Woe Is Me

If you know me, you know I’ve been pursuing weight loss surgery. I’ve chosen to undergo a gastric bypass or (roux-en-y/RNY).  I’ve thought about it a lot and am ready to make this life changing jump.

So I went and searched out a doctor.  I was recommended to Dr. George Mueller at San Diego General & Bariatric Surgery Center.  I’ve followed all of their steps in order to get my surgery approved.

1. I got a referral from my primary care doctor
2. I even got a referral letter from another general surgeon.  I have a hernia and he doesn’t want to repair it until I have WLS.  So I keep suffering immense pain from the hernia while I wait.
3. I had all my pre-op tests done.  EKG, blood panel, and chest X-ray.
4. I had my psychological evaluation to prove that I could “handle” such a surgery.
5. I went to the seminar to I could learn all about the different surgery’s.

So I’ve done everything that they asked me to do.  Yet here I wait.

I did my psych eval the middle of November 2008.  The doctor said she would write the eval and get it to the surgeons office.  A month passed without a word.  So I called and emailed my psychologist (Dr. Lisa Davidson).  Oh, “my bad” she went out of the Country for a month and didn’t send my evaluation.  *sigh*

Finally, she said she mailed the evaluation around the end of December (more than 1 month later).

And so I waited.

In January I emailed the Clinical Coordinator for Dr. Mueller (Naomi).  I asked what I should be doing, were we waiting on insurance or what.  I got an auto reply that she was out on maternity leave.  *sigh*  My email was forwarded to another gal, Renee.  A couple days later I got an email from Renee.  She had NOT received my psychological evaluation, yet.  WTH?  Are you kidding me?

I called Dr. Davidson again.  After about 10 days of leaving messages, sending emails and refaxing the evaluation, I get an email from Renee that she got the evaluation and “would be in touch.”  This was February 3rd.

And I waited.

On March 1st, my husband says “have you heard anything about your surgery?”  I had not.  I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt and can be very patient.  So I was waiting.  I said “no.”  He encouraged me to call and check on my status.  So I did.

I called and was told I needed to talk to Amanda now.  Amanda told me my surgery had NOT been submitted to insurance for approval because she did NOT have my psychological evaluation!!!  AGAIN!  They lost the eval again!  Now I’m pissed.

I told Amanda that Renee had my eval and had told me she’d be in touch.  So Amanda went searching to see what had happened.  Yeah, you do that.

On March 3rd I talked to Renee (after having played phone tag with each other for days).  She told me there was a problem with my eval and it was incomplete.  They were trying to reach Dr. Lisa Davidson and they were not having much luck.  She asked me if i had another phone number for her.  I do not.

WHY did it take Dr. Muellers office one entire month to decide that there was a problem with my eval?  Here I sit.  Waiting, waiting, waiting.

WHY did it take Dr. Lisa Davidson one entire month to even send them my eval?  Waiting, waiting, waiting.

I’m TIRED of WAITING!

I’m so frustrated.

Now I am waiting to hear from Dr. Davidson.  She’s probably out of the country again.  Glad I’m not really crazy and in need of a psychologist, she’s never available.

I’ll keep you posted.