"5-25-01 - My first appointment with Dr. Stahl. I was so nervous and excited at the same time. After waiting about an hour, I finally got to go back. His nurse was super nice - she didn't make me feel bad about being so heavy and she was very nice and helpful. Dr. Stahl came in shortly and did a brief examination and we began talking. He was very patient, caring and professional. He took the time to explain the surgery and answer all my questions - which I had plenty! He felt that I would be a good candidate for the surgery and now would begin to try and get insurance approval. This could take as much as 6-8 weeks!
Dr. Stahl's office staff were all very friendly, and helpful. They also gave me a sheet with names of people who had previously had the surgery to contact. I thought this was very helpful.
The only down side to my experience so far is in the chairs in Dr. Stahl's office. They have arms on them (with the exception of one loveseat) and for a larger person, this can be uncomfortable. There were other larger people in the office however, so you don't feel as if you're the only one!
7-21-01 - I had to go back today for my pre-op tests, and I felt I needed to update here with my experiences of this day - it could be of help to others. First of all, I met my good friend Debbie there, who is having surgery the day after I am. We are going through this together. When we got there, there was no one there to answer our questions, and of course, after your first consultation, you go home and think of 100 other things you forgot to ask. We had to go back after lunch. At that time, the room was so crowded, we could hardly get a seat. Then we ended up waiting and waiting. We were there for 2 hours, just waiting to talk to Diane - Dr. Stahl's nurse. We finally did get to and she answered our questions in between going in and out.
Also, something else I have to say here that concerns me. Not at any time during my visits at the doctors office or the hospital has my blood pressure been taken. They just ask if you have high blood pressure or diabetes or any of the weight-related problems. I finally broke down and went to a medical doctor in March of this year and had all that checked. But, as many obese people know - sometimes you don't even have a doctor because of fear of going to one. So, if you decide to have this surgery and go to the doctor not having seen a medical doctor - you really don't know if you have these problems or not. I think they should at least take your blood pressure during your visits. This really surprised me."
