Do Not Go To Betencourt Medical

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

There are some clues that can help you though. I find it pretty easy to spot the "real" posters because they post like real people. The PCs have few posts and they only post about a particular doctor. Generally, they leave no clues as to their real life either. Real posters talk about their jobs, their friends and families, their weight loss, their symptoms, etc. The coordinators haven't got time to do that. Though that doesn't weed out a real person who came here for support with their own band and is also a patient coordinator, of course.

For the most part I agree but I have learned something since posting here. Some docs will pay patients for referrals. There is one doc here that has no formal patient coordinators, ALL of them are patients that post here anyway and when they spot a newbie they go after them like an arrow heading for a bullseye. They get anything from free fills to $500 per patient they refer. Half of them have more IDs than they do change of underwear. The reason I know this is because they have actually PMed me and asked me not to post their doc's stats because it makes him look bad and scares the newbies away. Heh....

Generally though, I don't pay much attention to the "my doctor is great" posts. I look for the negative ones. The hack doctors have patients who almost died for no good reason, for example. I also pay attention when people complain about the office staff. You see them WAY more than the doctor. If the office overall is slow about responding to questions, doesn't do a good job with the insurance paperwork, etc. then that's something to give me pause.

I have to say that I look for both. But I pay more attention to the positive posts when someone has been banded for at least a year. Most people who have WLS go through a honeymoon stage after surgery. They are in love with their doc and they are in live with their surgery type.

We have all been fighting fat for so many years and we have all tried so many things that suddenly when we go to this doctor we suddenly see a light at the end of the tunnel and we want the rest of the world to experience the same joy. Weight loss isn't typically a competition, we all want everyone to meet their goals. It's something really unique to us fat folks. When we first get surgery we are thrilled and want the same for everyone and we push our surgery type and swear only our doc is good. After time we learn that wrapping a band around our stomach isn't such a huge thing and it's kinda easy, honestly. We suddenly discover there is more than one doc that knows how to do it safely. ;o) Watch the threads, you'll see what I mean.

So I don't pay a lot of attention to the "I love my doctor" threads until the person seems to be over the honeymoon phase. When they have been seeing the same doc or at least in contact with the same doc for a year then I pay attention. Has the doc been good? Supportive? Available? Or now that the surgery is over is the patient on their own? If there is a problem is it fixed? If there are non surgical complications is help and support available? I don't pay much attention to newbies who love their docs but I do pay attention when someone is a long time poster and posted their experiences from beginning to current.

There is also ObesityHelp.com where there are tons of patient comments for every doctor I've looked up. However, after I registered there, I started getting tons of emails and even phone calls for "Mr. Mac Madame" the name I gave when I registered. So I'm pretty sure they sell your registration info to others. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't have registered as you don't need to in order to read the patient comments.

You know, you can change your info so you can't be contacted. Wasn't sure if you were aware.

Finally, I used your How to Research a Mexican Doctor thread and came up with a list of questions for the docs in my area that my insurance covers and ended up on my short list. I'm sending them off now. :glare:

Thank you for saying that. Sometimes I wonder if it was a waste of time to write that and then someone mentions using it and it makes me feel good. So thank you for saying that.

[MacMadame 81]

You know, you can change your info so you can't be contacted. Wasn't sure if you were aware.

I can't get back into my account. I've emailed their support address and pressed the link to be emailed my password a million times too. It's been very aggravating.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

I can't get back into my account. :blushing: I've emailed their support address and pressed the link to be emailed my password a million times too. It's been very aggravating.

There is a guy there that runs the fitness forums and does computer stuff for OH. If you want to PM me your ID on OH I'll log into my account, PM Jeremy, and ask him to email at the email address you signed up with. He should have all that info and can help.

OH kinda sucks. :wub:/

[MacMadame 81]

OH kinda sucks. :blushing:/

Heh heh. I tell you after I got the PHONE CALL and then 5 junk emails and then couldn't log on, I was sure it some sort of VAST CONSPIRACY to sell people's info. Then I calmed down.

Anyway, thanks for your offer, but I emailed them again and asked them to send my password to a different email and they did. (Which they probably shouldn't have, but I'm glad they did anyway.) I don't know why I wasn't getting the original emails but that part I'm sure is my nameserver's fault and not them.