"Consultation is on Dec 10th...havent met him yet but want him for my surgeon. New consult date - Feb 18th 2004. New New consult date - June 2004. Dr. Alverdy is a caring man with a great bedside manner. He totally put me at ease and calmed any fears I had about the prodecure. He knew instantly that I would be a DS patient without any question...That is what I liked best =) I wasnt steered towards the RNY automatically saying that it was the best as other surgeons do. His office staff, like most doctors offices, are a bit confused about paperwork and what your status is. I had to constantly call and leave messages, but they did get back to me rather well after I found the right person to talk with. Overall I would say he is definately the surgeon I want to do my DS."
"On my initial consultation with Dr. Mercier, she would not even look at me in the face when talking to me. She was going through my file and looking at me through a mirror with her back turned to me the majority of the time. Automatically I was told to go on a strict diet and that an appointment would be set up for me to see a dietician. During the first visit as well she gave me a prescription for Xenical, even though she knows my ins. doesn't cover it and told me to get it. The Blood pressure cuff was barely large enough to go around my arm and I had to help hold it in place from ripping off my arm when inflated. She asked me how they took my BP at my last Dr. and I told her they had an XL cuff that went around my arm 1 1/2 times. She stated that one was an XL cuff - like that was the final word. Also, in her office they only have the old fashioned slide weight kind of scale that goes to 350...no extra counterweights or even a scale that would accomodate a larger individual.
Dr. Mercier is a petite woman. I truly feel she has no clue as to how it feels to be a person of size and very condesending. I mentioned my severe back & leg pain to her because I needed to get a renewal for my handicapped permit and she refused. She believes that no matter what your size, mine being at 500 lbs., that if you diet and exercise that will cure everything. She also told me that I need to get an accurate weight measurement before my next appointment by going back to my old doctors office and having them weigh me. Isn't that her responsibility to have one to do it?!?!
But then she asked me if I wanted her to get me a walker. I looked at her and said "No! I want a wheelchair!" lol She has never mentioned it again. Needless to say I am on a search for another doctor who is more Fat-Friendly and empathetic."
