Dr. office bureaucracy!

Please tell me that I'm not in for a run around in a labyrinth of medical bureaucracy!!  I have every confidence in my sugeon and his expertise, but I have serious doubts about the bureaucracy that surrounds him.  Dr. Chapman is at the Brody School of Medicine at Pitt Memorial in Greenville, NC.  There are many here who share my same surgeon, so I'm hoping they can share their experiences too.  The first time I visited him was two summers ago.  Before I left that first appointment I was told they would be in touch to tell me what to do next.  I never heard anything, but since my life got a bit complicated I let it go.  Nearly a year later I contacted them again and they said they were sorry that my file got lost in the shuffle.  At last, however I'm on the path toward surgery now and things seem to be going smoothly, OR ARE THEY?  Two days ago I got a call from my surgeon's office telling me I tested positive for a bacteria called H. Pylori from lab work they did in JULY and they want me to go on antibiotics!  I asked, "So, why am I just now hearing about this?!  That test was done nearly THREE months ago!!!"  The nurse's reply was a simple, "I don't know."  I was upset about this.  I said, hey wait a minute here!  Why the heck should I go on antibiotics for something I might now even have anymore!  I told them they needed to get a FRESH sample before they put me on antibiotics!  So, now I'm wondering what will happen AFTER surgery as I lay in bed recovering.  Will my surgeon come to check on me or will I be handed off to a "hospitalist" to oversee my recovery?  How big is this bureaucracy and am I getting swallowed up by it!?!?  This is making me very uncomfortable.  I feel more like a number than a human being!! 

Something else that concerns me is the posibility that there might not be a bed available for me when I come out of surgery.  I went to visit one of the other members here when she came out of surgery.  I think she spent THREE days, in the recovery room simply because there were no beds available in any rooms.  Is this normal?  I am going to be VERY, VERY unhappy if I have to sit in an open ward blaring with dozens of buzzing machines for three days!! 

Am I overreacting or would you be concerned too?

Meredith,  I can't speak about Dr. Chapman's office or Pitt Memorial, but I can tell you what little I know about H. Pylori, as a non-medical non-professional pre-op'er who hasn't even taken her breath test yet.    This bacteria can be very problematic for your tummy.  It can cause indigestion, stomach inflammation, ulcers, etc., so it only makes sense that a gastric bypass surgeon would want to wipe it out before a person undergoes surgery.  Once you get it, you've got it, so that's why they don't need to retest.  Agressive treatment takes only a week, so I would assume that just as long as they make sure you've gotten the course of antibiotics at least a week before your surgery date, you are good to go. 

Hopefully some of the others here can help alleviate your other fears.  I totally wouldn't want to spend any extended length of time in recovery either!

Meredith,  not sure why you just heard about the labs etc. but I know that they were down one of their nurses this summer so that of course put more work on the ones that were left.  It sounds like you're on the path to getting things fixed but don't give up.  It is a great practice and I still say you won't go wrong with Dr. Chapman.  You won't be followed by a hospitalist after surgery.  If Dr. Chapman is not on (say if you have surgery on a Friday) one of the other surgeons from his group will be in to see you.  When I had mine, on a Friday, Dr. Pender came by to see me and actually discharged me on Sunday.  So don't worry about being seen by anyone other than one of the ECU Surgeons.

As for getting a room... well you'll be at the mercy of the hospital and how busy it is.  I'm not sure if the room situation is better for Friday surguries than for Wed surguries.  I had no problem getting a room on a Friday.  You might want to ask about that.  It may make a difference in whether you want to have it on a Friday.

Hang in there.... don't get discouraged!  It's a bumpy road sometimes but that is just part of the journey we make! 

Alice

Hello! I'm a patient of Dr. Pender's and have been going through the pre-op process. I think the best advice I can give you is to be you own advocate. I have gone quickly through the process but I have made sure to get the expected time frame for each step and followed up. I must stress that there is a fine line between following-up and being that person that they send to voicemail. I waited until the time frame expired, called once and would get a response. I have had a good experience so far, my decision visit is next week, we'll see how the approval process goes!

Hi, honestly if I were you and was getting treated that way I would switch doctors, but that probably would happen to me because I would be calling the doctor's office 24/7.  If I called 24/7 and still didnt get any answers then I'd switch.  Go to surgerync.com (919-459-0091).  I have Dr. Enochs, and his office calls me when things need to happen.  I haven't had any problems except for one time they didnt call me about one appointment I was supposed to have, t hat was it.  They really care and don't forget patients, also if you refer someone you get $200 off of your enrollment fee.  Anyways, I would have switched earlier, clock is still ticking.

I am sorry that you are not having a good experience with ECU. I am just starting my process with WLS and in fact had my first appointment with Dr. Chapman last week. I was very impressed with the way that I was treated and how the whole process seems to flow through pretty smoothly.

I am partial to ECU, though, after being a pt there for the past 9 years. I drive from Jacksonville to see my cardiologist,gyno and now Dr. Chapman. I have always been treated wonderfully there and would not dream of going anywhere else.

That being said... there is NO excuse for there to be such a delay in getting your results. That does sound like a huge oversight and one that you should definately be concerned about. No one could blame you for that!

As much as I love that hospital I will tell you I am a big believer in my gut instinct. If your gut is telling you that may not be the place for you it might be in your best interest to look for another hospital or surgeon.

Hi Meredith! I can't speak to your surgeon specifically, but if you like the surgeon, please let him, personally, know your concerns.  Remember, you have "hired" this surgeon and his staff.  In an assertive way, tell him and ak what you and he can do together to address these issues.
Good luck!