Still no surgery date!

I'm getting more than a little anxious, I'm starting to get really upset. I was approved on the 30th and hadn't heard anything from BS, other than the email from Lacey. I decided to call Carmen this morning to see what was going on. She told me she hasn't even called St. Francis Womens hospital yet to get me a date, then she said that it will probably be well into October when I do get one, since Dr. Bour only does surgery at St. once a month. If I didn't work for St. then I would ask to go to Hillcrest, but I need the insurance to pay 100%, not 80%. This is very aggrivating, especially since I paid my fee the first day and feel like I have been very patient through this whole thing. I don't see what takes so long for her to make that call, surely she has to know Dr. Bours surgery schedule and could get it set up faster than she is.She said she was calling them today and would call me back, that was at 9:30 this morning and I still haven't heard back from her. Then to make me even more upset I went to get my Lexapro prescription filled Thursday, after I decided to keep taking it even though I still don't care for the way it makes me feel, and they told me my insurance won't pay for it. I have to start out with one that has a generic form. So I have emailed Katie, not once, but twice and have heard nothing back from her either. So I don't have my medicine now. Dang I feel like I have become invisible and wonder if I just need to be a pest and keep calling them everyday till I get an answer. I just don't want to make them mad and have my date postponed even more. Do I need to stop being so nice and show my butt or just sit back and play the waiting game? Mary

keep calling.. or else it wont be done in a timely manner. My dad was self pay, and we were waiting on THEM for all this time, after me finally showing my butt a couple of times, they call him to start optifast on the same day, then of course we are in the process of swapping insurance companies, so now were gonna wait and let them pay for it.. so its back to waiting for him.. which is fine with him, he likes the wait LOL. he is dreading surgery. (hes 550) .. but God will do it when it is time, and we were given the opportunity to try this insurance company, if it works it does, if it doesnt then it wasnt meant to be, and he is supposed to go ahead now with it. I firmly believe in God has a plan.. so i would call, keep being persistent on a date. and optifast start date.. tell them that you are ready!!!!!! Good luck Jen

Oh no!!! Here we go again. Pam had some drama like this. I am anticipating the same drama when I get my approval but I plan to just stay on top of them. Bother them all you want...you did pay a tremendous fee....stay on them. I think they deal with this so much that sometimes they forget the whole idea that we are people here waiting for a change in our lives. I think they forget that we have been waiting years for a solution to the way that we are. I really feel they need to be more sensitive to our needs and feelings. Hang in there....Bother them all you want...you paid for it..... Rachel

Hey Mary I am sorry to hear about the long wait. I would continue to call them. I agree with Rachel about the fact that they do this all the time and don't realize how important it is to us. They are all small and would never know what it is like to be us and the importance of getting things moving quickly. I also know that I was very anxious as well. Just try to not get upset, because it is only making it harder for you. They are not getting stressed about getting the dates scheduled. I would call back today and find out what's going on. Melissa

This seems to be a common theme with Dr Bour's office. Are there no other doctor's in your area that would perhaps give better support or is Dr Bour just that great that it's worth putting up with a less than stellar office staff?

Hi Mary, Everybody I know has had to wait somwhere in the neighborhood of 3 to 4 months after enrolling in Dr. Bour's program before having surgery (if insurance is involved), and you'll know your surgery date anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks ahead of time. (I enrolled on the 28th of February, paid my fee in full that day, and waited until the 24th of May before I had surgery. My insurance gave approval fairly quickly, and I found out my surgery date 3 weeks beforehand.) There's nothing wrong with calling to check on progress though ... and I'd definitely follow up on the medication change wiith a phone call! But do consider that, since he only schedules surgery at SFW once a month, that you might have to wait a bit longer before that date is on the books. You're still right on time, when you compare your timeline to others that went ahead of you. I PROMISE you that, once the date is scheduled, you'll wonder who put your life on Fast-Forward! Call Katie or Dr. Bour ASAP concerning that med change ... hopefully you've heard something by now! Dawn

Came to back to say ... Don't forget it was also a holiday on Monday and the office was closed. On Tuesday, I'm sure Katie was assisting Dr. Bour in surgery for most of the day ... so she may have never even checked her office E-mail that day. If you're still waiting on word about a new prescription, call the office and let Carmen know the reason for your call ... I'm sure she'll make sure Katie or Dr. Bour gets the message. I'm not trying to minimize your frustration, Mary ... I know how hard it is to be patient!! If there is any doubt, I documented my lack of patience in my profile back in April! But they have always been right on top of things and extremely kind and professional, in my opinion ... from Carmen to Katie & Dr. Bour. I truly don't think anyone in Dr. Bour's office is slacking, or forgetting about you! Keep the faith, it'll all fall into place!!! I'm on pins and needles with you, waiting to hear! Dawn