AWKWARD!!!
Well, the good thing is, if there are others in my situation planning on going to the same hospital, at least they know to call ahead. And FYI...if anyone has some mobility issues and is planning to WALK through the door to this meeting, they may want to rethink that. The walk is literally from one end of the hospital to the other and its a big place. I wouldnt have been surprised to find that the round trip was a mile!! LOL
Tracey :) I'm sorry you had to go through that! As someone in Bariatrics, or even someone in the medical field, you would expect a little more understanding and professionalism.
I think most all of us on this forum have had situations relatable to this, for whatever reason due to our weight (I know I have) and they are embarrassing and uncomfortable. Try to forget her ignorance and hopefully you won't have to deal with her again! And just realize, soon in your life, you won't have to deal with situations like this much anymore at all!!
Steph
I think most all of us on this forum have had situations relatable to this, for whatever reason due to our weight (I know I have) and they are embarrassing and uncomfortable. Try to forget her ignorance and hopefully you won't have to deal with her again! And just realize, soon in your life, you won't have to deal with situations like this much anymore at all!!
Steph
Thanks Steph...that would be nice. But you know what would be even nicer? Equality no matter what a person's weight. I am just really tired of it being the last exceptable prejudice. This is a clinic and informational meeting specifically for obese patients and obviously there would be people that were severely obese and those that would have mobility problems.
I dont think I was the only person she tried to force out of a wheelchair either because there was one poor guy that looked like he was in severe pain the entire time. He had arm crutches and a wheelchair that he wasnt sitting in. He was about 150 lbs heavier than I am and when he left the meeting he could barely walk through the door and then had to call for someone to come get him in his wheelchair.
Im thinking he could have been more comfortable the entire time in his chair and not forced to sit on an office chair with dang wheels that you have to keep still the whole time.
This program ....or the intro to it...lacked heart and I hope that others will speak up as well so they fix it for future patients!!! :)
btw...congrats on your weight loss! :) Im so impressed with everyone on here and how well they are all doing...it sure is inspiring!!! :)
I dont think I was the only person she tried to force out of a wheelchair either because there was one poor guy that looked like he was in severe pain the entire time. He had arm crutches and a wheelchair that he wasnt sitting in. He was about 150 lbs heavier than I am and when he left the meeting he could barely walk through the door and then had to call for someone to come get him in his wheelchair.
Im thinking he could have been more comfortable the entire time in his chair and not forced to sit on an office chair with dang wheels that you have to keep still the whole time.
This program ....or the intro to it...lacked heart and I hope that others will speak up as well so they fix it for future patients!!! :)
btw...congrats on your weight loss! :) Im so impressed with everyone on here and how well they are all doing...it sure is inspiring!!! :)
I completely agree with the advice to tell your surgeon about your experience, as this presenter is representing them. My surgeon was out of town at a conference the weekend I attended my seminar, and it was hosted by one of the wonderful NPs in her office. The conference room was set up with ALL large sized chairs, and tables that were easy to move and adjust as needed. Wide aisles, etc. - the whole room including both doors was wheelchair accesible...sounds like your surgeon could take some advice from mine!
"Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come" 
The last meeting I went to was the "other" big hospital in town and the hospital was all new and redone. The setting was as you described...big tables..big chairs..extremely handicapp and obese friendly. I didnt feel like a FAT chick trying to fit into a little world...I felt like finally I FIT perfectly. It was nice to relax and listen to the meeting.
The other thing I liked about the other program was that they had patients come out...like live before and after shots...and we could ask them questions about if they were happy with their surgeries. Things like people being able to feel their port against their jeans with lap band...or never being able to eat chicken again with bypass...those things the doctors dont tell you...I liked that personalized touch.
The other hospital also had a much more comprehensive program, I believe four to five weeks longer than the one at the hospital I am currently attending...the one for behavioral track. I would be concerned but I still have all of the material from the first place as I completed the program in 09.
Why am I going to UMASS? Because they are great with a lot of things like blood work...which is hard with the obese...and weigh ins that dont includ stepping up a foot or the laundry scale!! And they have an excellent rep when it comes to surgery. The second hospital does too but that was going through a local clinic and I had nothing but really bad experience including three separate visits to get one blood draw.
So I think UMASS is good but I think there is always room for improvement and I think that it is our job to advocate for our needs......which I will do!!
Enjoy your holiday!!! :)
The other thing I liked about the other program was that they had patients come out...like live before and after shots...and we could ask them questions about if they were happy with their surgeries. Things like people being able to feel their port against their jeans with lap band...or never being able to eat chicken again with bypass...those things the doctors dont tell you...I liked that personalized touch.
The other hospital also had a much more comprehensive program, I believe four to five weeks longer than the one at the hospital I am currently attending...the one for behavioral track. I would be concerned but I still have all of the material from the first place as I completed the program in 09.
Why am I going to UMASS? Because they are great with a lot of things like blood work...which is hard with the obese...and weigh ins that dont includ stepping up a foot or the laundry scale!! And they have an excellent rep when it comes to surgery. The second hospital does too but that was going through a local clinic and I had nothing but really bad experience including three separate visits to get one blood draw.
So I think UMASS is good but I think there is always room for improvement and I think that it is our job to advocate for our needs......which I will do!!
Enjoy your holiday!!! :)
FleurDeLis
on 7/3/11 9:40 am
on 7/3/11 9:40 am
This was not ignorance.
This was negligence. On an institutional level.
If they did not have the facilities at the hospital to meet in an easy place to get to, they cold have held it at a hotel or somewhere else.
What do you do if the blood drawer you like so mych retires? Isn't there when you need them?
If this is how they treat their friends, how do they treat their enemies?
Good luck when you talk to the surgeon about this. I am sure we would all like to know how it went.
This was negligence. On an institutional level.
If they did not have the facilities at the hospital to meet in an easy place to get to, they cold have held it at a hotel or somewhere else.
What do you do if the blood drawer you like so mych retires? Isn't there when you need them?
If this is how they treat their friends, how do they treat their enemies?
Good luck when you talk to the surgeon about this. I am sure we would all like to know how it went.
The good thing about UMASS is its a HUGE hospital, actually like a city unto itself. I have NEVER had a bad blood draw. The fallon clinic that I was using previously when I had this insurance is a different matter. I had been to two separate locations for their clinics and neither one could get me. When I finally started to get hysterical due to the pain and needle phobia, they brought other people in to talk to me and finally got it. At UMASS they use an infant needle on me so if they dont get it the first stick ...its not a lot of pain, the elastic bothes me more than the needle at UMASS.
On the subject of the meeting hall...I thought the same thing the first time as well, it is a ridiculous place to hold it. One...it is way too far for most of these people to walk, I am surprised they havent had someone go into a fainting spell or cardiac arrest with the distance and the ability of most of the potential patients. Secondly...it is absolutely ridiculous that they didnt have enough spaces for wheelchairs. They should have a couple of ground level spaces at the beginning and end of each row ...which would give them six spaces instead of one.
Im also going to mention that there was another man who brought his wheelchair that was not in it...I think he was asked to move out of his chair as well. What if he fell trying to walk back out with his wheelchair?? He had to go outside the auditorium and call for a hospital staff memeber to come get him and wheel him out. SAD!!
On the subject of the meeting hall...I thought the same thing the first time as well, it is a ridiculous place to hold it. One...it is way too far for most of these people to walk, I am surprised they havent had someone go into a fainting spell or cardiac arrest with the distance and the ability of most of the potential patients. Secondly...it is absolutely ridiculous that they didnt have enough spaces for wheelchairs. They should have a couple of ground level spaces at the beginning and end of each row ...which would give them six spaces instead of one.
Im also going to mention that there was another man who brought his wheelchair that was not in it...I think he was asked to move out of his chair as well. What if he fell trying to walk back out with his wheelchair?? He had to go outside the auditorium and call for a hospital staff memeber to come get him and wheel him out. SAD!!
Most Active
Recent Topics