Elmer Valin Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

What do you say about the guy that saved your life. I think Dr Valin is very good at what he does. He seems to enjoy his patients. Sometimes he can be very busy and just wants to get to the point of your visit. Which is understandable considering how popular is becoming. But I have to say the last few times I have been there he has seemed more relaxed and quite funny. But no matter what mood he is in he has ALWAYS made me feel comfortable and had time to answer all of my questions.His wife Debby who I have bugged for the littlest things is great. I dont call the office much but I email often especially very early post op and she has answered all my emails. When I was in the hospital Dr Valin was there almost everyday. He would come in at all different hours. It was nice to know that he was somewhere around. I cant say enough about him or his office staff. Sometimes things get crazy in their office. But now that they hired an extra hand it seems to be running smoothly. Cecil is great she always has a smile and a cute laugh on the phone. The office staff is very friendly and helpful. If they dont have the answer they will get it and get back to you. Whether it be in an hour or sometimes 7-8 at night. But eventually they find the answer for you.

I chose Dr. Valin as my surgeon after doing extensive research on several different surgeons in my area. When I made the decision to have this surgery I wanted an experienced surgeon, with excellent success rates, and a low rate of complications. Dr. Valin fit this profile perfectly. Upon my first visit I found him to be very professional and informative. He took the time to answer all of my questions, and then quizzed me to make sure I had done my homework prior to making the decision to have surgery. He provided me with a long list of longer-term post op patients that I could contact. He also maintains his own website for his pre and post op patients to communicate with each other. I contacted several of his patients and questioned them extensively before making the final decision to have Dr. Valin as my surgeon. The more people I talked to the more confident I was that I had made the right decision. His office also puts on a monthly support group meeting that is a combination of pre and post op patients. He requires you to attend at least one meeting prior to having surgery. I had my surgery on May 9, 2002. The surgery went well with no complications. His office has gone out of their way with me to provide excellent after care since my surgery. They have been receptive to all of my questions and concerns without making me feel like I was a bother. I am sometimes difficult to reach by phone, therefore, I can even email them with questions when I am working and they get right back to me. In addition to the aftercare that Dr. Valin provides, there is also a nutritionist and psychologist that I have available to me at all times. They even attend each support group meeting. At six months post op I am more confident that ever I definitely made the right choice in surgeons. I would recommend Dr. Valin to anyone considering weight loss surgery. I feel like Dr. Valin has given back the life that I thought was gone forever.

I am meeting Dr. Valin on 12/19/01. Will let you know....

Dr. Valin, Debby and Cecile have ALL ben wonderful to me. It is so great to know that they share in my excitement. It has been almost a year since I met them and I must say that I have found the office to be available, informative and supportive. Thank you Dr. Valin!!!!

I have a meeting with Dr Valin on July 10. I attended an information session with Dr Barba.
10/22 update I have a second appointment with Dr Valin on the 24th. Debby and Dr. Valin are great.

Dr. Valin and his staff are very knowledgable, approachable and friendly. They are very busy though. I had a lot of information before I made the decision which surgery to have. I also had a lot of pre-op appointments to go to with various specialists. As long as you stay on top of what you need to do, you can get through it all. I was very comfortable with the Doctor both as a surgeon and with his bedside manner. I know of other doctors in the area who are good at one but not the other. Dr. Valin is good at both. Also, he is very experienced at laproscopic surgery and he is one of the few in the area who can do the lap band procedure.

Dr.Valin-hmmmmmmmmm-
What a nice guy..He deserves a lot of respect for what he does..For me this was a huge surgery so I really needed to trust the person I was putting my life too..He was wonderful-answering all of my questions and calming all of my fears..He knows what he is doing and is very confident with his work.. His bedside manner was impeccable and he always treated me as if I was the only one who mattered..You don't find that quality in a surgeon anymore, and it was a pleasure to have him help me get my life back-I know that I will have a lifetime of follow ups with him and I look foward to that..I consider myself blessed..My question to him is "Do you ever go home??"
As for the office staff-they are pretty awesome too..I have never been treated with such respect..Debbie actually took the time to find out I have a twisted sense of humor..
All kidding aside, I am used to walking into a doctors office and having the stares, but around there I feel welcome, and there is an attitude in there that people care..Ciel and Jen have been great although I question if Ciel is overworked..Just a thought..
An overall rating for Dr.Valin is a 10 out of 10..God Bless..

I felt very comfortable with Dr. Valin. He was professional, kind, and very understanding. He answered all of my questions, and I answered all of his, which I feel he was very through. Debbie as well as all the other staff were wonderful to deal with. With every visit or phone call, I got to feel closer to all of them. They made me feel like I was their only patient, never did I feel like I was taking up too much of their time.

Dr. Valin explained that he will be having me returning for check ups for what I consider the rest of my life.

All the risks of surgery as well as the complications during and after were explained in detail.

I feel like Dr. Valin has hands of gold. He is tremendously skilled and gentle, while never loosing his kind, concerned, caring manner. He is one in a million!!!

i thought dr. valin was excellent from the moment we met,,, my impression has not changed

I found Dr. Valin through the ASBS website after doing a Google.com search. I called his office and made the appointment for several weeks later. I was disappointed that I had to wait, but when I went to the office and met him, I was very happy. His wife Debbie, works with him in the office and is very friendly and helpful. Cecile, his secretary was warm and friendly as well. They gave me some information to read, and after meeting with Dr. Valin and discussing my thoughts and feelings, I set appointments to meet with the psychologist and nutrionist. I met with them within the first week of my initial appointment with Dr. Valin. My nutritionist gave me a high protein diet to follow and some test sticks to test my urine for ketones. After three days, I went and gave my urine test to a local lab, and waited to hear from Dr. Valin after he received and reviewed the results. That took another few weeks, but when I returned to his office, he told me that I was a great candidate for a laporoscopic Roux-eN-Y bypass, the open by-pass, or the banding. I had already researched them all and had decided on the lap. A tentative date of October 8,2002 was given to me, and as of today, 8/29/02, I am still waiting for a phone call and a reassurance that that IS still my date. I am currently reading everything I can about the surgery, and looking for support from friends and family. Everyone THIN thinks that this is a drastic measure to overcome obesity, but they have never been cursed with walking around inside MY body. To me, this surgery is a miracle that will allow me to live the rest of my life without the prejudices felt my overweight people. I am not ignorant, lazy, stupid, unmotivated, illiterate, jolly, or uneducated. I am fat. This is the answer for me.

I would strongly recommend Dr. Valin to others in the New Haven area if they are thinking about this surgery. The support group that he and Dr. Reinhold have at St. Raphael's in New Haven is incredible. The people that I have met and talked with that work with the Bariatric Surgery Unit at the Hospital of St. Raphael have been helpful in relieving my anxiety. I am looking forward to starting the rest of my life and hope that things go well.