? For Patiets of Dr. Harrington

Good Afternoon! I had my Nutritional Eval with Randi on Friday, and this morning had my blood work done (all 21 vials!). I have an appointment set with Dr. H. on 8/24 (haven't met him yet - my initial consult was with Helen Mi). Can anyone tell me what to expect? Also, how long after your meeting with him did you have your surgery? Thanks! Jackie

Dr Harrington did my surgery in April. When I first saw him, he gave me a talk on what to expect in the coming months of testing and waiting for insurance approval. I got approved faster than I thought, but the testing took a few months to complete. When I went back to him at the end of testing, I had gained some weight. That and the fact that the psych. questioned my commitment (beats me why he said this... I didn't like they guy at all), made him postpone me for 3 months. When I went back 3 months later (and had lost a few pounds), he tried to book me. Trouble was, then my insurance approval window had closed and they needed to apply again. I was booked for surgery about 2 months later. In total, it ended up being a year and a half from the time I called to book my first appointment until I actually had the surgery.

Debi, Thanks for your response. If you don't mind my asking, how much weight did you gain during the testing phase, and how much did you lose by the time you got in to see the Dr. again? Did you know at the time of the psych eval that the psychiatrist had concerns about your commitment, or was that something that you were surprised by when you met with Dr. H? Thanks! Jackie

I think I had gained about 15 pounds in the almost 6 months that had elapsed between appointments. I had only lost about 5 pounds by the time I went back. As soon as I was approved I had made the mistake of thinking, "Oh good, no more dieting for me!" Big mistake! As for the psychiatrist, no, I had no clue he found any problems with me. In fact, my impression was that he was looking for something to blame my weight on and I didn't have any excuses. I didn't have any depression, life traumas, history of abuse, emotional problems, etc. My answer was no to everything he asked about. I think he wanted something psychological to use as a cause for my obesity. I have heard other pre-op GBS patients complain about this guy too. Wish I could remember his name so I could recommend the other clinician to you instead. But he was older, wore a bowtie and worked out of his home on the East side.

Thanks. I appreciate your candor. I've actually already had my psych eval, with Dr. Borescue (a woman). I think that the man you're referring to may have been the other doctor on my list, but when I called I was told that he no longer accepted Blue Chip, so I went to her instead.

Jackie, I initially liked Harrington. He seemed confident & kind. He did my surgery on 6/14. I have had a number of complications, none of which the "good doctor" will take responsibility for. I have since switched to Dr. Roye. He is kind, straightforward & honest. I would book a consult w/ him if I were you. Harrington wasn't very helpful to my family either. My husband was very frustrated w/ him. Please consider what I have said... I am 10 weeks post-op & have a nurse coming 2x per day to care for me. I was in RI Hospital for 51 days... need I say more??? Good Luck to you. Marianne (23 days of which were spent in the intensive care unit)

Marianne, Thank you for your response. May I ask a few more questions? What kind of complications did you have? How old are you? What were your comorbidities before surgery? Do you think the outcome would have been different if Dr. Roye had performed the procedure? If so, why? I understand completely if you prefer not to answer. You are the first "negative" response I've received re Dr. Harrington, so I'm very curious about the details. If you prefer to communicate privately, you can e-mail me at [email protected] Thanks so much for your response! Jackie