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Thomas Sonnanstine M.D.
"My first impression: positive. He was honest and blunt yet tactful. rnMy impression over time: Even better; he was ALWAYS willing to take patients calls. I never had to call him for anything, but I did witness calls from other patients. Some of the calls were for silly things that could definitely have waited until normal office hours but he handled it all with kindness, patience, and grace.rnOffice staff: I actually had no problem with them. They did what they were supposed to do which I'm sure is a major pain when dealing with deceptive insurance companies.rnWhat did you like least: Honestly nothing. I have never witnessed him being anything but honest and patient. He will not tell you which surgery to pick, but you have to be honest with yourself.rnFuture patients should know: I chose Dr. Tom even though I work at another hospital that is a Bariatric Center of Excellence; I trust him THAT much. I knew if ANYone would be able to do the RNY laproscopically on me, it would be him. I have a prior history of colon cancer and if I EVER need another abdominal surgery, I would pick him in a heartbeat. (He is also a general surgeon; he specialized in WLS.)rnAftercare: They definitely emphasize this. He says he is your doc for life. If you have to post to the boards after surgery saying \"I am home now, what should I eat?\" then you just were NOT listening! Their pre-op program is thorough and complete. rnAftercare program: Yes; visits w/doc & they have a support group online & at St. Luke.rnHow did he address risks of surg: Honestly. People do die. But people die everyday. Fat people have higher risks just due to the nature of obesity; immobility causes lots of problems such as cellulitis, lung problems, and blood clots. The mortality rate of WLS is NOT astronomical. It is probably higher than say, knee surgery due to the patient population. Obviously the risk is greater to operate on someone who is 400 pounds than 200 pounds. It just is. That is why it would be better if people would have WLS surgery sooner than later; then they have youth and probably a lower body weight on their side.rnRate overall: I can not speak highly enough of Dr. Tom. On a 1-10 scale he is a 100. rnSurgical competence or bedside manner: He honestly has both. The little note on the bottom of this page says\" No person can be the “best” in all aspects. Completely 100% positive reviews are generally less informative or even suspect.\" Well that is too bad. I would give him 100%. ANY frustrations I experienced were MY OWN in dealing with the Insurance company and really had nothing to do with the office staff and DEFINITELY not Dr. Tom. I would recommend him 100% (and do) as a patient AND as a RN."
About Me
Florence, KY
Location
39.9
BMI
RNY
Surgery
05/30/2007
Surgery Date
Mar 04, 2007
Member Since
Friends 15
Latest Blog 19
CHRISTIAN JUTICE ARRIVES JULY 4TH!!!
July 2008
9 months out
Update June 9, 2007
May 29, 2227
May 17, 2007
5-16-07
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