Dr. Timothy Duckett

[lisa0522 0]

Hi Jackie,

I'm now on my 2nd day of liquids . . . the doctor told me very little. I'm just following the instructions of the dietitian, and adding Protein powder to my Jello, pudding, and vanilla-milk. I only tried one powder and I think it's fine. I got the "any whey" Protein Powder from Rite Aid. It was 17.99 for a 1.35 pound jar, which has 30 servings. Also, Butterball chicken broth is absolutely delicious!! I have found it only at DrugMart so far.

I'm a little concerned with the message about Duckett/Oweis that just came through. If my surgery wasn't coming up so soon (monday 5/14 !!!) I would probably change doctors. I hope you have a great time with your granddaughter, and I'll type back as soon as I can after surgery.

-Lisa

[lisa0522 0]

<p>Hi, Thank you for the info.</p> <p>It is a bit scary . . . I had my pre-surgery visit with Dr. Oweis, and it's obvious he's not a guy with a very good bedside manner. He wasn't rude, just short & hurried. I have to say I'm naturally a bit intimidated by docs in general, though. I was glad to see you feel they are good surgeons . . . although I've heard some talk through this site that there were questions as to Dr. Duckett's abilities (messing up surgeries?) When I brought this up to the dietitian, she didn't deny anything. She just said they both do the surgery together and they have had good results during their 5+ years of doing them. </p> <p>It concerns me that if there's a problem, I won't be able to count on them(duckett & oweis) to figure it out because they only want to blame the patient, rather than discover the source in case it might have something to do with them not being 'perfect'. </p> <p>Through this site, I've heard alot of good things about Dr. C, I think he even answered a question for me. I'm scheduled for surgery Monday 5/14 at st. lukes. My insurance is covering this. I don't know how the payment with fills, etc. works. Do you think I could switch to a more patient friendly doc later if I have difficulties?</p> <p>I'd appreciate ANY thoughts/suggestions you might have!</p> <p>Thank you,</p> <p>Lisa F.</p>

[mboulis 0]

<p>Hi, Thank you for the info.</p> <p>It is a bit scary . . . I had my pre-surgery visit with Dr. Oweis, and it's obvious he's not a guy with a very good bedside manner. He wasn't rude, just short & hurried. I have to say I'm naturally a bit intimidated by docs in general, though. I was glad to see you feel they are good surgeons . . . although I've heard some talk through this site that there were questions as to Dr. Duckett's abilities (messing up surgeries?) When I brought this up to the dietitian, she didn't deny anything. She just said they both do the surgery together and they have had good results during their 5+ years of doing them. </p> <p>It concerns me that if there's a problem, I won't be able to count on them(duckett & oweis) to figure it out because they only want to blame the patient, rather than discover the source in case it might have something to do with them not being 'perfect'. </p> <p>Through this site, I've heard alot of good things about Dr. C, I think he even answered a question for me. I'm scheduled for surgery Monday 5/14 at st. lukes. My insurance is covering this. I don't know how the payment with fills, etc. works. Do you think I could switch to a more patient friendly doc later if I have difficulties?</p> <p>I'd appreciate ANY thoughts/suggestions you might have!</p> <p>Thank you,</p> <p>Lisa F.</p>

Lisa,

I have talked with Dr Curry personally through email and he has no problem taking patients of other band doctors. I know there are doctors in Ohio who won't do that but I had written his office about my concerns regarding the treatment of the people I discussed in my previous post---he wrote me personally and assured me that he does not berate patients or talk down to them. He told me to feel free to call and schedule an appointment, he'd be glad to see me.

I don't personally know anybody who have had problems with his surgery other than the journal link I gave you. I wish I could give you more info regarding that.

I never had the run ins that some patients have had with Oweis and Duckett but as a nurse who has been treated in a crappy manner by doctors at work, I just would never stand for my own doctor treating me that way.

Oh---the insurance. Yes, they do the surgery together and here was the stickler for me: I had Anthem at the time and was denied three times. I appealled to the state board and they forced Anthem to pay for the surgery. Well, Anthem paid---but only one doctor. The doctor's office tried to bill my insurance company $5,000 for each doctor in addition to hospital charges. Anthem refused. They said they were not paying for two doctors on a surgery typically done by one doctor. At one point, I received a bill for the $5,000. Anthem told me to tell them no, they have a contract with my insurance company and have to take what they get.

All in all, I think I ended up paying $100 or $150 to Dr Oweis for his part while Anthem covered Duckett.

The first fill is supposed to be free and is included in the surgery price. The fluoro at St Lukes for the first fill is NOT included however. I was billed over $800 for the fluoro (my insurance would not pay it)! I heard other places are nowhere near that pricey. Each subsequent fill (as of 2005) is done in the office and is $150. If I remember right, I think Dr C said the first fill with him (including fluoro) is $300 and each one after is $150.

If you have any more questions, feel free to drop me a line. Good luck on Monday!!

[JackieP12 0]

Hi Lisa,

Hope all is going well for you. Well, I figured if this thread was up long enough we would get some other replies.

Kind of intimidating isn't it? When we had our first consult with Dr. Duckett, he was very straight-laced. I tried to make a few jokes and he just ignored them, made me nervous. I like people with a sense of humor, it puts me at ease, but I guess I'm not paying him to entertain me, but you'd think he would be a little more personal seeing that he's going to make a bunch of money from all of us. We found out tons of info from the dietician. She was very personable. We went today for our upper GI and venous doppler. Everyone at the hospital was very nice. We start our 1200 calorie diet on Monday, the day of your surgery. Wish I was going to be home, I could pop up and see you.

Boy, oh boy, can you believe the stories? Maybe that will encourage me even more to lose weight. This is really making me feel uneasy about the aftercare, but not about the surgery. I wish you good luck and can't wait to hear from you after surgery. Take care and again, good luck.:clap2: :clap2:

Jackie

mboulis,

Thank you for all the info. It may have made me feel uneasy, but it's good to know the WHOLE story. I appreciate that.

[lisa0522 0]

Dear mboulis,

Thanks again for your info. It's nice to know there are other options for after-care if I'm not happy in Maumee. I'm also glad to know about the insurance . . . Jolynn from Duckett & Oweis said the first fill is included. I guess I'll find out soon enough! Take care, Lisa

[lisa0522 0]

Hi Jackie,

I had the same positive experience at the hospital. I can't remember where you live . . . I live in Norwalk which is about 45 minutes away from Mansfield and there's a dr. who has a good bariatric reputation who just started doing the lap band. He might also be an option for after-care if we aren't happy with D & O. Thanks for your messages, I'll tell you how it is in just a few days!!

-Lisa

[mboulis 0]

Hi Jackie,

I had the same positive experience at the hospital. I can't remember where you live . . . I live in Norwalk which is about 45 minutes away from Mansfield and there's a dr. who has a good bariatric reputation who just started doing the lap band. He might also be an option for after-care if we aren't happy with D & O. Thanks for your messages, I'll tell you how it is in just a few days!!

-Lisa

Hey Lisa,

I am from Sandusky.:biggrin1:

[mboulis 0]

mboulis,

Thank you for all the info. It may have made me feel uneasy, but it's good to know the WHOLE story. I appreciate that.

You're welcome. If either of you have any questions, I'll help if I can.

[JackieP12 0]

Hi Lisa,

Just wanted to say Hi and hope you're doing okay. :rolleyes :rolleyes I've been thinking about you all week wondering how the surgery went. Hope all is well with you.

Just thought I'd say hey.

Type to ya soon,

Jackie

[lisa0522 0]

Hi Jackie! Yes, I'm doing WELL. Thank you for asking. Surgery went well, I have to say my greatest suffering was the day of surgery & two days following. After that, I don't feel I need any pain meds EXCEPT from the fluctuating gas pain (from the inflation during surgery). Today is day 7 post op, and for an hour or so had very bad shoulder pain . . . when my mom saw me, she showed my a huge (almost baseball size) lump between my shoulder & neck. This is still the gas!!!! I can't believe it . . . we took a 45 minute walk, with no immediate results, but I think it started things moving around and I'm feeling very good, just extremely bloated. I started worrying about the excessive bloating (would it cause my band to slip just as if I had drank pop??) so I called Jolynn on Friday. She wasn't there, so I called the dr. office. They actually put Dr. Oweis on the phone, and he was fine, but told me to take Gas-X. He said as long as liquid is going down & I wasn't vomiting, not to worry. Jolynn called me back later that day and also said not to worry & keep walking. She also said Gas-X won't help!! I have to go tomorrow for my 1 wk follow-up, and since I'm just seeing the doc, I imagine it will be a very quick deal from which I won't learn anything new. I guess at this point all I want to know is "just how long will this d*** gas stay bottled up inside me?"

About all these gas-pain complaints, keep in mind I have a LOW pain tolerance. I'm not really in pain at all, just bloated/uncomfortable.

I do find that a heating pad can really help at times. Also, After the first few days, I think I'm having trouble sleeping because I can't change positions 100 times during the night. Friday & Saturday nights I took Ambien 5 mg and I pretty much slept through the night. (first night I crushed the small pill & mixed with applesause, it was horrid. 2nd night, I just split the very small pill into 4 pieces and swallowed fine with Water.) Oh, I couldn't stand the taste of even regular liquid Tylenol, so I sent my husband out to get tylenol suppositories. They did help take the edge off, especially nice for night time. I had seen my family Nurse practitioner the week before my surgery and told her my fear of pain. She said to call her if I needed anything. So the night I came home from the hospital and was feeling pretty rough, I went to their office and she had ordered a shot of Nubane and Phenergan. It helped me get a few hours of sleep.

I have a very hard time consuming enough liquids . . . when trying to follow the 1/2 cup in a half hour rule. I'm anxiously awaiting next week and I'm planning out my pureed diet.

I add my 100% ANY whey Protein diet to my juices, Jello, pudding, and soup/broth. If you can ignore the smell, it's not too bad. It does mix best at room temperatures.

Sorry for my rambling!! I guess I should close by saying I'm pretty impressed that my actual belly/incision pain didn't last very long. I really loved the nurses on 3 West, and the anesthesiologist I had was wonderful. I think his last name began with an "O". The lady dr. that I had the consult with before surgery was also great.

Are you getting close to being finished with your school? Good luck if you're nearing exams.

Type later,

-Lisa

[JackieP12 0]

I'm glad all went well, but sorry to hear about the gas pain. That's what I'm worried most about. I've heard that from so many people on here.

Today I had to take my husband Rick, to St. Lukes to have an endoscopy (where they stick a camera down your throat). Dr. Duckett came in before the procedure and said they saw something "weird" on the upper GI and wanted to take a closere look, it looked like a small pouch or something and the doctors said he might not be able to have the surgery...my heart sunk.:omg: When they took him into surgery for this, I just said a big prayer for everything to be alright. When Duckett came out after the procedure he said Rick was good to go, that it is just a slight hiatal hernia:clap2: :clap2: . I've had one of those for awhile and they're going to fix mine when they do the lap band, so they're going to fix Rick's too. Too much drama for me. LOL!!

Anyway, I'm glad your doing mostly good.:guess

Type to ya later,

Jackie

[mboulis 0]

Glad to hear things went well during surgery, Lisa.

About the gas pain...I took Gas-X also and it did seem to help me. The doctor told me to, JoLynn told me it wouldn't make a difference. lol It did, though. :-)

[JackieP12 0]

Hi Jackie,

I had the same positive experience at the hospital. I can't remember where you live . . . I live in Norwalk which is about 45 minutes away from Mansfield and there's a dr. who has a good bariatric reputation who just started doing the lap band. He might also be an option for after-care if we aren't happy with D & O. Thanks for your messages, I'll tell you how it is in just a few days!!

-Lisa

Sorry Lisa, I didn't catch the question before-I live in Weston near Bowling Green.

If I'm not happy with D&O I might be willing to travel to Mansfield (probably 1 1/2-2 hours away) to get fills. Thanks for the info.

[lisa0522 0]

Hi Jackie, I'm glad everything is OK with your husband! They told me during me pre-surgery visit that a slight hiatal hernia showed up in the upper GI. He said if it was anything bigger than the xray showed, they would just stitch it up when the went in for the lap-band. I never asked if they had to & no one ever said.

Oh, and about the doc in Mansfield . . . My primary care nurse practitioner just called to check on me today & she told me that Dr. Myers has moved to Columbus! That's not too far for me, but would be quite a distance for you. I bet you could find some other choices up in Michigan, but hopefully there will be no need. Especially if you and your husband are doing this together, you'll probably get all your appointments done together. These guys (D & O) sound definitely business oriented, so I would hope they wouldn't want to alienate two patients at once!!

Again I'm sorry for going on & on about the gas "pain" . . . Honestly after the first 3 days, it was just uncomfortable, and not constantly. It seemed to come & go for no reason.

I think today is day 10 for me and I've felt very good since the 1 wk mark, just more easily tired than usual.

I hope you have a great memorial day weekend!! (I know I will because I'll be starting the pureed diet then!)

-Lisa

[lisa0522 0]

That's interesting about the Gas-X. It just shows that everyone's body is different, and reminds me to keep an open mind about everything!

Do you remember how long you felt bloated after the surgery? It's day 10 for me, and it's much better, but the top part of my belly still looks pregnant!

Also, MBoulis, do you remember how long you had to drink so slowly after surgery? Every day I'm having a harder time making myself do the 1/2 cup in a half hour. I tried to call Jolynn this morning, but she won't be back in the office till next week.

I've been thinking about your $$ from the dr. office . . . Maybe you could just give a quick call and ask them to check their records, that you think you never rec'd the refund check. If you could get the money you have coming to you from that office, you might be able to get your fill sooner?

Also, I wondered if the fills from Dr. C are close to the same cost as the fills from D&O. Jolynn said they are around $150. Does that seem about right to you? Apparantly, my insurance company (Medical Mutual) is a real pain to get fills approved. This shouldn't be a surprise to me since I've waited almost 2 years for the band!

Thanks again for all your info!

Have a nice Memorial Day weekend,

Lisa