Hiya - looking for a PCP in PA

Hello everyone,

Happy Friday!! I live in the Pottsville area and am wondering if any of you have a PCP who you feel is easy to communicate with regarding your WLS journey?  Is attentive and willing to work with your surgeon's recommendations over the long-term? 

While I like my PCP, i'm at a stage where I need someone who is going to be a partner with me and I would love to hear from any of you if your PCP is great and from what part of PA?

Thank you,
Tami :)

Tami, I'm surprised you haven't had ANY replies to your post! Surely there are some good PCP's in the Pottsville area!

I'll put a vote in for mine, who has seen me thru a long journey to my surgery: Dr. William Longenecker, Crossroads Medical Group, Brownstown, PA (Lancaster County).  He has worked with WLS surgery patients in the past, and is very supportive of the surgery and all it takes to move someone to that destination if it is medically desirable.

Oh I do think there are some great docs around here, it's just not many at all understand WLS in general, let alone the different types.  Getting your labs done, proper referrals, and having a doc that will listen/learn with you is a big part of this.  That's why i'm on a search if I can't get my doc, whom I do like, to pay a lil more attention to what I need vs. the normies. 

I'm gonna have to google Brownstown. lol  While I live here, I don't travel about much but I do thank you for the recommendation.  He sounds like the kind of Doc we should have. :)

Hi, I live in Ashland, and my pcp is at Geisinger in Danville, but my wls doctor still watches over me yearly and I go to Geisinger support groups bi monthly and other ones too,,,,if you see there is cooking class in easton monthly at Lizs, all are welcome and there is group of us who meet down in Orwigsburg on a sat at Healthy Habits on RT. 61, wls people from all different paths, some had surgery at allentown, reading, danville, etc.....I have several contacts down your way. Where did you get your surgery done?  I am out now two years.....down 110 pounds and staying there , hopefully soon I will loose alittle more, but if I don't I'm ok......Lois

Thank you both for responses :)   My journey was not as expected, i'm now starting to get myself motivated and letting the blame go.  In 6/05 I had the RNY @ Geisinger in Danville.  I was a slow loser with some complications but never reached goal and now i'm back where I began - fat and unhappy about it.  So i'm seeking a revision to DS and feel it is a good solution for me - not bashing the RNY it just didn't work out for me.  

I've been a quiet lurker on this forum but never posted much because my story is not a successful one but so many of you had/are having such great success and seem to be happy as well as nice and supportive, which I love to see.  I guess I still feel like the fat girl hiding in the corner sometimes. 

The posts from Liz with recipes and such are so great, and perhaps when I get back to feeling a bit more hopeful and less like hiding, i'll get out and meet some of you wonderful folks.  Right now i'm just going one step at a time and see how it goes.  You've done great and as long as you are happy with yourself, what that blasted scale says is just a number. :)

Healthy wishes,
Tami

sorry about your experiance with GMC, you are not alone, but this could have happen anywhere in the whole OH world here at any place...there is a girl in Pottsville,her name is Robin, she won't mind me writing this so I am, she went in for rny and her lung collasped....she was in danville for almost three months and then rehap.....had nothing to do with rny, it was just what happened with her body....she now just had a hernia repaired and for her the first three months she didn't even know she had rny....she lost her memory. and had to relearn everthing, she was cut down the belly and it healed and she didn't even know why she had the cut!  but she is doing good...also at gmc I go to the back on track program twice a month and it is covered by insurance and there are three separate groups that meet twice a month they mostly consist of rnany people who have gained back there weight...gmc will work with you and give you the post op support you need including seeing someone each time you go....I go to the back on track, I am not off track but do not want to fall off, so I go just to keep up with everything, please contact me if I can be of any help at all......you have not failed....................we are all in the same boat just different parts of the water............................Lois             [email protected]     there are a bunch of us who would love to be here for you and you are for us.......

Thanks so much for sharing, I really hope Robin is doing well now, what a story that is.  I will consider the back on track program, though admittably i'm not sure I wish to go back there.  That's just me though, i'm sure it's a great group and good for everyone no matter what stage you may be in. 

 Well I love my PCP, Dr. Fred Singer,  he supported me 100%, not sure how well versed he is with the surgery types, but he reffered me to Abington Hospital which does all types, not sure if you have a surgeon yet, but Dr. Bonnani is great, but you would have to check into his revision experience and if he does them.  

Dr. Singer is in Huntingdon Valley PA and is just outide Philly, which I know would be a long way from Pottsville.  They also go by the name of Lawndale Internal Medicine and three other good docs there as well.  Hopefully you will be able to find something close though.  Good Luck!

Going with a surgeon for revision gives you very limited options, you really do need the best of the best with real experience for this longer procedure.  All things considered, I found a well known surgeon in NJ who performs them and have had contact with him.  This makes your PCP even more important with helping on the follow-up labs and care.  Thanks for the recommendations, i'll look into them and have a great day.  :)

 Awesome, glad you found someone you are comfortable with....I wish you smooth sailing on your journey!!