What's up, Doc? One hurdle vaulted, many more to go.
Well, I had my first consult w/ the surgeon Jan. 19th 2017, here in Youngstown, OH, and Dr. Woodruff has accepted me as a patient. Yippee! However, I requested a 2nd consult w/ him because instead of the 90minute session I was told it would be, it was roughly 20 & never got to ask my grocery list length of questions. I was a bit miffed 
about that and I felt although he's congenial, he's a bit aloof too [it's not like he had another for two more hours I was informed by a staff member]. I sought out reviews of him on google & OH.com and this seems to be his "M.O.", but he does good work so I've read [no current reviews though on this site. had to Google for a few recent. [sadly not everyone gives a review. even searched YouTube. Zilch.], I've exhausted my other options and this is the best fit for me anyway. The staff member obliged & bariatric nurse obliged & said, "of course they'll set the appt." Since he's only in the office on Thursday mornings, I'll be seeing him Thursday, Feb. 16th @ 8AM.
So now I've many specialist appointments and tests I must take to meet the surgeon's and my insurance's requirements. Luckily, as I scanned his & my insurance's requirement list, I've accomplished a good number of these in Nov. & Dec. of 2016 and in early January because I was always thinking ahead and recalled what other patients had done. I also met w/ my Pulmonologist and she's faxing him my sleep study results and a letter of CLEARANCE for Surgery. YAY! 
I've since booked the other doctors [these I'll be meeting for the first time] and all will take place during mornings in February and March . Except the support group meetings. Those are on the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of the month @ 6-ish PM. Looking forward to it. Cheers.
Jen 
on 1/28/17 8:22 pm, edited 1/28/17 12:22 pm
So maddening that you didn't get to ask your questions!! Maybe he was suffering from intestinal distress 
and had to leave... just teasing. At any rate it looks like you really have your ducks in a row - that's awesome and should serve you well!
PS - Love your username
ROFL!! 
I sincerely hope that was the case for him. But thank you so much for your reassuring words of confidence.
Thanks, I like my moniker too. LOL! I was trying to be sort of clever back in 2002 when I chose it in order to register on this site back then, so I kept it.
Have a lovely evening out in California.
Jen in Ohio
As you may have noticed, not everyone gets accepted by Dr. Woodruff. He accepted you because he feel you have what is needed to be successful at weight loss surgery. Dr. Woodruff is my surgeon and I could not be happier with him.
He will not get into long conversations, but your questions will be answered and his answers will be accurate and up-to-date. He works with and is very aware of everything going on with ASMBS. I don't believe I have ever had an appointment where I spent twenty minutes talking with him.
Have you meet with the nutrionist yet? Kim will spend as much time as you want on answering questions. She will tell you the latest research on foods and vitamins, but she is a wealth of knowledge about all aspects of the surgery.
The practice works as a team and different team members will ask you questions and answer your question or make sure you get an answer. I always feel I know exactly what I need to do.
A very important part of our program is the support groups. People from other programs are not permitted to attend the support groups. That is because other programs have different rules and it is confusing to a new person to hear conflicting information in meetings.
If there is anything you want to ask me, let me know.
Real life begins where your comfort zone ends
Try also to remember that what makes a excellent and skilled surgeon is not their bedside manner. If the team as a whole answers all your questions, and you get the support you need then you are in the correct place. You want a surgeon who is a specialist with a very special set of tools, an artist in that they insist that the look and feel of the work THEY do is always perfect. Their team should have people that know about food, recovery, medications, paperwork and the thousand other micro tasks that will go into your care. If each one is a specialist in their area of work then you will have better results.
Hopefully some of the people in the practice have the skills to explain things to you in language that you fully assimilate and are able to "digest".
Best of luck!
Dh
You go girl - you're on a roll. Pretty soon you'll be looking at a surgery date. Just make sure you have trust and faith in your surgeon.....it's very important that you listen to him and he listens to you.
Good luck!
Jan
Height 5'4 Starting weight: 225 Surgery weight: 216 Goal Weight: 135 Surgery date: 1/23/17 Portsmouth, NH
The little engine that could.....
