Your deductible resets January 1. If the medication isn’t getting you there, this is the window.

Everyone going into this is nervous. It’s a whole new world on the other side, and that’s scary. It isn’t a sign you shouldn’t do it.

The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery reports mortality of about 0.1 percent and major complications of about 4 percent across nearly 280,000 procedures a year at accredited centers. Ask Dr. El Djouzi every question you have on the call. That’s what it’s for.

It’s a tool you work with, not a cure, and it works for most people who work with it. Ten years after surgery, sleeve patients in a randomized trial maintained about 23 percent total weight loss and bypass patients about 27 percent.

The honest version: if old habits come all the way back, some weight can too. That’s why follow-up is part of the plan, not an afterthought.

It’s fair to want a way back, and surgery doesn’t offer one. What it offers is durability: the trial results above are at ten years, while the medication works only while you take it.

Take your time. Be the annoying patient who asks every question. The 10-minute call exists so you can ask them before you commit to anything.

The first weeks are an adjustment. After that, most patients describe eating smaller portions of normal food, feeling satisfied, and thinking about food less. The food noise goes down. Social meals become about the people, not the plate.

The only people who call it easy have never done it. Since 2022, the leading US and international bariatric societies recommend surgery for anyone with a BMI of 35 or more, and say it should be considered from a BMI of 30 when diabetes or other metabolic disease is present. It’s a medical treatment for a medical condition.

What other people think of your decision is their business, not your job.

Both are real, and most patients will tell you they’d take them any day over the weight. Hair thinning after rapid weight loss is usually temporary, and it’s listed as a side effect of the newest weight-loss pill too, so it isn’t specific to surgery. Dr. El Djouzi will talk through what to expect for your body.

Yes. A 2026 study presented by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery found that patients who had surgery after a GLP-1 still reached 20 to 25 percent total weight loss, and the weight you already lost counts toward where you end up. Many of the patients Dr. El Djouzi operates on tried the medication first. You’re not a failure if you need both.

Don’t stop anything on your own. Current surgical and anesthesia guidance lets most patients continue a GLP-1 until shortly before surgery, with a clear-liquid day beforehand. Dr. El Djouzi gives you exact instructions once you have a date.

Medication and surgery are separate benefits. Many plans that dropped weight-loss medication in 2026 still cover weight-loss surgery. Some employer plans exclude it. Our team verifies your benefits before you commit to anything, usually at your first visit.

No. A deductible isn’t paid up front; it’s applied as your claims are processed. If you’ve already met it this year, your share of surgery before December 31 is your coinsurance, up to your plan’s out-of-pocket maximum. Your insurer’s app shows where you stand.

For many patients who complete their evaluation in October, approval takes two to six weeks. That’s typical, not guaranteed. Our team submits the paperwork and tells you the moment you’re approved.

Cigna’s 2026 policy covers surgery at a BMI of 35 or higher without requiring a weight-related condition, and at BMI 30 to 34.9 with one, with no months-long diet requirement. UnitedHealthcare covers BMI 40 or higher, or 35 to 39.9 with a listed condition, with no fixed-length diet. Aetna requires documentation of at least 12 lifestyle-program sessions within the last two years, which can be scheduled in quick succession. TRICARE requires documented non-surgical attempts and more than medication alone.

For BCBS, we verify your plan’s exact requirements at your first visit. BCBS HMO through AdventHealth adds a primary care referral.

Since 2022, the leading US and international bariatric societies recommend surgery for anyone with a BMI of 35 or more, with or without other conditions, and say it should be considered from a BMI of 30 when diabetes or other metabolic disease is present. Your plan may set its own thresholds. The 45-second check on this page uses your numbers.

The call is free, on video, and answers one question: is this for me? No forms, no commitment. The consultation is the clinical visit that starts the process: history, exam, plan, and the paperwork for approval. It’s virtual or in person, confirmed by a 20-minute online intake, and billed to your insurance or self-pay.

It’s the clinical record Dr. El Djouzi reviews before you meet, so your visit is about you and not about data entry. The visit can’t happen without it. Complete it in one sitting right after you book and your slot is confirmed.

Book today and you’ll have a time with Dr. El Djouzi within two business days, by video or in person in Darien or Bolingbrook, for the 10-minute call or the full consultation. Book on a Friday night and you’re seen Monday or Tuesday.

Then we build the January plan: your evaluation and approval are already done, your surgery lands early in the year, and your 2027 deductible is met in January instead of December, which covers the rest of that year.

European regulators classify a rare optic-nerve condition called NAION as a very rare side effect of one widely used GLP-1 medication, up to 1 in 10,000 people, and US regulators are still evaluating. Researchers have not shown cause and effect. Nobody should stop a medication because of a headline. Talk to your prescriber.

If what you actually want is to stop needing the medication, that’s a different conversation, and it’s the one this page is for.

No. Dr. El Djouzi performs the full range of bariatric procedures, including the gastric balloon, the lap band, ESG, SADI-S and the duodenal switch. The consultation is where the two of you decide which one fits your anatomy, your history and your goals.

Yes. Your reservation text and email carry the video link, or the address if you chose in person in Darien or Bolingbrook.