Steven Poplawski, MD, FACS Bariatric Surgeon Barix Clinics of Michigan
25 yr Experience
13 yr in Bariatrics
6 yr in Laparoscopic Surgery
6 yr in Laparoscopic Bariatrics
100% Practice is Bariatrics
Min Age of Patient is 18
25 yr Experience
13 yr in Bariatrics
6 yr in Laparoscopic Surgery
6 yr in Laparoscopic Bariatrics
100% Practice is Bariatrics
Min Age of Patient is 18
My first appointment was scheduled for Tues. May 23. I was nervous to meet Dr Poplawski at first, but he soon put my mind at ease. I found him to be very pleasent with a great sense of humor. I took a friend with me who is a nurse at U of M Hosp. and she was even impressed with him. There was another doctor who was new with him, and I liked the fact that he asked me if it was o-kay for him to sit in with us. He was very imformative in explaining everything to us and gave me plenty of time for questions. I never felt rushed. The office staff was very friendly and although I had to laugh it was nice to see chairs that you don't have to squeeze into. I had just returned from Alaska on Sunday, and you want to know humaliation, try having a group of people stare at you while you ask the flight attendant for an extention for your seat belt. One good thing after this surgery I won't have that problem any more.
The surgeon was nice. He is was very informative. They supplied me with a lot of written information. Incidently I went through Bariatric Treatment center. They insist that you follow up with them or someone in your city. The only problem I had was the support groups were too far for me and I kind of felt all alone as far as support is concerned.
I liked the fact that he was absolutely NO nonsense.
I have only met him once so far. I wll see him again one week before my surgery date.
The staff at Ann Arbor BTC was very knowledgable. Most had gone through the surgery themselves and were very helpful.
He was tired when I met him, late in the day and he seemed to almost rush me along.
Make an early appointment to see him if you can.
He has not mentioned aftercare too much yet.
I don't know if he has an aftercare program or not.
Yes he did address the risks, but mostly, in my case, risks of not having the surgery!
At this time I would recommend him as a surgeon.
I think a good compassionate surgeon is the best. But, he also has my life in his hands, so he better be GOOD!
I found Dr Poplowski to be very sincere in his appreciation of my "problem". I didnt feel that he answered sucessfully all my questions about complications, but I had them answered online. The office staff seemed pleasant. He stressed the point of coming back to the Bariatric Treatment Center a few times in the first year. Since I am at a distance to them, I asked if it would be possible to see my own physician. Dr. Poplowski didnt seem to think that this would be a good idea, and stated that I was to return to the center. While at the hospital, after surgery, the hospital physician told me I could see my home physician for follow-up. I see Dr. Poplowski next week so it should be interesting to see what will be said then.
Very nice, informative, took time to explain things to me and put me at ease. He has always been very helpful and after the surgery another doctor commented on how well my surgeon did. The staff were also helpful and they listen to you. What I liked lease was that it was sometimes difficult to reach him after the surgery because he was always in surgery but the staff was available. Aftercare was a little more difficult for me because I lived so far from where the surgery was performed. Regular checkups are expected. You are given every possible bit of information that you may need to know. There are also support groups available, but they too were too far for me. So I go to another groups support group to learn behavioral modification and healthy eating.The risks of the surgery was addressed but the good thing is this (the Roux en Y gastric bypass is the only surgery that they do so they do it extremely well. I haven't had any complications so far and it has been 10 months and 180lbs ago. I still have a long way to go, but I'll make it. Without this surgery I don't know where I would be right now. My sleep apnea is gone, I can walk better and further. I used a cane or a wheelchair before. But I would have to stress that the surgery is only the beginning. Afterward you must dedicated yourself to healthy eating and exercise. Exercise as much as you can as soon as you can and the weight will just fall off. Good Luck and God Bless you all.
My first impression was good. He is not a "giggly" kind of man but very thorough. The staff at BTC was nice. I didn't have a lot of time with them. I had all the time I needed with the doctor. He had told me prior to leaving the room that I needed to go home and really think about this and see if I was really ready. It kind of took me by surprise that he said this because I was so prepared and have done so much research that I thought he felt maybe I wasn't really "into" it. I said, "do you think I am not ready" and his reply was "no..I think you are VERY ready but I just want you to be sure". So..I felt better when leaving the center. He answered every question I had and even drew pictures for me to help answer some of my questions. He didn't make this sound like an easy thing to do..he wanted me to know it isn't the "easy" way out. He emphasized that I will need to get up and WALK..WALK..WALK..he said the first day you get home start walking. Even if just 5 minutes. I do like Dr. Poplawski.