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Doctor's office unresponsive



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When I go for my appointments, everyone's super nice and friendly and helpful and bursting with information. But if I have a question outside of office hours and send a voicemail or an email, I get bupkis. No response.

I'm concerned about that. While I can get many of the questions I have answered here, it's still critical that I feel they are invested in my success too.

For instance: I need to set up a sleep study (though I don't have apnea), and they gave me the name of the doctor to call. I've been calling for two weeks and nothing. I told my bariatric center about the unresponsive doctor, and the office manager said she'd look into it and get back to me. And------no callback.

If I call and set up with another sleep study, will my surgeon/my insurance allow that? I mean, a sleep study is a sleep study is a sleep study, right?

I'm frustrated. I'm also really hungry today and no matter what I eat (and I'm being good, but boy--it's hard) I'm hungry again in an hour. Grrrrrrrrr.

Words of encouragement/advice?

Don't know what I'd do without this site!

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I have only had one appt early on with my surgeon. I know 2 other people who have gotten banded by him and they just rave about all the attention (feel like family now, blah blah) they receive, so I am thinking and hoping I will have the same feelings after I am finally banded.

One thing he insisted on was that I go to a GP doc, and he gave me a huge list of pre-reqs as well. Being self pay I was a little nervous. My ins covers a good bite of all the tests, but still the deductibles and 20%'s add up.

Anyway, he was right about the GP, that's for sure. Instead of picking one out of the yellow pages I asked for a recommendation and I must say, I am very happy with this doctor. After my initial exam one of his staff made a ton of calls and got me hooked up for all the pre-req procedures, including the sleep study.

I feel for you PhillyGirl. I have had a couple of missed communications with my surgeons office, and though understandable, it just makes me feel unimportant to them when it happens. I know I shouldn't feel that way.. I think it has to do with the emotional rollercoaster I've been on since the start of this journey.

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Hey, PhillyGirl. I totally get this.

When I phone my (potential) surgeon, I never get a person. He is part of a large group (like, 12 or so) of doctors and they have an extensive voice mail system. No matter which option I choose, I always end up leaving a message. It is weird because I feel like I have to be very specific so that my message gets to his (or his nurse).

Usually the nurse does call back in a day or less, but I really wish that a HUMAN would pick up the phone!!!!! I did call on Friday (as I had been told to do), but no one has called back yet. I am out of town from this afternoon through late Tuesday night, so maybe they'll call in that time. (I hope.)

Keep your chin up! Though I have no patience myself, I think that might be the key here. *sigh*

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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    • KimBaxleyWilson

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