Constant Plugs For Dr Schlesinger

GinaU claims to be a volunteer for Dr. Schlesinger.  Dr. Schlesinger's office claims she is an Office Advocate.  GinaU claims to have information about patients, real or imagined.  Seems to me she'd have access to private medical records.

If anyone wonders about HIPAA and confidentiality, this is a time to ponder this scenario.

BTW, I've been told I work for you, something I was unaware.  Can you tell me, am I paid well?  I was just wondering. ;o)

HIPAAA regulations mandate a fine of $50,000 for each and every violation of patient confidentiality. Such fines would also apply to an "informal" employee or an agent of the medical practice or facility in question. Furthermore, any employee or employees who are complicit in such violations are also subject to the $50,000 fine as is the physician in charge. It will be very interesting to find out just who has been violating the confidentiality of my family member. I do not see a reply from the normally joculent Ms. GinaU? Hmm, that is interesting... Perhaps a little reflection has been sobering to such a reckless and inappropriate person. Or maybe the shame and the reality is setting in. Either way, GinaU, you would be very well advised to crawl back into whatever hole you emerged from. Again, I am a disgusted participant here, not a surgeon and GinaU has attacked my family and, quite possibly, committed a crime. I am entitled to confront her on her miss-deeds. Perhaps the others who have participated in this fiasco will identify themselves? Oh, by the way, none of my employees are posting here and Midwesterngirl is neither an employee, nor has she ever been.

Soooooo, I guess under the cir****tances a raise is out of the question, eh? ;o)

All kidding aside, I do not blame you for your frustrations.  There is no reason why the medical care of your family members should be brought up on this board.  That was without excuse.  I guess you have to consider the source.

Quite frankly, I've had my medical records jeopardized and I won't let that happen again without action on my part.

JROLFSON wrote:

"Most people know that an ERNY probably isn't as long term successful as a DS but it's a very good option for those without a lot to lose, better than the odds you take with Revising to a DS (barring all the complications), and insurance covers much more often than when revised to DS..."
 
I am going to have to disagree with the above statement, no, I do not believe most people know this. Hell when the ERNY was being touted to me. I thought well great I get the same results as the DS and its supposedly less riskier.

I for one was not intending on having another surgery that was going to result in another let down. For me, choosing to have a revision took years and lots of soul searching to come to the final conclusion that this is a medical necessity. I would have been mad hurt and emotionally distraught to know that the ERNY was not going to lead to long term success. Hell, I doubt most people seeking a revision are going in to this with the idea that the ERNY may result in less than favorable results but it is better than "nothing".

As far as complications are concerned, we can second guess all day long what they will be. The truth is regardless of what surgery you have no one can foresee what complications may or may not happen, hell several non-wls folks have gone in for simple routine procedures and had complications.

My personal opinion, is that anyone seeking a revision should be seeking a surgery with the best odds of getting the weight off and keeping it off long term otherwise you will find yourself repeating the same cycle over and over, hence the real complications.
 

Charmed

Dear Charmed:

I commend you for your decision to go to a DS. I too would like a DS and I am still seriously checking into having one, unfortunately I don't have the many thousands of dollars for upfront money that the DS Revision Dr.s in my within 10 hr vicinity are requesting and I have been told the risk factor is quite high for me due to my prior "2" WLSurgeries.

Also, I was not trying to dimimish the ERNY by saying it's a good second option if you don't have as much to lose. I was told that I personally would probably only lose about 50-60 lbs if I had the ERNY and more if I was very careful about my eating choices and following of directions. But knowing myself, I probably would not be quite so good in that area, therefore it would be a better choice for me to have the DS, I don't believe I ever said the ERNY is better than "nothing".

I know everyone on this board needs to do their homework, and make decisions that are right for themselves. When I post I am speaking from my perspective and my personal feelings. Complications are something that concern me greatly and I know for a fact that the DS comes with major concerns for complications above and beyond other routines procedures. I have researched this with several dr.s who do the DS Revision and I've been told personally, that it would be a very risky procedure for me.....this is for me personally.

Then intention of my posts was not to belittle any procedure or anyone personally. I was only speaking of myself, my experiences, and my talks with different Dr.s....my perspective only.

 

JRolfson

 

 JR,

You are very, very  smart to get SEVERAL doctor's opinions on your particular case and not just depend on one doctor who may have a vested interest in performing the particular surgery that he or she does.  Because of your two prior surgeries, you need to be extra careful.   This is why it is so important to do several consults with doctors who specialize in different approaches to revisions before making your ultimate decision.    It would be great if everyone would do their "due diligence" like you have. 

 Well, I've never seen anything like this.   So, I will say it again.   THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU PEOPLE - OR YOUR SURGERIES - OR MY SITUATION - it IS about how a doctor and his patients (either WITH or WITHOUT his permission) have HIJACKED message boards on OH for  PRIVATE advertising purposes and PATIENT PROCUREMENT!!  This IS all!   

You may recall that his post was NOT started by ME.   It was STARTED by someone in Canada and, because all of you attacked her and presented MISINFORMATION, I thought I should "jump on" SOLELY for the purposes of presenting ACTUAL FACTS, TRUTHS to correct the lies being foisted upon the INNOCENT READERS of this board.  

 I have no beef with JRinAZ.   You may notice, though, that every researched FACT I present is in rebuttal to the lies she comes up with.   She has driven the research by making up things out of thin air!  Saying that Dr. Schlesinger was ASKED by OH to monitor this board was the latest lie  - and, any idiot can see by clicking on the "Board Contributor" section, that Dr. Husted is the OFFICIAL doctor ASSIGNED to this board by ObesityHelp!   The fact that this is VERIFIABLE is just more ABSOLUTE proof that all of you are deluded in some way! 

I find it very interesting that, when presented with ACTUAL, VERIFIABLE facts, that all of you TURN THE TABLES against whomever is presenting them.   I've seen it before, over the two years I've been reading this board - but NEVER to the extent that your little group does it.   You all must be really desperate to bring in the business for that doctor of yours!  Look at how you FIGHT for him!  WOW!!  There must be some hefty competition for patients in your little burg!

ONCE AGAIN - LET ME REPEAT MYSELF.   This is not about ME, not about YOU, it' not ABOUT your doctor.   It's about using public boards for free advertising and distributing misinformation!

I am just a former lurker who has been paying attention and knows how to research.   (Something which should be commended, not put down.)   And, now you think I am some doctor's wife's mother??    FYI, "stacysmom" is the name of a song.  The machinations all of you have been going through over this is really laughable. 

Stacysmom

I laugh daily at this all!  so laugh with me ..  & please believe me this is not against you.  I am sure it's pure coincidence  about the name thing.

I read and use this board as a mind opener, some days there is great information, some days  not!  some days  the fighting, bickering, and nastyness is just too much and it always seems to be the same people - Ya know what I mean ??

So what that any Dr has a large following.  I look at it as a Good Thing!  I get very  angry  like others when  some of My favorite Dr's are attacked and slandered on the boards. it a natural thing to be protective.

Everyone should do their own research - I agree .  But some things that come out on the board  fuel our thought process. make us ask more questions, seek others opinions, ask  question from out of the box. It can be a good thing.  if it helps one person .

yes Dr Husted may well be the presiding dr on this board - who cares ???  have you seen him post recently?  How often  do you see  his patients post??  people are just sharing their  exp - nogood & bad.

This is a commercial site, he  along with a lot of other Dr get leads  from it,   It is a business / money making thing ! No harm No foul!  all the Dr's are dedicated to their profession.  

Had to research the posts thanks to some board insight from Mid-Western Girl about my posting. I am a program director for a WLS center and a WLS patient myslef (gastric bypass 2002). The surgeon I work with did not do my surgery and don;t know if that makes a differance or not. I am learning from the DS site that if you have two screen names that makes you a troll, even though both of my names were very similar and I always signed my name at the end of each post. Hmmmm...I had one for home and one for work.  Who knew?

When I started working in collaboration with the new surgeon (I am a hospital paid employee, not an employee of surgeon's office), I discovered he offered the DS, a procedure I had never worked with in 8 years as a bariatric nurse. SO, I decided to lurk and learn on the DS forum. ANd then I made the mistake of mentioning a new procedure our surgeon offers, the only surgeon in the US to offer, thinking wow...yet another choice for those rare few who may otherwise have no hope. Once I was told by Mods, no mentioning contact info, I stopped even though they said I could talk about the new procedure. Well, it cause WWIII on DS site and I was Flamed as they call it, in addition to being called a troll, whcih I had to have my 12 year old son explain all the new lingo.

So, I am upfront saying I work with a hospital based bariatric center and am on here to learn and offer assistance when I can. I have no hidden agenda and our surgeon has a very busy practice without us recruiting on here. I'm not saying if it is right or wrong to mention your surgeon's name on here as I haven't been on long enough to determine if it's good or bad.  The surgeon I am affiliated with has recently started answering posts on this site for educational purposes and will be more visible in the coming weeks.

One thing I read while going through this thread that I would like to clarify is this post:

"The poster you are slam dunking for surgery types previously had VBG.  Some doctors used a mesh material that makes future surgeries requiring a staple line quite impossible.  Adjustable banding is their only option for revision."

I have seen VBG's with mesh proceed to a successful DS in the hands of an experienced revision surgeon. A revision specialist can customize formost any failed WLS procedure.

I would sign my name but Mid-Western GIrl said this would be easy to Google and would be advertising, so I leaving it off. Any other tips for survival on this forum?

Thanks!

Hi BariatricRN:

The way I see it............You've been a member on this site since 2004, as well as a previous RNY Patient, and a BARIATRIC NURSE!.......I would say that pretty much qualifies and gives you the right to discuss whatever you would like. I especially am interested in this new procedure...Is it Vergito? Please by all means tell us about it, my ears are perked???

Although I am scheduled for an ERNY procedure, choosing to go with a much less risky surgery for myself,  I would have loved to have DS...But #1 can't self pay, my insurance won't cover the whole thing and #2, several different dr's have told me scarring from my past 3 abdominal surgeries would be high risk. I don't want high risk...But please explain this new procedure to all of us revisioners, that is what we are here for...Hoping to have someone like you come in with a new hope, a new method....By all means, come forward and give us details.

Also, when it comes to signing your name, who cares about who googles what and whether or not it's advertising...I don't know why that is an issue. I think it is ridiculous. There are many and I mean many people on this board *****ally don't give a damm about the whole free advertising thing. Smart people can dissimenate information and know if you're being recruited or not.

Please sign away. You are such a welcome site. How often do we get a Bariatricl Nurse who has been through this whole process under the direction of a Bariatric Surgeon. I feel privileged to get free information from you.

I'm waiting and excited to hear what you have to say about all this!!!!!

 

Janie