I have not been 100% pleased with the treatment of my surgeons office since the begining so I may be biased.
What I want to know is how you feel about follow up with the surgeon after a year.  I feel the nut is important since that is where I get all my blood work done and they follow up if they feel anything is out of line.  At my 6 month appointment with the surgeon he was just asking how I was doing and weighed me.  I love him he is the nicest person and I have no issues with him.  it is his support staff ( one person ) and I just cannot be bothered to deal with that anymore. 
Last week I got a call that the appoinment for my 1 year follow up would need to be changed.  now they have made it clear that they are not willing to do late afternoon appointments, it is their time or nothing.  So this leaves me with the options of wasting a vacation day or using one of two paid sick days I have, or not getting paid to take a day off.  Well I had already used all of my vacation until june, and I had set up both my nut and surgeon appointments on the same day so that I could use the last of my paid days.  Keep in mind one appointment is in downtown toronto and one is in vaughn.  Anyway I got the messae that they had to change the appointment and I lost it. After all the treatment I have had from his support staff I gave up, I left a message and told them that due to the fact I have to work and cannot get days off whenever I want that I would have to cancel and perhaps see them in a year.  I was a bit rude, but this person is nothing but rude to me. 

Anyway long story short  i probably over reacted ( to the straw that broke the camels back) but considering I follow up with the nut on my blood work as scheduled do you think I really need to go back to the surgeon.

And feel free to tell me I over reacted I can see it, but I hate being treated like a second class person by anyone.

i agree that they should be more accessible. And if the dietitian is directing the bloodwork, why is the surgeon necessary? unless there's a problem like a stricture that they ened to deal with. Honestly, at my one month follow up, i saw him for 5 minutes. What a waste of a trip (although he is a sweetheart)

Many surgeons are very surgery oriented and follow up is not their strength.  Mine didn't need to see me again after I was discharged and my family doctor agreed to do all follow up including blood tests.  I haven't had any issues since surgery and this works perfectly for me, probably not for everyone.

I don't think you overreacted at all.
I booked my appointments at the same time, so i only have to go once, and got cancelled yet again to meet the surgeon. I've seen him twice I think since surgery and he told me that next time i see him will be Dec.
I know it's part of the process that they have follow-up visit for their files, but yes it's frustrating when the continue to cancel and say they can't book the surgeon the sameday as the nut and nurse. Grrrr.

hey, I didn't see him until i was 3 months out the first time and 8 months the 2nd time. They kept cancelling or overbooking etc.

I go on my dime now and if they don't like it so be it. If i can't work them in all at once then i see who i can on that date and forgo the others. I love them but i find them a tad disorganized sometimes.

 

thanks ladies, the thing that really sucks is he is downtown toronto and my nut is out in vaughn area, so I had to book them at such far apart times, so now my day is wasted waiting for a 2pm appointment.  Oh well it will give me time to catch up around the house before I go.

I had my surgery in MInnesota, so when the time came for my 1 year follow-up, I just stated that I wasn't going to go....OHIP doesn't pay for follow-up app'ts out of country and my surgeon had actually left the hospital and moved across country.... and I felt that for me..I was doing well,

I was having regular monthly visits with my attending/referring physician, so there was no point in going for a 15 minute (hi how are you, step on the scale..are you having any issues) and paying for it myself...and even if it was covered I probably would not have gone, UNLESS I was having issues.

If your blood is being monitored on a regular basis and you have good dialogue with your NUT, then I can't see why it would be necessary for you to go to an office where you aren't treated like #1..I mean the people in the profession, are paid by the health care system and your tax payers $$$....therefore sometimes they like any public servant need a reality check.

if your anything like most of us...I think I would either be sick to my stomach of visiting that office where you received horrendous treatment...OR..you will blow your gasket...so why put yourself through that if you are doing well and have no major issues???

That's too bad OHIP won't cover your follow up visits.  

The deal My US surgeon has/had with OHIP is that all follow up visits for life are covered.  I will go yearly forever and I don't pay anything. 

I personally think it's worth writing off a vacation day.  This surgery has saved your life, it sure has saved mine.  If **** hits the fan, I want my surgeon to be behind me.  I go to every follow up appointment and it's 3 hours and a bit to get there.   They know me, they have my history and they are willing to help me should I have issues, and issues can happen any time.

Bonnie

  Excellent points!

I think all the appointments are worth going to...but I see your point as well.  If it were me, I would cancel the other appointment with the NUT (as you aren't having any immediate issues) and rebook them both on the same day again...but then I have the flexibility at work to also cancel a day off at the last minute too.  If you have that option, rather than waste a full day for just the one appointment I would make them both on a day that works for you.