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on August 1, 2008 5:56 am
Just a quick Hi to everyone. It's been up and down since I last posted, but overall, good progress.
Hope you have a great weekend
mark
Surgeon Testimonial John Pilcher, MD. Dr Pilcher comes highly recommended from many doctors here in San Antonio. From what I was told and later found out for myself after meeting with him, is that he is one of the best bariatric doctors in the country. He is very well mannered, well educated doctor that holds high standards for himself, his surgical team and his patients. Though contact with him is somewhat limited throughout the 3 month weigh ins required by insurance, I did receive alot of information from him and his staff during this timeframe. Dr Pilcher requires his patients to strictly adhere to and meet all criteria and goals he sets prior to surgery. He does this for the benefit of the patient. He has emphasized that meeting these goals will help me in my recovery process as well as with the actual surgery. Now I have to say this about New Dimensions Weight Loss...The staff is extrremely freindly and outgoing, but unfortunatly I must admit, at least in my case, they were completely unorganized and out of sync with my entire process. There seemed to be a lack of competence and communication with my account. In Feb 2008 I was told by a patient advocate that I was all done and we just needed to submit everything to insurance. Two days later, I' told I need another weigh in for March and be cleared by a phsychologist. I was floored and very upset. Their in house mental health person gave me a thumbs up in Dec 2007, but she made one small note in my file that sent up a red flag. The problem was nobody told about this until March 2008. I fought them hard on this and finally, their new shrink agreed to meet me on the spot and gave me the all clear. All told, they put just about every roadblock that the insurance hadn't already done. I was suprised that a doctor with this standing hand this kind of staff supporting his patients. Great people, just not great at what they were doing. But on the other hand, when I brought an issue they overlooked they did a pretty good job and trying to fix it. It just happened too often. At our final pre op meeting April 10, 2008 Dr Pilcher directed me to his top office person and she was extremely apologetic and understanding of my frustration level. We talked in a very calm, personal tone meant to give me a forum to vent my disatisfaction with the whole process and for her to gather information she could use to better train the entire staff on providing a more acceptable patient experience. Overall, I'd give the staff a generous C-. As for the Dr Pilcher, well, if I post here post op he gets an A+, if you never hear from me again, I gotta go with a D-, with a heavy grading curve. I'd rather have a top notch doctor while I'm on the table, than the best receptionist in town. And as advised, these are just my personal impressions based on my personal experience and in no advising anyone to seek out this center or doctor nor am I advising anyone to avoid this center or doctor. Member Interests
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Hi everyone! My name is Mark Velasco. I am so excited to be a part of this community. It seems to have the tools and support I need as I embark on my weight loss journey. First, let me say I don't apologize for the pictures of myself that I posted. I know they are gross, but I believe I've gotta put the real me out there for all to see. Not just for the motivation of others, but so I can see myself for what I've really become. I suffer from severe sleep apnea (104 hypoapneas/hr), panic/anxiety disorder, severe depression, gerd, Bipolar II, Obsessive compulsive disorder, high blood pressure, pre diabetes and signs of narcolepsy. My doctors really don't know if these are all weight related, but we do have to take the weight out of the equation and go from there. I have had UPPP and sinuplasty surgery with 7 inches of bone spurs removed from my sinuses, but no help. I use a BiPap at 21/18 with 6 atmosphere oxygen. After the surgery I "improved" to BiPap 21/17 with 3 atmosphere. A 3rd sleep study found that if I sleep on my right side and do not move I can get down to 18/16 with 2 oxygen. Not what I would call a stellar recovery. Besides the gastric bypass, I'm supossed to see a maxiofacial doc to do a jaw and chin realignment (ouch). I hope and pray that all of this brings me relief from this nightmare that is costing me so much personally. Thanks for all your support and prayers. Good luck to all of us!
Mark V's Blog
markv00's Blog
It August 2008 anf feeling Great on August 1, 2008 5:56 am Just a quick Hi to everyone. It's been up and down since I last posted, but overall, good progress. Hope you have a great weekend mark
3 Weeks Post Op Feeling Good
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on April 30, 2008 8:11 am Today is the 3 week post op mark and almost all is well. The weight is just falling off and it feels good. I had to take an extra week off from work last week because I had a little trouble with the vitamins. Now I'm almost up to full speed with my full vitamin dosage in addition to my regular meds. Still have this very bad pain on my left side. But this is low, around the abdomen/pelvic area. Feels like a strain or something. But this started last Monday, it's just very frustrating. I know the body is going through alot of changes, so I guess I have no choice but to ride it out, if it gets worse or lasts too long, I'll get some help. Well, that' it for now. I'm heading to 265lbs. Good luck to all and look forward to hearing from you. Mark My Story It was Thanksgiving day 2004. We had just left our last stop of the day and were headed to the radio station where I worked just to double check something for the long weekend. As we approached the highway exit I began to experience what I thought was a heart attack. I was really scared. We called 911 and I said my goodbyes to my kids, wife and mother. I thought I was a goner. When the ambulance arrived and got me inside, they did their thing and told me something I'd never heard of before...I wasn't having a heart attack...It was a panic/anxiety attack and I would not die that night. I was confused, lost and relieved. But I didn't know anything about panic or anxiety, not to mention all the other things that I would soon be diagnosed with. I never tooks pills in my life and now I was faced with 10-15 pills each day. I knew something had to be done, I just didn't know where to start. So if I can can help anyone else get on the right path, I'd love to offer some help. |
