Weight Loss Surgery Near Joliet, IL
Joliet is the biggest city in Will County, and for bariatric surgery most of its residents still look north. Dr. Sofiane El Djouzi's Bolingbrook office sits on the campus of University of Chicago AdventHealth Bolingbrook Hospital, 20 to 40 minutes from downtown Joliet by Route 53 or I-355, and that hospital is where he operates. For many Joliet patients the first consultation happens by video and the first drive is the pre-operative visit.
Where can I get weight loss surgery near Joliet?
With Dr. El Djouzi, a dual board-certified bariatric surgeon who has performed more than 2,400 procedures, at University of Chicago AdventHealth Bolingbrook Hospital, 500 Remington Blvd. His Bolingbrook office is at 420 S. Schmidt Rd., Suite 235, in the professional building on that campus, and his Darien office is at 2821 83rd Street in DuPage County. He performs the gastric sleeve, the gastric bypass, SADI-S and revision surgery robotically, and he prescribes and manages GLP-1 medication for patients who want treatment without surgery. Consultations are usually available within 48 hours, by video or in person.
How long is the drive from Joliet to Bolingbrook and to Darien?
To the Bolingbrook office, 420 S. Schmidt Rd., Suite 235. About 13 miles, typically 20 to 40 minutes. The direct route is Route 53 north, the old Route 66, straight up through Romeoville to Remington Boulevard, then Schmidt Road. From west Joliet and Shorewood, I-55 north to Route 53 is the alternative. From east Joliet and Crest Hill, I-355 north to Boughton Road then south on Schmidt Road runs about the same. Bolingbrook office details.
To the Darien office, 2821 83rd Street. About 17 to 24 miles depending on the route, typically 25 to 40 minutes. I-355 north to the Boughton Road or 75th Street exit is the fastest, then Lemont Road to 83rd Street. Route 53 north the whole way is shorter in miles and slower in minutes. Darien office details.
Surgery day is a drive to the Bolingbrook hospital itself, and for an early arrival time Joliet patients should allow the full 40 minutes.
Which office should you choose if you live in Joliet?
Bolingbrook, by 10 to 15 minutes, and it is where surgery happens. The practical plan for most Joliet patients is a video consultation first, then the pre-operative visit at Suite 235 on the hospital campus, surgery next door, and follow-ups back at Suite 235. The Darien office is only worth the extra drive if you work near I-55 in DuPage County, or for the one body composition scan visit that every medical weight loss patient has in Darien.
Where does surgery happen for Joliet patients?
At University of Chicago AdventHealth Bolingbrook Hospital, 500 Remington Blvd, Bolingbrook. It is MBSAQIP-accredited, which means it meets national standards for bariatric staffing, equipment and outcome tracking, and a Blue Distinction Center for bariatric surgery, which most Blue Cross PPO plans require for full benefits. Dr. El Djouzi performs nearly every operation robotically through a few small incisions. A sleeve usually means one night in the hospital, and the drive home to Joliet the next morning is a straight run down Route 53. How the robotic sleeve is done.
Which procedures do Joliet patients come for?
Gastric sleeve. The stomach is stapled down to a narrow tube, about a fifth of its original size, and nothing is rerouted. More patients in the practice have this operation than any other, and Dr. El Djouzi scopes the new stomach before closing to check the staple line.
For a Joliet patient it means one night in Bolingbrook, the first follow-up at Suite 235 about two weeks later, liquids for the first week and soft foods after. Most desk workers are back at work within a week. Gastric sleeve surgery.
Gastric bypass. A pouch the size of an egg, joined to a loop of small intestine that bypasses the rest of the stomach. Dr. El Djouzi recommends it over the sleeve for hard-to-control type 2 diabetes, for reflux, and for a high starting BMI. It comes with daily vitamins for life.
The decision between sleeve and bypass is made after a pre-operative endoscopy that Dr. El Djouzi performs himself: significant reflux or a large hiatal hernia points toward the bypass. Gastric bypass surgery.
Revision surgery. A second operation for a sleeve, bypass or band that no longer does its job, no matter who did the first one or where. The right fix for weight regain is not the right fix for reflux or for a slipped band, so the plan waits for the endoscopy and the imaging.
A share of Joliet revision patients had a band placed years ago and have lived with it since. Band removal, alone or with a conversion to a sleeve or bypass, is one of the common revisions in the practice. Bariatric revision surgery.
Hernia repair. If the pre-operative endoscopy shows a hiatal hernia, it is fixed during the weight loss operation. Abdominal wall hernias get their own robotic repair.
Where it makes sense to combine a hernia repair with a weight loss operation, both are done in one trip to the hospital. General and hernia surgery.
Can I get Wegovy or Zepbound near Joliet without surgery?
Yes, and for Joliet patients the program is built to need few drives: Dr. El Djouzi prescribes and manages the medication by video or at the Bolingbrook office, with a dietitian, weekly check-in calls and a biweekly video support group. One short scan and vitals visit happens in Darien before the first dose adjustment. The program fits patients below the surgical BMI, patients not ready for surgery, and patients who regained weight after an operation. Enrollment is $647 for the first month and then $297 a month at the founding rate, and the medication is a separate prescription that many PPO plans cover in part. GLP-1 medication in Darien and Bolingbrook.
What happens at the first visit for Joliet patients?
A 45 to 60 minute consultation with Dr. El Djouzi, usually by video for Joliet patients, or in person if you prefer. He reviews your weight history and health conditions and tells you which treatment fits, including when the answer is medication rather than surgery. Our team has already called your insurer, so you leave with your plan's requirements, your deductible and out-of-pocket maximum, and a written next step. Blood work and imaging before surgery can usually be done at a lab near you in Joliet, and the upper endoscopy is done by Dr. El Djouzi.
Which insurance is accepted for patients from Joliet?
The practice is in network with Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO, Cigna, Aetna and UnitedHealthcare, and also sees Tricare and Medicare patients. Your employer's plan document can add requirements the carrier's policy does not, so the team reads yours before the first visit. What each plan requires. Plans that exclude bariatric surgery are common, and for those patients the self-pay packages are published: $14,000 for a sleeve, $23,000 for a bypass, revisions quoted individually. Bariatric surgery cost.
Why do patients from Joliet choose Dr. El Djouzi?
Two board certifications, General Surgery and Obesity Medicine. A fellowship in advanced gastrointestinal, minimally invasive and bariatric surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Fellowships of the American College of Surgeons, the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Years as an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Loyola University before private practice. More than 2,400 bariatric procedures, nearly all robotic. And one physician for the whole path, surgery or medication, consultation through follow-up. Hablamos Español.
Ready to find out where you stand?
A 45 to 60 minute consultation, by video or at the Bolingbrook office, usually within 48 hours. We verify your insurance first.
No referral needed · Hablamos Español · Most major insurance accepted
What else do patients from Joliet ask?
Is the drive worth it compared with a surgeon in Joliet?
That is your call. What the drive buys is an accredited bariatric program, a surgeon who does nearly every case robotically, and the same physician for the consultation, the operation and the follow-up.
How many trips will I make before surgery?
Typically one in-person pre-operative visit at Suite 235 and the endoscopy, which our office schedules with you. The consultation and most other conversations can be by video.
Which route is best from Joliet on surgery morning?
Route 53 north to Remington Boulevard is the most direct. Allow 40 minutes for an early arrival time.
Can my blood work be done in Joliet?
Usually yes, at a lab near you, and your insurance generally covers it even when it excludes the surgery.
Do you take Tricare and Medicare?
Yes, along with Blue Cross PPO, Cigna, Aetna and UnitedHealthcare. We verify your specific plan before your first visit.