Smartshape?

[Keona1323 11]

Has anyone used Smartshape for their surgery? I am having a consult with them via Toronto.

[knormlaver 27]

My personal experience with Smart Shape wasn't the greatest. This was my first foray into private health care and I wasn't super impressed. Pre-op everything went ok; however, on the day of my surgery, the surgeon came in to see me just prior and said, "So we have you booked for a gastric sleeve..." I was for a mini gastric bypass, so this was a little unnerving that he had me down for the wrong surgery in his notes, but I guess it's good he checked! The surgery itself went alright which I guess is the main thing. However, post-op care was not spectacular. I found pain management to be an issue as they prescribed dilaudid IV push every 4 hours for the first 24 hours. Push drugs work for immediate relief, but they also wear off really fast, so it didn't hold me for 4 hours. They never offered pain relief on a regular basis, so I felt like I was badgering them for it. Nobody wears an ID tag, so I wasn't sure if they were actually RN's or LPN's and I found it strange that when I mentioned I was experiencing a some urinary retention/hesitation (ie. "a sleepy bladder") post op, the nurse didn't seem to know what I was talking about. This is a very common complication after a general anesthetic (up to 70% of patients). I didn't have a proper call bell and I had to let them know that my oxygen tank and IV bags were empty (these should be monitored). Months later, I began to experience significant reactive hypoglycemia and sought guidance from Smart Shape nurses and nutritionists. However, they really didn't know much about this and weren't very helpful. I requested a consult with my surgeon to discuss it and was told by the nurse that I needed to follow up with my own GP (who knows little about bariatric surgery). Eventually, I was referred to an endochrinologist who tells me that this is a well known and potentially serious complication of gastric bypass. I'm disappointed that this possibility was not part of the "informed consent" that I gave for the procedure. I'm a health care professional, so perhaps my standards are high, but I think we all should have high standards when considering our health and safety. And for many of us, it's a hell of a lot of money. So, if I had to do it all again, I'd go with a different organization. Best, Kerri