Dr BS!

So after the 6 month supervised diet ant working with a surgeon I went for my consultation and come to find out the surgeon sold his practice to a company who wants to provide 1 stop shopping for wls which is fine but when they started taling about price breakdowns and profit margins I felt like I was on the costco plan so I walked out.

So. Few phone calls later and I now have a consultation with another dr. So I hadx to deal with some dr bullsh@t yesterday, let's hope tomorrow goes better.

Cross your nuts that your new doc won't want make you go back to square one on the six month pre op diet.  It has been known to happen.  Hang in there!

yeah that was my first question to them, but they will accept it. Im also going to sign up with multiple dr's this time just to make sure.

 Hang in there!

It is extremely important that you find and surgeon and team you are comfortable with and can really trust.  That being said, sometimes the 'one-stop-shop' groups can be a very good option.  You just have to wade through the BS.  

Now before I continue on my "rant" I want everyone to know I think the world of my surgeon and his practice.  My surgeon is part of a large group with the whole one-stop-shop program including the Internist, the PAs, Nuts, Psychologist, Exercise physiologist, regularly scheduled support groups and seminars, and here comes my favorite part, the STORE.  Yea, part of their program includes a pre-op diet where you buy a very planned diet from their STORE.  They also tend to "push" the vitamins, protein powder, etc., that you can of course purchase in their STORE.

As I've progressed through the program, I've found Vitamins and protein powder that has the exact same ingredients as thier stuff, at much lower prices at Walmart, Target, and Walgreens.

Point is, YOU have to be an informed consumer.  There is nothing "wrong" with the large on-stop-shop Bariatric Center groups.  Yea, it can seem commercial, but let's be real honest, every one of us works to make a living.  These large groups generally employ and thus support a large number of support staff.  In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with that.

Find a surgeon, who has successfully performed a large number of the procedure you are considering, who is board certified, and has a good support team.  If you have confidence in him/her, put up with the BS...it is still well worth it!

Again, just my opinion...Best of luck and I sincerely hope you get approved and are able to have your surgery soon!

Mike

I tend to agree that a one-stop show may not be a bad option. My surgeon is a "solo" and although he belongs to a "marketing group" through a hospital (for the lack of a better term), I have never seen a nut nor do I have access to any support groups or advice beyond the short doctor follow ups (and at this point the visits are very infrequent - in fact from 6 months out, I don't have another visit scheduled until I reach the year point).

With a one-stop, I daresay I would have been forced to see the nut, psych, support group, etc., rather than trying to fend for myself in all of these areas.  Although it sounds like a pain in the ass, it may not be a bad thing in the long run. That goodness I had you guys and the rest of the forum to help.