Poor feedback on my Doctor's office.....
I had surgery last October with Dr. Ali with Fountain Valley Lite Dimensions. The surgery, and hospital care was very good..... the after care sucks - well actually, it's damn near non-existant.
After a few five-minute follow-up visits I was told "don't call us, we'll call you". I called them recently and was told that they "had wanted to see me in three months". And my recollection of events must be incorrect. I was promised a call back - it never happened.
Funny thing, the "cold shoulder" treatment started after I complained of a sore and protruding sternum.... coincidence??
Anyhooo.... I am pleased with the weight loss - but cannot give FVLD anything better than a poor review due to their lack of after care (after being paid, of course).
Thants a true pity. Commonwealth Surgeons in Richmond VA has been a shear pleasure and the support has been terrific, especially early on. Wish you had the same but OH.com Men's Board has weened me from local support meetings and such and has been a godsend in my longer-term recovery and support.
I guess you could still benefit from having a local doctor that knows what the heck is going on and your situation.
That's odd ..
My surgery was done by Dr. Leport in the same office. I've had great follow-up care. I don't know if it's the difference between the doctors or what, but I've not had any issues with the after care.
I just left thier office after having my one-year follow up.
Do you go to the support group meetings on Monday or anything? They have that sort of stuff available, too. And if you tell them you don't feel like you're getting the follow up care you need, I'm sure they'll do something about it. They seem to be very open to that - again, this is just my experience.
Dr. Leport even came and saw me in May when I was in the hospital for something completely unrelated to my WLS - said he was there just to make sure I was doing okay.
I'm sorry you feel that way, but seriously - talk to them, and I'm sure they'll help out.
Good luck!
As I said, Dr. Ali is part of my surgeon's office - the office has been renamed from Lite Dimentions Fountain Valley or Smart Dimensions to Dr. Peter LePort and Associates.
Dr. Leport performed my surgery, and I haven't had ANY aftercare issues with them - they are right on top of everything for me.
The trick is, if there's an issue with a sore and protruding sternum, that's something that needs to be brought up with the PCP - not the surgeon.
If they aren't calling this guy back to his satisfaction, he needs tto be more agressive about contacting them to make sure he gets the aftercare he needs.
As I said, I haven't had any issues. They called me the one time I missed an appointment to reschedule, and as I said, when I was in the hospital for the entire month of May with bacterial meningitis, Dr. LePort came and visited me several times. When it all started and I was in the emergency room, my wife happened to see him as she was going out to move our car, and told him what was going on, and he is the one who ended up getting the proper stuff going for my diagnosis and subsequent treatment.
IMHO - it's not just the surgeon's office that's responsible for follow up care, but the patients as well. As I said, if you're (or in this case Baja) not getting the follow up care that you / he feels he should be getting, than you need to contact them, and tell them that. Make an appointment, don't take no for an answer, and tell Dr. Ali your concerns. I can almost 100% promise you that he will make adjustments and get things going.
Plus, there are other resources this office has, nutrition classes, support groups, and other stuff that he has the opportunity to take advantage of.
I had my RNY 13 months ago, and I've lost over 230lbs in that time. I couldn't have done that without the proper follow up care, and as I said, I go to the same office / clinic / whatever you want to call it.
No aftercare here, unless you call going to Tokyo and telling others how to lose weight "aftercare".
But seriously, I knew what I was getting into. There's only one Lap RNY surgeon in Japan and I'm at least 4 hours away (car+flight+train & subway). I was determined to have surgery and then go on a big diet and exercise kick, that was all there was to it.
Dave
On August 14, 2007 at 9:25 PM Pacific Time, DaveG wrote:
As I said, Dr. Ali is part of my surgeon's office - the office has been renamed from Lite Dimentions Fountain Valley or Smart Dimensions to Dr. Peter LePort and Associates.
Dr. Leport performed my surgery, and I haven't had ANY aftercare issues with them - they are right on top of everything for me.
The trick is, if there's an issue with a sore and protruding sternum, that's something that needs to be brought up with the PCP - not the surgeon.
If they aren't calling this guy back to his satisfaction, he needs tto be more agressive about contacting them to make sure he gets the aftercare he needs.
As I said, I haven't had any issues. They called me the one time I missed an appointment to reschedule, and as I said, when I was in the hospital for the entire month of May with bacterial meningitis, Dr. LePort came and visited me several times. When it all started and I was in the emergency room, my wife happened to see him as she was going out to move our car, and told him what was going on, and he is the one who ended up getting the proper stuff going for my diagnosis and subsequent treatment.
IMHO - it's not just the surgeon's office that's responsible for follow up care, but the patients as well. As I said, if you're (or in this case Baja) not getting the follow up care that you / he feels he should be getting, than you need to contact them, and tell them that. Make an appointment, don't take no for an answer, and tell Dr. Ali your concerns. I can almost 100% promise you that he will make adjustments and get things going.
Plus, there are other resources this office has, nutrition classes, support groups, and other stuff that he has the opportunity to take advantage of.
I had my RNY 13 months ago, and I've lost over 230lbs in that time. I couldn't have done that without the proper follow up care, and as I said, I go to the same office / clinic / whatever you want to call it.
Now maybe if my surgery was written up in the paper, perhaps they would be a little more concerned with their reputation.... 
And I have to disagree further on the sternum issue - if it was a byproduct of their surgery then they will be getting involved. I'm not sure that being in the newspaper has anything to do with it, but I suppose it could. I was afraid that might come up, but seriousliy - I'm not sure it has anything to do with it. I had to go through the same hoops and processes as everyone else at that office, I just volunteered for the newspaper gig so hopefully I could help inspire others and give others hope.
I just know that the people I see at the support groups, and in the office, are very happy with the care they recieve at the office.
Maybe you're the one exception to the rule there. I'm not sure.
I just know that I'm basing this on my experience, and the experience of others that I've talked to that have had this office do thier surgery.
It bugs me that you're feeling this way, because I know the office is good at what they do, and no one should have the issues you're having.
And yes, if the sternum issue is something that's from the WLS, then they should deal with it, but at the same time, if they aren't moving as fast as you want them to on it, go see your PCP about it. IMHO, I'd be afraid a sore / protruding sternum could be a heart issue, and I'd want to get it taken care of asap, no matter who does it.
(deactivated member)
on 8/14/07 11:38 am - MO
on 8/14/07 11:38 am - MO
That's too bad. The RN at Missouri Bariatrics had signs, stickers, and business cards that said 'DON'T MAKE ME HUNT YOU DOWN.' Geez, okay....I guess.
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