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Do you call the Doctors office often?



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:tongue: I feel like I have to call or email them all the time in order to get anywhere. I HATE feeling like I bother people but I can't get answers otherwise. I've been waiting for a week to get my surgery scheduled and no one has called me. It usually takes them 2 days to get back to me. It's been such a long process and I want to be able to plan my future some. I just want a flippin date. I know the poor insurance person at my doctors office probably hates me.

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Guest Leslie2Lose

I had my doctor's nurse on speed dial. Bless her heart. I found out about a month ago I had to have my port revised (it'd flipped). I call her all the time and also enjoyed harrassing the insurance company for three weeks. I know she sighed everytime she was told I was on the phone. It was finally corrected this past Friday. Yea!

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I called my surgeons office alot more before my surgery. I was trying to get the insurance squared away.

Don't worry about asking them questions via phone, email, or in person... I am sure you paid them for their time already :tongue:

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The girl at my surgeons office told me she would put in my request for authorization on a Friday, and call them on Mon or Tuesday. I didn't want to bug her... so I waited a week and a half to call. She hadn't even sent my paperwork in yet!!! She told me she is so busy, she needs me to call constantly!!! Who knew?? So...now I am still waiting for an answer (and my surgery is in 9 days!!!!)

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I call my Surgeon's office at least once each week, mostly to see what clearances they have received, and which offices I have to harass to send them in.

My surgeon won't submit my file to insurance until he has received all of the results from the various tests I need to have done, so I've been 'guiding' (read pushing) the offices along to send the clearances in. I'm done with all of the testing, and I know that waiting to hear back from the Insurance will be an intense time, so I'm doing all that I can now before its just a waiting game.

The office staff is extremely nice and helpful, so although I feel like I'm bothering them I know that they realize that we are just excited to have a new outlook on life, and for most of us, to just start living.

Good Luck to All.

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Don't feel bad cause I was calling them twice a week until I received an approval from the insurance company. You have to be persistent.

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Don't feel bad cause I was calling them twice a week until I received an approval from the insurance company. You have to be persistent.

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Its interesting the different responses you'll get on this one. I ended up on the S**T list at my surgeon's office because I followed up on everything. I was trying to get it all lined up so I wouldn't have to be stressed out. I was never rude, except maybe the one time they left me sitting around for 5 hours, but really 5 hours??? who wouldn't be irritated?? Any way, they may be a very busy practice but remember you are client and you are paying them for a service, a very important and personal service. I say follow up, you never know if you don't ask.

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I feel the same way as you do but i've realized that if don't reach out to them. they probably won't reach out to me. They're getting GOOD money from us, they have to do it. Good luck!

Edited by Tracyde730

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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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      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • 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.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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