Indukumar Sonpal Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

My initial impression of Dr. Sonpal was he was very knowledgeable and a Physician I could trust my life to. Feelings are the same. Office staff is knowledgeable but overwhelmed... they are too busy. I was disappointed that my medication allergies were taken lightly by the physicians, and it caused me unnecessary problems. Aftercare at CCBS for me was 2 weeks and next is 5 months. My PCP is responsible for my care and that doesn't sit well with me. I am just blessed that my PCP and his Practice's dietitian educated themselves with me and are very qualified to support my needs. Risks of surgery although documented well in literature I was provided with, were not discussed thoroughly. As a surgeon I rate Dr. Sonpal very high! I prefer surgical competence AND bedside manner. No reason for Physician's not to have both. It's their choice!

I went to see Dr Sonpal on Sept 18. I'd have to say he is a kind, soft spoken man. He also had a great sense of humor. He did however seem to be in quite a hurry but it was also the end of the day. I felt very comfortable talking to him.

The Doctor is very friendly and so is all the staff that I've met so far. They are very busy and are sometimes hard to get in touch with. But they provide e-mail addresses, phone #'s and an 24 hour emergency number for post op patients. Being so hard to get in touch bothered me at first, but their success rate has increased their number of patients.
They are getting more doctors to add to their staff. I like the fact 2 surgeons are used for every surgery. They are very informative about the pro's and cons of the surgery. I have talked with the doctor, nurses, a previous patient who works for them and counsels presurgical patients and a dietician. They make sure you are well informed before the surgery. They also have groups, and help you post op too. My mother-inlaw and husband both had the surgery by Dr Sonpal, so I am very confident about the Cleveland Center. I would not trust any other place.
Looking at my husbands surgery, I stayed with him in the hospital. The doctor didn't have an unpleasant bedside manner,but he was always in a rush. Actually, we didn't see him very much. The nurse's were nice. My husbands surgery went well, thats most important to me. His was 11/9/2001, weighed 405lbs and now 9/15/2002 he weighs 245lbs. He has no regrets and is much healthier and happier. That is what I'm looking forward too.
So the only negative oppinions I have is that the center is very busy. The staff is hard to get a hold of. I had to waite a year for my big date 11/26/2002. But it will be worth it.

I LOVED Dr. Sonpal. He is very friendly and down to earth. He made me fell at ease with the upcoming surgery.

The staff at Cleveland was very helpful when I needed anything. Even though I only had to call once before the insurance was approved....Thank Goodness!!

Dr. Sonpal is wonderful. I knew that actually before I saw him for my surgery. I use to work at St. Lukes in the OR and ICU with him. The office staff is great and very busy. My surgery date was first scheduled for August 29 and was moved up to July 14 this past week. I am so excited! Not so excited that it needed to be moved up due to a gallbladder attack. I really enjoy reading all the information on this site and reading what everyone has to say. I kind of find it inspiring!

Dr. Sompal, had the greatest eye for detail and after surgery my blood pressure was a little up. but he watched it like a hawk my healing was fantasticly fasti one week i broke the rules and drove in two weeks i went back to work ( part time ).
i never took any pain meds. and i felt great from recovery on

My first impression of Dr. Sonpal was wonderful. He was funny and answered all of my questions. I feel very comfortable with him.

He was nice and seemed to care about what I was going through. He made me feel quite at ease and I was very happy after speaking with him. He was very short and to the point. He tells you what is what and doesnt suger coat things which I liked. But, I have been on this journey so long that I honestly didnt ask many questions.

He did not address any risks of surgery.

The office staff is a little hard to deal with. They don't seem to want to explain or help you with many questions. It could be that I didnt know which ones to ask.

Very friendly and seemed to really care about me and how I will do with having the surgery. I am looking very forward to it.

Dr. Sonpal was very informative and immediately put me at ease. He was more than willing to answer any of my questions and carefully explained the entire procedure and what I could expect -- both the positives AND the negatives. This impresssed me because the honesty in which he dealt with the matter proved to me that he truly cares about his patients and wants them to be as educated as possible.

The entire staff at the Cleveland Center for Bariatric Surgery was very caring, informative and supportive.

The only negative experience I had associated with my surgery was the fact that I didn’t follow doctors orders and tried to physically do too much too soon. This resulted in my developeing an incisional hernia which required corrective surgery.