MN People - Charles Svendsen

[ImSweetJane 10]

Hello all!

Any MN peeps out there have Dr. Charles Svendsen? I’m pre-op and a newbie and have him as my surgeon (RNY). I’m wondering about your experiences with him - good, bad, mixed, whatever!

thanks!

[KarissaRenee 2]

Late response!

My boyfriend just had his RNY with Dr. Svendsen on 2/17/21. Met with him after- super nice guy! Very supportive and helps patient's and their loved ones really understand what's going on! Have you had surgery yet?

[ImSweetJane 10]

Hi,
I did have my surgery in November. It has not been a very positive or successful experience for me. My issue is not with the surgery itself (maybe), but rather with the follow-up. Allina has been seriously lacking in that department. My questions and concerns go unanswered and unresolved. I am now consulting with a long time bariatric surgeon out of state to make sure I am doing everything right to maximize my loss during this one time only window. I’m not losing much and I get different and contradictory responses from different nurses and dietitians - I don’t even see the same people anymore. I’ve given up on Allina and don’t recommend to those who ask.

Ugh - sorry about that. This still upsets me.

Dr Svendsen is great. Unfortunately, you don’t see him after your surgery. You follow up with nurses, dietitians, and bariatricians. He’s only the salesman and surgeon.

I wish your BF the best. I’m sure he’ll be successful, most are.

💕

[DoodlesMom 98]

On 2/27/2021 at 5:21 PM, ImSweetJane said:

On 2/27/2021 at 5:21 PM, ImSweetJane said:

Hi,
I did have my surgery in November. It has not been a very positive or successful experience for me. My issue is not with the surgery itself (maybe), but rather with the follow-up. Allina has been seriously lacking in that department. My questions and concerns go unanswered and unresolved. I am now consulting with a long time bariatric surgeon out of state to make sure I am doing everything right to maximize my loss during this one time only window. I’m not losing much and I get different and contradictory responses from different nurses and dietitians - I don’t even see the same people anymore. I’ve given up on Allina and don’t recommend to those who ask.

Ugh - sorry about that. This still upsets me.

Dr Svendsen is great. Unfortunately, you don’t see him after your surgery. You follow up with nurses, dietitians, and bariatricians. He’s only the salesman and surgeon.

I wish your BF the best. I’m sure he’ll be successful, most are.

💕

Thanks so much for sharing. I can absolutely relate to questions and concerns going unanswered. I went through the weight management program with Allina. In the beginning, I felt supported and heard. As I progressed through the program I was able to get a handle on my eating and increase exercise. I felt good.

I followed calorie counts, diet, Vitamins, and exercise which led to meeting weight loss goals (which were steep) every month for nearly a year. Like you, I was getting contradictory advice from my therapist and dietitian. That took some navigating. Physician and dietician visits began to feel impersonal and rushed and I wasn't getting much out of them. These are a few contradictory statements I was told:

Weigh yourself every day--no don't weigh yourself every day

Track calories and weigh portions-- don't count calories instead focus on hunger cues

It's ok to have a 100 calorie treat a day-- reward yourself with a treat at the end of the week if you've maintained your diet

On my last visit, my Dr. said the dietician had seen concerning calorie counts in my food journal. I was confused because I had kept with the 1200 calorie a day diet that she had recommended and as I said, was meeting weight goals. Also, she hadn't asked to see my food journal in 3 visits/ 3 months. I was floored and confused. I was following the diet they told me to and they waited 3 months to tell me they had concerns!?? What??

I thought there was a misunderstanding so I tried to explain-- this is what you told me to eat, I'm doing what you told me to, you haven't looked at my journal the last 3 visits. They wouldn't hear me. Even my therapist contacted them to say I was doing well and asked them to reconsider. I was kicked out of the program until I completed an ED assessment. At the time, there was a lot of shuffling happening in the organization, maybe that had something to do with it. Regardless, I felt bullied and abandoned. I continued seeing the therapist so I didn't slip back into eating when stressed.

The whole situation was really disappointing because I have read a few positive experiences on this forum about Allina, that just wasn't mine. On a positive note, my experience with my therapist was good overall. I learned methods that have stuck with me.

Again thanks so much for sharing. It's helpful to hear I wasn't the only one with a less than great experience. I hope everyone gets the absolute best care no matter where they go.

Good luck! I hope you're doing amazing!

[ImSweetJane 10]

Sorry to hear, I’m sure this is very frustrating. I am not familiar with the weight management program at all. When I started my research, I was going to look into that program but ultimately decided on surgery. I never even looked at the Fairview or HealthPartners programs. The Allina program came recommended. Oh well, no point in looking backwards.

Good luck to you also!

[DoodlesMom 98]

That's right, no looking backward. I learned a lot from the experience. Hopefully, this is a reminder of how crucial it is to find a care team that we can communicate with and one where we feel heard.

[KarissaRenee 2]

I’m going to pipe in and say that this will be my second time going through Allina. And so far both times have proven to be a nightmare in terms of communication with the care team. I was only speaking of Dr. Svedson as a surgeon. Allina as a whole sucks. I completed my pre surgical requirements mid February and they have yet to submit any of my paperwork into insurance. I have called every day and no one seems to return my calls. Very frustrating. I’m really close to pulling everything and going to another program

[DoodlesMom 98]

20 hours ago, KarissaRenee said:

I’m going to pipe in and say that this will be my second time going through Allina. And so far both times have proven to be a nightmare in terms of communication with the care team. I was only speaking of Dr. Svedson as a surgeon. Allina as a whole sucks. I completed my pre surgical requirements mid February and they have yet to submit any of my paperwork into insurance. I have called every day and no one seems to return my calls. Very frustrating. I’m really close to pulling everything and going to another program

I wish you didn't have to deal with this, no wonder you're frustrated. It sounds like you're in a real tough spot here. So, you either have to continue waiting or move on. I guess the result of them failing to get paperwork submitted is it's giving you time to decide what you want to do.

Whatever you decide, trust yourself on what's best.

[KarissaRenee 2]

On 03/22/2021 at 12:05, DoodlesMom said:

I wish you didn't have to deal with this, no wonder you're frustrated. It sounds like you're in a real tough spot here. So, you either have to continue waiting or move on. I guess the result of them failing to get paperwork submitted is it's giving you time to decide what you want to do.

Whatever you decide, trust yourself on what's best.

Thank you for your kind words and understanding! I’m just kinda done dealing with them. I have started a new role within my company and I want to be courteous and let them know a time frame of when this will be happening. It seems like the world revolves around Allina’s time frame. So annoying!