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

Dr. Sonnanstine put me at ease immediately. He was kind, answered my questions and didn't make me feel rushed or like I was taking up his time. That was nice.rnrnThe office staff was happy and laughed alot, which made me feel comfortable too.rnrn

He is a wonderful, compassionate and understanding doctor. When I went in for my final consultation before surgery, i must admit I was very SCARED!! But he was very comforting and understood my fears. After our visit I left a little ashamed i had been so afraid. He had relieved my fears before surgery and was there to see me completely through before, during and after surgery. I could NOT have found a better caring, and compassionate Doctor. Dr. Sonnanstine is not only your Doctor, he treats you like a friend.

I attended a seminar two months ago and sure wasn't sure. Dr. Sonnanstine answered a lot of questions from the audience then we met patients who has had the surgery. Since I attended I met someone who had him as her surgeon. She said he is wonderful, has a great staff that is very involved. She said Dr. Sonnanstine is very kind and understanding.rnI have made an appt. in Nov. for a consultation, I can't wait to get started.

He knew what he was talking about.rnWe felt he had the knowledge and ability to do the job and do it well.rnHe had compassion and curism and made me feel like i was his 1 and only patient..

I went on the june 7th met the doctor was very impressed. I made an appointment to go and talk to him one on one. Im nervous and scared but more worried about my health if I dont go thru with this. well thats about it for today. This was a 2 hour discussion group.rnMet some great people he did their surgery.rnTalked to them after the siminar. Looking forward to my one on one.rnrnHEY LADIES AND GENTS PLEASE REMEMBERrn these are just my personal impressions of my own personal experience and I am making no statements about what other people may experience. rnrnrnrnMy one on one with Doctor Sonnanstine wasrnwonderful. He is very honest answered all my questions. The office staff are wonderful very friendly and helpful and some of them have had surgery and the doc did it! He goes over everything with you the risks, dumping and all, so much info. I do think surgical competence is the most important but folks you get lucky when your doctor has both. And i think he has both! If you havent found a doctor yet check him out. My only dislike is how long it takes to get an appointment for your first visit. Well worth the wait!!! rnrnrnAugust 22ndrnWent to my first nutriun meeting.rnWow wonderful meeting packed full of information. rnrnrnrnrn

Seminar- March 1, 2007. I met Dr. Sonnanstine there for the first time. He was very informative about the surgery. He answered everyones questions, leaving out nothing about the good or bad. We were given the risks associated with the surgery, the benefits, the medical conditions that it could help, the medications we could probaby go off after surgery. I left the seminar with a better understanding overall about what I was in for over the next months. Dr. Sonnanstine stayed after to answer more questions one on one with many attendees.rnrnMarch 2, 2007. I had my one on one consultation with Dr. Sonnanstine. Again, he answered all my questions and told me I was a qualified canidate for Lapband surgery. My insurance was not going to cover it, but I was going to find a way to finance it. rnrnMarch 12, 2007. I attended my Dietician class and learned more about my after surgery eating lifestyle. She was very informative answering all our questions and explaining how things in our life would be changing. I received my 'black book' which became my 'Lapband bible' in which I still reference today when I have questions about things. I paid my first half of the $600 program fee today.rnrnApril 24, 2007. I met with the physiciologist today for my one on one. We talked briefly about what was expected of me after the surgery, what my feelings were about the surgery, and how my family felt about the decision I made to have the surgery. She was very nice and informative, and thought I'd be a great canidate for the surgery. rnBecause I am self pay, we were able to set my surgery date today. I have to wait until after inventory at work, so I chose Wednesday June 27 for my surgery. I set up the dates for my 4 pre surgery classes to attend, and was on my way.rnrnMay 21, 2007. Class 1- My husband and I made our way to my first class. I was so appreciative of his support and his joining me in going to the class. It was the video class. Dr. Sonnanstine was there, and he showed us videos of him actually preforming the bypass and band surgeries on patients. This wasn't my first video, but it was still an informative tool for both my husband and I. Dr. Sonnanstine answered everyones questions again, and was very nice to chat with people after the session was over, including myself.rnrnJune 4, 2007. Class 2. Tonight was the taste testing class where we were able to taste different protein powders that we will be able to use post surgery. This was the best thing, because it let us taste these powders before having to spend a lot of money on it, and not like it. Also, it gave us time to order any of the powders that we liked online so we would have them before surgery.rnrnJune 11, 2007. Class 3. Tonight we talked about the healthy steps to take to maximize your weight loss surgery. It involved bcoming informed about the surgery, understanding your motivation to go through with it, and we talked about realistic expectations of the surgery. We discussed steps to take to get out life in balance and how to improve on our stress management skills, and emotional eating.rnWe had homework tonight, to go home and draw our own life balance wheel. We needed to find ways beforehand to et out and excercise, to ind time to prepare our meals, etc. It is a great tool to get you prepared for life after surgery, and get you on the right track before you even get to the date.rnrnJune 18, 2007. Class 4. Last, but not least, we discussed our homework, and how we were going to fit everything into our new lives. We talked about life stressors, and emotional eating triggers, internal and external, and what we could do to overcome them.rnWe discussed coping with feelings, and who we could turn to or what we could do to cope instead of eat. This was the final class I had to attend.rnrnJune 19, 2007. One on one history and physical with Dr. Sonnanstine. Even though my surgery was pushed back to July 2 due the doctore going out of town, I was still getting close. All my last minute questions were answered. Dr. Sonnanstine seemed as excited about my surgery as I did. You can really tell that he does care for his patients. We're not just a number to him, but he cares about us, and how we're going to do. He's opened up his office to us, his staff, and himself, and is there for us whenever we have questions, concerns, or just need to talk. I don't think I could of chose a better doctor to do this, and I am confident my surgery will go well, just as my post surgery life will. After all, I have a great support team behind me.rnrnJune 29, 2007. Pre admission testing at the hospital today. The asked a lot of questions so that everythig will go smoothly on Monday. They covered every aspect of my life so they would know what they were dealing wih. They took lots of blood to run all kinds of tests, and then I was done. I was to be a the hospital at 7:30 am for surgery on Monday, July 2.rnrnMonday, July 2. I arrived at the hospital with my husband and mom at 7:30 am. I was given a room, and a bag to undress and put all my clothes in. I put on my gown, and an IV was started. I was able to watch TV until they came and got me. I was taking to a pre op holding cell where the anethesialogist came to talk to me. He asked me some questions, and then the doctor came in to see if I had any last minute questions, and assured my mom and husband that I would be fine. I entered the OR at 10:15, and I was out in no time.rnI woke up, very groggy, and got sick. Always happens from the gas, so no surprise there.rnI was given a room, and rested for a while. By 3:00 I was up eating ice chips and going to the bathroom. At 4:10pm, Dr. Sonnanstine came in to see how I was doing. He told me I was doing great, and if I wanted to go home, I could. I was released from the hospital at 5:00pm.rnrnThis has been the very best experience of my life, and I owe it all to Dr. Sonnanstine, his patient and supportive staff, and St. Luke Hospital West. I could have not asked for anything more. I was very informed about all the things I needed to be, and I had all my questions answered.rn

From the first time I met Dr. Sonnanstine and his staff, I felt like I had made a great decision regarding WLS. My questions have been answered without hesitation and to my satisfaction. I realize that WLS is a very personal decision, and Dr. Sonnanstine really does stress this. He is there to help guide you after your decision is made. His whole staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. The whole goal of the program is that WLS is only a small part of the program, and you will get out of it what you put into it. I have no doubts that Dr. Sonnanstine and his whole staff will be there for my lifelong journey and commitment to weight loss.

My first impression of Dr. Sonnanstine was that he was a very genuine person. He is warm and considerate and he wants to make sure that his patients are fully aware of all the details of the surgery and recovery. He wants to make sure that his patients are successful. I was very comfortable with him and so was my family. rnThe staff at his office were wonderful. Everyone was always willing to help and answer questions. They never felt like they were put out. Always willing to help with anything that they could.rnI can honestly say that there is nothing about Dr. Sonnanstine or his team at the Tri-State Surgical Weight Loss Center that I did not like. He even performed weight loss surgery on some of his employees and they look great. rnOverall, the entire experience has been wonderful. The program leading up to surgery, the Surgeon, his team, the nurses in the hospital who cared for me after surgery and the followup activity after surgery. rnI would recommend Dr. Sonnanstine and his team to anyone I know wishing to have weight loss surgery.

I went in questioning him having doubt in my mind since I had not had good luck finding the right surgeon and left with the utmost respect and confidence in him and his office staff. He put not only my mind at ease, but my husband's as well. We were both impressed and would highly recommend him to others!

DR. SONNANSTINE MADE ME FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE FROM THE VERY FIRST IMPRESSION. HE WAS VERY CARING AND UNDERSTANDING OF HOW I FELT ABOUT MY WEIGHT. THE STAFF WITH DR. SONNANSTINE IS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL AND VERY HELPFUL AT ANYTIME WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS THAT I MAY HAVE. I WOULD LIKE TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT IS FUTURE PATIENTS OF HIS THAT YOU HAVE NOT ONLY A GREAT DOCTOR, BUT A FRIEND FOR LIFE WHO WILL NEVER JUDGE YOU AND ALWAYS BE BY YOUR SIDE. THE AFTERCARE THAT YOU RECEIVE THROUGH DR. SONNANSTINE IS WONDERFUL BECUASE THEY CONTINUE TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOU AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS GOING GREAT. THEY ALSO HAVE A GREAT SUPPORT GROUP THAT MEETS MONTHLY SO YOU ALWAYS HAVE SOMEONE TO TALK TOO. I WOULD RATE DR. SONNANSTINE AND HIS STAFF WITH VERY HIGH BEDSIDE MANNERS AND DEFINATELY SURGICAL COMPETENCE.