Fernando Bonanni, Jr. Bariatric Surgeon MD, MBA, FACS, FASMBS

Dr. Bonanni is a very caring kind man! He is the best surgeon ever! I would go back to him and do it all over again if I had to! He is very honest and is there for you for any reason! This is your Dr. if you are in this area! The whole team is awesome! I give A 100%!

He is the best!!!! Nothing else to say.

Doctor Bonanni is phenomenal! I have been blessed to have found him for this major undertaking. From the first day I met him, he took as much time as I needed to make sure that I understood him and the procedure. The morning of my surgery I was scared stiff! I had actually considered not showing up. But when I met with him that morning he stayed with me for what seemed like forever! He answered all of my questions, and even stayed to make sure that I was calm and sure about my decision before they took me back to prep. Since then I have had a few minor problems and each time, it was Dr. B himself who spoke to me to reassure me that all was well. I can not thank my PCP for recommending Dr. Bonanni! I have already recommended him to a couple of friends and family that are looking into this.

I have a scheduled meeting with the program coordinator, Paula Beam, RN in late Sept/02. Although I have not met Dr. Bonanni or Dr. Beetle (new associate) I have only heard positive things about their practice.rnrn1/9/03: I met with Dr. Bonnani and he a very nice person, easy to approach and talk to and was extremely thorough. Dr. Bonnani expects his patients to understand gastric bypass surgery and not treat this as a magic potion. He has a very busy surgical practice and people should expect to wait 9 to 10 months after the initial meeting with the program coordinator before surgery. My impression is that it is worth the wait to have Dr. Bonnani perform my RNY. The office staff books a tight schedule for Drs. Bonnani and Beatle so be prepared to spend 2 to 3 hours in their office! rnrnMay 29th going in for pre-op visit and pre-admission testing on June 6th.rnrnI had surgery on June 11th. Dr. Bonanni and his Physician Assistants were great! I was up walking several times the first night and second day. I was discharged early the third day. I was slightly bothered by the drain but it came out the following week. I am now one month post-op and down 26 lbs. I am very grateful that Dr. Bonanni gave me this tool and I am trying to maximize it. rnrnIt has been 4 months since I last posted a note. I go to Curves 3x per week and I have now lost over 70lbs. I go for a follow-up visit next week, but I expect that they will say that everything is ok. I feel great and my only problem now is that I get chilly and actually need to wear a sweater or coat. Dr. B. is the best! rnrnI just went for my 5 month check-up and I am doing great. I have lost 80 lbs and I continue to feel great. I am going to have my lab work done this week and will be seeing Dr. B just before Christmas. What a difference from last year at this time to this year. I went from a 24 to a size 16 and I am only 5 months out. If I exercise hard and continue on this path I am hopeful to wear a 9/10 or 11/12 again. The most important thing is that my blood pressure is normal, I do not snore at night anymore and I have a lot of energy.rnrnDecember 23, 2003: I went to see Dr. B. for my 6-month post-op visit. I am down 90 lbs and am at 56% of my targeted wait loss. Dr. B is confident that I will reach 100% wt. loss and possibly a little more. This was great news and a great way to start the New Year. I know that I have to work harder now to continue to drop the wt. I need greater protein intake so I picked up a supplement that his office sells at cost. It is the best tasting supplement that I have had. He is also having me increase my calcium intake. He said that this is normal for 6 months post-op. I just think the world of Dr. B and his staff. I am convinced that he has given me extra years to spend with my family. They are the best! rnrn07/15/04 Next week I will be going for my 1-year post op. I used to hate going to the doctor. Now I look forward to seeing Dr. B and his staff. I am close to 100% of my targeted wt. loss. Now the only sad news is saying goodbye to outfits that I only dreamed of wearing a year ago because, they are to big instead of being to small.rnrn7/23/04 I went for my 1 yr visit with Dr. B. I have lost 147 lbs and I am within 8 lbs of shedding 100% of my excess weight.I do not need to drop anymore lbs. I never thought I would here those words. I could not have done this without Dr. B and his staff. rnrn7/11/05 It is hard to believe that I am two years post-op... I am down 180 lbs. My pre-op BMI was 45 and my current BMI is 22. I still continue to drop a small amount of wt. but for the most part I have leveled off. I have exceeded 100% of the anticipated wt.loss and went from a size 24 to a size 5/6. I go for my two year visit tomorrow! My biggest battle now is keeping my protein levels where they should be and making sure that I take my vitamins. My greatest joy is being able to keep up with my 7 year old and know that I can do things with him now that I was afraid to dream of two years ago. For anyone getting ready to have surgery, stay the course and be happy with the results of your journey. The benefits of dropping the excess wt, lowering your blood pressure and dropping your cholesterol are more important then your final weight. I am still in awe of Dr. B and thank him every day for helping me, help myself.rnrnOn October 5, 2006, Dr. B and Dr. Beetle saved my life. I sailed through my gastric bypass with flying colors. Everything was fine until 2 years out my stomach nacroited/herniated & died + I had two small bowel obstructions. I went in for an emergency gastrectomy and sm. bowel resections, was in ICU and the hospital for a while and Dr. B and Ben were there every day with me for 2.5 weeks. I owe them everything because not only did they give me a new life with the 1st surgery but they saved my life with the 2nd surgery. I work with academic medical centers on a daily basis and world renown physicians, but non of those places hold a candle to their skill, bedside manner and integrity. You cannot be in finer hands. Dr. Bonanni is the best there is!rn rn06/12/08, Dr. B's program moved to Abington and he is missed by all his patients. Dr. Beetle is a great surgeon and continues to keep an eye on me. 5 years and I have kept the wt off, stay very active, have problems with malabsorbtion of vitamins, see a hemotalogist to help me, but i still would not change anything that i did. i eat fish and chicken for breakfast and lunch, cereal for dinner and i try and walk 2 to 3 miles each day. whatever your journey is....without our health we have nothing. in reflection the goal should not be the size you wear but how active you are, reducing or eliminating comorbidities- living life. travel safe, walk, walk, walk and keep your eye on yourself.... these surgeries carry risks that are real and your decision will forever change your life.

10/17/01 - I went to Dr B's meeting with my Mom & Dad. We were impressed with the amount of information he gave us. He stresses the importance of following his manual(aka: Bonanni's Bible)for maximum successful wt loss. He's right about that.
Surgery date:03/20/02.~~~
08/02/02- I had surgery in March. As of today I am down 96lbs! I went from always feeling sluggish to having tons of energy. Thank you Dr Bonnani (you cutie!)
Life is great! ~ Debbie

I am now 5 years out from my surgery and I have kept off almost all. I love Dr Bonanni and Maggie they have helped immensely on my weight loss journey. I do need to lose 15 lbs, any suggestions.

I'll be seeking care with another area bariatric center after intially seeking care with this office. The center offers very little help working with insurance providers, always reminding the patient that it is up to them. The health system is overall quite slow moving and provincial. (Though their Urgent Care is great.) They don't utilize their own patient portal system to help the patients or communicate with them. I was treated horribly by a lab technician when getting an EKG and never got through to a patient advocate. Other hospital systems are much more user-friendly. And they are much more interested in their quality of care.

No patient satisfaction surveys. No email appointment confirmations. No text messages. May their target population age gracefully, not realizing their they are not prisoners to a health system. They are health care consumers in an open market.

So while surgery may in fact be performed more skillfully here, the experience of being a patient is thus far better at a for-profit center. Why not go with the better experience?

I love Dr. Bonanni, he is very outgoing and informative. He truly makes you feel like family. His bedside manner was great, he let my family know everything detail by detail. I would recommend him to everyone.

Dr. Bonanni is very caring, helpful and a skilled surgeon. Dr. Bonanni revised my band to a sleeve on April 12th. The staff was great, the hospital was great and I’m doing great.

I thought he was great on paper, then I met him....even better!

He said I will become like his sister (that's how much he will be involved).

Dr. B is straight up, his staff is fabulous, everytime I call or go in, they are just so nice and make you feel welcome.

They have a structured after care plan with plenty of emphasis on walking, walking, walking.

I am READY!!!!!