Northwest Endo Surgical Bariatric Center
Dr. St. Laurent and his staff are excellent. They take great care of you, are encouraging and give you everything you need to be successful. I'm in my 60's, had gastric sleeve surgery and lost all my excess weight within 1 year, and I've lost another 16 lbs. in the past year without even trying. My only regret is not doing this 20 years sooner.
I really enjoyed my experience with Dr. St. Laurent. I selected him because I have friends who had chosen him as their surgeon, and they spoke highly of him. He has a good bedside manner, and I liked him immediately from the orientation session. He takes the time to explain a lot of what you need to know (like the fact that my surgery would also require a hiatal hernia repair), and his office staff works hard to make sure you are comfortable and knowledgeable about the procedure. Even when I had complications getting approved for the surgery (bad EKG; turned out to be nothing), the office staff hung right in there with me, refusing to postpone/cancel my surgery date until I was given the all clear for VSG. My followup visits are now mostly with the nutritionist, so I don't see Dr. St. Laurent as much anymore. But I guess that's a good thing...I take it as a sign that he did his job well the first time around. I read posts on this site about people who had complications and needed followup procedures, and it freaks me out. Thank God I was able to have a successful surgery with Dr. St. Laurent. If there is any downside to my experience, I can say that I don't see a big push for an aftercare program through his office. There are support group meetings, and there is the nutritionist, but those services seem pretty optional. No one forces me to participate in either program. Thankfully, I didn't really need to because I have a close circle of friends who have undergone the same procedure as I have so we have our own support group. If you are going to Dr. St. Laurent's office, be sure you know which location to visit, as he has two offices. He operates on the north side of Houston only, which was an adjustment for me since I have more familiarity and comfort with the Texas Medical Center in central Houston. Overall, I have no complaints about his office staff, his practice, or his disposition. I think anyone who chose him as a surgeon would be pleased with the results. :)
Dr. St. Laurent took over my aftercare when I lost confidence in my lapband surgeon over 2 years into that journey. I had confidence in him from the very beginning. He sits down with you, looks you straight in the eye, and gently, but sweetly tells you like it is. You NEVER feel rushed with him. He take his time and answers all of your questions. Dr. SL will address all risks and all options with a patient.
For the next two years, he worked with my band until I no longer felt like my band was working, so we began to discuss the vertical gastric sleeve which I just had him perform on June 10th, 2010. He did a great job removing my band, performing the sleeve, removing my gallbladder, and repairing two hernias. I had total confidence in his skills going into surgery knowing his reputation as a surgeon and his reputation amongst bariatric patients. His surgical skill and his bedside manner are equally awesome. There have also been multiple comments by the ladies that he is also equally well-known for his charming good lucks, and I can't disagree with that either!
I had a VSG with Dr. St. Laurent over a year ago. I was very nervous and he put me at ease. I felt like he did not blame me for my weight and that he was willing to be on my side. I went in asking about a band and he told me about the VSG. I ended up going with the sleeve and am VERY happy with it. He was honest about weight loss goals. He really spent a long time answering my questions.
There were several pre-op tests, but not the number a lot of people have I think. Even with that, I felt sure he was fully prepared for my surgery. I was very happy that I was able to schedule it so quickly. The doctor was very confident about his skills and it made me feel more at ease. I believe that he is a great surgeon.
I really love their nutritionists and the nurse coordinator. My hospital stay was wonderful. They took great care of me. The facilities were clean and well kept. However, as sweet as the office staff is, in my experience I didn't feel they are especially professional. I feel like the finance/manager lady did a poor job in my case, nearly having to cancel the surgery after the pre op diet. A hint would be to stay on top of her. We thought we did, but she still let important things go. We were very lucky to get it sorted in time.
I love their aftercare program. You meet with the doc and the nutritionist at each appointment (6 in the first year). These are very valuable appointments, use them wisely. They approach to weight loss is stellar. They help you get off the diet treadmill and move on to living in a healthy way. Both nutritionists are good I think. some will click more with one over the other though. I wish you could pick, because it is a personality thing. I feel like they are most concerned with my long term success and not just having great numbers. Dr. St. Laurent always comes in and is willing to answer alot of questions. He seems very keen to hear how you are doing. I like that he sits back in a comfortable chair and doesn't make you feel like he is in a rush.
Ok, a few things I don't like, I feel like I can hear way too much of other people's appointments because the walls are thin. It isn't the office's fault and its a medical building so it should be better sound-proofed. But it made me a bit uneasy. I also feel like Dr. St. Laurent lectured me a bit, when I really didn't deserve a lecture. Like he was expecting me to be making mistakes and so he lectured me for good measure. It shook my confidence. I think he gets used to some of the same issues arising and might have some pretty standard lectures. However, I know some people like that he is a bit stern. But overall, I find him supportive and I feel good when I leave the office.
1st impression, he was handsome!rnrnImpression over time: He was confident, and someone I felt confident in having on my side during surgery.rnrnHis office staff, well Insurance staffer, I do not have much confidence in her, the staff in general, let two of my friends fall thru the cracks, and have never called them back! Nutritionist is GREAT!!!!!rnrnLeast thing I like about the Dr., needs to listen a bit closer to the patients concerns, sometimes thinks he knows what your saying, before you've finished, which isn't a horrible trait, just maybe in a hurry. rnrnSo far I have had only one aftercare visit 7 days after surgery, and am scheduled for my next one on the 16th of October. He requests that you visit with the nut. at each appointment.rnrnRisks of surgery were explained thoroughly, many times over, we were given a webiste to go to to see how surgery was performed, and could ask questions during, that were addressed to the Dr., he would email you back the answers.rnrnI would give him a 10, but I do believe after seeing some of the things others on this website, and friends who went elsewhere for care were offered, that his services could improve. I believe multiple tests can possibly be overkill, but after hearing one woman talk about doppler tests on her legs, another given MRI tests on her gall bladder....well I was not told about those tests thru this Dr.rnrnHe had with me, GREAT surgical competence, and his bedside manner, heck all he needed to do was stand there and smile - never felt better after that!
Dr. St. Laurent is the nicest man. He tells you like it is but he's so sweet and handsome when he's talking to me, I don't even realize that he's just scolded me (my friend had to tell me later). He is very strict and very thorough which I think are both really good traits for a weight loss surgeon. He and his office staff and the nutrionists are the nicest, most professional around. Love them all!!rnrnI've never had to wait long for him. He spends just as much time with me as I want answering any and all questions. Tells me what he expects and is just very professional but sweet. He doesn't sugarcoat anything but stays professional and friendly.rnrnI would recommend him and the hospital (Cy Fair) to anyone. The whole experience was great.
1st time,,,,,wow i love DR STLARENT he is so great he knows his stuff and is nice to .he took the time to talk to me and i like that .at this time there is not one bad thingi can say .the girls in the office are so nice .and he emphasize aftercare too. at this time overall rate is 100 ... july16th ....thank you DR STLARENT YOUR THE GREATEST ...well worth the drive to Houston tx THANK YOU DR PROVOST IN DALLAS TX YOU IF NOT FOR YOU AND YOUR TEAM I WOUND'NT BE HERE TODAY ..8-24/06... ,,,,well hell .lol.. i am still alive .thank's DR S ....10/05/08...I havent beeb back to see DR St.Laurent, it's a long drive 5 hrs from my home .would love to see him again and let him now what all has been going on with me .all the hell i have been through has nothing to do with the way DR St Laurent did my lap-RNY .rn
My first impression of Dr. St. Laurent was that he was concerned with my success. I went in for a lap band consult. I had been told by another doctor that he would not put a lap band in me because he didn't think I would be \"successful\". Dr. St. Laurent told me that he would put a lap band in me if that was what I wanted, but that if I was his brother, or a close friend that he would recommend me going with the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. He understood my monetary limitations since I was a cash patient, so RNY was not an option, but he felt the VSG was a better option and would lead to more success for me. In then end, I choose the VSG and I am happy so far. I am only one week post of, but I still feel very confident in him, his staff and my hospital (CyFair Medical Center). I had a few times in the first few days, where things just didn't \"feel right\", so I called his office. Once, it was after hours and my wife actually called - she was connected directly to Dr. St. Laurent after talking to the answering service for maybe 30 seconds. The second time, I called the office and started asking them questions - they said \"hold on - let me get the Dr. for you.\" They connected me immediately and I had a 15 minute conversation with Dr. St. Laurent. I see him tomorrow and including the Pre-Op Diet - I am down 39 lbs just one week out.rnrnHis office staff has always been very professional and they seem genuinely concerned with your well being and in answering your questions as best as they can. The one thing that was a big plus was that part of his fee is for 6 months worth of visits to see a nutritionist. I think this is great that he is concerned with you not only having the surgery, but learning how to use your tool to the fullest extent possible. I am not sure if I will see her tomorrow or not, but if I will do, I will report on her as well. Supposedly though, the sessions are all about making \"good, better and best\" choices. They don't try to keep you from eating certain things, but they try to steer you to the best choices. rnrnI would actually rate Dr. St. Laurent a 10 out of 10. He has been great and my only regret is that my wife, who had a RNY 14 months ago, used another doctor and doesn't get to benefit from him as well. Dr. St. Laurent is very knowledgeable. He is recognized as a \"Proctor\" for both the Lap Band and VSG. This means that he actually teaches other doctors how to perform the procedure. Along with being competent, he has a great bedside manner. He was always willing to answer any questions, and never seemed bothered by any phone calls I made to him.