SnowyWinter

So I posted on Saturday about how I was having second thoughts, not about having weight loss surgery, but about whether I was in good hands with my current provider, after they have literally cancelled and rescheduled every single appointment, including my surgery date, which I've ever had with them. Several of you replied validating my concerns, which I so appreciate. Speaking up about my concerns caused my surgery to be cancelled! Can you even believe it?!?! I'm calming down now but I literally had a full blown panic attack at work. I was hysterically sobbing. I'm on a liquid diet, have been off my anti inflammatory meds for 6 days, cancelled my vacation I'd planned since last November after they rescheduled my surgery from July, and now this? I would never have seen this coming, even after all the prior chaos. After expressing concerns about things up to this point I was told, among other things, that I am "rehashing" the past and that because of this they do not feel I will comply with post op care, because these same scheduling issues will probably continue to occur post op to. So since I expressed these concerns, despite this being my entire point that I wanted to be sure I was in good hands post op so that I could get the proper post op care, they have determined that I won't comply with post op care? I am attaching my reply back to them from the patient portal. The nurse did say she MAY be able to meet with the team and get my surgery date reinstated however. What a day! What a joke!

What a crazy past week! I first posted here last Saturday about the doubts I was having about my gastric sleeve surgery scheduled for 8/15, not in regards to surgery, but concerns with the provider. Monday I expressed some of my concerns to the nurse, who is the bariatric program coordinator, and this lead her to deciding to take me off the surgery schedule, saying if I was going to rehash all the past issues I'd had with them, since these issues would only likely continue post op that it wouldn't be safe to do surgery as I wouldn't comply with post op care. She did say she'd consider reinstating my surgery date, but then started making a long list of demands... since I live out of town I had been told I needed to remain in town through Friday. Of course I booked a hotel from Wednesday-Friday (the plan was likely 1 night in the hospital, and then staying at the hotel 2 additional nights before being able to return back to my home town). She apparently didn't believe me and demanded I forward her my confirmation of booking a hotel room to her! Then she wanted me to make certain statements in writing on the patient portal so "she could take it back to the team" about staying in town, transportation, pain meds, post op care, etc. I was shocked by how horrible I was treated, she was literally yelling at me so loudly (while I was at work) that the conversation could be over heard by others and I had people coming up to me saying "who were you talking to?" in shock by it. I literally had a panic attack after her screaming at me and telling me she was taking my surgery off the schedule. She clearly has no idea the type of person I am: I have never in my life no showed a medical appointment. Have been at my current job 6 years and never clocked in so much as 1 minute late to work. I'm extremely reliable and responsible, so her telling me that I was incapable of following instructions (when the written diet she sent me was in fact incorrect). I don't blame her for that, as they are transitioning the program to the new surgeon so editing all their materials, but to tell me I am incapable of following instructions when she in fact gave me incorrect instructions, and her saying she didn't believe it was safe to do surgery just completely blew my mind! Tuesday she informed me they were going to "keep me off the schedule as a final decision" and I was pretty much despondent and wasn't even able to go to work yesterdady as I pretty much cried all day long. I went to see my primacy care provider, thinking this insane experience had thrown me over the edge and that I needed help for anxiety before I could even think about surgery further, but I actually left very encouraged to keep moving forward. They have referred me to another surgeon and I have a consult on 8/23! I will NOT allow this horrible experience to deter me. My primary care provider told I dodged a bullet and I need to keep moving forward. I thought I went in to ask for some anxiety meds/mental health assistance- something, but the words of encouragement and motivation to keep moving forward were 1000 times better! That being said I am seeing Dr. Tarin Worrest in Missoula, MT on 8/23. By any chance has anyone had surgery with her? Also, any one else have any surgeon suggestions in Montana? My insurance is largely a Montana network so not a whole lot of options, but if anyone has any suggestions for surgeons in the Allegiance network I'd love to hear them!

Thank you so much ChunkCat! That means a lot, and yes, the pep talk my doctor gave me made me realize I won't let this stop me from moving forward to the future healthier self I have started to envision! My insurance auth is good through January so I'm hoping I can be fast tracked for a new surgery date since I've already got authorization. My primary care doctor seems to think so, it's jut a matter of finding the right surgeon now.

I am pre op so have never been in your shoes. I'm so sorry to hear about your poor treatment, especially at such a vulnerable time. I had a similar situation, had a falling out with the nurse at my surgeon's office this week and my 8/15 surgery was cancelled. When I expressed my concerns it was all turned around on me. When they told me they were cancelling my surgery, after I was already off meds and on a liquid diet I had a major breakdown. I reached out to my primary care doctor - thinking I was seeking help for anxiety, but she was able to help me find a new surgeon and I now have a consult booked 8/23 and am hopeful again. Do you have a primary care provider who can intervene on your behalf to assist you to find a new provider for follow up care by any chance? I'm sending positive thoughts your way that you get the respectful treatment and care you deserve!

Thank you all for your mind words, and yes, I did dodge a bullet - it just took me a few days to see it. Tuesday the nurse called me and told me she was keeping me off the schedule as a final decision. I was so despondent. I kept logging into my patient portal, where I could still see my procedure scheduled, and hoping perhaps this was some last bluff on their part. But it's definitely been cancelled. I couldn't go to work yesterday as I was sobbing most of the day. I went into see my primary care doctor, thinking the visit was to get some help for my anxiety, but she encouraged me to not let this crazy experience deter me. I have a consult with another sugeon on 8/23. I will NOT give up hope! Thank you all. I now know this is a blessing in the end!

Oh, I'm beyond heart broken, I literally cannot stop crying. I work in a hospital and my panic attack was so bad after being told my surgery was cancelled that I had several nurses, plus a physician all ask me if I was ok or if they could drive me somewhere/take me to the ER. I even got reprimanded by the nurse over the phone for not following instructions, when I asked if I was correct in being on an under 500 calorie diet, with my three 160 calorie protein shakes adding up to 480 calories/day. She refused to let me even speak. When I asked if I could speak for 30 seconds she said no. The instructions I was emailed says "3-5 protein shakes per day depending on the amount of protein per shake." I am using the Premier Protein, which has 30g protein, so since I was told I needed 80g/day I was drinking 3 shakes per day. She lectured me on not following instructions until she looked back in her email that she sent me and realized I was correct. Apparently it was suppose to be 6 shakes per day! This was also part of what got me cancelled, when I asked if I was correct that I should be under 500 calories/day.

First post ever here and really struggling... My surgery date is 8/15 and I'm starting to have second thoughts. Not so much about having weight loss surgery, but about whether I am in good hands with my current provider. Long story short NOTHING with this bariatric surgeon's group has ever gone to plan. I did the steps to book my initial consult (educational videos, referral from my primary care provider etc.) and scheduled for January on MLK day. I booked this a couple months in advance so that I could take a friend with me to my consult who had MLK day off work (I live in small town MT so there are no local bariatric surgeons to me). I had requested the day off work as it's a 6 hour round trip to the office. The Thursday before my Monday appointment they called to inform me they were closed for the MLK holiday and had just realized this. So I waited another month and had my consult in February. I knew my insurance required me to complete 6 months nutrition visits, so goal was surgery this summer and I was moving forward with this. My pre op was scheduled for 6/28, and they told me when I scheduled my pre op that surgery would then be within 30 days (in the month of July). I was very excited and looking forward to surgery. I had been clear with them in early June that I was not avail for August surgery and they confirmed with my pre op being on 6/28 surgery would be within 30 days of the pre op. A week prior to my pre op they called to tell me their surgery/clinic days were changing and they had to move me to 6/29, again this is not me taking an hour off work but a full day to drive 6 hours to this office. I was frustrated by this, but was able to change my work schedule. At the appointment I was given a 7/18 surgery date, all the paper work listing my surgery date and dates for the phases of my pre op diet and I signed the consent. and I was so thrilled! Then the surgeon comes back in and when I mentioned surgery on 7/18 his reply was "well that's not going to happen" and I was super confused. I guess he normally does 2 cases per surgery date, but the 1st case on 7/18 was a super complex patient and so he refused to do 2 cases that day. This was not communicated to his staff and I left in tears. They told me as I was leaving the appointment that I could have surgery in August, as there were no more July surgery dates available, but they then dropped the bomb on me that the surgeon is no longer doing bariatric surgery after July (which had never once been mentioned to me at all), so my surgery in August would be with the new surgeon moving to Montana from California! This would also mean spending my birthday in the hospital as my birthday is 8/16. I wanted surgery so badly I even was willing to put up with this change in surgery months, a new surgeon I'd never even met and spending my own birthday in the hospital, but when I had asked a month ago through the MyChart patient portal (thus have it in writing) I was told I was 2nd case on 8/15 with an 8:30 arrival. I clarified that I lived 3 hours away and needed to know if it would possible end up being an early arrival so I could make appropriate plans to travel on Monday 8/14. I was told I was all set for an 8:30 arrival so I planned to leave home at 5:30 on surgery morning as I sleep better in my own bed and didn't want to pay for an extra night in a hotel. Now 2 days ago they told me because of my prior diaphragm surgery I need to be 1st case! I don't have a ride/plans for a 6am arrival and am panicking! This has me questioning majorly whether I am in good hands with this team... will my care post op be any better? If this is how I'm being treated pre op what I can I expect going forward? Am I being petty or does all this seem like a HUGE red flag?

Thank you all for confirming that this isn't just me being petty or unwilling to be flexible. I'm going to go to church today and pray and reflect over things and hope to find peace either in backing out or moving forward. I did start my liquid diet yesterday, and also have had to come off my anti inflammatory medications (have arthritis in my spine from a spinal fusion surgery in 2007) so feel like I need to make a decision quickly here. I did "meet" the new surgeon. In mid July they set up a tele health visit, but even that didn't go as planned as they couldn't get the zoom link to work so it ended up just being a phone call. I had my primary care doctor look into his background, and while he's new to Montana (told he was out of the office last week making the move from California), he was program director of a bariatric program in California. His name is Deron Ludwig. I just wish they would have given me the heads up over the past 6 months that Dr. Pickhardt (who I sought out specifically as I know 3 people who have surgery with him) would be leaving the program after July. This couldn't have been that last minute, as he's not leaving medicine, but just no longer doing bariatric surgery, only trauma surgery going forward. I will say though that at least over the phone I found Dr. Ludwig more personable and felt like we had a better discussion than I'd previously had with Dr. Pickhardt. Thanks for listening and hopefully I'll find some peace soon very soon here in deciding if I should move forward with surgery or not. Cannot believe it's 9 days away and I don't know whether I'm going through with it or not!