John Balfour Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

My impression of Dr. Balfour was that he was confident in his ability to perform this surgery. I had heard of his wonderful reputation and he is everything I thought he would be. Unfortuantely, he was running late to perform a proceedure and I didnt get a chance to talk to him for as long as I would have liked, but I still felt very comfortable with him and his ability.

My impression of Dr. Balfour was that he was confident in his ability to perform this surgery. I had heard of his wonderful reputation and he is everything I thought he would be. Unfortuantely, he was running late to perform a proceedure and I didnt get a chance to talk to him for as long as I would have liked, but I still felt very comfortable with him and his ability.

I met Dr. Balfour 2 years before I actually had the surgery, we was very communicative about the surgery, all the risks
and possible side effects. His staff at the Straub Hospital and Clinic is very professional and seemed genuinely interested in me as a person. The aftercare was fantastic, the doctor has performed close to 600 WLS operations and I felt very confident about him and his staff. I am a regular visitor to his offices, I stop in weekly to use his scale. Even though I can now weigh myself on "regular" scales I still pop in to say hello. I am writing a book on my experience and wish to help others, I hope he will consider writing a chapter for me.

Dr. Balfour appears to be professionally competent, caring. What more can I ask? The office staff has been helpful, except when the (only) person I needed to talk to was out on vacation...

I had such a bad deal with the first doctor I choose, so when I met Dr.Balfor I was sure he had to be better than the first Doctor.
Dr. Balfor has been professional and things
seem as they have been done a million times before, and yet I feel care has been very personal. Care at Straub is very orderly like a well oiled machine. Much different than what I delt with the first time around.

My initial appointment with Dr. Balfour's office was scheduled for August 2002. One week before the appointment his office called and cancelled the appointment but would not reschedule me again until November 2002, which made me very unhappy. The same thing happened in November, however, I was able to convince them to reschedule me the next week although they initially wanted to schedule it for January 2003.

When I finally saw Dr. Balfour, he and his staff were very helpful and answered all my questions. I was put on the surgery waiting list that very day and was told it would probably be 9-12 months before my surgery date. However, due to some cancellations and good luck, my surgery was performed on 5/23/03, just six months after my initial visit.

Dr. Balfour told me he had performed over 650 RNY gastric bypass procedures (as of November 2002). Before surgery I was required to see the dietician for a 2 hour visit and undergo preop testing for pulmonary, upper gastrointestinal series, and numerous lab tests. During the gastric bypass, Dr. Balfour routinely does a liver biopsy. All of the risks were explained, and Dr. Balfour freely discussed his track record with this surgery. He only performs the open RNY as opposed to laparoscopically.

After my initial appointment with Dr. Balfour in 11/02, I never saw him again until postop. The preop examinations were performed by the hospital residents and medical school students. However, Dr. Balfour monitors your preop test results and your compliance with all preop requirements.

Postop care with the dietician is not mandatory but I was given a schedule by the dietician for followup postop in order to learn when and what to eat. The dietary visits ARE NOT COVERED by my insurance. Postop care with Dr. Balfour is on scheduled dates (i.e. 2 wks postop, 6 wks post op, 20 wks postop, etc). My staples and feeding tube were removed during the 2 week postop visit. I assume if you have any problems he would see you anytime you needed it. I was lucky and had absolutely no complications.

Overall, I would give Dr. Balfour an excellent rating. He is nice, caring, and very competent, with a great track record. Also his nurse anesthetist, who put in my preop IV line, was VERY competent and nice. I have very small veins and he hit my vein the first try which was a great relief to me. He said he has worked with Dr. Balfour during gastric bypass surgeries for many years and that Dr. Balfour was excellent.

If I had any complaints at all, I think his patients could use a better support group while they are waiting all those months for the surgery.

My impression of Dr. Balfour is he is an extremely knowledgeable and talented surgeon.

As many surgeons, Dr. Balfour is extremely busy. Prior to surgery I met him only once and that was for the consultation. But the lack of face to face contact is totally overshadowed by the time he spends with you. When I did meet with him I knew I was the focus of his attention and that I appreciated. His nurse is also wonderful and makes an excellent liaison between patient and doctor.

Aftercare consists of follow-up visits on a regular basis. He also refers us to a dietician prior to surgery and it is suggested we keep meeting with her as time goes on.

My only comment would be that it would be nice for Dr. Balfour to have a post-surgery or aftercare "booklet". Basically there are so many questions and if people had a booklet it would probably answer many of them. Also while his staff can recommend a support group this is something that we as patients have to ask about. If this was included in the booklet it would be wonderful.

Prior to surgery I had been informed by many people in the healthcare field about Dr. Balfour's surgical competence and I definitely do agree he is a wonderful surgeon and I am happy I went to him.

Dr. Balfour was excellent. I had actually seen him 2 years ago for an initial consultation. My surgery was approved and I was started on the road to pre-op routine. When I actualy got a date for surgery I chickened out and cancelled everything. A year later after thinking about my options and having done nothing to loose weight, the joint oains and depression were setting in. At 52 I knew I had a few more years that I had to work. I needed to be healthy. I saw Dr. Balfour again and he was just as encouraging as he had been the first time I saw him. He clearly understood the questions I had regarding the cancelling of the first surgery. His staff in his office is very good , but I am having some question noe regarding his post-op support. I am scheduled for my first post-op visit on the 5th of May and I will be able to update this portion at that time.

I was very pleased with the outcome of my consultation with Dr. Balfour. He was very nice and professional. He answered all of my questions and explained the procedure thorougly. His office staff was nice when I finally met them in person. I only say that because there were some misunderstanding when I called to follow up on my appointment.

I was also sad to hear about how long it might take to get an answer from my insurance company (between 2 to 6 weeks). I am very anxious but know that these things takes time. I was also told that we were looking at the beginning of next year for a surgery date. I was devastated at first but, if that is the only time, then I have no choice in waiting.

My initial impression of Dr. Balfour was positive. I found him to be warm and very down to earth. (Being an RN, I have had more than my share of experience with surgeons who have a God-complex!) I still feel that way about him -- trusted him completely after he answered all of my questions, and still trust him now. Office staff is in a state of flux currently... he had a medical assistant who was functioning in the role of nurse, and was failing miserably at it. She's gone now, and he has an RN who is much more competent. Be aware that he is very busy (as all surgeons are) and that he will have a surgical resident do your pre-op exam. But don't be intimidated by how busy your MD seems to be -- you have a right to as much time as you need, and to have your calls and questions given attention (which Dr Balfour has always done.) Straub's aftercare program is also undergoing changes/improvements -- there is a strengthening relationship developing with the dietitians and Dr. Balfour, which is good. His bedside manner is very reassuring, but direct and to the point. As far as surgical competence goes, I have been pleased with both what I can see (my incision) and what I can't see (my new insides, which seem to be functioning fine.)