James Balliro Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

I had a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (Open Incision) performed by Dr. Balliro at Tallahassee Community Hospital in April, 1994.
I kept the weight off until January, 2001, then back to the dieting, and gaining the weight back and more, numerous times.
I reached an all time weight of 368 lbs. in October, 2013.
After much research I decided on going to Cleveland Clinic in Weston, FL.
There I went through multiple test to have a Revision Surgery of my Gastric Bypass.
On October 17, 2013 Dr. Raul Rosenthal tried to performed a Laparoscopic Revision on my Gastric Bypass. Dr. Rosenthal who gained my respect as a true professional, and read a copy of your Surgical notes, decided once he was in and saw the type of Gastric Bypass I had to call off the procedure.
After the Operation Dr. Rosenthal explained that he could not complete the Revision because the type of Bypass that had been performed previously had been discontinued back in the 90's. He went on to explain that no Revision existed for that procedure, and trying any other operation which is used for Stomach Cancer was not for weight loss, and would have put my life in danger.
Thank God for the wisdom he gave this Surgeon.
Dr. Balliro if you happen to read this, and would like copies of the records from Cleveland Clinic I will be glad to arrange to have them sent to you.
Respectfully,
Nick Rosado
nrosado2004@yahoo.com

I had gastric bypass by Dr. Balliro in Tallahassee Fl. in Jan. 2000. Which everything went great with that I went from 250 pounds to 126 in 1 year! In January 2001 I went in for a hernia and tummy tuck surgery by Dr. Balliro which I figured everything went good. Well approx. 6 mos. later my stomach started hurting so I kept going to my primary doctor and she sent me for X-rays, cat scans, MRI's and they couldn't find anything. This went on for years me hurting. I missed out with family get togethers playing with my grand children couldn't work anymore the pain was just there and would not go away. I no my doctor probably thought I was crazy. So finally 9 years of this she sent me to a surgeon and he went in and found where Dr. Balliro had put sutures around my sternum during this tummy tuck surgery. The surgeon that found them got a hand full of them out of there. So after finding this I had to go though 9 more precedures and be on a wound vac for 4 months. So if anyone is having problems with there stomach you might want to bring this up to your Dr. if you had Dr. Balliro do a hernia or Tummy tuck surgery on you. Even a pet scan did not show this problem. But because of it, It has messed up my whole life!

First impression: Very matter of fact, business like, just the facts, ma'am!rnrnOffice staff - Julianna. She's great, has been very helpful and informative. She also had the surgery 4 years ago, and so I'm learning lots from her.

Dr. Balliro covered everything completely. He answered all of the questions my husband and I had. I was really impressed when he took time out of his day on Father's Day to come to the hospital and check me over before I was released. Some people find him to be cold at first but I believe he is 100% committed to his patients. What he may lack in personality he makes up for in experience in the operating room. Trust me, I would rather he have excellent operating skills than a warm bedside manner (my husband was there to hold my hand, not my doctor). I would reccomend Dr. Balliro to anyone looking for a caring, qualified doctor.

Dr. Balliro is friendly and warm. He is very kind. Over time, I got frustrated by his lack of follow up care. His office staff is fabulous! They had me qualified with my insurance within a week. As I said, he isn't great about aftercare. I don't live in Jackson, so I didn't attend the hospital's sponsored support group, which I hear is fabulous and supposedly keeps patients in closer contact with Dr. Balliro. However, even my PCP says he has numerous post op patients of Dr. Balliro who have the same problem.rnrnDr. Balliro was really up front about possible risks, going so far as to tell me that he had a patient die from complications. And I almost joined that patient's statistics due to my own problems, but Dr. Balliro knew when to send me to a bigger hospital better equipped to deal with me.rnrnOverall, I would say he'd rate a 7, but only because of his relaxed attitude about aftercare. I'd certainly reccomend him to anybody (and have), especially if you have a PCP who is willing to take over your care at about a year. Don't get me wrong, he'll see me in a heartbeat if I have any concerns or problems, he just doesn't make an effort to encourage a lot of formal followup. No reminders about coming in or anything.rnrnBoth his surgical competence and bedside manner are great. He is also super about listening to patient concerns and taking him seriously.

My very first impression of Dr. Balliro was a no-nonsense professionalism. He told me the facts straight-up. He told me how he would have to proceed with surgery and why. I knew the first time I had seen him that I had chosen a very confident and competent surgeon. His office staff is very friendly and helpful.rnAftercare is stressed with check-ups at regularly scheduled intervals. Strong emphasis on follow-up with nutritionist.rnIf I have any medical problems at any time post-op, he is to be the first Dr. contacted. I am very impressed with Dr. Balliro, and would highly recomend him to anyone.rn

Upon meeting Dr. Balliro my first impression was that he knew his business very well. He was very impressed to know that I had done my homework. Don't expect him to be friendly, he tells you the way it is and the way it is going to be, no filler. Rita, his assistant in the office, is always a great help. Never not willing to help.

Aftercare and diet is provided thorough both the doctor and the hospital nutritionist. With the hospital staff included everyone was very nice and easy going. Over all this was a very good experience.

My first impression on Dr. Balliro was that he was a very upfront, matter-of-fact doctor. After my surgery, while still in the hospital, he was a bit more at ease, it seemed. His staff is wonderful... especially Frances! I can't say there was anything I didn't like about Dr. Balliro. Future patients, don't be upset if he doesn't laugh at your jokes or seem overly friendly. He has a job to do and takes it very seriously. The aftercare information was plentiful and helpful. Lynn will help you tremendously with aftercare and diet. Anyone considering this surgery should understand the risks, as with any surgery. I would highly recommend Dr. Balliro to anyone. His surgical competence outweighs his bedside manner, however both are satisfactory.

Nice guy, not very personable, but professional and straight to the point. Don't expect conversation, just orders. However, all and all he is a very good surgeon. His surgical competence is great, bedside manners is not so great. Staff is not very personable either, they do only what is needed, nothing above or beyond the usual office duties. Somehow you get through all of this and make the experience worth your trials and patience. All that said I still like Dr. Balliro because he is very competence and someone once told me that surgeon are not like your regular physician, this is true. I am satisfied!