Walid Abawi Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

I am back for a revision and I see him May 1st Dr Abawi is a great surgeon I just need a revision and I am praying he will do it
Please pray for me also

Well Dr Abawi told me he does not "fix" his own surgeries so I had to go To the States and it was fixed and I am now recovering. Had surgery Nov 16/05. Those of you wanting to know about this surgeon or this procedure please email me and I will tell you of my story.

I am not pleased with Dr Abawi at all. Just to balance this out. His bedside manner was great and he did take good care of me in hospital.

My first impression of Dr. Abawi was that he was rushed and seemed a little put out by my appointment. My husband and i drove 5 hours for this appointment and could not believe that we drove all that way for a 15 minute appt. None of my questions that i had for him were answered due to only having 15 minutes with him. He does seem very rushed but knowlegable on VBG. My first choice would have been RNY done stateside in michigan. But OHIP is no longer approving people without conditions that can take their lives within the waiting time period for the surgery. I am an R.N. Dr. Abawi's receptionist is very helpful and polite. Dr. Abawi seems to be a good surgeon What i am not impressed with to say the least is the fact that there is no follow-ups or Ongoing care provided. No recipe tips, nothing!! But i guess with the Canadian system the way it is, how could i expect more? My 2nd consult with Dr. Abawi was better then the first. By the second consult I had all the answers I needed to decide whether or not to go through with this surgery. The fact that Dr. Abawi has had no deaths during the surgery was a comfort. I am a strong person, and healthier then most so I know im going to be ok and be able to move on through the recovery faze and get started on my New Life. I think Dr. Abawi and his secretary are awesome and wouldn't change a thing if i had to make the choice again. This is only my experience and opinions.

DR. Abawi is very honest and straight forward. He doesn't beat around the bush, lets you know the pros and cons of the surgery. He always asks you if you understand how the surgery works. I'm guessing most of his patients do research before they see him so he doesn't want to go into a long explanation about things if you already know ur stuff. He gives you a sheet with the names of some people that have had the surgery so that you may get in contact with them for support. He is very professional and in his many years of practice has never suffered a fatality due to the surgery. I would say he is probably one of the best VBG surgeons in Canada and i would highly recommend him. He is both competent surgically and with bed side manner.

I found dr. Abawi very informative infact he was the one who told me about this website!My impression of him has not changed the only thing is ,I'm frustrated about the long wait just to get a surgery date.It has been over a year since I was approved and finished all the blood and urine taesting ,but for some reason I have yet to recieve a date.I know that he is a very busy doctor and I understand that their has been some back ups so I'm hoping to get a date soon.
I would recommend him to any one although from the recent phone message I heard he is not accsepting any new wls patients at this time.Hopefully that will change!I will of course up date later once I 've had the surgery to inform you about post op evaluation according to me.

My first impression of Dr. Abawi was that he is very knowledgeable, he has respect for his patients and he tells you as it is but with great decorum. I felt comfortable right off the start with him, I went there informed and with some that he even had not seen a site that I did. So, he asked for the information for himself. Now that’s what I like in a doctor; that he is still willing to learn (even from someone like me!).

My impression has not changed over time, I do trust him and his ability as a surgeon and have great respect for him.

I would describe his office staff as efficient, helpful and caring.

The only thing that I like least about him was that I felt a little rushed for my first appointment with him.

Future patients should know that I have nothing but praises for him. I highly recommended him.

He emphasize aftercare a great deal. He has it all planned for you and all you have to do is follow it.

He has a well structured aftercare program and even a support group in the hospital.

He addresses the risks of surgery very straight forward. He does not dance around this issue. He wants you to understand that there is a real possibility that you may have complications and even die. The risks are there.

I would rate him overall as a 9.5 out of 10.

I believe that both surgical competence and bedside manner is of great importance.

Dr. Abawi and I met and I must admit it was a short appointment. I had come well prepared and he was pleased that I had done my research well in advance of the appointment. He explained the procedure to me and my husband, as well as the risks and benefits. He also explained what was expected after the surgery in regards to follow up and diet expectations. Before leaving his office he did an examination of my abdomen.

His secretary, Tracy, was extremely helpful, always understanding, and very pleasant to talk with.

Overall, I would give Dr. Abawi an excellent rating in regards to his surgical skills as well as being thorough, polite, and easy to talk too.

I am alive, no complications, feeling great and on my way to a better life... all due to a job well done by Dr. Abawi and his fantastic team!!!!

In my personal opinion Dr Abawi seemed very interested in me and why i have chosen to have the surgery. He was very polite, showed me on a diagram what the surgery entails. He then told me he requires me to see a dietitian so i know what im in for as far as the diet. He even suggested that i try it for two weeks and see if i could stick with it. Which i think was an awesome idea. Although i had a very hard time finding one that would accept a new client. He spoke to me about the follow up visit as well as what i could go through the first few months afterwards. I didnt feel like "just another fat woman trying to lose weight the easy way" which is what some other surgeons made me feel like when i met with them and discussed the operation and moral behind it. I am not waiting to be called for a surgery date which i am told will happen within the next 12 months. Im so excited........I'll update as time goes by. Again this is only my personal opinion.

I had my first appt with Dr Abawi in Nov 2002 and he gave me a complete overview of the surgery and he made sure I understood that it isn't a quick fix, I would still have to work hard at losing the weight and keeping it off. I came to the appt prepared, I had done my research and had a long list of questions but Dr Abawi answered most of them before I could even ask. He's very thorough and matter of fact.

I had to see a dietician and have some tests done before my second appt in Jan 2003 whereI was given a surgery date of April 14, 2004.

I thought Dr. Abawi was very nice. I left his office feeling good about him being my doctor. The office staff is great. I did find Dr. Abawi to be like a wirlwind. He is very energetic and therefore his visits are very quick. I am not aware of any aftercare program, but I live far away from him, so I have not had a post-op visit with him. He did go over the risks of the surgery and made sure I understood what I was getting into.
Overall I would give him a 9/10.
I think his surgical competence was great, I would trust him to do this again if I had to. His bedside manner was good, but again like I said he is a busy man and does not spend alot of time with you.
Conclusion: I like Dr. Abawi
These are only my opinions and in no way reflect what anyone else may experience.

Dr. Joffee is a complete sweetheart. He did my youger sisters surgery. He is a very personable surgeon. He really cares. He was brought to tears when he met me and couldn't help me. He has no more O.R. space left. He said his hands are tied and referred me to Dr. Grace in London, Ont.But to no avail. Dr. Grace has been cut from the program at London, Ont. and cannot help me. My sister or I couldn't say anything negative about Dr. Joffee, he is the best. I honestly feel he saved my sisters life. As of March27/03, the weight loss surgery at Grace Hospital where Dr. Joffe does his surgeries has been put on hold for at least 3 weeks because of SARS disease. The hospital is being quarantined. Overall I have never met such an inspirational human being as Dr. Joffee. My sister and I honestly love him with all our hearts...
I have a consult date with Dr. Abawi on August 21/03. It's a way no go for Dr. Joffe and Dr. Yau. It sounds like Dr. Abawi will make an exception for doing surgery on me as I am over 400lbs. I need to get down to 400lbs. at least and he will consider it.