Ok, loved Dr. Yau, everything went well..but do they call you back when you leave messages??

I have left two for Nancy (nurse) about my incisions, and two for Jill (nut) about my diet. Kathy dropped off the face of the earth after I gave them my money...

What the heck?? I kind of thought my 16K would get me more then just the band..

I have been emailing back & fourth with Kathy. Sometimes it takes her a day to reply.

I found that as soon as I booked my surgery - the "patient co-ordinator" didn't return my calls.

I found that as soon as I booked my surgery - the "patient co-ordinator" didn't return my calls.

Thats what happened with me..I REALLY liked Kathy..she was so quick to email/phone back before I paid..I emailed her a couple questions over a week ago and didn't get a response. The calls to the nurse I referred to above were on sat (last) and monday...the nut calls were mon and wed. Today is Saturday.

I have been emailing back & fourth with Kathy. Sometimes it takes her a day to reply.

That's how it was before for me, too...

That's how it was before for me, too...

Kathy always emails me back promptly when I email her... so I can't say much but email info@tlbc.ca and tell them post op you aren't getting the response you need... if you don't tell them this is going on they will never ever know!

heather

you aren't getting the response you need... if you don't tell them this is going on they will never ever know!

I just sent Kathy an email for all of us:

"Just a heads up...

On one of the major lap band specific message boards:

It is being mentioned repeatedly, that once you have their money,…

they can’t get replies to their questions, concerns, compliments, complaints, crisis…via numerous phone & email messages.

You may want to consider looking into that.

It leaves an uneasy feeling for those that need your help now & it in stills worry for those of us not yet banded."

I'm curious as to the response..

I just sent Kathy an email for all of us:

"Just a heads up...

On one of the major lap band specific message boards:

It is being mentioned repeatedly, that once you have their money,…

they can’t get replies to their questions, concerns, compliments, complaints, crisis…via numerous phone & email messages.

You may want to consider looking into that.

It leaves an uneasy feeling for those that need your help now & it in stills worry for those of us not yet banded."

-----------------------------------------------

Her immediate reply:

"I will always reply. You have my word. It may take a couple of days but I respond.

:Have a geat weekend!!

Kathy"

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My reply:

"You have been pretty good with me...but I haven't paid yet. J

I think they may also have been referring to the nutritionist & any other support workers as well.

Especially, post band, replies could be critical. K"

I have to say treat this like anything else... Kathy is pre op and she is amazing at dealing with and post op issues but Kathy also gets too busy doing her job which is pre op patients... to return every post op call... I have never had an issue with Kathy returning a call.. I have had an issue with Nancy returning calls once.. and I complained.... in email.. in writing. The same as I would if it was any other business..

Nancy and Jill get paid to deal with post op patients that is their career they have chosen at this point.. personally Jill has always emailed me back when I have sent a question, Nancy I have had one issue with... but if this was happening with a car you would be on the phone or writing the manager of the dealership and complaining this is your body it deserves at least as much as a car. You need to tell them that I leave messages and emails and whatever you do and they aren't returned... no one will take care of you if you don't and they will never know this is happening if you don't tell them.

Kathy cares so much about her patients, she cares pre signing and post signing but the poor girl has a job to do and she does it she can't do everyone in the clinics jobs that is why the other people have jobs... because it is way too much for one or two people. It seems more than enough for an entire staff.

Telling us here you have problems lets you vent but doesn't do much else for you and nothing will change until the clinic knows this is happening and you need to tell the management not the staff.. you need to call the managing director, CEO etc... not the staff, not Kathy, not the girl who answers the phones... management needs to know this, before it will get better.

Heather

Heather is right, you really need to escalate this higher. I checked TLBC website and it states right there that Kathy is strictly for pre-op so once you book you are probably supposed to speak to their post op staff. I was banded elsewhere and as soon as you are booked, you no longer deal with the pre-op person, you deal directly with the nurses and dietitian. Perhaps Kathy is passing on all your emails to the proper people and the are the ones not replying.

Back to the car analogy, once you buy the car, you don't go back to the salesman if you have a problem right, you go to the mechanics. In this case, Kathy is the salesman and their other staff are the mechanics. I would think once all your pre-op questions are answered and you are booked, you should be speaking with someone else. Contact the clinic and ask them who should be doing what so you know who to lodge the complaint against.

I know the chain of communication for my clinic and when I don't hear back, I know directly who to contact to complain. Perhaps you need to find this out for your clinic as well.

Be persistent and go above the rest. A week to hear back is BS especially immediately post op.

I note Kathy's reply "I always respond". Guess my questions got lost in the mail. It took hiring Jill before I started getting some interest to my questions.

Did you have issues then too with calls?

I am not the only one. A lady in Nova Scotia has been trying to get TLBC to respond to her letter for some time now and there are others that have fallen thru the cracks. I know the TLBC is trying very hard to correct the post surgery support and I am will to give them the support they need. However, for us long distance patients, waiting two or three days for an answer is like waiting two or three weeks. It is ok for Toronto patients because all they have to do is go to the hospital and Dr. Yau will come. However for us long distance patients, our hospitals ERs don't have the knowledge neither do our GPs so if we have a question we need an answer immediately inorder to make flight and hotel arrangements to Toronto. If I had any advice to TLBC is to set up a "hot line" for out of town patients and give that line priority. Then we could feel safe too.

I have not had a problem, sometimes it takes a day or so, but they did get back to me. When I really had a concern one week after surgery I keep calling until I reached someone. I might of called four times that day before I was able to talk to someone. I know they are really busy.

I do think that they are trying. You must make them aware of the problem and that you expect them to return your calls in a reasonable length of time. Call the CEO (Chris Henderson) if you are not getting what you need. It is very important that you feel safe and cared from from your clinic.