Steven J. Binenbaum Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS, FASMBS

I STRONGLY feel that Dr. Binenbaum is an extremely great doctor and very friendly. I would definitely recommend him to others.

I waited for a while before writing my review. I lived my whole life with a weight "problem" and have lost and gained plenty over the years. I am writing this review from a "man's" point of view as some of the warm and fuzzy issues some women might have with this Doctor are not that important to me.
My concerns in choosing a Bariatric Surgeon were competence, skill, and honesty. DR. Binenbaum gave me all three. I interviewed others before Dr. B and found many were lacking or did not inspire much confidence in their abilities.

I was not happy with the long wating time at his office. Staff is very nice and helpful, but one occasion I waited almost 2 hours to see him. I now have a 1 hour waiting limit.

The program is well structured. They try to cover all the bases and answer any possible questions.

My surgery was late August and I was 390lbs going in. I could barley tie my shoes anymore. I was pre diabetic and I had severe sleep apnea. Dr. Binebaum was not happy with me going into the surgery as I didn't really follow the pre-op procedures before my surgery. Looking back I really should have listened as I was just putting myself at risk. My surgery went so well I never even took tylenol... no pain AT ALL. I had a sleeve gastrectomy(pardon the spelling). I was out of the Hospital in 3 days (ICU for all 3) and back to work 3 days later.

The Dr. followed up and checked on me daily. A few small scars and that is it. I am down 90lbs so far and well on my way to my goal. No apnea at all any more and my sugar is normal.

Bottom line. He is a very good surgeon and you would make a very good choice with him. To the point and honest, just what I wanted.

My original gastric bypass was performed by a different group of doctors and this did not go too well. After about 2 years of absolute misery, I was referred to Dr. Binenbaum by my general physician and visiting him was the best thing I ever did. I had visited many different specialists who had performed different tests to no avail. I am greatful that Dr. Binenbaum was not only able to find what was causing the problem but he was also able to fix it without any further complications. I had been vomiting constantly for 2 years after my original surgery and after Dr. Binenbaums 's repair I have not vomited again. What else is needed to be said? Again for this I will always be greatful. I highly recommend this doctor and his staff; I am unable to say this enough. I hope this helps those who feel ambivalent about making a decision.

My love for Dr Binembaum and the Bariatric Surgery Center at Monmouth Hospital in Long Branch, NJ continues to flourish. I had my six month follow up appointment in late December. Dr. B was pleased with my progress and recorded a whopping 55 lbs lost since my surgery in June. I was so happy with that report! But equally thrilling was the fact the in November of 2011 I had lost enough weight that I was able to have a total hip replacement (the first of two). Because of great information and encouragement given by Dr. B's staff (especially Samar Habiby mph, rd) my levels of all vitamins, minerals and the like made me a healthy and weight responsible candidate for the hip surgery. Dr Binembaum has shown great interest and care for me during my post surgery progress and I appreciate his directness and caution.

This review is long overdue. I had started my journey with Dr.Binenbaum In April of 2011, I remember calling the office and speaking with Maureen the receptionist about setting up a consult to discuss weight loss surgery. Right from the start i knew this was the office i was suppose to go to .On the morning of my appointment i walked into the office i instantly felt welcomed from the staff. That morning i was seen by the nutritionist,and psychologist and then i was introduced to Dr. Binenbaum for my consult. In the consult he and I discussed the surgey ad why is was necessary for me to have this procedure done, he was very informative about all aspects of Bariatric Surgery.So i decided to go ahead and have the procedure done.Well i have to tell you it was the best decision i had made.My surgery was done on October 11,2011 and i could not be happier or healthier.Dr. Binenbaum is a wonderful surgeon whom i have recommended to two of my other friends.I have seen him twice since October and cannot tell him enough how much i appreciate him as a proffessional and also as a friend, as far as his staff is concerned they are top notch in my book . I just want to say this, Dr. Binenbaum thank you for all your kindness and your support through this journey you and i took together. As far as my recovery it went very smooth and i have never felt better.If anyone is considering this procedure, i say go for it, you will be in the best of care.
Dena Parulis

I met Dr. Binenbaum in July of 2011. He is a very serious Dr, and takes this surgery very serious, as do his patients. He explains himself very well in what he wanted me to accomplish before my surgery date. My surgery was November 8th 2011, I had a very servere Hyatlal hernia. It was much more involved then we knew. but i was in great hands and came through fine. ofcourse i have the expected soreness, but now im home and comfortable. I was in ICU for the first 4 days after, then moved to a surgical floor for the next 2 days, then came home that sunday. ...
My followup visit with Dr, Binenbaum was today and he was very pleased with everything and i am as welll i have a few sore spots that seem like they are hard, but they are going down, these are from the incisions where the scope went and its going down, but i need to just keep an eye on it .
I would definatly recommend Dr. Binenbaum to others that would even like to speak with a Bariatric surgeon. I have a new Birthday and now a new friend.. this saved my life literally. i am speaking of my own experience, and for me, it was a lifesaver.
Thank you so very much Dr. Binenbaum. :)

At the age of 38, I tipped the scales at 300 pounds. I tried so many programs, and while I had some success, I always found myself gaining the weight back, and simultaneously losing a little more of my own self esteem each time. I made the decision to have gastric bypass surgery, and heard about the Bariatric Sugery folks at Monmouth Medical in a newspaper article...

Two years after surgery, there is not a day that goes by that I am not grateful to Dr. Steven Binenbaum for saving my life. While his bedside manner may not be the best, he is absolutely a brilliant and gifted surgeon. This is not to suggest that he is rude in any way, he is just not terribly warm and fuzzy. He performed two complicated surgeries on me in the course of 6 months - ventral hernia repair, and then gastric bypass - both done laproscopically. Having had several surgeries in the past related to cancer, the surgeries Dr. Binenbaum performed on me were complicated by all of the scar tissue. He worked hard, and masterfully. He was very informative to my family, letting them know what was happening during the surgical process. I remembering my mother commenting to me that it was clear Dr. Binenbaum knew what he was doing, and really cared about me as a patient.

In the course of 18 months, I lost 130 pounds, and went from a size 24 to a 4. I finally feel like the woman I was meant to be in this world - the woman who was hidden beneath all of that extra weight. As a successful professional in my field, I have always had confidence in my work...now coupled with confidence in my appearance, the sky is the limit for me.

I am so fortunate to have found Dr. Binenbaum - he truly is a gifted surgeon and I would recommend him to anyone considering bariatric surgery. As I previously stated, in my book, he saved my life.

Stefamymom
In May 2010, after going to my family doctor, I decided to take a stand and do something about my weight. Sure, I have taken a stand before but we all know how that works. Went to Weight Watcher’s and picked a meeting that was held on Saturday morning so that I could go to dinner with my friends that evening. After all, I had a week to take off the weight I may have gained at dinner and, hopefully, another pound or two if I worked at it hard enough.
Then I thought I was on the road to finally being thin when, through friends and acquaintances, I contacted a diet doctor. I lost 65 pounds by taking a water pill, appetite suppressant, and medication that would not leave me depressed and a sleep aide. Believed I had found what I had been looking for since high school. But, that was not to be. I had a heart attack in February 2008 and had double by-pass surgery. As soon as I was feeling better, I called the doctor and told him I could come back to start the program again. Needless, to say I was informed that I couldn’t take the medication due to the heart attack.
Over the next 2 years I gained back the 65 pounds plus some. Both my cardiologist and family doctor were concerned about my weight and the effect it would have on my heart. When I brought up the subject of weight loss surgery he informed me that he would approve of lap band surgery as long as the cardiologist was on board with it. I had an appointment with the cardiologist that same week and when he told me to “go for it”, I was ecstatic. The next morning I called the Monmouth Medical Bariatric Surgery Center and made an appointment with Dr. Steven Binenbaum. Went for the initial visit in May 2010 and proceed with all the required tests. On October 19, 2010, Dr. Binenbaum performed the lap band surgery. As of August 22, 2011 I have lost 73 pounds.
The staff, Dr. Binenbaum, Deb Larusso (Program Director), Sam Habiby (Nutritionist), and Dr. David Goldberg (Psychologist) are caring , supportive and knowledgeable. The practice is so well rounded and have a monthly support group meetings at the hospital that have enabled me to meet new bariatric friends and learn how to use my surgery as a “tool”. I would highly recommend Dr. Binenbaum and his staff to anyone considering bariatric surgery.
Thanks to this group of dedicated professionals, following a healthy eating plan by Dr. Binenbaum’s staff and exercising I did a 5K Run/Walk on August 6, 2011. My goal was to finish in less than one hour, my official time was 51:54 and I wasn’t last!!!!!

I had gastric bypass done by Dr. B. on 1.5.10 ..i started out at about 278 and im down to 160. I feel fantastic and have had no issues physically or with food. I eat anything I want in moderation at this point (im a 1 1/2 out) .... I feel he is a great surgeon..im my opinion I could care less about anyone's bedside manner thats going to open me up and perform surgery on me as long as he knows what he is doing and he made me feel confident that he knows his profession very well...he covered everything he was going to do and made sure i understood what was going to happen..He was also ontop of me to quit smoking and made me aware of how important that was...I unfortunately didnt listent to him as i should have and ended up having breathing problems after surgery which was totally my fault but im happy to say that I never went back to smoking after surgery either.... He also kept me in the hospital for an extra day due to a fever which cleared up and i was out of there and went home to recover. I followed up with him twice i think after the surgery and i havent been to see him since only because my pcp takes care of my lab work and am happy to say I have never had any discomfort of any kind. I have never even thrown up once since surgery and I attribute that to his skills and me following the plan they gave. I would send anyone to Dr. B. if they wanted gastric bypass...he gave me a the tool to live a healthier life.

Hi Christine:

Wow, I am very sorry about your experience with Dr. Binenbaum. I can only go by what my experience has been. I did have RNY with him in April 2010. The first meeting with him my husband and I thought he was very to the point, very confident and maybe not as warm and fuzzy as other doctors can be. I trusted him to do the surgery and everything went fine. Developed a fever so was in Monmouth Med. for almost a week. He came in everyday, sometimes with Dr. Borao. He was very reassuring that all was fine and that eased my anxiety. I have had a VERY rough year since then, and have been very involved with Dr. Binenbaum. I developed a stricture shortly after surgery that requied 5 endoscopies...he hooked me up wih the best gastro, Dr. Belitsis. Anyway, last summer was vey rough..eating and drinking were issues, and I obviously dehydrate very fast so I was hospitalized 4 or 5 times..again he was always on top of why this was happening. Saw him for the usual follow-ups, and then my gallbladder went this past Feb....he took it out, all was fine again. I wasn't eating or geting enough fluids in after that so on my post-up visit a week later, he gave me another day or two to see what happened or it was off to the hospital again. He actually gave me his cell phone number to call him and let me know if things were better. Unfortunately they were not so another 3 days in Monmouth. Still having pain the 2 months following that surgery, so working with Dr. Belitsis, they decided that my appendix had to come out! He took that out the begining of this month, all went well. I am still having pain that he or the gastro cannot find the reason for, but it is certainly not from what he has done. My follow up from that surgery he literally sat down in the chair next to me and we had a great conversation on what I should do next..he had no problem if I wanted my records from him, My thoughts are that my issues are not surgery related, more gastro related. Do you wait in that office?...yes..all the time, but I find I wait in any doctors office anymore. He also wants to check on me in 3 months instead of the year, which I feel is cautious and I appreciate it. So all in all, I have gotten to know Dr. Binenbaum very well in the last year. I understand him and I am very comfortable with him. I also think he is an excellent surgeon, or he would not have operated on me 3 times!! I am sorry you felt differently and I hope you are doing well.