St. Francis Hospital in Memphis, TN

[DebiW 45]

I'm scheduled for surgery on 8/29/16 with Dr. Wegner at St. Francis. Has anyone else used him and what are your thoughts about him and this hospital? My insurance company BCBS FEP recommended it since it is a Blue Distinction Center.

I would love to hear your thoughts.

[lifeofblair 308]

I had my surgery through him. He did fine and I haven't had any problems, but I wouldn't go there again if only because of the hospital staff during my stay. The nurses forgot about me on multiple occasions while I had vomited and one point (finally) came in the room and asked why I was still in the chair. I told them nobody had come to help me back into bed. It was the first night, so I was still weak.

I know of someone that had theirs at Baptist and they highly recommend them. My insurance doesn't cover St. Francis anymore, so I didn't go to my 1 year post op.

[DebiW 45]

@@lifeofblair -- That was horrible of the nurses to forget you! I would have been very upset too.

But I am glad to hear that you were pleased with Dr. Wegner. I have been pleased with him also as he was very patient in answering my questions, but of course I've only met him once. I will see him again in three weeks.

[Daenerys Targaryen 109]

I had my surgery at St. Francis about a week and a half ago. I had Dr. Weaver. A few of the nurses were really great, most were just ok. It was a good experience overall though. Definitely keep someone with you at all times while you are there, because they do forget to do the things they tell you they are going to do sometimes. The day after surgery they told me that someone was coming to get me walking for the first time and it was important that for the first walk I walked with her, and then nobody showed all day. There were several rooms of us that didn't walk at all the day after surgery because of it. But then there was one night nurse who really went out of her way to take care of me. So I have mixed reviews.

[DebiW 45]

I had my surgery at St. Francis about a week and a half ago. I had Dr. Weaver. A few of the nurses were really great, most were just ok. It was a good experience overall though. Definitely keep someone with you at all times while you are there, because they do forget to do the things they tell you they are going to do sometimes. The day after surgery they told me that someone was coming to get me walking for the first time and it was important that for the first walk I walked with her, and then nobody showed all day. There were several rooms of us that didn't walk at all the day after surgery because of it. But then there was one night nurse who really went out of her way to take care of me. So I have mixed reviews.

Wow, this is concerning to hear. Do you think the hospital is short staffed possibly? My sweet hubby with be with me at all times as we live over three hours away from the hospital. So did you not walk at all the first day? Was Dr. Weaver aware of this? Thanks for letting me know this.

[Daenerys Targaryen 109]

No, I don't think Dr. Weaver knew. That night my husband finally got me out and walking since we decided the lady was never going to come, but there were others that didn't walk at all. Your hubby may have to stay on them for them to do what they are supposed to sometimes. Just be prepared for that. But it really depends on which nurse is on duty. I had a really great night nurse that did a wonderful job. The daytime staff seemed to not really know what was going on sometimes. You will need someone prepared to advocate for you and call/find the nurse. But then you might have a completely different experience.

Edited July 30, 2016 by Daenerys Targaryen

[SharBear617 146]

Had my surgery at SFH with Dr. Weaver though, not Wegner, on 6/16/16. Dr. Weaver, awesome! The nurses were all pretty nice, however, as I am a nurse, I can tell you there are things they should be doing, aside from making sure patients walk, that they are not doing, so stay on top of things. They will only come in your room when you are scheduled for meds, with the exception of if you hit your call button, in which case, they'll get there when they get there. My RNs all did a great job of controlling my pain, however, not one nurse spent time educating me as a patient (granted, I didn't need it, I'm a nurse, but I doubt all knew that, and even if they did, doesn't matter, you still do your job) on IMPORTANT things after surgery, such as deep breathing/coughing and using your incentive spirometer, splinting your abdomen when doing those things and moving to protect your fresh post-op belly and incisions, why it's important to walk and move (prevent blood clots and help wake your bowels up again). Not one nurse did a full head-to-toe assessment (which should ALWAYS be done at least at the beginning of their shift) meaning, things like listening to my lung or bowel sounds (not even sure if I remember seeing a nurse with a stethoscope), checking my incisions to look for signs of infections or wound dehiscence (when your incisions open up), re-evaluating my pain level within an hour after pain med administration, circulation checks, etc. But, unfortunately these days, nurses are so busy sitting on computers doing charting so the hospital can cover it's butt, that they don't have time to be at the bedside anymore doing basic post-op care of patients, or any patients for that matter. Not an excuse, just the reality.

Will say the rooms at SFH are nice (Dr. Weaver and Wegner put all their bariatric surgery patients on the 6th floor), and for the most part everything went smoothly. But honestly, educate yourself about what is important for a patient to do after surgery and why, and then you will know how to look after yourself in case the people who should be, aren't.

Good luck with your surgery and congrats on making the decision for this journey!

[DebiW 45]

@@SharBear617 --- Thank you so much for this info. I am so grateful to be learning so much. I've been doing my research on this surgery for a very long time as I know that being educated is half of the battle going into it. I plan on being as prepared as I can possibly be. I want to be successful and be as compliant as I can be. It will only benefit me.

One more question if you don't mind. Will there be a cot, or chair for my husband to sleep in or will he need to get a hotel room?

Thanks again for your help.

[lifeofblair 308]

There was a chair in my room. Not too comfortable at all. I can't imagine sleeping in it for 2 nights.

[SharBear617 146]

Yeah, I agree with lifeofblair, there is 1 chair, a recliner type, but probably not the best for sleeping all night. Plus in all honesty, I preferred my husband sleeping at home (we're only about a 25 min drive in good traffic from the hospital), because it's bad enough that you get woken up throughout the night by vital signs, meds, bloodwork, etc, there's no sense in both of you missing out on sleep. You'll need him well rested to help you out when you get home!

Sent from my SM-G928V using the BariatricPal App

[Daenerys Targaryen 109]

When I was there they told us there were a few cots available but it was first come first serve and you have to request early. We tried a couple nights to get one for my husband but they were already taken.

[DebiW 45]

Thank you all, I've decided he will be staying in a nearby hotel.

[DebiW 45]

So my surgery was postponed to 11/8, and I am super excited about it.

Is anyone else using St. Francis for their surgery?