Hazem Elariny MD Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

My first impression of Dr. Elariny has not changed at all! I believed that he was the best and I still do. I know so many people that have had surgery done by him and everyone agrees that he is simply GREAT! Very concerned about his patients and their outcomes.. not just the money involved.

I chose Dr. Elariny because he has a lot of experience, having done more than 300 duodenal switch operations laparoscopically. I am in touch with many of his patients and they all seem very pleased with him. I have never heard a single word against him.

He has a program fee of $400 and this includes his nutritionist.

HIs office staff are highly competent and very much on top of things. Shantae does his scheduling, and Mohammed handles the insurance. There is another employee whose name I forget, and of course, the nutritionist who recently started with him.
They all answer the phone and immediately take care of whatever you need.

OTHER SURGEONS
I had experiences with other surgeons offices, including Mt. Sinai and NYU. The surgeons may be good, I don't know, but my personal experience was that I had to wait weeks for a phone call to be returned at Mt. Sinai and had to wait many hours in the office for an appointment. I spent a lot of money and a lot of time and got nowhere with this program.

At NYU I had to wait 5 hours for my appointment and then was told I would have to pay $14,000 out of my pocket in addition to the roughly $6,000 that my insurance could be expected to pay.

I had a good experience with Dr. Benotti's office in Ridgewood, NJ. He has a wealth of experience and I would have chosen him as my surgeon if I had opted for the Roux-en-Y procedure.

I met with Dr.Elariny about two years ago and my impression of him was that I found him to very informational and professional.His staff is wonderful and they are friendly and helpful. Shantae is the one that I mainly talked to and she always help me as much as she could.Dr Eliariny is a super surgeon. My surgery went very well and I could not tell after surgery that I had surgery. I had very little pain maybe just some soreness but that's about it. I highly reccommend him.

DR E IS A VERY CAREING AND INFORMATIVE DOCTOR HIS GROUP CONSULTATION, IS FUN AND YOU LEARN ALOT. I AT FIRST WAS GOING TO DO THE OPEN RUN-Y BUT I CHANGED MY MIND AND DECIDED THE LAP WOULD BE FOR ME, I HAVE SEVERAL FRIENDS THAT HAVE ALREADY HAD THE SURGERY AND LOVING LIFE, SAME OPERATION JUST LAP INSTEAD OF OPEN. THE OFFICE STAFF IS GOOD VERY BUSY BUT YOU DO GET QUESTIONS ANSWERED, AND CALL BACKS OR FAXES. I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY NEGATIVES ABOUT THE DOCTOR, HE'S YOUNGER AND KNOWS ALOT ABOUT NEWER SURGIES. DR E IS REALLY THE ONLY ONE IN THE AREA I KNOW OF THAT ACCEPTS AETNA FULLY AND WILL FIGHT FOR YOU IF THEY BULK. HIS AFTER CARE IS STRUCTURED BUT YOU HAVE TO DO YOUR PART ALSO. HE ADDRESSES THE RISKS AND YOU SIGN A PERMISSION SLIP AFTER YOU HAVE READ IT COMPLETELY AND AGREE TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS. I WOULD GREATLY SUGGEST IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT SURGERY AND WOULD LIKE THE LAP TO GO TO HIS GROUP CONSOLTATION AND SEE HOW YOU LIKE HIM. I THINK AND HOPE THAT HE IS AS GOOD AS I REALLY BELIEVE HIM TO BE.
I WOULD SAY IF YOU ARE GETTING ME TO GO THROUGH WITH THIS AS I REALLY DON'T LIKE SURGERY, THEN HE HAS TO HAVE REALLY IMPRESSED ME. I CAN'T SAY ANYTHING NEGATIVE BECAUSE I HAVEN'T HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH MY VISITS AND IF I HAD THEN I WOULDN'T BE ON THIS SITE TO RECCOMMEND DR E, I KNOW HE IS VERY BUSY BUT IT IS DEFINATELY WORTH GETTING THE INFO.

I found Dr. Elariny to be very well suited for me and for my procedure. He came highly recommended and has a wonderful bed side manner! I found him through this sight and want to thank each of you for sharing your experiences so that we all can venture over to the "other-side"!

He was very busy when I met with him for the consultation but was very pleasant and informative!

Shawnta, his office mgr is TERRIFIC! I do not know how she had the incredible patients that she has! She deserves a raise!

The only complaint is that I couldn't get the surgery earlier but that is based on the fact that he is so popular and has such a great reputation!

I will let you know how I feel about him when I return home from the surgery!

I got a very good impression of Dr. Elariny and his staff from the moment I called his office to check on a group session to the first consult and now to the insurance approval. I am sure that Dr. Elariny and his staff have families and may sometime take away their time with them to take care of their patients and for this I am very grateful. Dr. E and his staff are knowledgable, professional and freindly. They want you to go into this well educated and informed. He was also very good about explaining long term care with vitamins etc... I also live an hour away from his office and they were able to have my PCP schedule and do my pre-op test which is a real convenience for me. In a nut shell they are great to work with from the receptionist nurses,insurance pro. and to the Doc. himself.

I went to a seminar hosted by Dr. Elariny yesterday evening, it was THE most informative exchange I've had regarding this surgery. Your initial appointment with him is handled in a seminar format with about 30 other people. He thoroughly describes each surgery and how each affects you, he has handouts and descriptions that you take home with you to study, so you can choose the correct surgery for you. Because he performs them all, you don't have to accept whatever it is that he is offering, because of this, I am going to have him perform my surgery. I was highly impressed with his manner and patience, as you can imagine there were a ton of questions, and answered them all, until he got paged and of course had to go. But he spent over 2 and half hours with us talking and explaining things.

I thought that Dr. E was a very soft spoken, intelligent man with a love for surgery. (He even admired a previous surgical scar) I feel very safe with him performing my surgery and completely filled me in on all the good and risky points of the surgery that I have chosen. I chose the DS because I still want a good quality of life afterwards and not vomiting and feeling ill all the time. He will perform this sugery in 2 parts in order to keep my risks to a minimum. I know 2 others that have used him and or are using him and both like him just as much. I did feel a bit rushed though but he still had more patients to see and it was getting late into the evening so I didn't blame him for that. I am looking forward to working with Dr. E!

Dr. Elariny has kind eyes and gentle hands. I know that may sound strange, but those things meant something to me. I met him for the first time today and we discussed my options and what procedure would work best for me. He had spent almost 3 hours with about 30 of us the evening before going over in detail all of the different procedures he performs and why some work better than others, depending upon your needs. He is determined to make sure that your surgery is what will work best for you, not what surgery will work best for him. He does not "pull any punches" about the risks involved, but leaves you with a sense of calm and experience that makes you feel very safe in his hands. His office staff are very competent and extremely pleasant. I was lucky to be there at the time that many pre-and-post op patients were there so I got a chance to talk with them about their experiences (all positive). I TRULY believe that you could not rate Dr. E's surgical competence and bedside manner on a different scale - he seems to be able to do both very well.

First surgeon 2001- Dr. Schweitzer: Although he was running about one and a half hours late, I found him to be competent and encouraging. I had done a lot of my own research and really don't have any questions or concerns- just sign me up! We didn't really have much time to talk about the insurance issues, nor did he really give me an idea of what to expect next or who to contact. It was more like "We'll call you." I am hoping that they will, and that I will be approved. He basically said don't even bother to think about self-paying because he spares no expense.


After switching insurers, I had to make another appt. and tried to get one as soon after 1/1/2002 as possible, but the soonest was 2/24, so I said thanks but no thanks and found another surgeon.


Second surgeon 2002: Dr. Elariny led an information sesion before my consulatation at which time he goes over the 8 different procedures that he performs. He encourages the patient to choose the procedure that is right for them based on the info that they have gotten. I chose a Lap RNY prox.

He runs late for afternoon office appts. frequently but he treated me very well and I have a lot of confidence in him. His office appears to be getting busier by the moment.

4/16/02: Well, surgery went off Monday morning 4/15/02 without a hitch, and I was
walking the halls Tuesday 4/16 just before the informational meeting and I
ran into Dr. E. He invited me to the meeting, and asked me if I
wanted to go home. I said yes to both! I went down to the auditorium
and he "showed me off" just before the meeting got started.

And boy, was the fan ever needed today! Thanks to all of you who made
that suggestion. My 70-year-old roommate was freezing to death, but I,
of course, was hot, until I plugged my fan in!

I'm feeling pretty good, just a little headachy, but I was less than
impressed with the nursing care at NVCH. Very indifferent and
uninformed. One thing I cannot tolerate is a lot of beeps, and every
time some pump or another would start beeping, it took 30 minutes for
them to do anything about it.

I only went through three shift changes, and I too did not see the
same nurse twice. The night nurse Shari was good, but the day 2
nurses were very clueless. I think that command of the English
language was an issue with a few. I got things like Italian ice on my
lunch plate and ginger ale (non-diet), tea with sugar and lemon, etc.
I had heard about the ice chips thing so I demanded and got those
right away. I just can't stand a lot of beeping noises around me-
it's like the Chinese water torture, and when one of those pumps or
another would start beeping, it drove me insane. I'd call, they would
answer on the intercom and I'd tell them "its beeping" 20 minutes
later someone would come in and say "What do you need?" and I'd point
to the beeping pump, and then 20 minutes later someone would actually
do something to refill it or whatever. Plus there were fire drills
all day long! With all the tubes and drains and things I was hooked
up to, I was pretty much dependent on them, so I was glad to leave as
early as I did.

Finally, the phone on my side of the room
wasn't plugged in the first day, and the phone that they did plug in
the second day was broken and wouldn't ring. Everyone who called the
switchboard complained that whoever was answering never could help
them- either they couldn't be understood or they couldn't find me. I
took a few calls at the nurses stations because I happened to be
wandering by and heard them saying, "No, we don't have that patient
here..." My mother was frantic trying to find out what happened to
me.

Day 3- 4/17/02

Well, Day 3 was not too bad. I slept on and off all night in a recliner- I'd wake each time the painkiller elixir was wearing off and take some more. I stopped the painkillers and got up around noon and had my first "food." Today I had two protein shakes, some unsweetened applesauce, and a can of cream of chicken soup- split into two servings. I never felt hungry today, but I did get a little gassy! I was up wandering around until around dinner time and got hit with a big old sack of tired, so I got back on the couch and watched TV. I have managed to drink almost the required 64 oz. of water over the whole day, and I took my vitamins (children's chewables with Iron) and medications (Prevacid- I guess to reduce stomach acid, and Actigall- to keep me from forming gallstones).

Day 4- 4/18/02. I seem to be more tired today, or maybe I am just pacing myself more. I am still sleeping a lot- no painkillers except last night, and I selpt ont he recliner again. Meds in appelsauce this norning, and then a proterin shake later and some tomato soup. No problem with that yet.

Day 8- 4/22/02- Well, its been a week and I can hardly tell I had the surgery. I am still a
little sore and tire very easily, but the digestive system is holding up
very well- too well I am afraid. I don't feel hunger pangs, but its like
this "whole body" need to eat. I don't feel totally satisfied when I eat,
but I am trying to skip that last bite because that's the one that ends up
hurting. I can drink water very well and that hasn't been an issue.

I stuck to the surgeon's liquid and pureed diet for about 3 days, and then
started trying various other foods successfully. I have had 1 dumping
experience- I had a bit of a milkshake when I took some kids to Burger King
today and didn't feel too well. And everything I have heard about chicken is
true for me- I tried to have some last night but despite chewing it to death
and taking micro-bites, it just doesn't like to go down. I also had a small
sandwich made with roast beef spread that got pretty stuck for a while- felt
like a heart attack!

I have been using http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/Index.html to track my food
and nutrients, and according to that I should be losing weight. I would say
that the deterrent effect of the surgery is working so far, but I wonder if
I am screwing my pouch up by not sticking to pureed foods for 10 days as
instructed. I just seem to be able to eat anything (except chicken)- in
moderation.

Day 10-Ten pounds gone (forever!) I actually have less hunger than the first week- the ketosis must be kicking in.