"I liked Dr.Stelmack from the moment I met him! I had been "warned" that he has a great sense of humor and a sortof cocky attitude! And he does, however, he wears it well!
His expertise has been gastro-intestinal surgery so who better to rearrange my innards!I am impressed with his track record, as well.
He explained procedures quite thoroughly and answered any questions posed by myself or the others ( we had a small "group" meeting for the purpose of explaining the surgery,etc). Afterwards, we met privately for any further questions, etc.Since my hubby had not been able to attend this consult, I went armed with questions; many were answered during the general portion of the session.No question was stupid!
The staff at BTC was wonderful;calming any fears or answering any questions. It was wonderful to be able to sit in chairs that are oversized, therefore , more comfortable, while waiting.
During the time I was there, I met with a counselor who had also had wls. She shared before and after pics and we talked about husbands and children. She snapped a polaroid of me (ugh!).
Dr. Stelmack was quite upfront in re: risks of surgery and adamant about aftercare. We joked that he'll have to come to Hawaii for my yearly checkup once hubby and I move there! BTC has a strong aftercare program.
It seems to be BTC's approach to dole out only as much info as they think we need at one time, where I ( a control person?!) would prefer to know as much as possible upfront!I will have more questions answered when I meet with their nutrionist,etc.
Dr.Stelmack suggested that I might have sleep apnea and ordered a sleep study done. I was almost kicking and fighting against this but I must say a super big Thank You to him !My sleep study has been conducted and I do now have a CPAP machine and life IS better! I am certainly hoping to get off the machine within a few months of my surgery,tho!
One thing that really stuck out in my mind after our initial meeting was Dr S's comment that only about 50% of the people that they see in initial consults come back for surgery--my response now ( after 8 months of insurance issues) would be because of the insurance companies etc!
Tho I enjoyed his personality, his qualifications as a surgeon are far more important to me as I venture thru this.I do hope that his bedside manner isn't bad, tho, as I know I will be at my worst at that point in the game!"
