Kemberly S F.
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Neil Hutcher
"ATTENTION! THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS ARE FROM *MY* PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. THIS IS IN *NO WAY* THE EXPERIENCE OF OTHERS! PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING AND REMEMBER, THIS IS STRICTLY MY OPINION!<BR> <BR> It just so happend my mother, father and I all met with Dr. Hutcher together. My mother's surgery date is December 6th. My insurance has denied my initial request and is in appeals. (UPDATE - I was approved after the third denial, and it went to an unbiased company for review. They approved it within 15 days! I'd fought for over 18 months!)<br> <br> My first impression of Dr. Hutcher was he was a bit meek (gentlemanly). However, after speaking with him, it was apparent he's a bit arrogant and not meek at ALL! :) Now, what I mean by arrogant is this:<br> Dr. Hutcher is an incredible doctor, and if I had done as many surgeries in this field as he has, I would probably be just like him. He was very abrupt at times, because I am a smoker. <br> He asked me, "How long have you been SMOKE-FREE?" I stated, "ummmmm, I guess I'll have to quit." He said, "The correct answer is 'since right now!'" He told me, "Don't kid yourself if you think I won't turn you away on the operating table. I take blood gases before surgery, and if your oxygen level isn't what it's supposed to be, I'll know. I WILL turn you away the day of surgery if you aren't smoke-free." <br> <br> I understood immediately, he wasn't playing around. I decided I'd quit once I had approval, because it usually takes about 2 months for a surgery date after you've been approved. <br> I was approved July 18th, 2002. I quit smoking July 18th, 2002 cold-turkey. My surgery date was scheduled and performed on September 24th 2002.<br> <br> Upon leaving the initial consultation, my dad asked me what I thought. I said, "You want an honest opinion?" He said "Yes." (BIG mistake!!) I said, "I think he's an A**hole!" My dad started laughing. He asked me why I felt that way. As I elaborated, I explained what i meant. I don't have to LIKE Dr. Hutcher to feel he's competent in what he does. And he doesn't have to like me, either - I just want the best - and in my opinion, he IS the best.<br> He's VERY matter-of-fact, he pulls NO punches, and he doesn't tell you what you WANT to hear...he's quite honest. THAT, I appreciate and admire. He's very blunt in what he expects of you as a patient, and he asks if you have any expectations as well. He's very informative about surgery, but doesn't get into specifics because each patient reacts differently.<br> I told him, "I want my back to get better... losing weight is a side effect, as far as I'm concerned. I want to be able to bend over and kiss my sons goodbye as they leave for school - without feeling intense pain." He is certain he can help my condition - and for that, I give him all the praise in the world. (UPDATE: 5/3/03 - Since surgery, my back has improved significantly. I no longer have daily pain. I have had one episode since surgery (Dec. 26th), where I woke up and my back was out of whack. I was on Flexoril for approximately 2 weeks. Since then, I've had no further episodes and I can walk for long periods, and stand for long periods with no back pain!! *happy dance*)<br> <br> Again - I have NO hard feelings towards Dr. Hutcher - he's an INCREDIBLE doctor. I may not like his bedside manner so much (my mother's opinion of him is much different than mine - see Jacqueline Lamphire's profile), but that doesn't mean I won't go to him for this surgery. I don't have to like him in order to respect and appreciate him or what he does. He has helped so many people - and I only pray he is able to help me half as much; it would be the difference between exisiting and actually LIVING.<br> <br> UPDATE: 5/3/03 - I haven't put this down yet, and feel THIS is where I need to do it. The morning of surgery, I was Dr. Hutcher's first patient. I said my "see ya later's" to my family and was taken back by the nurse. They took my B.P. and had me change into a gown. They gave me the hair cap to wear, and the booties. The nurse and I talked for a moment, and then I was wheeled on a bed into a holding curtain for what seemed like forever, but was (i think) about 30 minutes. Dr. Hutcher then came back and took my arm. He spoke gently and softly and POSITIVELY. He explained that the "drug guy" was going to come put an IV in my neck, and that it would be virtually pain-free (it wasn't. It was pain-LESS. I felt nothing.) He came back a few minutes later and we chit-chatted. He smiled after we'd talked for a few minutes and asked if I was ready. I said, "you'd better believe it." He smiled again, nodded, and said, "I'll see ya in a few." The next time I saw him was very hazy. It was after the IV had been put in, and the "drug guy" had given me the "happy drugs", and I drifted off looking at Dr. Hutcher and the "drug guy." (I'm saying "drug guy" cuz i can't spell an-est-theee-zee-all-uh-just!) <br> <br> Anyway, I am very touched by his compassion, very impressed by his professionalism, and extremely indebted to his skill."

Bon Secours St. Mary's Hospital (COE)
"St. Mary's was overall an extremely pleasant experience for me... and this was my very first surgery. I feel that the staff, although some were MUCH more friendly than OTHERS... were very competent and knowledgeable. I had a cyst that ruptured on my ovary, and this was approximately 15 days after I arrived home. We didn't KNOW it was a ruptured cyst, of course. It was after a bunch of tests that they found it and explained what had happened. When I called the office, I just knew I was in pain, and felt like my intestines were hanging out of my belly button!! Soooo much pain. I spoke with nurse Barbara (i love you, woman!). She explained what I needed to do, and what to do if the pain persisted. We were assuming it was a pulled muscle because I had been vigorously walking my dogs and one of them pulled me off of my bed before I was ready, and I fell. So that was what WE thought was wrong. After two days of manageable pain, I called Barbara back and said, "Something's not right." I started crying and said, "If you push on my tummy, just below my belly button, it feels like I'm going to pass out... it hurts THAT much! Something's really wrong." She immediately instructed me to go to the hospital (Dr. Hutcher's office is on the 5th floor of St. Mary's), and gave me an appointment. I was seen almost immediately, and was sent for an ultrasound and pelvic sonogram (ewww). Within 2 days, I had the results of those tests EXPLAINED TO ME IN PERSON by Nurse Barbara, who took the time to make sure I understood what had happened. What i'm getting at was ... it was NOT an emergency, by any means. I slept with a heating pad, and took pain meds for the next two days, and continued my walking. BUT... it was an emergency TO ME!! And they treated it as such. I've never encountered anything like that before. I adore the staff, including and especially Nurse Barbara AND Hilary Surratt. The two of them (along with Dr. Hutcher's skill) made my surgery THAT MUCH BETTER. On a scale of 1-20, I give them a 19."
About Me
VA
Location
20.5
BMI
RNY
Surgery
09/24/2002
Surgery Date
Jul 13, 2001
Member Since
Before & After
rollover to see after photo
Kem - July 2002 / 291 pounds.........................................and almost 11 months later, Kem - June 2003 / 163 pounds (Total weightloss of 128 pounds)
189lbs
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