Hazem Elariny MD Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

Dr. Elariny is wonderful! He is kind, caring, honest, and very knowledgable. He treats the whole person. He also views his relationship with you as a long term one. For instance, if you have emothional issues around food, he includes taking care of that as part of your pre- and post-op care.

His office staff is also knowledgable. They are able to answer questions and help with any issues. Unfortunately, they are overworked and often don't have time to return phone calls. The best strategy is to keep calling until you actually get the person you need to talk with on the phone. Also keep track of your insurance approval, pre-op testing, the arrival of your pre-op test results at Dr. E's office, take care to ensure that you get a surgery date scheduled soon after insurance approval comes through, and followup on every communication with the office. They are very busy and things can get forgotten or misplaced. In fact, the best advice is to have all your pre-op test results sent to you, and fax them to the office. That way, if they don't get into your file, you still have the original.

Aftercare is a very important part of Dr. E's program. In addition to having monthly support groups attended by at least some of the office personnel (Dr. E is usually there), the post-op patients have formed their own very active network of support. It is wonderful! There is a yahoo group for Dr. Elariny's patients, and support group meetings all over the region on weeks when there is no formal support group. Dr. E's patient group actually has an "out-of-towners" kit of things you might need when you're at the hospital but would be difficult for someone coming in from out of town to bring.

As for Dr. E and his office, the aftercare program is very thorough and structured for the individual. For instance, I need to see the nutritionist 3 times before my surgery and at least 3 times shortly after my surgery because I connect emotions and eating. And I need to have appointments lined up with a therapist who knows eating disorders before and after surgery.

His explanation of the surgery options is very complete. Every patient must attend an informational session in which Dr. E explains all the varios surgery options and the reasons one might choose each as well as the downside afterward. He explains surgical risks completely.

Both Dr. E and his office are tops!

I chose Dr. Elariny based on information I obtained from this web site. He is truly a gifted and caring surgeon. When the nurses from the O.R. tell you how good he is, you can be sure that you have made a great choice. They see it all. If you need someone to hold your hand and give you warm fuzzies, he may not be the surgeon for you. But, I was more concerned with what his skills were as a surgeon, and I was not disappointed. I highly recommend Dr. Elariny. I drove over 4 hours to see him and have my surgery. It was more than worth it. His office is busy, busy, and be prepared to wait for your 'appointment' time, but that is what happens when everyone wants to go to the best.

8/21/02 - I first impression of Dr. Elariny was that he was younger than he looks on his website! He was very well dressed and professional looking. I met him for the first time at the preop group meeting he requires last night. One of his office staff was there (do not know his name- he handles the insurance part). the group meeting was very informative about the surgery. It was obvious that he knew his stuff. He was a little distracted at times, but I would expect that of a surgeon who is busy and trying to do many things at once. The group asked many great questions. He discussed the different surgeries that are done (of which he does all that are approved in the U.S.). I found it a plus that he does all the surgeries and does them laproscopically. He does emphasize aftercare but I got the impression that he does not have a structured aftercare program. He discussed all the risks, effects and benefits of each surgery based on your eating style(Sweet eater, grazer or bloater). I left the meeting better informed than when I came and with a sense that I would be well taken care of by him. I felt very comfortable with him. I really enjoyed his sense of humor. I am looking forward to my initial consult with him and for Dr. Elariny to do my surgery. He gave me more questions to ponder before my consult. Overall the group meeting was very worthwhile and informative and I feel very fortunate that he will be doing my surgery. I meet with his nutritionist next week. I am on the way, I am now more excited and scared than I was before, but I believe that is where I am supposed to be right now. My first impression is that I would recommend Dr. Elariny to anyone wanting this surgery.
8/22/02 - I meet with the nutritionist today. She was very pleasent and well informed. I will look forward to working with her is the future. The more I learn about the office and the staff of Dr. Elariny the more comfortable I feel. I am really looking forward to my initial consult with Dr. E
9/14/02 - I had my consult with Dr. Elariny. He asked what surgery you wanted, did a quick exam and answered any questions that I had. My opinion has not changed. I think he is the best surgeon for me and I am glad he will be doing the surgery. I changed my mind at the end of our visit about the type of surgery to have. After talking to people in the waiting room, which is a great support forum, I decided to change from having a RNY to a DS. I think the most common procedure Dr. E does is the DS. I am very happy about my change and I believe it is the right surgery for me. They also take a picture of you at the end of your appointment. They now send in to the insurance Company for approval, which they say can take up to 4 weeks. Then I will be called for a surgery date. Dr. Elariny is now scheduling into Nov. so I hope to have surgery before Christmas. the offic staff is very friendly, and they all get along which helps you feel comfortable. Other have said that the office is small, which it is but it works well for the informal support group that seems to happen when we all got talking together. I am now impatient to hear about the insurance approval.

My first impression of Dr. Elariny took place at a mandatory discussion group, one week before my consultation. I found him very knowledgeable, friendly and even funny at times. He's probably mid-30's, and you can tell he's compassionate and kind. At my consult, I waited a very long time. It was a close to 3 hour wait, my appointment was at 2:00, and I wasn't seen until 5:00. He's VERY busy. There were people there who had flown in from Texas, Louisiana, and other states to have him as their surgeon. Once I finally got to see him though, I never once felt rushed at all. He made sure I had no other questions before I left. He really is very nice and I felt extremely comfortable with him. His staff is very friendly but very, very busy as well. They can seem a little abrupt, but you can tell they are always flooded with calls. Soon I will get my surgery date and will be able to post more then. He has a very nice nutritionist who will really work with you after surgery. Aftercare is very important, and they do stress that.

I first met Dr. Elariny at his June Orientation. There were a lot of people there (35-50). Dr. Elariny was almost two hours late, but Shauntae,a member of his office staff was there. She had a couple of post-ops come up and we were able to ask as many questions as we wanted. When Dr. Elariny showed up he thoroughly explained eight different wls procedures that he could do. He explained why some procedures were better for some, while other procedures for others. Afterwards he answered questions until no one had any. The meeting was extremely informative and I thought Dr. Elariny and his staff were professional, well-prepared, and kind. Shortly after that orientation I had an appointment with Dr. Elariny. I was sent a patient package to fill out and was asked to come prepared to tell Dr. Elariny what surgery I wanted and why. After meeting him I feel like I'm going to be in very good hands. I'm going to have the BPD/DS.

My first impression was, I'm in good hands.
He has lived up to all my expectations.
His staff has alot to be desired. Short handed and total choas usually.
He is usually a little late for everything but worth the wait.
He is the best.
He gives out alot of aftercare instructions along with 1 week out visits, on staff dietician, 1 month out visit. For emergencies he can be paged and responds within minutes also he can be reached by email. His office has it's own support group of all his patients on their website, very similar to this one.
He gives a 2 hours seminar that all pre-ops have to attend that explains each procedure in great detail with all risks and benefits.
Like I said he is the best.
His surgical competence makes him the best.
He also has a great bedside manner.

I was very impressed with Dr. Elariny from the start. My impression of his office staff back in 2001 was that it was understaffed and disorganized. They have come a long way and are really great now.
Dr. Elariny is extremely knowledgeable in all different types of bariatric surgery and lets you make the decision which is best for you. He is very sensitive to the MO's plight, and dedicates himself to hearing the words, "I have a life again" when a patient returns for a post op visit and has lost weight.He never rushes a patient through their concerns as busy as he may be.
He's the greatest and I Thank God for pointing me in Dr. Elariny's direction. (Written 11 mos post-op and down 145 pounds!)

I met with Dr. E after the group session which surprisingly he attended. He was very busy. I some how felt lost in his office even though it was small. But talking with the other pre and recently post opt patients while in the waiting room made a very big difference. I am glad that they encouraged me that he was worth the wait becuase when I was finally able to sit and speak frankly with him I understood why he was so busy. He was very patient. He answered all of my ???'s. He gave very detailed but understandable explanations to all of my questions. He was very frank about the risk and I really appreciated that because from experience some post opts are so excited to be fat free that they forget about the risks and the downside of having the actual surgery. I haven't had surgery yet but I would rate Dr. E and his staff very highly. They are very dedicated to this cause and they work tirelessly to assist us in this and it is appreciated.

Dr. Elariny is worthy of all the positive comments and glowing recommendations that others have made. He is extremely professional and above all is concerned that his patients fully understand the implications of the different WLS procedures that he offers. Dr. Elariny is such an outstanding surgeon that it would not be surprising that his schedule becomes even more filled.

I already knew 3 people who had weight loss surgery by Dr. E, and all raved about what a wonderful doctor he was. At my first consulation, he was sooo focused, he wanted to make sure you really understood each different surgery, and the risks involed with each one. People may say that you are taking the easy way out... but there is a lot more to the weight loss than just the surgery. For the rest of my life I will always have to monitor nutrition, and lifestyle. Then met with you to decided which surgery would be best for you. Has my impression of him changed.... YES, he has gone from someone who was going to give me a chance to be free from fat... to my life safer. Only being one month post op, I feel absolutely wonderful. I am 23 years old, and I actually feel like it, instead of being 23 in a 60 year old body! Dr. E is a busy doctor, and if you expect to get a call back in 10 minutes... think again, but never even with the minor complications that I had, feel like I had been left to the curb. I called his office at 7 one night, and HE answered the phone... He really cares about his patients, and it shows. To me... he is the BEST doctor a person could ever want. I had my procedure done lap, and have 5 very tiny scars....only 1 of them measures 1 inch. When I was in preop waiting to be takin back to the OR, and intern studying under Dr. E said that he was here to study under him because he is "the best." To me that says it all. Dr. E holds a support group meeting once a month at fairfax hospital. At first it was disorganized... but from the help of some wonderful post-ops it is very well run now. Dr. E is present when possible, and he also runs a pre-op thing before hand. There is also a yahoo group for Dr. Elariny's patients, both looking for the surgery and post ops... and that has been the most invaluable tool too have.