"Dr. Sam is just the nicest man. He is very familiar with bariatric surgery and instructs his staff to 'fast-track' anything you need from his end to keep the process going smoothly. I highly recommend him, for ANY pulmonary problem you may have, or even if it's just for your pulmonary eval..."
"Dr. DeSimone seems very knowledgable about bariatric surgery; in fact, it seemed to be his specialty. He offered advice, as well asked questions and answered many of mine. I wouldn't hesitate to engage him if I needed help with other problems. (I answered NOT APPLICABLE to Dr. DeSimone 'helping' me because the purpose of the visit was for HIM to evaluate me as to my sincere reasons for having the surgery and my understanding of the risks/complications/etc of the surgery)"
"I had my initial consultation yesterday...did I get lucky!!! My original appt date was the end of MAY, but I happened to call last week with a question and the nicest receptionist gave me a tip to call Tuesday mornings just before 9 because that's the 'drop-dead' date/time for the week's callback-to-confirms...so I did and was able to go in THAT DAY.
Anyway, surprisingly, my wait was less than 30 minutes, and imagine my surprise when I found that I've actually shrunk almost 2 inches (I guess from the arthritis), which made my BMI even higher...anyway, the PA that was filling in for Diana was 'dry' to put it mildly, but Dr. Pomp was just the nicest, most personable man, with a great sense of humor. He warned me that he was going to talk for 5-6 minutes and draw pictures, and then I could ask any questions I wanted...he was very comprehensive in his explanations (and drawings) of the surgeries, goals, anticipated results, potential failures, AND risks (he even translated percentages to actual numbers), and then we chatted, probably for almost 20 minutes. I told him that I had done my share of research, knew what I DIDN'T want (no 'open' if I could help it and no 'banding', thank you very much). He then asked me what I thought about the duodenal switch, and I told him that I thought it was too much for the anticipated result...that lap rny seemed like the most appropriate for me...he said he was impressed with my being such an 'informed patient'...I then told him that my only question was: HOW SOON CAN YOU DO THIS???? <grin>...I want to get on with my life!!! He then examined me, and said I was an ideal candidate...so, my surgery date would be when???? (see next)
Irene, who I saw next, is a dream...she was very thorough in telling me exactly what I had to do next, gave me some tips, and her email so that we could keep in close touch throughout the process...and then sent me on my way (with a stop downstairs for the first (of what I suspect will be many) blood tests on my way out and home...(and she's really understanding and knows what she's talking about...her own surgery date is early March!!!)
So, here I am, trying to make as many of the required evaluation appointments as soon as I can (and as close together as I can and there's a lot, believe me - they don't take any risks..)...so more after I get done being poked, prodded, scoped, x-rayed, handled, observed, analyzed, etc..."
