Pinnacle Surgical Group, PLLC Bariatric Center

Dr. E is a very nice man, and I feel VERY comfortable having him do my surgery!

I had my consultation with Dr. Elariny on June 29th, 2001. I flew to the D.C./Northern VA area from Atlanta where I live. I found him to be pleasant, knowledgeable, humorous yet serious, confident, intelligent, and honest. I liked him very much. He is patient and explains and answers questions until everyone understands. By the way, he does a group consultation with an individual exam and private discussion following the same day. The more I listened and talked with him the more I liked him. His staff is informed and very patient in dealing with the massive influx of inquiries that they handle. Shauntae will be going on maternity leave soon so Dr. Elariny has added some other help to his staff. Mohammed is a medical student that has begun working in the office and handles the insurance approvals and scheduling. This office, while chaotic, as all DS Surgeons offices are right now, is pretty efficient. I have called the office 6 or 7 times and have never gotten voice mail! They answer the phone and respond promptly. Dr. Elariny does both the RNY and the BPD DS and does both open and LAP. Because of this you get a good perspective from him on the pros and cons of each, because he had no built in bias since he does both regularly. The discussion centers around what is the best for your personal situation body, eating habits, personality and likelihood for success. He was very honest about why he started doing the surgeries, and the risks that come with them. He does emphasize the importance of nutrition and lab work after the surgery. Overall, I would rate him excellent at this stage of the process.
For me, Dr. Elariny recommended a two-part DS. He seems to recommend this to a lot of his larger patients. In my case I was extremely opposed to the 2 part going in because I have waited so long (3 YRS) for this and I didn't want to go through all of this and still be waiting for the rest. However, partially due to the fact that I couldn't get the surgery 3 yrs ago when my Drs all wanted me to have it but Kaiser Permante overruled them, I have some medical problems that I did not have then. In addition to the diabetes and the sleep apnea, I now have high blood pressure, high triglycerides, high cholesterol, and an irregular heartbeat (A-Fib). Because of all of this, the risk of a long surgery is significant. Dr. Elariny proposes to reduce the stomach (VG LAP) and after about 150 pounds of weight loss go back and do the DS part. I agree that this would be safer, I just am afraid that I will have problems getting approved for the second part after losing so much weight. But the bottom line for me right now is health concerns, rather than looking good or meeting some particular goal weight. If I could just lose 100 - 150 pounds and get off of insulin and take some of the workload off of my heart, and be able to exercise, I would be much better off. My LOMN is supposed to go to the insurance company tomorrow so I will be praying and waiting to see if I can get the approval this time. 7/4/01
Update 2/19/02- I was denied last July because my company, BellSouth wrote hard exclusions into their contract with UHC and Kaiser. I now work for a new company, partially owned by BellSouth but not as backwards and cheap as BellSouth was. I called UHC on 1/2/02 and reapplied, they called my surgeon, Dr. Elariny's office and approved me on that very day! I am now scheduled for surgery on 2/19/02 in Falls Church, Virgina at Fairfax Inova Hospital. I will update more later.
4/10/2002
Well, I am now 3 weeks out from the surgery and things are going great! Dr. Elariny is a great Doctor and I like him and respect him even more now than before the surgery. He is a great choice for a Surgeon.

My first impression of Dr. Elariny was a good one. He is a compassionate Dr. who takes his work seriously. His office staff is also nice and have helped during my pre-op process.
However, in my opinion, I think that the office is in transition now with a need for an experienced Executive Assistant to set up new policies, etc. I feel that this is because of the goodwill that Dr. E. has established since he began his practice in VA has generated a tremendous amount of patients.

Overall, I feel that Dr. E. is the best Dr. for me at this time to do the surgery.

Post-op---

Dr. Elariny has been very supportive. He attends monthly support group meetings. He calls back promptly after paging him with emergencies.

I was very impressed with his concern and competence during surgery and my stay at the hospital post-surgery

I found Dr. Elariny on this website. His phone number is 703 465-5060 in Alexandria, VA. I sent him an email, and was amazed to get such a quick response. I have not met him yet, but his office staff seems very friendly and supportive over the phone. I called and they sent a package out to me right away. My consultation is on September 24th. I would love to talk to other patients and chat about our surgery. I was also impressed that this office is an ADVANCED LAPAROSCOPIC practice which tells me the skills of the surgeons are notable.
March 2001
Had my follow up and I am doing great. Dr. Elariny is a great surgeon. Sometimes I wonder if I really had surgery! I feel great! He is awesome!

My first apt. with Dr. Elariny on September 10, 2001. I found this visit to be extremely helpful and learned a great deal. He is a wonderful doctor and cares a great deal for his patients. He did my surgery on 2/15/02 and I am doing great.

I haven't met personally with Dr. Elariny yet, but his office staff is great. Shauntae has SO much patience! She has answered all of my questions and never acts like it is too much of a bother. She is also helping me get the surgery scheduled quickly due to a job loss situation (layoff). Shauntae sent me the full list of normal preop tests, and I have been able to arrange all of them through my PCP. When I go to the consult, everything is ready!

Dr. Elariny also answered two detailed emails from me, even though he has not seen me yet as a patient in his office.

I will be going to a group information session on January 22nd with a personal appointment on the 23rd. I'll add more details then....

UPDATED JAN 27, 2002:

Just wanted to share my thoughts now that I am back home after the consultation with Dr. Elariny in Virginia. Everything looks like a go! :)

I finished all of my preop testing with the exception of my final bloodwork panel, which must be done within 30 days of surgery. Prior to my consultation, I obtained a physical and referral from my PCP, got an EKG, chest x-ray, EGD, colonoscopy, gallbladder ultrasound and psychiatric clearance. It was important that I get these done ASAP due to a job layoff, but it also really helped to have all of that medical documentation right there with the surgeon during my consult. The only new medical information revealed by my preop testing was the presence of rather large gallstones and a small hiatal hernia.

After examining me and going over my test results, Dr. Elariny agreed to perform a DS surgery with the removal of my gallbladder and possibly my appendix (unless the operation runs too long or complications occur). Due to previous hernia surgery above my navel with mesh, he may have to do my surgery as 1/2 lap, 1/2 open, but Dr. Elariny will try to do the entire procedure lap if possible.

So now my next big hurdle is insurance approval. I am finding myself VERY eager to hear an answer quickly, partly of course for the same reasons as everyone else. We all want to know as soon as possible whether the insurance company is going to be a problem and if difficult, time-consuming appeals will be in our future. I am crossing my fingers that all will go well with UHC.

I have to say, I really liked Dr. Elariny a lot. I found him to be extremely personable and sincere. He comes across as a doctor you can trust and I felt very comfortable with him. Dr. Elariny's ability to clearly and simply explain all of the different bariatric surgeries was great. Even though I did very thorough research and knew most of what he covered in the group session, his presentation reinforced my decision to have a DS by explaining all of the different options very logically. My SO was also impressed with his approach, and I think it helped him understand better why I have chosen the DS.

Dr. Elariny was running a couple of hours late on the following day for the one-on-one consultation, but that didn't bother me at all. Apparently his surgical schedule ran long that day, and rather than do what so many other doctors would do -- cancel virtually all of the afternoon appointments and make them reschedule -- Dr. Elariny and some of his staff stayed long after normal office hours until he had seen everyone. In my experience, that's a rare level of dedication in any doctor, let alone in an intensely busy and highly skilled surgeon. I would recommend Dr. Elariny very highly based on my experience with him and his office so far. I felt pretty good about my decision before I went to Virginia, but now I feel very confident in my choice of surgeon.... Next time I will just remember to bring a good book to read while I am waiting....<grin>

When I first met Dr. Elariny, I was VERY impressed by him. He was pretty quiet spoken, but came across as being very compassionate and caring. He never pushed me towards one surgery or the other, but gave me plenty of information to base my own decision on.

Dr. Elariny runs a small office with one person doing his calendar and appointments, one person running the front desk and taking vitals, and his wife submitting paperwork for insurance claims. Even though his staff is often time running ragged, I felt encouraged with the fact that they always took the time to listen to me, return my calls, and answer my questions.

Speaking post operatively, I'd have to say that my impression of Dr. Elariny's staff hasn't changed...I still think they are great (a bit more overworked than before though). And as for Dr. Elariny himself, I hold him in the highest esteem! He did a beautiful job! I have six scars from my surgery; two are so tiny they actually look more like pimple scars than surgical scars!

I would VERY HIGHLY recommend Dr. Elariny! In fact, I've been giving out his business cards to anyone I meet who is also interested in having WLS done lap.

As for the aftercare...the key is his monthly support group meetings! There's a wealth of information that can be gained by attending one of these meetings. Recently he's found a nutritionist who has also been attending these meetings.

I discovered a yahoo group for DS_Elariny.

The group members said Dr. Elariny was very compassionate toward morbid and super obese patients.

I also heard he was an expert lap DS surgeon.

At four months postop, I can say what I heard was true.

What did I like least about him?

His staff is not large enough. He doesn't have a RN or program director. Little or no written information for aftercare is provided. This may be because he has only been performing WLS for roughly two years.

Prior to WLS, his specialty was and is lap surgery (pancreas, kidney, stomach, and gallbladder, etc).

Dr. E is one of the few lap DS surgeons in the Eastern Corridor.

His staff has always treated me with respect and I am sure they are doing the best job possible.

Dr. Elariny needs to educate his patients more about potential post-op problems and how to avoid them (nausea, sample menus, medications not absorbing, etc.)

He always put the patients health first. He is very talented in the operating room. He frequently does revisions and repairs for other surgeons patients.

Dr. Elariny can perform all of the surgeries out there for weight loss including the DS (soon the lap band) and works with the patient to determine which surgery is best for them.

I thought he had great bedside manners and very concerned.
I still feel the same way.
The office staff was very helpful and still remains to be the same way and the always took the time to answer any questions I have.
Nice.
Nothing

Dr. Elariny is a great doctor, he takes his time with you and answer all questions, he makes you feel like there are no other patients.

His aftercare program consist of several support groups depending on your preference.

Very well. He explained the Pro's and Con's to all the proceedures he performs.

I would give him a 9 only because there is always room for improvement and nobody is perfect.

Both are equal.

So far I have only gone for the group discussion.
I have my individual appt. on Dec. 10, 2001. Dr. Elariny
seemed extremely knowledgable about all the procedures that
he offers. I like that he wants his patients to choose which
procedure is best for then and be able to explain why it is best
for them. That way he knows for sure that you know what you are
getting into.

I was going to Dr. Vanguri because I was looking for a doctor in
Maryland but my insurance denied because of an exclusion and it seems to be for the
best because I really wanted the Lap and Dr. Vanguri didn't do the Lap
at the time I was seeing him.

I think God has guided me to Dr. Elariny and I am confident that
he is the best choice for me.