Des Moines area - Mercy or Dr. Eibes?

Hi Melissa, NOPE!!!!! Susan has not changed.   She is very  and  and I thought she was only that way with me. I started my journey in 2004.  I went to the seminar and when I went to ask questions, she kept saying fill out the questionaire and send it back...when we call you for a consult, then you can ask questions.  But everyone else in the room got their questions answered.  I took the questionaire, left and did not go back for a year.   I thought she may have changed by then, but NOPE....so I dealt with it.  But her and I had words and she started treating me somewhat better.  Then I was scheduled for surgery Monday, July 17, 2006, and on the Friday before @445p she called me and said that my surgery was cancelled.  What!!! I jumped through every loop they could find, and passed with flying colors.  Why are they cancelling surgery?  They cancelled my surgery because I was required to use my CPAP machine for 4 hours a night for 3 months.  Month 1-used 4 hours 27 mins per night.  Month 2- used 4 hours 6 mins per night. Month 3- used 3 hours 57mins per night.  Okay that does not explain anything.  If you average the 3 months out I used it 4 hours in each month.  Well, you used your machine for less than 4 hours a night in month 3, and it is required that you have 4 hours.  You've got to be kidding me.  That's some Bulls**t.  I have waited a year to get this done and I am 2 days away, and I cant have surgery because of 3 minutes.  I can put the cpap on and take care of that now.   Per Susan: NO!!!  You are goning to have to use it again for 3 months and make sure you get the 4 hours per night in.  This B***h is .  I slammed the phone down crying.  But I must say this...Thanks to Susan, I had a beautiful baby girl on May 24, 2007 and now I have to start from SCRATCH to have WLS.  So some good came out of it for me.  I here they now offer Lap Band, but I want the real thing.  Mercy is a trip and they take you through a lot.  I just dont have the means to travel to another city, if I did, then I'd find someplace else to go.    Nissah

I am going to Grinnell Bariatric Center.  They are also a Center of Excellence.  Everyone there has been extremely nice.  I am seeing Dr. Sundberg and he has had the surgery himself and been very successful.

Thanks for all the great replies! Boy, the last thing I want is to deal with someone mean during this experience!

I went to dr.Eibes, I didn't look farther because I was very happy with him and his staff.  The surgery was excellent, the staff has been wonderful.  I went to my PCP and got all of my history and took it with me when I went for my consult. They wored hard getting everything together for me.  I would highly recomend him. Lea Ann

I went to Dr. Eibes, had my surgery on Jan 8th and have been VERY happy with everything.  It didn't take me long at all to get approved, scheduled, etc.  Also, just a note - the only reason Dr. Eibes's practice isn't a Center of Excellence yet is because they are a fairly new practice and the requirement is to have a certain # of surgeries completed.  Dr. Eibes himself has done enough and when he was with the program in Grinnell he was affiliated with a Center of Excellence.  It probably won't be long until he's done the magic # of surgeries with his current practice and will have that title again.

Wow, thanks!! That's an angle I hadn't considered, that it's a new program and they just need to meet the criteria for a center of excellence. Also glad to hear you moved through the program pretty quickly. I'm trying to do everything I can while I'm waiting for the seminar date to arrive. Should I schedule any other appointments? like the psych eval (even for after the seminar date) or any medical checkups? mammogram? anything?  Thanks!!

I'm in the same positon you are, deciding between Mercy and Dr Eibes. I have went to the Mercy meeting and cant get into Dr Eibes meetings until the middle of July. I just want to get the ball rolling also. I hope the approval goes fast but I dont want to rush things either. Its a trying time waiting!!!!

Ok, so I typed this long post, then lost it. SHEESH!  Anyway, I'm going to the July 13 meeting, which may be the same as you. I want it to get here now!! Once you decide something like this, you've done your reading, research, thinking, then it takes forever to do anything! lol  I'm starting a doctor-supv'd diet now just in case. I have a month that I can go ahead and be started just in case, though my PCP thinks I have enough history plus HBP to be approved as is. We'll see. Anyone else worried about all the pre-approval? Did you see that lady, Rose, on Big Medicine this week get denied by the psych eval? I'm no where near like she is emotionally, but still. My friend who had the bypass a few years ago said I shouldn't have a problem, that my glasses have never been rose-colored about anything, LOL, and that's what they don't want to see, someone who thinks this is just one big solution to weight problem.