"Friday, July 14, I had my surgical consult with R. Chad Halversen of Salt Lake City, UT. I was very impressed with everyone I came in contact with at his offices which he shares with Drs. Goodman and Smith. My appt was at 9:00am and I was told to expect to be there 2 or 3 hours which was right on target. I was back in my car at 12:15. His offices are very nice and are in a building attached to St. Marks Hospital which is where the surgery will be done. The decor is "country mountain" if there is such a thing! Very cheerful, nice colors, lots of chairs, etc. The waiting room is more like a living room than a typical doctor's office. When I was called in by Ingrid, his nurse, she took me in a little room, weighed me, measured me and measured my wrist as well as taking my BP. The she took me to an examining room and had me watch a video for 25 minutes which was really excellent. After that, I was to put on a gown open in the front so the doctor could examine me...he did listen to my lungs and heart extensively, checked my reflexes (you know, the tap on the knee routine) and then he went over the medical history I had turned in to him. He took time to answer all my questions, told me I would be a good candidate for this surgery. When I was dressed again, I waited in the waiting room for a few minutes and then went over the insurance stuff with Gwen who starts the ins ball rolling. I was very comfortable with everyone there. One of things that I really like about Dr. Halversen is that he makes himself available to us by e-mail and actually answers it in a timely way and also that he asked me if he could call me "Libby" and then said, "And you will call me Chad, of course." First doctor in my life who ever said that except for my cats' vet! LOL!!
For what it is worth, the parking at St. Marks is crowded and when I got up to the door huffing and puffing in 100 degree heat, I saw a sign that said "valet parking" from 9:00 to 5:30 on weekdays. Had I realized that, I would have availed myself of that little perk.
Since I like about 300 miles north of Salt Lake, I will be down there probably a couple of days prior to surgery to do the pre-op stuff, 3-4 days in hospital, and then Chad said he would want me to stay in a motel for a couple of days after release to make sure all is well before tackling the drive home from there.
Included in the fees are all the followup appts for a year post surgery. There is a structured program of support services available and also a list of groups that meet in areas adjacent to Salt Lake..southeastern Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, etc.
We discussed the risks of surgery in particular blood clots (I said I wasn't interested in having any of those!!) and also was reminded that due to my sleep apnea and the use of CPAP, I may be in intensive care for several hours or a day and that no one was to freak out over that. They can just monitor us better there..I am all for that!
Surgical competence is more importatnt than bedside manner, BUT making patients feel comfortable and valued is a good adjunct to surgical competence. I felt highly respected while I was there and not like anyone was being judgmental about my obesity situation. That was very nice. Also there was a lot of laughter while I was there...that, too, is important to me.
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