Park Nicollet Bariatric Surgery Program Bariatric Center
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Park Nicollet is a beautiful hospital and in it I have met nurses and other employees that were great people and amazing at what they do; Candace Johnson is one of the nurses I speak of, but there are a number of bad apples that ruin the bunch. My experience at PNC was great up until I met the bariatric supervisor Teri Sempf and bariatrician Jennifer Vesely. My encounters with these two women were very short, but still very disturbing.
In my first conversation with Teri, it was evident that she gave no concern to my comfort or rights as a patient and had a severe lack of leadership skills and judgement. My first interaction with Teri was an angry phone call regarding my appointment with a new dietitian. During the call Teri called me a liar and told me that I shouldn't be seeing any new dietitians because Susan (the dietitian I only saw once) knew what was best for me. She then referred me to Dr. Veseley. My appointment with Dr. Veseley was more a kin to a reality show than a doctor visit. Veseley never once mentioned anything about my health or treatment, she made it clear she was there to make verbal attacks on me for upsetting her friends Susan and Teri and tell me I could no longer have surgery at PNC because she,Teri, and Susan did not like me. She also told me that they decided that I should be on medical weight management indefinitely. No one even asked me if I was okay with weight loss drugs.
I would not recommend this center to anyone who wishes to actually benefit from going to doctor appointments and wish to be apart of the decision making when it comes to their health. Park Nicollet has some great people, and they make an effort to work as a team, but they do not believe the patient should be on that team and do not advocate for their patients. I switched to Fairview and have been much happier, all of my providers speak TO me now and not down to me and I am always apart of the conversations regarding my health.
1 of 2 people found this helpful
I love Dr. Jones. In my first meeting with him he was very clear on options, he listened, and he was somewhat blunt (which I like) in his responses. On the day of surgery he was all business. When he had the post surgery consult with my son, he explained my surgery and answered my son's questions clearly as well.
The office staff are great! Great preop care, great postop follow up and care. Good support group, unfortunately it only meets twice a month.
My only negative is that I would like to meet with him one more time, following surgery, to ask questions myself.
In spite of that, I highly recommend Dr. Jones and the program/hospital he practices at.
I felt very safe with Dr. Jones. He is an experienced surgeon who has done over 500 vsg's. Great bedside manner and took the time to patiently and respectfully answer my questions pre-op. At the 3 month mark my recovery has been smooth and uneventful. No God complex - down to earth, positive, easy going, and able to explain medical terms in a way that made sense to me. He was straight forward about the risks, expected results, and longterm challenges/success. Some patients might want more face time with the surgeon - I had a pre-op appointment and then saw him in the hospital the day after. He was available, I just didn't have any more questions for him or any post op issues that needed follow-up. On the downside, I was not able to meet him until the 5 month mark (1 month before surgery). His hospital/COE has been an unpleasant and disappointing experience. I'd give Dr. Jones 5 stars and the rest of the experience 1 star (his COE). When it comes down to it, the surgeon is by far the most important part, however there are other highly rated surgeons. Feel free to message me if you have more questions about my journey.
Dr. Jones performed my gastric bypass surgery on Dec. 30, 2004.
I went home on January 1, 2005.. what a way to start a new phase of my life and a new year!
I am going on my 9th year and want to thank Dr. Jones immensely for the fanstastic job he did with my surgery and giving me my life back! I recommend Dr. Jones for anyone considering Gastric Bypass Surgery.. you'll be in the best hands!
Dr. Jones did my sleeve on Jan 31 2012 and the only thing I can say about him is that he is GREAT. Thanks Dr Jones for the tool to help me start my new life.
I had Gastric Bypass in January of 2004 with Dr Svendsen and his team at Park Nicollet, it changed my life! I was impressed with the entire department from the moment I attended the informational metting to leaving the hospital and everything in between. Top notch surgical department!!
Now maintaining a 150lb weight loss after all these years I consider my procedure a success! I am healthy, incredibly active and a marathon finisher. I am also a Certified Personal Trainer specializing in Bariatric Patients, and clients that are above average size.
If you are looking for a great surgeon, look no further. But know once his work is done, yours is just beginning...it is all up to you!
Dr. Svendsen saved my life!
When I came in to him I was 25, 5'3" and weighed well over 250lbs. I had struggled with weight all my life, and even weighed nearly 170lbs when I was just 12 years old. I had tried at least 8 supervised diet programs, nutritionists, personal trainers, and every diet I could get my hands on. Nothing worked and I became miserable.
I had just gotten divorced 3 months prior to meeting Dr. Svendsen. I was ready and needed a full change in my life. My RNY WLS, although a drastic step in that process of change, did just that! It changed me and my life for the better!
In less than a year I lost 100lbs. I went from a size 24-26 to a size 8. I got remarried to my original high school sweetheart in October 2010 and wore my dream princess dress. At the wedding, friends and family I had not seen in years actually told me they thought they had entered the wrong wedding at the event center because the change was so exceptionally amazing. They did not even recognize me!
I wore a bikini on my honeymoon as well as revealing, "Hollywood Hot" dresses to dancing and dinner on our honeymoon.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever loose so much weight!
I do have a couple normal/expected side effects like lactose intolerance, I "dump" when I eat sugary things, I will need good, extra strong multi-vitamins for the rest of my life and I have a trouble with proteins like red meats. All of these were disclosed to me in my first information session for the WLS, so I knew what to expect.
Regardless of these side effects, I'd go back and re-do it all again in a heartbeat....as long as Dr. Svendsen did the surgery that is.
His impact on my life turned me into an independent volunteer educator and representative/speaker on WLS which encouraged me to finish my pre-med degree this year and to go onto med school. I may not necessarily end up in Bariatrics as an MD, but the impact a good surgeon had on my life encouraged me to pursue my dreams to have the same (positive, life-saving) impact on my future patients lives. It has also brought me into a place where I get to work in connection with a private clinical obesity clinic and help patients with education and coaching whether they are WLS patients, or just patients that need help to get healthy. I feel good to help others who were just like me, and none of this would have been possible without Dr. Svendsen!!
Dr. Jones performed vertical sleeve for me.
I liked him immeadiately when I met him as he is outgoing and friendly. He answers every question, including a discussion of surgeries that resulted in complications. He is not pushy and exudes confidence. He instilled confidence in me just prior to surgery.
A great choice for me.