"Dr. Balliro has a reputation for not having a great "bed side manner", so I was prepared for the worst. But I am happy to report that I enjoyed meeting him and talking with him.
He has a very very dry sense of humor and has a "cut to the chase" method. He explained the procedure in detail and answered all of my questions.
He expressed concern that so many patients are non-compliant about something -- what they eat, vitamins, exercise, water... He said his revised handbook tried to address this problem -- he is emphasizing that this surgery involves a lifetime committment.
I asked about potential for reversal: he said "We do not reverse this surgery just because you decide that you want to eat more." Blunt & to the point.
He recommended that I sign up to work with his on-staff nutritionist. I have been told that my insurance (BC/BS) does not pay for this and that is about $300. I plan to do this.
He is not a person to emphathize about the burdens of fatness, but as my psychologist said she wouldn't want me to her surgery and I shouldn't expect him to be a great listener.
He talked a lot about aftercare and his handbok spends a lot of pages on that. He is committed to doing the operation as a LAP, if at all possible.
His office staff seem harried.
One of the had the surgery and shared some of her experiences with me. She looks great and had very positive things to say about the surgery. They seemed very knowledgable about the insurance approval process.
The chairs in the waiting room are on the small size to accomodate people of size."
