Hazem Elariny MD Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

I love Dr. Elariny he is cute as a button and low key. He explains all of the surgeries that he does and the pro and cons of each. I was immediately impressed with him. However, he is so busy that sometimes I had problems with the information getting to his office and into to the right hands. (you really have to stay on top of things)
His office help changed while I was getting my surgery scheduled and that may be why the consistency and flow of information was not as smooth as it could have been.
You can tell that he loves his work, and this quality gave me the confidence I needed to keep a positive attitude about the operation.
They emphasize the aftercare program but I felt it was too expensive (the vitamins and protein shakes) and I needed to have a follow-up program closer to my home as I was one of his many out-of-state patients. With the volume of patients he has I would rate his aftercare program as adequate.
He is an excellent surgeon and has a good beside manner. In my opinion both are needed to qualify as a great doctor.

He was extremely nice and friendly and my impression of him has not changed at all over time. His office staff was very helpful and always gave me the time of day. Unfortunately his practice became VERY busy once word got out that he was performing the BPD/DS and that he is a lap specialist.

Dr. Elariny does offer support group meetings once a month, and many people attend.

Overall, I would rate him a 10!

When I first met Dr. Elariny I was very impressed about the knowledge he had about the procedures he performs.

My impression of him has only gotten stronger after speaking face to face with him a second time. He is very compassionate,soft spoken and very knowledgeable.

Dr. Elariny's office staff attempts to keep things current and accurate. They have improved substantially since last year.
There was nothing I did not like about Dr. elariny.
He strongly emphacizes after care and yes, he has an aftercare program.

He addressed the risks bluntly.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate Dr. Elariny as a 10 +++++++++!

I chose Dr. Elariny because he was the only surgeon that performed the type of surgery that I was considering at the time. I met him at his lecture at the N.V. Community Hospital on Sept 9th, 2003. He is a very good speaker and very knowledgeable. He appears to care very much about the patient and which type of procedure will be best. Jennifer, his diatitian was there as well and she was very nice. I look forward to seeing her again.

After doing research on surgeons I decided Dr E was my first choice. Soon after that I found out that a friend of a friend had undergone WLS by Dr. E and so I got together with her. She had nothing but the best praise for him. In January 2003 I met the man in person at a group info meeting and was very comforted by his manner. He seemed to be a down-to-earth, no BS kind of guy who is sensitive of his patients' situations, but also has a sense of humor. I have full confidence in him and it doesn't hurt that, until recent years, he was one of only 3 surgeons in the entire US who performed the DS. Meaning that he is more experienced in that procedure than anyone else in the country (with the exception of those other 2 surgeons, whoever they are).

I found Dr. Elariny to be very skilled, and completely competent. On May 29th, I had the Vertical Gastroplasy (VG) done Lap. To date I have lost 140# and going down. If you are interested in WLS, he is the surgeon to go to. Please feel free to email if you have any questions, or if you'd like to attend our weekly support meetings. Also we have a yahoo group you may join to learn more about the VG, or the VBG w/sleeve done by Dr. Elariny. VG-VGB_Elariny.

Dr. Elariny is a great doctor. I'm very happy that I chose him to do my surgery.

I first met Dr. Elariny via email after contemplating have surgery. Even though he had never met me face to face he was more than willing to discuss aspects of surgery with me via email.

He was, and still is, very prompt in replying to his messages. He sent relevant paperwork via email after I called to his attention that his staff failed to send it. He also sent articles on obesity for my education.

I met Dr. Elariny face to face in January 2003 at his discussion group in Virginia. My brother graciously offered to go with me so I wouldn't have to travel alone.

My first impression of him was that he is a really nice guy! Very handsome too! He is so personable. Just listening to him during group I could tell he is very committed to what he does and he is very intelligent. You know how you can just "listen" and tell that a person is brilliant . . well I had that feeling with Doc.

He really makes you think and makes sure that you understand what's going on. I like this, being a reader and researcher by personality.

The most important aspect of Dr. Elariny is that he personalizes the surgery for the individual. I learned a lot, and admitted a lot about myself, while preparing for surgery and that's due to Dr. Elariny.

He doesn't just give you the "fluff" about surgery; he also gives you a lot of details about possible complications. He gives you information to make the best possible decision about surgery and it's not an easy decision!!

He gives you aftercare instructions prior to surgery which I found very helpful. I was able to prepare ahead of time and that allowed me to actually spend time recuperating.

The only thing that I had a problem with was his staff. At the time of the discussion group and my consultation in January, I was not impressed with the staff. I didn't feel there was any effecieny. However, by the time of my surgery in June 2003, there had been some house cleaning and now I just love his staff: Jennifer and Michelle!

Doc has a good sense of humor and I feel that is such a skilled surgeon . . . one of the best!

My first impression was wonderful! He looks young, has a wonderful sense of humor (which I think is VERY important) and seems really dedicated to helping people feel better but in as safe a way as possible. When I finally met with him, it was very brief and quick. He was behind schedule by 2 hours and was rushed. So far I have liked his staff although they don't seem terribly efficient and at least one of them doesn't speak English well which was a problem. I have heard how terribly inefficient his staff is although I haven't been affected by that yet so I can't say for sure. However, he came HIGHLY recommended and hasn't lost anyone yet so to me, that is much more important and worth dealing with his staff for if it comes to that.

GROUP DISCUSSION MEETING - 04/08
NUTRITIONIST & ONE ON ONE WITH DR - 05/16
I am trill to have Dr Elariny as my surgeon and I believe him to be second to none. He made me feel comfortable with my decision and answered all of my questions. His staff was courteous and educated on the procedures. Jennifer the nutritionist is on top of her game, she is a great asset to Dr Elariny.