A little disappointed with my surgeon

Hi!!

My brother had Dr Reed for his surgery years ago, and he is not known for his bedside manner. Like someone else said, take him with a grain of salt. Bit look at it on the bright side in less than 2 months you are having your surgery!!! You must be so happy about that 

Surgeons are very technical people, not warm and fuzzy like family doctors. You need their surgical skill--a warm personality is a just a bonus. They are direct and factual, so it helps if you are too. Their time is limited, so have a list of questions and listen carefully to the answers. You have a right to have your questions answered, but you are unlikely to be babied. They  know there is a lot of misinformation on the internet, so they try to steer you back to facts.

Some things are just common sense. If you become constipated, take a stool softener or laxative. That's all you need to know--what other people experience is irrelevant. However, questions about diabetes and insulin deserve clear answers, but sometimes those answers aren't available until you are tested after surgery.  Just try to keep things in perspective and focus on the important things. 

Believe me I do know that some things are common sense and since you weren't there in the room with me you don't get what I talking about.  I don't expect to be babied in the least.

My point is that we were told during our orientation that some things are allowed in pill form and others in liquid only and to make sure we asked the surgeon which meds should be taken after the surgery since certain meds are not absorbed properly.  eg. certain pain analgesics are not allowed afterwards. (I didn't know analgesics rubs are a no no after) So my asking about the laxative was about which one in particular should I use.  I don't want to hurt the pouch etc. He could have simply told me the name of the product and moved on to his speech.

As for my insulin question, it had to do with the timing of my shot which is a very valid question because if I take the dose when I usually do I could have a sugar low before surgery and that is a huge risk for me. 

Yes I didn't get that warm fuzzy feeling but that is alright. I understand that he is a busy man and he is analytical and factual but I did want to feel that my questions were important to me and not to be brushed off.  

there is no such thing as a stupid question -- any decent medical professional would be the first to attest to that.  as the patient, you have the RIGHT to get all of your questions answered.  NO ONE has the right to JUDGE YOU as to what is a stupid or smart question.  

You come across as a very smart, reflective lady -- stay true to your instincts and continue to ask any and all questions that are important to you.

constipation is a very big deal and something that should be understood prior to surgery.  you are very wise to enquire into that now and start planning accordingly.  

as you probably realize, there are some fantastic people on this forum who will happily and openly support you.  don't let the others phase you or make you feel uncomfortable -- ignore them as they are few and far between.

keep smiling!  ;)

Thank You!  You brought tears to my eyes!

Hi,

I have Dr. Reed as my Dr. too. I found him to be precise in what he says in the meeting to make sure that you know exactly what he is going to be doing. He seemed to follow along a "presentation"  method I guess is how I would call it. To me I came out of my appointment thinking that he is a by the book Dr. The things that I have heard about him are that he is very good at surgery but he is not a hand hold cozy kind of Dr. Then he may actually surprise you at times.

I know that during my surgery class before meeting the surgeon that they talked about constipation problems and such. Maybe he likes to just hit on what is going to be going on with the surgery because we have already talked about benefiber and metemucil in that session. Some people aren't as easy going in the answer questions as others.

I do suggest that maybe call your clinic and see if you can talk to or email the nurse or Dr. there about your concerns and you should be able to get answers that way.

I'm sorry you had such a bad visit.

On a good note, Yeah, you got your surgery date! That is great! I will try to remember to let you know how everything goes with Dr. Reed during my surgery. I am scheduled for Jan 16th. Maybe it will help.

Best of Luck,

Fay

(Ps, it was kind of odd reading my name in your post).

Thank You!

When my husband was ready to have surgery, I was very worried because he had a lot of health issues. I knew that I was far more worried about HIS surgery than my own since I was very healthy going into it.  (he had a lot of comorbidities). I really, really wanted Dr. Reed as he is the doctor in Ontario who has been doing it the longest and had a fabulous record in terms of patients.  I practically hand selected him and we were lucky to have him. 

He is not a warm and comfy kind of surgeon.  I wanted him for his surgical experience and not necessarily his bedside manner.

I think a lot of times, patients confuse what exactly his role is and the kinds of questions he is there to answer.  His expertise is not in diet or aftercare.  His expertise is the technical aspect of surgery and keeping you safe in order to survive surgery.  So he is there to review your health issues, medical issues with surgery and medications and so forth so that you will do well the day of the surgery.  Any issues with diet or constipation are really best left to the dietician etc.  So call your team if you have any issues as they are the ones dealing directly with patients and those issues. 

I was curious about what you wanted to know about the insulin?  I know with hubby, he said hubby more than likely would take a "step down" and that was indeed the case, going from insulin to a pill again.  He says it is hard to predict who will come completely off of insulin and who won't but that he would take a step down.  Not sure if that covers what you were asking. 

You are in really good hands otherwise. I found Guelph hospital to be wonderful all around. Good luck with your surgery!

Dawn

I am 7 days out from having surgery with Dr. Reed he is down to business and he is busy.  He did the same things to me that he did to you but I never felt that he was rude.  I felt that he was pressed for time.  When  I met him I instantly felt confidant that I would be in good hands. On the day of surgery he was kind and very pleasant when he saw me in the hospital.  I know that if I ever have any complications later on that I will be well taken care of.  I also personally know some of his patients and they really like him.  Most surgeons aren't known for their bedside manners try not to take the way he was with you personally it's just how he is when he has to fill out those lengthy forms.  It would be a boring job important but boring.

Dr Reed is not touchie feelie that's for sure, but he is one of the best surgeons in Canada and the very best in the Bariatric field. I have such extreme confidence in him that he's doing 2 additional surgeries on me.   Trust me, you're in the best possible hands