Thomas Sonnanstine M.D. Bariatric Surgeon M.D., FACS, FASMBS

First impression?.......well he is certainly easy on the eyes, totally professional and has an ability to make me & my husband feel totally secure in his professional knowledge and expertise in the seminar. I have never spoken with any actual patient of his.... Although I have been approved after being denied the first time and Dr. Sonnanstine's office sending an appeal letter, I have not met with Dr. Sonnanstine at this point other than attending the initial seminar and also his special seminar showing the actual surgery process & tools used during each bariatric type of surgery. I am concerned because I do have a hiatel hernia & was hoping that the hernia could be repaired at the same time of my RNY surgery. (My best friend, a RNY patient of Dr. Oldham, had her hiatel hernia repaired at same time as her RNY in Georgetown.) However, when I ask about the hernia at a seminar, Dr. Sonnanstine informed me that it probably wouldn't have to be repaired bcs it would \"correct itself\" after having the RNY??? I am worried somewhat bcs I am in SO much pain with this hernia whether I eat or not and I'm scared that the pain will continue after surgery if not repaired. I'm not knowledgeable perhaps on this situation.rnrnIts too early to know about my docs bedside manner, although his confidence level is out the top. The aftercare programs for support are in place and active, as well as, the pre/op educational programs. rnrnI was surprisingly informed today when I called Tina, the surgery scheduler, that she would be calling me sometime this week to plan my all day PreOp meeting with Dr. Sonnanstine. I'm so excited now!! Although she said she is currently scheduling for the end of October at this point......and I still may possibly go into November for my date. Who cares ...AT LEAST ITS GOING TO HAPPEN!!! YEAH!!!

I first met my surgeon at a seminar back in April and he seemed at that time like he really cared about his patients and he was patient enough to spend some time answering questions even though you could tell he was really busy. I finally got to set down with him a few days ago during my pre-op appointment and really have a chance to talk to him. He is such a nice guy and he really knows what he's doing. He answered all of my questions and made sure that my mom and I didn't have anymore questions. He had answered most of what I needed to know before I even got to the question and answer portion of the appointment which is great!rnrnDr. Sonnanstine has an awesome staff who all made me feel welcome and made things very easy.rnrnMore to follow post-op.

My first impression upon meeting Dr. Sonnanstine was very positive; I appreciated his honesty and straight forward demeanor. Since our first meeting I've found him to be very trustworthy, friendly, and genuine-you can tell how much he cares for you and your well being. rnrnHis staff offers support group meetings and an online support system that I really enjoy, and the structured post-op diet progression plan really helps to ease you back into eating throughout the healing process. The Center also really focuses on education: from surgery risks to what you can expect on surgery day to how to be successful with your new weight loss tool. rnrnThe office staff is amazing-everyone there takes time to make you feel important and understood. The pre-op/post-op support and care he provides is second to none, and I feel very lucky to be his patient!

My first impression was that Dr. Sonnastine was very knowledgeable,considerate of his patients and concerned. my impression didn't change. Office staff nice. Ther was nothing I didn't like about him. Future patients should know they will recieve the best of care. He emphasize aftercare top priority.He has a structured aftercare program. He explains all risks of surgery in great detail. If the ratings were from 1 to 10 I would have to say 15. He goes above and beyond to make sure you understand.Both are great surgical and bedside manner. Nothing negative to say about Dr. Sonnastine or his office staff. I did have an issue at the hospital while being taken to my room after recovery the nurse let me know that I had become combative and did things I would have never done in this lifetime. I have not discussed this with the hospital or Dr. Sonnastine due to being very embarassed and ashamed so for this reason I have not returned for follow up care. I have now chosen Dr. Salvador Ramos for my follow up care.He will be doing my fills not to say Dr. Sonnastien isn't wonderful because he is. Anyone that is going to Dr. Sonnastine or thinking about it rest assured you are in the best of hands.

I've olny met Dr.Sonnanstine once but he seems like a kind person. He made both myself and my mother feel better about the surgery. The nurses are very sweet and attentive. All in all I would give my experience a 9.5 out of 10. the only complaint I could make is the fact that it took over a year from the time I filled out the papers till I actually had the surgery date.

He seems great! He answered my initial email in a day. I had been to another doctor's initial seminar and found that he didn't want to touch me, because my risk is a little higher. Dr. Sonnenstine explained the risks to me and said he believed he could help me. He seems to really care about what he does and I believe he is one of the best. ** Update - post surgery: I am so happy I chose Dr. S. He's been great and caring. Excellent bedside manner and kept me feeling confident; both in his abilities and my healing progress.

I have known Dr. Tom for about 2.5 years now. I have the distinct pleasure of working with him in the OR, both at his previous hospital and here at Georgetown. I am not only a co-worker, I am a client (ok, patient). I think I have a unique position of being on both sides of the table...as someone who will undoubtedly be in most of his patients' surgeries, but I am having a Roux-en-y by him. I would never even consider another surgeon. Not only is he a great technical surgeon, he truly cares about his patients. I have seen him be more concerned about patients than the patient's own family. He does everything 100% with the patient in mind. He will be your doctor, not just surgeon, forever. I have seen him do this with all his patients. I have seen him do this with me. I have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. He talked for a long time with me and multiple times while I was trying to make my decision on a. whether to have surgery, and b. which one to have. He is a kind man who I trust completely. If someone who works with him (and a few other bariatric surgeons...I have from several to choose) thinks he is awesome, what does that say?!?!?!?! I would and often do recommend him to anyone looking at WLS.Good luck, everyone! See you in surgery! :)

I had my RNY on May 6, 2009 at Georgetown Baptist Hospital by Dr. Thomas Sonnanstine.. I can not say enough how wonderful he is. He and his staff are AMAZING.. He has the best bed side manner of any dr. I have ever seen, and works hard to make sure that you are completely satisfied with everything that is going and and that you fully understand everything he tells you. He does not talk in terms you don't understand, or make you feel like you are just another patient. He treats you as if you are the only patient he is dealing with at the time, and often times would stop by out of the blue just to check in on me and make sure I was ok. rnThis man is a life saver and I will send everyone I know that is interested in WLS to him. rnHe and his staff do an excellent job, and I could not be happier with my decission to have him as my surgeon! rnOn a scale of 1-10, he is 100 in my eyes!rnThanks Dr. Tom, you are the BEST!!!

I spent about 25 minutes with Dr. Sonnanstine on Sep 15, 2009. He seems to be extremely concerned about my health and I was very comfortable. He took all the time he needed to answer all my questions. We discussed the procedure, post op, discharge and afterwards. He does have a structured after care program and I, at this point would rate him superior.

Dr. Sonnanstine was the answer to long process and search. He is the most thorough and kind doctor I have ever met. I was completly confident with my decisions and my weight loss success after meeting with doctor Sonnanstine and his staff. All evaluations, group meetings, and questions were handled with confidence and knowledge. Dr. Sonnanstine does not pull any punches and you had better be prepared for straight talk because that is what he gives. I could not have made a better choice but I knew that the first time I met him. His aftercare program is exceptional and the support on any given day has been awesome. I was told to call with any questions and that is just what I have done and been greeted with a freindly voice.