"On April 11th I met with Dr. Duncan for the first and only time (supposedly) prior to my surgery date of April 15th. If you've read my notes, you know that my surgery was postponed because of issues Dr. Duncan has with equipment at Crawford Long Hospital where I must have my surgery due to insurance requirements. Dr. Duncan was very nice and answered my questions. I will say that Joyce was very nice but seemed so busy it was difficult for her to keep track of what she had told me. When I found out I was approved by my insurance for the surgery, it was because I had called her for something else. I found out about my original surgery date, which was April 29th, because I called her for something else. I believe her comment was "Did I call you and give you your surgery date?" My reply: Uh, NO. Now, I work in the health field and I know it can be busy and hectic but I have noticed a pattern here. Last Thursday when I went for my pre-op visit and prep for surgery on Monday, I spent 2 hours at the office, left and went to the hospital to get my labs done. It was only after I was at the hospital for 2 hours that Joyce spoke with the nurse and told them my surgery was postponed. She did not see me at all while I was in Dr. Duncan's office--and she was there and knew about my appointment--she gave it to me. I'm a little bummed out about all this as you can probably see. I'm trying to keep in mind that with the increase in the number of people wanting bariatric surgery, the duties of the office staff have mushroomed. In spite of all this, I still feel that Dr. Duncan is the best surgeon for my LAP RNY. I will persevere until I get my surgery rescheduled. These are problems that cause me stress but not nearly so much stress as a botched RNY by an inexperienced surgeon.
July 26, 2002--Haven't met with Dr. Champion yet. Pre-op appointment is August 16th. Have heard good things about him."
