Hilario Juarez Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

At first i felt "He's very busy, won't spend any time on small, and he's a little bored by the huge amounts of people at his consult, all of them pleading for the same thing."
My impression hasn't absolutely changed; i think he cares about his own expertise, he made it clear to me post-op that "he was the only surgeon doing it lap with such tiny stitches", which I already knew. I guess I don't mind being a number to him, because the truth is he takes a lot of pride in his work, so every number is going to be very well taken care of; however, since i've only seen him 6 times and only 1 of those was before my date, i know he's never going to now mine or most other patient's first names. Then again, I wanted him to rebuild my stomach, not to become pals with him.
I think his staff tried really really hard; they've been changed around recently, and the office is virtually swamped by patients in spite that there must be at least a 10 person staff. They're very nice, and they will fight your insurance battle for you as harshly as you would want them to, but they've seldom returned my phone calls.
The least thing I like about Dr. J is how quickly he wants to get through any overviews of the surgery, pre and post op. I know he must say the same things over and over again, but then maybe he should train his staff better. Future patients should know you've got to do your own homework, especially if you have Cigna because then you'll get absolutely no nutritional support. I guess he emphasizes aftercare a lot, he says all the "its just a tool" thing a lot; however i haven't had my first post-op appt. yet. I don't know if he has a structured after care program, and he didn't really elaborate on the risks of surgery, but i guess he knew i had done a lot of research. Overall i would rate Dr. J a 9, and that's only because of his speed at bedside manner; as a surgeon i give him a 20 over 10, my incisions are truly minuscule and i'm already healing wonderfully at less than a week post-op. I think i have a pulled muscle from the surgery, and it hurts a lot, but other than that i feel absolutely fantastic, i'm already off the pain medication and i honestly consider myself fortunate to have walked away from abdominal surgery (which is always dangerous) with such a small complaint. His surgical competence far outweighs his bedside manner, but he is the best there is in the Grand Canyon State, hands down.

I had my five minute consultation with Dr. Juarez. My appt. was for 3:10. Didn't see him until about 3:45. He was very abrubt. Made me feel like he was rushing through the consultation. The first thing he said to me was "You're a little thing." Then he checked my BMI, and said "You're way up there!". Asked me which surgery I wanted. When I told him laproscopic rny, he said that might be difficult because I am short. I've read bad things about his office people, but I thought they were very nice. They said they were sending out my paperwork. I hope that means very soon. They also told me it takes about 4-6 weeks of waiting for approval, but it could take shorter. I'm not sure how I would rate him. I will definately keep my posts updated about him. All in all, I liked him. He is a very busy man, and the office was full. That could be why I felt like he was rushing me.

he was a ver nice guy

Dr. Juarez was very pleasant and helpful. He answered most of my questions during our first meeting togeher. His office staff was very helpful, yet seemed to forget to set appointments, or to call back with scheduled time for pre-op testing.

I brought my spouse along to the information seminar. Dr Juarez spoke and described the old bipass surgery and why it wasn't good. Then, he described the surgery used now. My spouse, who was wary at first, turned to me and said, "This makes sense." Dr Juarez seemed pleasant and down to earth.
Since I am not in Phoenix and call long distance, I sometimes get lost in the phone tree they have in place. Sometimes I just long to hear a human voice instead of a recording. Usually I have success, eventually, with my calls. Perhaps I will learn more at my appointment October 9,2001

I have seen him twice. The first time was at his seminar where he was very good about answering all of our questions. He explained the risks thoroughly. The second time was for my consultation. He seemed kind of rushed and had someone following him through the process. Generally caring.

Met him once

I had the impression at first oh no here we go again but after talking to him and he kept asking me if I had any other questions what concerns I had I felt more comfortable. Eventhough, I kept forgetting to ask some questions he new more or less of all the questions I wanted to ask him.

I attended his seminar in April and just visited for my consult, May 18, 2001
Dr. Juarez seems very calm and patient. He answered my questions without any attitudes.
I wanted laproscopy, but he discouraged it because of my height (5' 4"). I guess I am a little
too compact to do it easily. I have cardiomyopathy and he said the regular RNY takes about an hour
vs. lap, which could take up to 3 hours.
So far the staff has been very easy to work with. They don't return calls, so you have to keep
after them but otherwise, they are okay. No horror stories here!
They have submited to my insurance company, Pacificare, who, they say, is approving in 3 to 5 days.
I have my fingers crossed as I AM READY! I am at an all time high of 352 lbs. and I am ready to "rock
and Roll"!!!!!
7/21/01 Must give big hugs to the office workers at Dr. Juarez's. When made aware of an insurance problem
they really came through for me to get the insurance approval and get me a surgery date before my husband
changed jobs and insurance. Jennifer, this is for you! You are a goddess! Thank you!!!!!!

9/8/01 Sorry have not returned since surgery. This weight loss and adapting to the food issues is very consuming.
Bless Dr. Juarez! The day before surgery I asked again for laproscopic. We talked again just before I went in
for the surgery and he said he'd try, but couldn't guarentee that even though he started lap, he might have to cut
me open if it wasn't going to work. I woke up and I was laproscopic! What a tremendous recovery time. Really push for
lap if you can. And I just have tiny scars in a circle on my tummy!
Have lost 45 lbs since surgey. It flies off the first couple of weeks. Then it slows. I am at my first plateau. Damn.
I have had the surgery and still have to play the diet game. Oh well. The nutrionist says eat a little more and exercise more.
I am not worried as it would be very difficult to gain. Before, when I hit plateaus, I was always afraid that I would
start gaining. Had blood work done and it is in very good shape. I am sleeping better and my husband says I am not
snoring anymore (had sleep apnea). Have lost 20 inches over all. Mostly in my face and boobs! Of course! LOL.
There are some drawbacks. I have a hard time eating with other people. I have a tendancy to eat too much too fast and then I
get sick. It is much better when I eat by myself. I used food to calm myself, stuff my emotions. Now I cannot and I spent the
first 6 weeks or so as a raw nerve. Trying to ease up on that. Seeing my therapist to still try to work on those issues.
Have been going to the Phoenix support groups and I highly recommend them. Also highly recommend therapy to deal with food issues
as I am hearing that 7-8 months down the road, when you can eat more, the issues and bad habits try really hard to return.
Have also had some vomiting issues which Dr. Juarez doesn't seem concerned about. It is usually when I eat too fast and don't
chew enough, I think. Would I have the surgery again? In a heart beat! Thanks so much to all of the people who have helped!
Dr. Juarez, Emil, the staff, Jennifer (kiss), and my son and husband.

I attended the seminar that Dr. Juarez held and was very impressed with his concern and knowledge.

Recently I had my first appointment with Dr. Juarez and was very impressed with him. He is a very kind and caring person. He said I was a good canidate for the Laperscopic Surgery. This was great news, I think the full open cut must have a much harder recovery time.