have lost over 100 pounds with the Sapala-Wood Micro Pouch procedure. I feel amazing and have so much energy, it is difficult for me to sit anymore. Before the surgery I existed and now I am living life to the fullest. The entire office staff is supportive and encouraging.Dr Sapala, Mary, Allison, Leanne, Denise and Dr. Anoosh I love all of you. I feel like I am part of a family that cares. There are no words to express how grateful I am to Dr. Sapala and his staff. You all hold a special place in my heart which is filled with love. Gerry M

I am so thankful that my mother found Brookhaven Bariatric's website which led me to Dr. Sapala. For the longest time I tried to lose weight on my own but could never do it. After a while I felt strongly that I needed a team of people who would take me in, nurture me, and tell me exactly what I needed to do while holding my hand through the entire process. That is EXACTLY what I got from Dr. Sapala and his team. I was excited when I first called and learned that every new patient first attends a meeting/seminar at the office which would last for about 3 to 4 hours on a Thursday morning. I liked the idea of taking a morning off from work to do something good for myself with a Dr. who obviously cared enough to give me hours of information. I had seen a few other bariatric Dr.'s before Dr. Sapala and with them I barely spoke with them for 5 minutes before they handed me a checklist and said "Just get these tests done and we'll schedule your surgery". I wasn't about to put my life in the hands of any Dr. who didn't care to educate me about what they were going to do or about what my life would be like after. When I first stepped into Dr. Sapala's office (which is very warmly decorated, with extremely friendly and kind staff) for the seminar I loved that it was only about 5 people sitting around a table getting the chance to ask questions to Mary (the nutritionist) and Dr. Sapala. By the way, everyone in Dr. Sapala's office, including Dr. Sapala, are always smiling and seem to get along really well together. They all seem to be very happy working there. Dr. Sapala is so warm and caring and when you speak with him it feels like are the most important person in his world at that moment. I'm pretty sure that he treats all of his patients with that kind of attention because everyone I speak to absolutely loves him! Anyway, at the introductory meeting we learned about everything including nutrition (especially the dangers of trans fats and the benefits of protein), the Sapala Woods Micropouch (what it is, how it is performed, what life would be like after, the history of how Dr. Sapala, his father-also Dr. Sapala, and Dr. Wood developed the procedure (It's important to know that they examined all of the the risks and negative things that had happened from traditional "old school" gastric bypass and asked "What can we do to fix all of these problems?" and in doing so they developed the Micropouch), and preparation for the surgery (some pre-op weight loss which varies by individual, medical testing and clearances). After the meeting Dr. Sapala met with each of us individually. I remember that he really took a lot of time with me and got to know my history and health status. After that he made recommendations about what he thought would be my best option (I was a candidate for the Micropouch but if I wasn't he would have referred me to another option) and advised me to lose about 60 pounds in order to take care of some of my existing medical issues (Sleep Apnea for one) before performing the surgery. I forgot to mention that Dr. Sapala really emphasizes how important it is for his patients to be as healthy as they can be before surgery so that everything will go smoothly. I know that other surgeons would probably just perform a surgery for the money without thinking about the safety of the patient but Dr. Sapala cares enough to think about his patients first. He won't operate on someone unless they follow the program and cut out any behavior that will lead to risks (such as smoking). So when he asked me to lose the weight pre-op I was 100% agreeable to it. It also helped a lot that Mary (the nutritionist/program coordinator) came in after and told me exactly what I would need to eat (I did a low carb induction diet). She also followed up with me on the phone each week as did Leanne and Alicen (the other amazing staff there) to make sure that I was sticking to the program and scheduling all of my appointments. Everytime I spoke with someone from the office it helped me to stay on track not only because I felt accountable to someone but also because they always encouraged me. I lost 60 pounds easily before my surgery and actually really got into low carb eating which is amazing because I was such a carb addict before! Now I am 6 weeks post op and I am doing very well. Sometimes the transition has been tough but I feel so comforted knowing that Dr. Sapala and his team are there for me.

Dr Sapala and Dr Anoosh are amazing! The care and understanding I received is amazing! I am so happy to be on my second chance at life! Any questions feel free to send me a message but the entire office is amazing! The nutritionist Mary is always on target! And Leeann and Allison are so helpful! This is a place where you feel so comfortable. Dr Sapala has a holistic approach to weight loss. His support group, nutritionist, and office staff are more than health care providers they are life savers.