Looking for Gen Prac and Support

Hello all, I'm new to obesity help and I have decided to take this huge step and begin the process towards gastric bypass. I have to do this not only for myself (I'm feeling awful) but also for my family. I have a child that needs more than I can give him right now. I'm new to the Midlothian area and I'm in need of a general practitioner. My insurance (Aetna) requires that I do the 6 month doctor supervised diet thing. Can anyone suggest a good doctor who is sympathetic to the surgery? I am looking for someone close to the Hull St. area. I feel like I am at the starting line staring at a huge road ahead of me. I guess I just need to take it one step at a time. I'm pretty sure I want to go through St. Mary's Hospital, who else has had their surgery there and what doctor did you have? I'm feeling pretty apprehensive about all the hoops I'm going to have to jump through. At this stage I'm not scared about the surgery, just about all the paperwork, appointments, and this 6 month waiting period. I'd like to try and get seen by a gen prac this month if at all possible so any help you can give me soon would be greatly appreciated. Thank you Amanda

Amanda, I live in Chester, so don't know any GP's in Midlothian. I just wanted to tell you that I too had to do the 6 month medically supervised diet thing for Cigna. I am scheduled for lap RNY on Oct. 18. at MCV with Dr. Kellum. My insurance approval came in 3 days after submitted. I had everything together. I knew what was required and gave it to them. I chose MCV because of a bad experience at St. Mary's over 30 years ago (stillborn child). I did a lot of research and found MCV to have a very comprehensive program. Good luck to you. Don't give up. Just keep looking at the horizon and give them what they want. There are a lot of hoops to jump through to qualify for this procedure. Just hang in there. Debra

I also wanted to add that I have PCOS and have had 3 surgeries in the past dealing with polyps and such. Anyone in a similar situation?

The patient first at hull street and genito is where I go. Any of the doctors there know about the surgery. Dr George and Dr Watson were two that I saw for all my diabetes problems. I really like going to patient first, there is never a long wait and 9 times out of 10 you can see the same doctor that follows your care. I had my surgery at St Mary's. Other than the hospital being completely full the stay was great. Dr Neil Hutcher with Commonwealth Surgeons did my surgery and I have no regrets whatsoever, he's great with patients and he has a great education plan for all of his people and weight loss surgery. That 6 month waiting period will pass faster than you think. I researched WLS for almost 3 years before I decided to have it done. Good luck!

Thanks so much, I hadn't thought about going to Patient First, thanks for the recommendation. I've been to the informational meeting and I've got a lot of paperwork to go through. I thought first I'd start seeing and GP and get going with the 6 month stuff. I'm very much okay with waiting that long, I feel it's a small price to pay. Anyway since being relatively new here I have so much work to do with unpacking and now the holiday season is coming up. I'm a mom and I also work from home, there's no shortage of things to keep me busy in the meantime!

Hi Amanda, I can't help you with a doctor in that area as I'm in the tri-citiy area. Actually I live in Dinwiddie County. My PCP is great and she was the one that recommended the surgery in the first place. I too had to go through the 6 month medically supervised diet and she told me that she didn't care if I gained...to still come in for my weigh ins. The insurance company is banking on you not completing your 6 months and if you miss one appointment, you have to start over again. I was faithful to be there at each and every appointment. I started my journey in June 05 and it too****il July 06 for me to actually get my surgery. Did I get frustrated and fell like giving up....yes, many times but I kept on and it paid off in the end. I am so happy I hung tough through it all and even though it was a full year, it gave me the time to educate myself on what I needed to do, attend several support group meetings, meet some people who had the surgery and were successful. I read everything I could and when I finally got my date, I was more than ready. It really wasn't a bad thing looking back but I must say it isn't easy going through it either. You definitely learn patience. I think the worst was the week before I got my approval. I thought once I did everything they asked me to do I would be approved "johnny on the spot" but that wasn't the case at all. It was denied yet again. It had to go into appeal with a peer to peer review. Once it came back from that I had my approval. You may not go through all that but I wanted to share that with you just in case. I wish I had known this going in and I wouldn't have gotten my hopes so high time and time again. Of course my victory did come and it was a sweet one!! Sometimes the things we want the most and wait for the longest are the most appreciated. Since my surgery just a little over 3 months ago, I have lost 63 lbs. My life is so much better than before. I can do things now that once were so painful. Things like shopping, cleaning my house, cooking a meal, even standing in church for the praise & worship service. The quality of life is so much sweeter for me and I don't regret it at all. It's the best single thing I've ever done just for me. I had my surgery at St. Mary's Hospital and Dr. Neil Hutcher was my surgeon. I would recommend him to anyone and everyone. This man really knows what he's doing and he has the creditials to prove it. He has been featured on Discovery Channel and he's president of the bariactric assocaition of the United States. You can't ask for better than that. He's very caring and I just love his bedside manner. I am so thankful that I was led to this "angel of a doctor". He is one of the senior physicans in Commonwealth Surgeons. Take the time to go to one of his seminars at least. This will give you the insight to decide if he's right for you. My care at St. Mary's was the best. Everyone was so nice to me and I have to say that their pain management was the best. I can honestly say that this surgery ( and I had open rny) was no worse than my gall bladder surgery that was done outpatient. Can't you already see the advantage of having all this time to do your research before you actually decide on a surgeon? Don't get discouraged and don't give up. If you want the name of my PCP, I will be more than glad to give it to you. She is great and very compassionate. Her practice is in Petersburg since she recently moved from the Colonial Heights area to the Petersburg area. Stay in touch and let me know how things are going for you and if you ever just need someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on.....remember I am here for you. Just drop me an e mail and I'll be sure and get back with you. Lots of Love Kathy