Stefanie Vaimakis Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS, FASMBS

When I first met Dr. Vaimakis I found her to be knowledgeable and very caring. Overtime as I got to know her I realized that my first impression was correct. Not only was Dr. Vaimakis wonderful but the entire staff of the Bergen Bariatric Center was wonderful as well. Future patients should know that the people in this surgical office will do anything for their patients. They are kind, caring, and loving people. When having surgery with Dr. Viamakis you know that you are always not only in good hands but in the best hands. Over the past year Dr. Viamakis has become one of my favorite people in the world and I take every chance I can to tell her. Her caring and dedication to her patients start from the minute she meets them and continues until well after surgery. Her personality and overall demeanor make surgery and a stay in the hospital a walk in the park. I believe that if you find a good doctor your overall success rate is bound to be wonderful. In my case I found the best doctor and attribute part of my success to her. She is definately a friend for life. ~Katie Simpson

Dr Ballantyne was very thorough at his info session. He even took the time to draw each of the procedures on a white board explaining what is done, how it performs, whether or not it is reversible, side affects, possible complications, and weight loss expectations as well as long term results.

The consult was at our pace. He did not rush us in the least and told us both that he felt we were candidates, however since we had Cigna approval would be difficult. This proved to be an understatement. in the end we have dropped Cigna because Dr B was having nothing but refusals and stopped even working with Cigna patients. I am forced to find another doctor even though I felt completely comfortable when dealing with him as a person and with his skill set.

DUE TO THE LACK OF FORWARD MOTION AT HUMC I AM FORCED TO INVESTIGATE OTHER SURGEONS/HOSPITALS:
My info session was conducted by Dr. Stefanie Vaimakis. She was great and I am looking forward to the consult with her and Dr. Ibrahim. He was detained in surgery.

Consult was professional yet light. She was compassionate and considerate of my need to have a date that fits into my work horizons. I have a good feeling about this!!

My good feeling has turned into a GREAT FEELING, the feeling that I had the best team out there! Thank you so much Dr. B for not moving forward for me. They were wonderful. I cannot say enough about the Doctors and staff at Bergen Bariatric Center especially Divorah and Dr. Stefanie Vaimakis.

My anatomy was a challenge and these doctors met the challenge with a rainbow!! THANK YOU.

Thought she was a nurse/secretary I was speaking to, I was shocked to learn she was a surgeon ! She could pass for a high school student.
Found Dr Ibrahim/Dr Vailakis to be very informative and patient. When I asked about scar tissure from previous surguries posing a problem I was assured I would still wake up with a lap procedure; the extra time would be taken. Since the last surgeon I spoke to told me flat out if there was a lot of scar tissue I'd wake up with an "open" procedure, I am very very glad I ended up with the docs at Bergen Bariatric. They took the extra hour and a half to work around the scar tissue and keep it a lap. I am VERY grateful.

I only spoke to Dr Ibrahim once before the surgery; most of my dealings were with Dr. Vailakis. She was the once that came to my room post op and checked on me. I thought Dr Ibrahim very personable at the info session but he seemed nervous/annoyed before surgery; kept asking, "why are we starting so late" and that made me feel uncomfortable, like I was inconveniencing him.

In spite of having a really mean recovery room nurse (Holy Name) whose response to my every request (pain meds, ice chips, wet rag to suck on) was "DON'T THEY TELL YOU PEOPLE ANYTHING!", yes, the Staff at Bergen Bariatric told us LOTS. I was shocked the week before when I spoke to a friend the night before her surgery in Hackensack to hear that she knew absolutely nothing about what to expect, wasn't told about vitamins until released, and was troubled by the mystifying pain in her shoulder post op. She was not directed towards any reading material, information seminars, and apparently had absolutely no clue about the actual procedure being performed. I read everything I could get my hands on, including a book recommended and sold to me by Devorah at the Clinic: WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY, by Barbara Thompson. (Invaluable!)
Of course, some of the onus of being informed is always on the patient - ask questions! Look online, read books! Knowledge isn't gained through placid osmosis!

As for After Care, I'm not there yet; my first appointment is a week from Monday (12 days after surgery) and I'll find out more then about nutritional counseling, vitamin testing, etc.

You don't really see much of the doctors themselves, so I would have to say surgical competence is absolutely the most important qualification. However, since the office staff are your liason, and your lifelines, having a kind, non-judgemental, supportive staff is also essential. The surgeon I almost used, was working 1 day a week out of a regular surgical clinic and the staff there despised the "bariatrics" - I ended up canceling my surgery plans with that doctor because his staff was so rude and ugly.

I think a good hint is to find a center or clinic or surgical office that specializes in bariatric patients, if you can find one close by that's covered by your insurance. The staff there are more likely to be understanding and supportive; and the doctors more experienced.

Overall I think I'm in the best hands I could be in.