The Best and the Worst: Your Weight Loss Surgery MEDICAL SERVICE Experience

[Alex Brecher 10,484]

You’re committing to a tough journey when you decide to get weight loss surgery. Your surgeon and the other health professionals who work with you have a big influence. They can make the journey go smoothly, or they can throw all sorts of obstacles in your path. They can make you feel comfortable and tell you everything you need to know, or they can make you feel like an idiot and withhold information.

I’ve even heard stories as bad as bariatric nurses telling patients that it’ll never work!

One of my best findings was finding how great my surgeon was. She always was there for me and I am still in touch with her. I am fortunate not to have had any negative experiences around the time I got my lap-band. I guess I could have used a little more nutritional help, but that wasn’t really anyone’s fault.

So, what is the best thing you have experienced on the medical or insurance side of weight loss surgery? What is the worst thing? Share your stories here!

[AvaFern 3,516]

The Worst

The worst thing about my experience was my surgeon- Dr. Craig Morgenthal in Jacksonville, FL. From the first minute I was in the office when the receptionist basically told me I could sign the consent waiver or get out of the office to when I was super sick in the hospital and he gave me a huge amount of attitude about wanting to use the Blis insurance I had paid for (since I was self-pay), my sleeve surgeon experience was not positive. In the first experience I had not even met the doctor and before I was allowed to even speak with him I had to sign this huge liability waiver. After you've actually met your surgeon, had a chance to talk to him, and decided to have the surgery, then yes absolutely you should be signing waivers, but before you even get to see the guy? Completely unacceptable and yet when I challenged this the receptionist was rude to the point that I was almost in tears before the office manager then more politely told me that, sorry, if you want to see the doctor you sign away your life first. I signed the form, but I felt massively bullied before I even met the surgeon and I resented the way I was treated.

Then the two appointments I had with the surgeon prior to the surgery he treated me like I was basically stupid and fat and the questions I had were a waste of his time. This was the same attitude he had at the single follow-up appt I went to 3 weeks post-op. Because I was cash pay I was in the OR within 2 weeks of my first visit and the IV narcotics made me super sick. I basically dry heaved the entirety of the 1st and 2nd day in the hospital until I asked to switch to liquid Advil instead. I was deliriously sick so when he did his morning rounds on the third day when I was supposed to go home I could barely stand up and when I said I would be more comfortable staying an extra day (since I was both driving myself home and staying at home alone) I got this whopping attitude. I had paid for Blis insurance so the fee would have been covered, but I got the impression that if you actually have patients using the insurance they pay for this makes the doctor less desirable as a carrier of this policy and God forbid his sick patient took advantage of the $1100 she spent in extra insurance but never got to use.

Fortunately at this point I got mad, which gave me enough energy to pack my stuff up and let the nurse know that they could check me out as planned, NOW or I would sign out AMA. Since I knew I had to drive I made sure I was narcotic free 24 hours before the time I had been scheduled to leave, so at least I wasn't high. I was disoriented, I could barely stand without the world spinning, and I had an absolutel jack*ss of a doctor who wanted to be a complete tool about having me stay a day longer.

Anyway, I went home, felt like garbage for a few days, and it all ended up working out. If I'm giving a fair review, I never once had any complications other than a small stricture that I never went back to this doctor to manage. I don't mind the stricture because it keeps me from eating too much, lol, but in terms of surgical capability, Morgenthal did nothing that contributed to a poor recovery- I healed perfectly. Three weeks after surgery I had a follow-up during which time I was again treated like I was a big fat stupid patient who knows nothing about my health (I actually have more degrees and advanced degrees in health related fields than the doctor does, however he never knew that), and I decided from that point that I would not be going back to that office.

I hit goal at 18 months post-op and maintained now for 9 months. I have no major health issues. The surgeon may be a total tool who contributed significantly to my short term discomfort, misery, and emotional lack of wellness, but he did his job as a surgeon and didn't kill me, so I'm good calling it a fair trade. 20K for self-pay sleeve and 2 years later I am my ideal size- I needed a competent surgeon, not one who was nice to me, although both would have been nice.

The Best

The best thing was my plastic surgeon, if that counts. Compared to my jerk of a bariatric surgeon, my plastic surgeon never once made me feel de-valued and the entire process of 3 major surgeries over the course of a year was great. Dr. Ankit Desai in Jacksonville, FL was an awesome plastic surgeon who gave me the figure I have now that allows me to walk around and feel confident in my own skin for the first time in my life. I cannot say enough good things about him or his practice and that part of the weight loss and surgery experience completely makes up for the sleeve part.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

I don't want to talk about my worst...my best was everybody at Puget Sound surgical center. I was over 300, emotionally a hot mess, slipped band, feeling pretty hopeless....and they gave me reason to believe it might be different this time. They educated me, treated me like I was worthy and of course delivered high quality medical care.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

The worst: not having insurance that covers weight loss surgery and living in a state that doesn't require it under the affordable care act.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Worst part of my surgical experience? I can't judge anything I experienced as deserving a "worst" review.

Best part of my surgical experience? The best parts of my surgical experience were all due to the expert surgical skills and massive WLS experience of my surgeon that resulted in zero complications and a sleeve that (nearly 18 months post-op) tolerates all kinds of foods.

My surgeon has perfomed thousands of WLS operations and runs a bariatric practice at a ASMBS-certified Centre of Excellence in a large, full-service hospital. He's also a sweetheart of a guy, admired by nurses throughout the hospital (I know because many of them told me how good a surgeon he is and how devoted he is to his patients). I had minimal pain post-op, which I credit to his surgical skills.

In addition to performing my WLS surgery, he also removed my gall bladder four weeks post-WLS. A month after that he also performed a complicated cancer biopsy on my husband (he's a noted general surgeon as well). I was just lucky as all get out to find this guy.

Oh, and he gave a kick-ass three-hour WLS introductory lecture that I attended more than a year prior to my WLS. Seriously, I have tremendous respect for this guy.

[BCs 1000 364]

Worst

When I came out of surgery I must have been moaning. My first recollection was a male nurse sternly saying 'Ms BC1000, you need to stop moaning and tell us what is wrong'.

I had no idea where I even was!

Best

My surgeon, my Bariatric GP, my nutritionist, my Psychologist, the nurses who cared for me post op. Well, except that nurse in recovery ????

[glitter eyes 1,398]

My best experience was my hospital stay- everyone was so great. I could not have asked for a better experience. @@AvaFern I am so sorry you had a bad experience with Dr. Morgenthal. He was my surgeon and I had a great experience with him. Four of my friends used him also and were very happy. However, we all work at the hospital where he practices so that may have had something to do with it. Now I didn't particularly care for his medical assistant Flo. She tries to screen a lot of his calls and sometimes acts like she is the doctor. I tried to avoid her at all costs. Glad you had a great experience with Dr. Desai- I have heard wonderful things about him and if I decide to proceed with plastics at some point I will probably use him.

My worst experience was probably with the nutritionist I saw. I did not receive any information I did not already know and she reviewed very little post op info. I learned way more talking with others who had the surgery and also learned tons of nutrition tips and ideas from right here on Bariatric pal!! So thanks everyone!!

[WalkOnWaking 139]

Best: Surgeon that listens and has a sense of humor. Laughter IS the best medicine.

Worst:

Anesthesiologist who didn't speak to me once before putting me under (and I was terrified - a little bedside manner would have been nice).

Hearing "she's awake enough, let's yank her tube," and feeling unknown hands jerk my chin upward and pull the trach tube out. Not a word to me about what was happening, you are ok, you are in recovery, the surgery is over. Not a single word.

Being lied to by pre-op prep nurse, saying I could wear the disposable underwear and pad (that she provided to me) during surgery, since I was NOT having a catheter put in. Being transferred from the gurney to my hospital bed to totally freak out to learn I'm no longer wearing the disposable underwear provided and am sitting in a pool of blood (menstrual cycle).

First injection of pain medication delivered via IV port by a nurse who was watching the clock instead of what she was doing. Despite my protests that something was wrong, was extremely painful, she still kept pushing it in. Finding out 5 minutes later, as my bicep is swelled to 2 or 3x its size that she blew out my IV. Pain medicine sub-q does not work like an IV administration would have (far different dose would have been needed).

Having to wait 4 more hours for another dose of pain medication when the 1st dose was not administered correctly.

First liquid meal in the hospital was a 32oz cup of Diet 7up with 8 grams of Protein powder mixed in it. Really? Carbonation AND 32oz to chug? (Surgeon okayed my husband providing me with a Premier Protein shake from home).

[Stevehud 1,790]

hmm best was my surgeon and hs staff, they never once made me feel fat they always spoke in positives and let me approach this with eyes wide open.

Dr Anthony Mccluney in boston mass is a dream to have for a surgeon.

Literally his staff is top notch, they fought to get me insured, knowing literally the company i worked for got bought out suddenly and our med ins was going to change jan 1 ( this was announced dec 2nd) and if we got to jan 1 my new ins had excluded WLS specifically, so we had 28 days to to get the whole process complete from approval to actual surgery. And then we got denied due to paperwork snafu by the ins company, my doc did his one on one with the ins company and literally i was in having my last test on thursday the 11th of dec and then friday the very next day they called me and said hey, your scheduled for the OR on tuesday. have a good weekend. lol we got the surgery done on dec 16th 14 days turnaround for all my tests all the paperwork etc. they literally called me almost daily to keep me informed. The staff at the hospital was great they had a special floor that was only for WLS patients and nurses who were specifically trained to help us. My nurse had only two patients per nurse, and i had my own recent nursing grad to me one on one. ( and she was a hit youngin lol) after the surgery i woke up in a lot of pain and they immediately gave me a nerve block, which really helped. Also even one of the pre surg nurses gave me a secret, ask for IV tylenol. its not a normally given thing, but it works wonders for pain. Literally that stuff did as much for pain as the toradol. and i never had to bother with the morphine and they removed the morphine pump thing 4 hours post surgery. Only thing i would change in that hospital is the dunkin donuts int he lobby you have to walk by after surgery....lol

[lauraellen80 854]

Worst

When I came out of surgery I must have been moaning. My first recollection was a male nurse sternly saying 'Ms BC1000, you need to stop moaning and tell us what is wrong'.

I had no idea where I even was!

My recovery room experience was similar--I have a vague recollection of moaning "Help... help..." because I was so nauseated when I first started to wake up, and I seem to remember a nurse coming over and being annoyed that I was calling for help. But I was really out of it, so who knows!

My other "worst" was one of the floor nurses, who came in at one point the second day and asked me "How many pee-pees have you made today?" like I was a toddler. My mom (an RN herself) and I had to keep from making eye contact with one another, because we knew we'd both burst out laughing if we did. The other nurses were phenomenal, but that lady was a ditz. My mom wonders if she worked on a pediatric floor before.

I was a bit frustrated that the dietitian from my surgeon's practice left right around the time I had surgery, and it was quite a while before they got a new one. In the meantime, I got some contradictory advice (mainly about carbs) from the surgeon's PAs and the dietitian at their other office in Maryland, whom I spoke with on the phone.

But those were just a few minor annoyances--otherwise my experience has been great! My surgeon is top-notch and is very straightforward with you. The staff in his office is pleasant and helpful. And the hospital where I had my surgery is almost brand-new was great--my mom, who is a nursing educator, actually took notes and talked to some of the staff about how they run things to get ideas to take back to her hospital.

[AvaFern 3,516]

@@glitter eyes

That's cool that we had the same surgeon! Funny enough Flo was the one that I thought was nice, lol. I'm sure since you work with Dr. Morgenthal he considered you a colleague and didn't default to the idea that you were a stupid, health illiterate patient that he had to tolerate.

If you do decide to have plastics, Dr. Desai is the surgeon to use. He does wonderful work and since you're already in Jacksonville, you wouldn't even have to travel!

[JengaBee 38]

This is TOTALLY going to sound like a paid review. Haha, it's not, it was really this awesome!

My insurance doesn't cover wls and paying out of pocket here was never an option. I did all my research and actually went with BariatricPal. Dr. Altamirano was my surgeon. He is AMAZING! In fact, the whole experience was awesome!

Dr. A met me in hall on the way to the OR and instantly put me at ease. While waiting for them to knock me out he chatted with me and fixed my compression stockings that I totally put on wrong. Then he rubbed my shoulder and told me one last time that they were going to take good care of me as I was falling asleep.

The hospital staff were SO attentive and on the ball. After several days on an iv my arm started to get really sore and started to swell. I sent Dr. A a message asking him if I could just have it taken out and within half an hour, a nurse came in and took it out.

It's the little things that make all the difference. Not only did I have a great wls that has totally changed my life, but the whole experience was such a positive one.

The only negative thing was not getting to eat the delicious food my husband did.

[Tobeornottobe 89]

My worst experiences would have to be with the bariatric coordinator at the office. She would not return phone calls or emails and if you were able to catch her, she acted like it was a HUGE bother to answer your questions. I finally got fed up enough to threaten to report her to the office manager. Things got a bit better after that. When I was in the hospital waiting, my surgery was delayed and no one informed me as to what was going on. I finally lost it on one of the nurses who apologized profusely. The anesthesiologist was a bit of an ass who did not acknowledge my presence. The nurses were pretty great except one. I was in extreme pain and it was past the time for my pain meds. I called and she told me she would be back in 5 minutes. Thirty minutes later, she still wasn't back. I ended up getting a new nurse for the duration of the shift.

The best: the surgeon did an amazing job. I had minimal pain from gas (walking as soon as I was able after surgery and as often as possible) and minimal pain from the incisions. I have not had any issues with throwing up. I was back to exercising and back to work within a week. I would deem it a success. Please note: I'm only a month out.

The most annoying the On-Q pump which i was grateful for in hindsight and the Lovenox shots (needle phobic).

[KristenVSG2014 1,871]

The worst thing was my husband and in-laws leaving me in the hospital every meal to go eat burritos in Tijuana without me. Jerks. They know I love Mexican food...

Oh yeah. Worst MEDICAL. Hmmmm. I think the worst thing was not seeing or meeting my surgeon face to face until I was already sitting in the OR having a full-blown anxiety attack. But he did a fantastic job. No complications, no nausea and very attentive staff.

The best thing was the all-inclusive price and no fighting with the insurance company or jumping through hoops. ????????

[4MRB4PHOTO 3,899]

BEST:

Seeing my family after waking up from the anesthesia.

Professionalism and caring surgeon and medical staff.

A smooth surgery and recovery with minimal discomfort.

WORST:

My health care provider refusing to cover the procedure only ~2 weeks before the surgery due to "not being on a medically supervised diet for at least 3 months" and "my PCP not recommending/approving the procedure even though they were paying for a nutritionist for a few months and had a recommendation from my PCP.

After phone calls from my surgeon's & PCP's office and myself along resubmitted info, they "graciously" approved the procedure and I had the surgery on the scheduled date.

Edited January 13, 2016 by 4MRB4PHOTO