My New Self - Saint Louis, MO **HELP**

[Pat in STL 12]

Hi All,

I do not have my exact date yet, but I am having the Sleeve surgery at Des Peres as well. I did a lot of research on doctors and chose Dr. Scott. I am so happy to her all these wonderful comments about him. I have had to call the office several times, and have not had any issues. Everyone was so nice and helpful. I barely sat down on my first visit last week, and my name was called. Talked with Dr. French, then Erica the nutritionist, and then met with Dr. Scott. I was so impressed with the service I received that day, that I made a special point of telling Dr. Scott how good my experience had been. Hopefully, this great service will continue.

I was told once all my pre-op test are done (July 3) they will send to my insurance company for final approval. (I already have conditional approval). They told me final approval normally takes about two weeks, and I should be able to have my surgery by the end of the month. Does this sound right to any of you you have gone to My New Self. Just seems like I have been waiting forever......because of a previous insurance company......not My New Self........just curious how long anyone else's insurance approval, and scheduling took.

Hope you all have a great day!

[MizzouGirl 148]

Hi All,

I do not have my exact date yet, but I am having the Sleeve surgery at Des Peres as well. I did a lot of research on doctors and chose Dr. Scott. I am so happy to her all these wonderful comments about him. I have had to call the office several times, and have not had any issues. Everyone was so nice and helpful. I barely sat down on my first visit last week, and my name was called. Talked with Dr. French, then Erica the nutritionist, and then met with Dr. Scott. I was so impressed with the service I received that day, that I made a special point of telling Dr. Scott how good my experience had been. Hopefully, this great service will continue.

I was told once all my pre-op test are done (July 3) they will send to my insurance company for final approval. (I already have conditional approval). They told me final approval normally takes about two weeks, and I should be able to have my surgery by the end of the month. Does this sound right to any of you you have gone to My New Self. Just seems like I have been waiting forever......because of a previous insurance company......not My New Self........just curious how long anyone else's insurance approval, and scheduling took.

Hope you all have a great day!

Hi PattO - Dr. French and Erica are great! And, Dr. Scott is very good and I've had no issues. I researched several Dr's as well and also chose him. My insurance approval just took a few days (I'm with CIGNA) but I was also told 2 weeks. I requested a Friday so I was scheduled 3 weeks from the date of my approval but if you are flexible with your date, you probably won't have to wait as long. Good luck to you and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

[MizzouGirl 148]

Hi All,

I do not have my exact date yet, but I am having the Sleeve surgery at Des Peres as well. I did a lot of research on doctors and chose Dr. Scott. I am so happy to her all these wonderful comments about him. I have had to call the office several times, and have not had any issues. Everyone was so nice and helpful. I barely sat down on my first visit last week, and my name was called. Talked with Dr. French, then Erica the nutritionist, and then met with Dr. Scott. I was so impressed with the service I received that day, that I made a special point of telling Dr. Scott how good my experience had been. Hopefully, this great service will continue.

I was told once all my pre-op test are done (July 3) they will send to my insurance company for final approval. (I already have conditional approval). They told me final approval normally takes about two weeks, and I should be able to have my surgery by the end of the month. Does this sound right to any of you you have gone to My New Self. Just seems like I have been waiting forever......because of a previous insurance company......not My New Self........just curious how long anyone else's insurance approval, and scheduling took.

Hope you all have a great day!

Also - you might want to change your font color as it barely shows up on the white. :-)

[Kyle Lynn 4]

I had my psychiatrist apt. And my apt. With dr. Scott. I have to have a sleep study and a oft test then I am we'll on my way more than excited to get the ball rolling

[Kyle Lynn 4]

Pft test

[MizzouGirl 148]

I had my psychiatrist apt. And my apt. With dr. Scott. I have to have a sleep study and a oft test then I am we'll on my way more than excited to get the ball rolling

Good for you! If you were in his office today, we might have crossed paths as I had a follow-up appointment with him today (6 weeks post op). He was pleased with my results and I'm happy that I've had no issues. Dr. Scott is awesome!!!

[Kyle Lynn 4]

Good for you! If you were in his office today' date=' we might have crossed paths as I had a follow-up appointment with him today (6 weeks post op). He was pleased with my results and I'm happy that I've had no issues. Dr. Scott is awesome!!![/quote']

Ok goodness I had no idea that you had your surgery. Tell me everything! I'm so nervous!!

[MizzouGirl 148]

5/31 - Surgery at 8:30, had sleeve, gall bladder removed and liver biopsy. Surgery done at 10am -- I was in a lot of pain when they woke me up but they fixed it within a few minutes. I think I was in my room at 11am and my husband met me there. The surgeon said all went well with the surgery and they did a leak test and all was fine. I was able to eat a small Popsicle, a cube of Jello and some Crystal Light for lunch. For dinner I had a Popsicle and some Crystal Light and got nausea. They gave me some nausea medicine and it went way. Had quite of bit of pain that night so took a liquid pain killer twice that night. Didn't sleep well because of the staff coming and going, the pain and some intermittent nausea. Almost threw up in the night but luckily was able to control it. Walked the halls twice for about 5 minutes and burped ALOT. Not a great day but could have been worse (like day 2). Oh, I also had to go #1 about every 1.5-2 hours because of all the liquids they were pumping into me. This was not pleasant as it was painful to get in and out of bed. The frequency didn't change for the time I was in the hospital but it did get easier to get up and down.

Here are the medications they gave me:

1. Pain ball - tubes inside me going to surgery points. Had to carry the darn thing around which was a bit inconvenient but I wouldn't have gone without the pain ball. It had run out when the Dr. took it out Sunday morning. I didn't control the dosage on this -- it was automatic.

2. liquid pain killer as needed - a liquid cocktail of hydrocodeine and tylenol that I had to take orally. Not great tasting but did the trick.

3. Nausea medicine - inserted through my IV

3. Blood Thinner - shot in my stomach (caused major bruising that took about 2 weeks to go away)

4. Pepcid - inserted through my IV

Also had to have massaging sleeves on my calves and oxygen tube in my nose while in bed. Had to do that exhale thing where you lift the ball 10 times each hour I was awake. I think that's it.

6/1 - Couldn't eat without my stomach seizing then tons of gurgling. Was really worried it would be permanent so posted under the Post Op forum and got reassurance from several people that it happened to them and went away. Also talked to nurse and she assured me it was temporary. I was actually really hungry and couldn't eat and was regretting having the surgery. Broke down and cried for a bit but after the support, I was hopeful. At least the pain was reducing and no more nausea. Walked the halls 4 times for 10 minutes each time and still burping all the time. Was able to get much more sleep this night.

6/2 - Woke up feeling a ton better I think in part because I got pretty decent sleep. Was able to do 10 sips of Protein for Breakfast and lunch and lots of sips of Water. No stomach seizing and no nausea - still some gurgling but that is manageable. In the night I had my first toot and had 4 BMs the rest of the day - pretty much all liquid. Walked in the morning for 15 minutes and found out that I was going to get to go home.... yippeee!!!

I had some minimal pain (no meds necessary) for about 7-10 days and ran a low grade fever for the first week post surgery. I dealt with alot of fatigue for about the first 4 weeks and burped all the time for the first 5 weeks. I do still get tired after a busy day but who wouldn't on 800-1000 calories a day! Sometime during week 5, I pretty much felt normal again. I can eat everything that has been cleared on the surgeon's "Shopping List" without issue. I can comfortably eat about 6oz - I might be able to do more but don't want to push it. I still haven't thrown up or really had any issues. If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'm happy to answer anything.

Best wishes to you!!!

[MizzouGirl 148]

I should mention that Dr. Scott is awesome and I thought the staff in the hospital was fantastic. I felt like I was in really good hands. I too was very nervous going into surgery but am so happy I did it now.

[Kyle Lynn 4]

5/31 - Surgery at 8:30' date=' had sleeve, gall bladder removed and liver biopsy. Surgery done at 10am -- I was in a lot of pain when they woke me up but they fixed it within a few minutes. I think I was in my room at 11am and my husband met me there. The surgeon said all went well with the surgery and they did a leak test and all was fine. I was able to eat a small Popsicle, a cube of Jello and some Crystal Light for lunch. For dinner I had a Popsicle and some Crystal Light and got nausea. They gave me some nausea medicine and it went way. Had quite of bit of pain that night so took a liquid pain killer twice that night. Didn't sleep well because of the staff coming and going, the pain and some intermittent nausea. Almost threw up in the night but luckily was able to control it. Walked the halls twice for about 5 minutes and burped ALOT. Not a great day but could have been worse (like day 2). Oh, I also had to go #1 about every 1.5-2 hours because of all the liquids they were pumping into me. This was not pleasant as it was painful to get in and out of bed. The frequency didn't change for the time I was in the hospital but it did get easier to get up and down.

Here are the medications they gave me:

1. Pain ball - tubes inside me going to surgery points. Had to carry the darn thing around which was a bit inconvenient but I wouldn't have gone without the pain ball. It had run out when the Dr. took it out Sunday morning. I didn't control the dosage on this -- it was automatic.

2. Liquid pain killer as needed - a liquid cocktail of hydrocodeine and tylenol that I had to take orally. Not great tasting but did the trick.

3. Nausea medicine - inserted through my IV

3. Blood Thinner - shot in my stomach (caused major bruising that took about 2 weeks to go away)

4. Pepcid - inserted through my IV

Also had to have massaging sleeves on my calves and oxygen tube in my nose while in bed. Had to do that exhale thing where you lift the ball 10 times each hour I was awake. I think that's it.

6/1 - Couldn't eat without my stomach seizing then tons of gurgling. Was really worried it would be permanent so posted under the Post Op forum and got reassurance from several people that it happened to them and went away. Also talked to nurse and she assured me it was temporary. I was actually really hungry and couldn't eat and was regretting having the surgery. Broke down and cried for a bit but after the support, I was hopeful. At least the pain was reducing and no more nausea. Walked the halls 4 times for 10 minutes each time and still burping all the time. Was able to get much more sleep this night.

6/2 - Woke up feeling a ton better I think in part because I got pretty decent sleep. Was able to do 10 sips of Protein for Breakfast and lunch and lots of sips of Water. No stomach seizing and no nausea - still some gurgling but that is manageable. In the night I had my first toot and had 4 BMs the rest of the day - pretty much all liquid. Walked in the morning for 15 minutes and found out that I was going to get to go home.... yippeee!!!

I had some minimal pain (no meds necessary) for about 7-10 days and ran a low grade fever for the first week post surgery. I dealt with alot of fatigue for about the first 4 weeks and burped all the time for the first 5 weeks. I do still get tired after a busy day but who wouldn't on 800-1000 calories a day! Sometime during week 5, I pretty much felt normal again. I can eat everything that has been cleared on the surgeon's "Shopping List" without issue. I can comfortably eat about 6oz - I might be able to do more but don't want to push it. I still haven't thrown up or really had any issues. If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'm happy to answer anything.

Best wishes to you!!!

The hardest parts for me were the 3 day pre-op liquid diet and my day 2 breakdown. I'm confident in the upcoming weeks, I'll have plenty of "best parts" to post. Just taking it a day at a time and appreciate the support from my fellow sleevers. <img src='http://www.bariatricpal.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />[/quote']

I love this thank you for telling me all of this I'm so happy for you now I'm nervous! I'm sure all will be fine

[cphelpsnewme 0]

I understand you can get upset with waiting but look on the bright side, Dr. Scott will save your life if you should ever need it. He is a surgeon and sometimes they have to be called away to save someones life. Which in return makes a healthy person have to wait in his office for a long period of time. You shouldn't be so hard on the office staff. They are trying to do the best they can with crabby people. I was in there one day and heard a lady yelling at all of them because the Dr. was late. Do you know the staff has no control over that? Do you think they really want to spend their entire day waiting for the Dr. to get there? Do you really think they want to miss their lunches or their breaks waiting all day? But if they have to wait all day for they Dr. they do! And they make sure once he gets there that all patients are seen as fast as possible. We all have bad days and maybe someone is having a bad day because of the way they are being treated. And everyone is different and everyone will do different after surgery. I am very happy with my results and continue to drop the pounds by changing my lifestyle! It's no longer a diet, it's a lifestyle change!

With that said here is what I have to say about Dr. Scott and MyNewSelf............

Dr. Scott has changed my life!! He is the greatest surgeon around! I have been to many seminars and have heard many many Dr.'s speak and Dr. Scott is by far the BEST in the area!!! His office staff is soooo kind, caring and understanding. I love my nurses especially Michelle and Kelly!! I also LOVE the dietician Erika!! Without all of these people I would not have had this great success and care! Ida is the kindest voice to hear on the phone and Jennifer works so hard to get the insurance approval. This is truely the hardest working group of people I have ever seen! The office manager Lynn keeps this office running smooth. Allison is great at taking my vital signs and talking with me. I would not hesitate recommending anyone to this program. They are #1!!!!!!!

[greensleeve 457]

I find it odd that you have only made one post and it sounded like an advertisement for MNS.

[mo girl 313 1]

I'm really frustrated with the location (My New Self in St. Louis, MO) I've selected for my surgery due to the lack of service provided by the front office staff. I feel good about my surgeon and I've met with the dietician several times and she is great. But, every time I deal with the front office staff over the phone or in person they aren't friendly or helpful and it's making me question my decision. It seems like they are overwhelmed and don't really care about how they treat you or talk to you. I received my insurance approval and called yesterday to see if I could schedule my surgery and what the next steps are. The gal who answered said they had received the approval as well and advised that I would receive a call - I explained I was going on vacation next week and really wanted to determine this before I left. I asked if I could get a call that day and she said they were really busy so she didn't know. (It's now the next day and still no call). She just wanted to get me off the phone. A couple weeks ago, I had an appointment with my surgeon and after waiting 2 hours past my appointment time in a packed waiting room, I discovered there were several people there still ahead of me and 1 person with my same appointment time with the same surgeon. I ended up having to leave. I've had other issues when I've called about not feeling like the person answering the phone really wanted to help. I've never had this type of experience with a Dr's office before. I'm looking for feedback from anyone in the STL area that might have input or scoop on the My New Self Program and if I should be concerned. There are other Center of Excellence surgeons and programs in the area and I'm wondering if I should switch. This is a big decision and I want to feel good about it and right now I'm not. Thanks for any information fellow STL area sleevers can provide about My New Self. :-/

[mo girl 313 1]

OMG!! I had the same experience with Dr Scott staff. Dr Scott is awesome and am blessed to have him as a surgeon but his front office staff is BADDDD!!! They are RUDE RUDE RUDE. My surgery is in the moring, after that i will be sending the director a detail letter abiut my experience. There is no excuse for them to be the way they are. I was going to Dr. Del La Torre in columbia and his office was just as busy but his staff was ALWAYS kind and respectable only reason i didnt finished there was because my insurance guidlines wouldnt allow me. They highly reccommened Dr.Scott to complete my journey. Well getting ready for the BIG DAY. I will you well on yours!

[Happydales 12]

I had my sleeve done by dr Minkin at my new self. Love the dr and couldn't have ask for better care in the hospital. The front office staff are not doing your surgery. I'm very happy with my surgery. I had it on March 19th, 2014 and I've lost 62.5 pounds.

Laurie