Choose your Physician/Staff CAREFULLY!!

From personal experience-post op/aftercare is essential.  I predicated my choice on the following factors: physician surgical experience, years in practice, choices offered and center ratings.  A Center of Excellence rating is not a reason for choosing a surgeon.  It's about physician / patient communication, instructive and supportive pre/post surgical care and physician accessibility.  I have had (as many prior posts will show) a substantial number of post op complications.  Many have been due to the untimely/insensitive/unprofessional treatment of the staff and the surgeon's indifference.  I am over 2 years post op and currently have a PEG in place.  Due to the myriad of complications and time off of work-I lost my job and subsequently my insurance.  I am currently in a post op "global" period and want my PEG removed BEFORE the end of global care (July 25, 2014).  I have been eating orally, gaining weight and NOT using the PEG for over 2 weeks.  I am suffering concurrent medical problems whi*****lude skin breakdown on my abdomen and in the stoma area.  This physician refuses to remove the PEG now.  If I wait until the end of the global period and have it removed and suffer subsequent complications I have no insurance or recourse other than ER treatment.  The cost of an ER visit to remove this PEG only compounds my medical debt and inflames our economic problems.  Removing the PEG now gives me a few weeks of "global accessibility" should I develop an infection, etc at the stoma site.

I have NEVER had such poor post operative communication and support from a surgeon!  I have had a plethora of surgeries in my life and have ALWAYS received excellent post op care and physician accessibility when I requested.

If you are considering weight loss surgery-GET YOUR POST OP PLAN IN WRITING-SEEK PATIENT REVIEWS/HISTORIES ON THEIR JOURNEY.  Success is an effort of all parties concerned. 

My doctor and her staff continue to exacerbate my aftercare-it's been an extremely unsatisfactory experience.  The complications that can result are unforeseen and just how my body responded to the initial surgery.  The compounding  hospitalizations and clear exacerbations of the problems are a DIRECT result of an indifferent and insensitive team which IMO are not interested in seeing a successful outcome. 

SHOP CAREFULLY FOR THE RIGHT DOCTOR-GET IT IN WRITING!  Excellence is a matter of experience AND OPINION!!