Stephen Merola Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

'I went to the seminar

Dr. Merola was warm and kind from the first time that I met him at his seminar prior to my consult and after attending the consult and meeting speaking with him one on one I was truly convinced that he was a genuinely nice person not to mention that his office staffs demeanor was equally great. He was very informative and made sure you were well informed about what you were getting yourself into and I must say he left no stone unturned. He explained everything in full detail and also expressed how important it was to maintain aftercare as well as attending support group meeting. Dr. Merola is also very well versed in his field and makes you feel completely comfortable when it comes to his competence and you leave his office with a strong sense of relief that you will be in very good hands when he is doing his part to help you make your life changing decision to have this surgery. If I had to rate Dr. Merola I would definitely give him a 10.

I thought Dr.Merola was very concerned with the patient understanding the surgery in and outs. I also felt that he was concerned with knowing the past medical history of his patients for a procedure with less risk. The more i felt that he was trying to go for a smooth surgery with no complication the better i felt about him being my surgeon. His office has a professional atmosphere with a catering bedside manner and always done with a smile. i probably least like the fact that he is a sticler to the rules, but that is also a strength.(making sure he handles high risk according to guildlines). He is very handsome,(smle) he looks like Rob lowe. He seems to have ur health at interest and making sure everything goes good, with the longterm understanding of this life changing decision. He also makes sure u know about the support groups and aftercare meetings. So far i would rate him a 8 1/2 and if i make it out of surgery fine he will get a 10+.(smile) I believe that both surgical competence and bedside manner go neck and neck with each other and if both are not present then it makes the mental part of the procedure harder.

I liked Dr. Merola on the spot. He was very personable and down to earth. Even signs his emails "Steve".

I found his presentation and his office visits to be very informative, he explained everything, even had a test to be sure you understood. He spent plenty of time answering questions.

His office staff is pretty great in the sense that I never even knew about the letter for the insurance. They took care of it all. They set me up with a surgery date (3 weeks later) and I just showed up. Never a fuss with my insurance.

Aftercare in the hospital was pretty good. He has many associates that come to check up on you during the day and he comes by at least once a day. They let me stay the extra night because I didnt feel ready to go home.

I had a hard time after surgery. I am 10 weeks post-op and still have a hard time with solids. Vomiting and pain are still daily worries. I had very extreme pain for 8 weeks and needed pain meds for the entire time. I found it hard to get in touch with Dr. Merola for more meds but when I did get through he did not have a problem writing me out a script even after 8 weeks.

I don't like that he seems pretty unaffected by my complaints of pain and not holding down food well. Like it doesn't mean much or shouldn't be worrisome. Maybe not to him but when you can't even eat 1 oz of solid food without having to lay down for an hour in pain - thats pretty worrisome and bothersome to ME!

I also found that he seems unconcerned with vitamins and supplements. He tells you what you need but doesnt give much credence to protein supplements or vista vitamins that is all the rave. I kinda feel he is too laid back on this one.

All in all I feel that Dr. Merola is a very good surgeon, very thurough, and has a nice personality but could use some aftercare improvements.

~I met with him once so far and he was great. As soon as I met with him I knew he was the one I wanted to do my surgery. He is very honest and down to earth. I am loving him.
~I had my second meeting with my surgeon and like I said before he is great. Not intimidating like other doctors. I felt like I was talking to an old friend who knew me for years and was professional. It is a pleasure to talk to him. I feel very comfortable that he will be the one performing my surgery.

I like Dr. Merola from the first. He is not full of himself and he genuinally cares about his patients. He is honest and upfront. His office staff is friendly and knowlegdable about this surgery.He also has a monthly support group and has follow-up care for his patients.I highly recommend him.

My first impression of Dr. Merola was that he was very friendly with a very nice smile. His had some of his staff present with him at the orientation session. Explained the procedure throughly. The staff as well as him was like you had known them all along, not as this is the first time. He emphasized a lot on aftercare and encouraged attending the support group. He also explained how important it was for you to follow the instructions and keep your appointments after the surgery. He is an excellent Doctor. This is my second visit with him and it only gets better each time. He has all the qualities that I look for in my doctors. I am very pleased with him. I would rate him an 11+. (see I'm in love with him. :-).

Excellent professionalism and demeanor

It didn't

Extremely helpful, personable and helpful.

No response.

He's trustworthy, confident and experienced.

Totally.

Yes. Liquid only, to soft foods to real food in proper amounts over proper time.
In person and authentically.

Excellent

Both Great. Also Surgical associates.

I liked my surgeon the minute i saw him. He made me feel very comfortable with his knowledge and experience. He is the head of laparoscopic surgery in NY hospital. His office staff was very helpful, polite and friendly. He was very concerned about his patients having the proper aftercare. He has done over 300 gastric bypasses and not one patient has had a leak. He was very thorough about the risks and benefits of the surgery and has an informative website: www.thethinlife.org. On a scale of 1-10 i would rate him an 11.

Dr merola is a true heaven sent. He is very patient and loving to all his patients. He doesnt mind you asking him all these questions even if you asked them the last time you were in his office. He is a busy man but if need be he will make time for you at your best conviencene. At his office Felicia is aslo great , one of my app i was there on the wrong day and instead of her sending my packing she squeezed me in and let me see the Dr. Thanks Felicia.Dr Merola has let me know about all risks including dying on the table, and he aslo tells you that if need be he will have to give you an open cut instead of five tiny ones.