Re: I got my date for orientation

[Guest guest]

Hi Shirley,

First let me say that there is nothing wrong with Richmond, I had my surgery there on April 12 and I must say the people there were great, I felt like I was in very good hands. If you have questions by all means ask them when you go to your orientation, that's what they are there for. Baring any problems you will see Dr. Baggs only once or twice after your surgery and then I guess you will go to your PCP after that. As far as pointers go, all I can say is listen very carefully and ask lots of questions, and remember, there is no such thing as a silly question, hope this helps. BTW, will there be a May meeting at Antioch?

Danny Monge

Oakley

4/12/04 Dr. Park

I got my date for orientation

I got a date to see Dr. Baggs on the 14th of May first. Then, I received a date for the orientation on the 6th. I am excited, because I don't know what to expect. I guess this means I am approved for the program and I have to jump thru some hoops to get to the surgery. I have quite a few medical problems that I have keep maintained. I am a little concerned about the surgery and recovery. I have heard rumors that Richmond is like a people factory and that there is little concern about your recovery. After the surgery do I still refer to Dr. Baggs or do you go to the physician that referred you to GB. I also participated in the support group meeting in Antioch this month which was their first meeting. It was very informative. I still don't know if I should ask all the questions that are on my mind. Will let you know how my meeting go. If you have any pointers on these meeting I need to know about please let me know. Shirley in Antioch

[Guest guest]

Shirley:

First of all, congratulations!!! Yippee!!!

Don't worry about what you've heard about Richmond. Initially,

Richmond was overworked and understaffed (in my opinion), and I was

among the first dozen or so gastric bypasses performed there, last

year in June. I was very pleased with the care I received there,

especially during my surgery and hospital stay.

I never felt like I was being treated like a number, and they were

always patient with my questions. As for your post-op care, barring

any complications, the surgeon will see you several times (at

intervals that he decides) then your " physical " care will transition

to your PCP. There's no formal transition; I started seeing my PCP

about 3 months post-op for blood work. And I've seen her about every

3 months since then to make sure everything (blood work, blood

pressure) is going fine. As for support groups and such, you can go

to those at Richmond for as long as you like. The nutritionist is

also available for appointments.

Again, congratulations! Keep us updated on your progress.

Gemello

-133 lbs

> I got a date to see Dr. Baggs on the 14th of May first. Then, I

> received a date for the orientation on the 6th. I am excited,

> because I don't know what to expect. I guess this means I am

> approved for the program and I have to jump thru some hoops to get

> to the surgery. I have quite a few medical problems that I have

> keep maintained. I am a little concerned about the surgery and

> recovery. I have heard rumors that Richmond is like a people

> factory and that there is little concern about your recovery.

After

> the surgery do I still refer to Dr. Baggs or do you go to the

> physician that referred you to GB. I also participated in the

> support group meeting in Antioch this month which was their first

> meeting. It was very informative. I still don't know if I should

> ask all the questions that are on my mind. Will let you know how

my

> meeting go. If you have any pointers on these meeting I need to

> know about please let me know. Shirley in Antioch

[Guest guest]

Hi Shirley,

With dates for orientation and a consultation with Dr. Baggs, you are

certainly approved. You will need some tests - like an EKG, ultrasound

and such - but they aren't really big hurdles. The only big hurdle left

is that dreaded 10% pre-surgery weight loss. A lot of folks seem to

lose it without too much problem, but I'll confess it took me nearly 3

months (of course, I had 37 pounds to lose).

I'm not sure what you mean by " a people factory. " The care I got at

Richmond was very good. I wasn't in the hospital very long, but the

nurses and all were very attentive. I saw Dr. Baggs at 2-weeks

post-op, again at about 6 weeks out and then again at 3 months - and

I'll be seeing him for a 6-month follow-up. He is wonderful and seems

very concerned about my recovery and supportive of my progress.

Please, do ask any and all questions that come to your mind. Ask at

your orientation, your consultation, your in-person support and/or here.

Keep asking until you feel satisfied that you have all the info you

need and want. The more we know, the better prepared we can be.

I look forward to getting to know you better.

Take care,

Kay

open RNY 12/1/03

fantasha2001 wrote:

> I got a date to see Dr. Baggs on the 14th of May first. Then, I

> received a date for the orientation on the 6th. I am excited,

> because I don't know what to expect. I guess this means I am

> approved for the program and I have to jump thru some hoops to get

> to the surgery. I have quite a few medical problems that I have

> keep maintained. I am a little concerned about the surgery and

> recovery. I have heard rumors that Richmond is like a people

> factory and that there is little concern about your recovery. After

> the surgery do I still refer to Dr. Baggs or do you go to the

> physician that referred you to GB. I also participated in the

> support group meeting in Antioch this month which was their first

> meeting. It was very informative. I still don't know if I should

> ask all the questions that are on my mind. Will let you know how my

> meeting go. If you have any pointers on these meeting I need to

> know about please let me know. Shirley in Antioch