Dr. Houston

I had my RNY surgery on Wednesday and I got home on Friday afternoon. I am very sore but I understand this is all normal. I am very disappointed in Dr. Houston. I thought I had done my homework but I guess we just had totally conflicting personalities. He seemed arrogant and uncaring. Have any of you switched doctors during the time after surgery. I am considering it.

Hi Debbie, So sorry you had a bad experience. I am a nurse and it is my opinion that when surgeons get stressed that they can be arrogant and uncaring. Call him on it. He may not even know that he is doing it. Docs are human to (sometimes more human than most). I am not making excuses for him. I have only met him one time and he was pleasant. But docs need to know when their behavior is wrong. You are paying him so let him know you did not appreciate his behavior. Ask him if the two of you can work thru this or if he needs to refer you to one of his partners. It is worth a try before you have to go thru the hassle of changing completely. I bet Dr. Houston will be profoundly sorry and apologize. Paula

I'm sorry to hear you had a bad experience with Dr. Houston. But, personally, I have never considered his mannerism to be that of arrogance or that of lack of caring. Like Paula said, he is human too. We all have our "off" days. I personally never had the expectation of him being "friendly" or compatible with my personality. I knew he was experienced, reputable, and had a good success rate in his patients. He is pretty straight to the point which can come across as insensitive I suppose, but I think being harsh is used only to get a point across...that way we get the rules hammered into our brain. Like a parent fussing at a child, don't parents use a "forceful" tone when chastising a child? Though, I kind of felt the same way as you after my first follow up appointment. He had fussed at me because I wasn't doing well with my protein drinks... I almost started crying. But you know, from that point on, I made extra sure I got the required protein so the harshness worked lol... of course, it took me a day or so to put it into that perspective. At any rate, don't switch doctors.. centennial has one of the best programs in nashville in my opinion. No other program offers such a comprehensive program that includes psychological counseling..that's a big plus in my book Hey you're now on the losing side! Yayy! Congratulations! Merry Christmas! April

Surgeons aren't known for the bedside manner. That's why they do all their work while we are asleep lol. I too would mention that your were a little put off by his mannerisms and would like to discuss it. It's really hard to find a dr to take on someone else's patient. ESPECIALLY if it's over something like the dr's attitude. The new surgeon is probably going to wander what you'll say about him. jmho, Janie

Debbie I would say give him another chance. He is very matter of fact and will tell you how things are, but when it comes down to it, he is so caring and concerned for all his patients. He will read your chart and pay close attention to the details and not always chit chat but when you need him to be there, he will. I love Dr. Houston a lot, and in the beginning, he was somewhat distant and consumed with the "facts" of the case, but I had a stricture and had to be admitted 2 times after surgery. I was alone in the hospital for the majority of my stay but he made sure I was being taken care of... I hope things get better and that you will be as happy with his care that I have been.

Please don't 'fire' your doctor because of 'bedside manner'. If he is doing everything else right and your results are what you want--then be happy. After all---you didn't choose a doctor for his personality.

Hang in there- perhaps he was having a bad day. I chose him as my doc because of his straightforward-ness and his willingness for his patients to succeed. Talk to him and see if you two can come to an understanding. If that isn't possible see if you can switch to Drs. Dyer or Olsen, but don't leave Centennial. It has the best overall program in the mid state area. Good luck!

Have you met with Dr. Houston again? Or have you seen a doctor at Vanderbilt? Please let us know how you are doing. We do care about you and want to know if you are being taken care of. Susan