First Consultation

Yesterday I had my first consultation with the Surgeon after attending the seminar. I am not sure if I took away from the consultation, exactly what I wanted to take away from it. I walked in waited 45 min, because he was still at the hospital, fine, no biggie, I understand. Then I was with an assistant, and she asked me if I took vitamins, and if not I would have to get my blood drawn to check for vitamin D efficency. What?? I was never informed of anything remotley like this? But ok, another no biggie, but definetly taken off guard - (this was a consultation?)

Surgeon seemed very nice, but I got the vibe I was just another number. I don't know if I am looking to be just another number or if I want to feel like I'm the "only girl" in the world. He was very vauge, told me that he thought the sleeve was a great decision that I made, and didn't bother to go over any other surgery options. He answered all the questions my husband had and made him feel more at ease. I told him I had done alot of research and continue to every day, so I felt as if he didn't bother to go over it all with me. He said basic things like you need to change your whole way of eating, and that I could be very successful if I follow plan & that was that. Maybe, I'm the one that didn't ask enough questions? He told me I would have to get all those requirments like psychologist, dietician, ect. but he did not explain my next steps & when I left to check out, the front desk lady told me someone would "probably" be calling me. probably? I left feeling a bit empty handed, and not positive on where to go from here, or if I am even confident enough in a surgeon. My husband tells me to be, but I don't know if I am making something out of nothing here. *sigh*

Surgeons are good at cutting, but many fail at being a "people-person".  If you don't want to wait for his staff to call you, call your insurance company yourself and ask what they require for pre-approval.  Then you can get started at all of the requirements.  It doesn't hurt to see another surgeon or two either.  Vitamin D deficiencies are quite common, too, which explains his wishing for bloodwork.

Not all surgeons have a great "bed side manner" and don't always mesh with people. 

I would encourage you to check out other surgeons.  I went to three new patient seminars and that helped me a lot.  They were educational but also helped me to make a decision as to which surgeon to use.  At a minimum, go to one more surgeon to see what you think.  The surgeon does the surgery but also ask about their after care.  Check out the surgeon but also the staff.  You'll probably interact with the staff more than the surgeon.

I would rather have a brilliant surgeon who is a jerk, than a mediocre one that was my best friend.  All I want out of my doctor is a perfect procedure.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.  If he can provide that, and I have to rely on either his staff, this board, or my own research to find out the rest, that is okay by me.

It's probably quite different in the States than in Australia (for example I don't know what the seminar is you refer to be must be standard there), but even though surgeons are notoriously blunt, you shouldn't feel like just another number or that he is 'vague' - he needs to convince you you can trust him, if he's not willing to do that then he shouldn't get your business! There are other things than his manner which made my eyes widen with more concern. 

First, whether you are taking vitamins or not they should want to do a full blood work up to find out IF you are deficient in any vitamins and need to try to boost them pre-op while you can still take normal pills and eat good food. Most of my levels were fine but my vitamin D was truly terrible and I needed to supplement it way more than just taking a multivitamin would have done! After surgery the small amount of food that you can eat will mean you will have to take a good quality vitamin for the rest of your life so it's best to try to get your levels up so that you can heal properly post-op and have a good starting point. 

If you left his office unsure of the next step and his secretary didn't make up for that with information then that's another red flag to me. If you have any problems pre or post-op you need to feel there is someone to call who can answer your questions or help you in an emergency, it doesn't sound like he or the secretary made you feel you could do that. A good medical secretary can make up for a million sins of a surgeon - a good feeling about them is essential!  

Like the others, I suggest you go and see at least one other surgeon - if you're able to, I'm not sure how the system works there. 

Good luck! 

Darcy. 

One thing that I really wish I had done pre-op was get some really extensive blood work done, so I'd have a good baseline to judge my post-op levels against.

As someone said, most people are deficient in D, and it's MUCH easier to work on getting your levels up pre-op. Ideally, you want to get ALL your important vitamin and mineral levels well into the good range before you have surgery---your body is simply better able to heal if everything's where it should be. (You also need to do some research on what's actually a 'good' level for the various things---most docs will tell you 'everything's fine' if you're just one point away from being deficient, because it's still 'in range'.)

Sadly, you probably ARE 'just a number' to this guy. Not all surgeons are in this business because they want to make peoples' lives better---they're in it for the money. If he truly cared about you as an individual, he would have discussed ALL FOUR forms of WLS with you (Band, VSG/Sleeve, RNY/gastric bypass, and DS/duodenal switch), even if he personally doesn't offer them all.

And---how does he know you'll have to change your whole way of eating? Obviously he has no clue how you're eating NOW. Each form of WLS has different post-op eating plans, and you should understand them all before you choose your surgery type. (Also, I strongly encourage everyone to choose their surgery type FIRST, then seek out surgeons highly experienced in doing THAT surgery. Not all surgeons do all forms of WLS.)

I suggest you visit the various surgical boards, including the Revision board. Talk with as many people as you can, of all surgical types, who are AT LEAST three years post-op. Ask all sorts of questions---this is a major, life-changing decision and not one to be made lightly.

Everything you described (step wise) was exactly how it went for me. My doc was late on my consult (stuck in surgery) At my first consult nurse had me do a BreathTek UBT breath test, a Vitamin D blood test, and a Hemoglobin finger stick. Then the surgeon came in. It was short and sweet, but he he did answer all my questions.  I too left the first visit with a " you'll hear from us". But it was the next day... I have found out that the office handles EVERYTHING, and the surgeon does the surgery. I actually find that reassuring, that he can concentrate on what he does best...LOL

His office is freaking AWESOME!!!! They helped me get all my pre-op testing out of the way. I have two sets of requirements...

REQUIREMENTS:

BCBS of IL requirements: 

• psych eval -July 10th - COMPLETED
• dietitian eval - July 29th - COMPLETED

 My surgical group requirements:

• Surgeon consult - June 26th - COMPLETED
• Abdominal Ultrasound - June 30th - COMPLETED
• Attend support group - July 5th - COMPLETED
• Psych eval -July 10th- COMPLETED
• Pulmonary eval -July 17th - COMPLETED
• Nutritional class - July 22 - COMPLETED
• Dietary eval - July 29th - COMPLETED

Another thing I have to say is his office is VERY thorough with test and have amazing support meetings!! I'm very happy!

So now I'm at the point where I sit and wait.... everything is submitted and I confirmed with BCBS that they did get it on July 30th....Now just waiting. BCBS said the waiting time is 21-30 days.. but have been seeing them have answers in about 2 weeks!

 Good luck!

Jess

Thank you all for your advices. I think I am going to make an appointment with another surgeon & see how I feel after that. I think it'll put my mind at ease a lot more. Plus I just got a call from the current surgeon's office that told me that I had to enroll in a program through my insurance. I already did that. She told me, she was pretty sure I had to choose one of their facilities, yet I have paper work saying any network, their COE is encourged, but not mandated. She is going to recheck with them and hopefully get back to me on Friday. I'm not sure exactly what to think there. We'll see. Would love to get the ball continously rolling. Patience I need, my virtue its not.