Phone call with Dr. Miranda

[cckcsharp]

Today I got a phone call from Dr. Miranda about my progress. I had sent her an email, but she hadn't read it. I thought I was doing great on the pre-op, but she made me feel like I was a failure. I have lost a total of 19 pounds in about 6 weeks. This is an average of 3.1 pounds per week. I thought this was great. I have never been able to lose this much weight at one time, so I was thrilled with my progress. Originally Dr. Miranda told me that I needed to be 282 by surgery. This would have put me at the 5% weight loss considering my starting weight of 296. Although I was 304, just two weeks before calling the OCC. I am currently 285 and have one week left to lose those last 3 pounds. Well, so suddenly she is telling me 275 now. What??? How can she change the expectation just one week before surgery. I told her there was no way I could lose 10 pounds in one week and she said then I should at least lose 5. I again told her that I have been losing an average of 3 pounds per week and that 5 pounds did not seem realistic either. She said that if I was following the diet, then why wouldn't those pounds come off. I am currently living on about 600-700 calories per day(liquid diet), drink tons of water, gave up drinking diet soda, and eat nothing else. I told her this and said I don't know what more I can do. I also again re-iterated to her that I had lost 8 pounds in the 2 weeks prior to calling the OCC to schedule surgery. Her resonse to that was "most people say that and it's not true. We can only go by what your weight was when you scheduled surgery." So basically she was saying that I was lying about that eight pounds. I was in tears and told her that I had given it my everything. My brain is not even functioning at a normal level at this point and I mean that literally. I struggle to speak sometimes because my brain feels foggy and I forget what things are called. I assume this is because of the severely low calorie diet I have been on. I told her that I could not re-schedule my surgery and that I could not even come close to guaranteeing that I would lose another 5 pounds in a week. And I said that I did not want to arrive in Mexico, only to be turned away because I had not met this NEW criteria. She said just follow the diet and you will be fine.

After I hung up the phone, I just cried my eyes out. I feel so frustrated. I have lived in starvation for 6 weeks now and I honestly felt like I was doing good. I was really proud of the work that I had done. Most people on this group who have the band already say they lose an average of 2 pounds per week. So if I am losing 3 pounds per week WITHOUT the band, isn't that good. And I suppose having someone call me a liar made the matter worse. I only wish I had been to the doctor just prior to calling the OCC, so I could verify that those other 8 pounds were real and not a lie. I am really sensitive about being called a liar. I am not a perfect person and I have many faults, but one thing that I am not is a liar. I am seriously an honesty freak. So I feel really hurt when someone calls me a liar. Sorry this is long, I just needed to vent. I am not sure what to do at this point. I called Carolyn and talked to her about it, because I was feeling like cancelling my surgery. I don't want to get there and be sent home without surgery. She made me feel better and told me not to worry, but I still feel sad. I went from feelings so happy and proud of myself, to feeling like a complete failure. AGHHHHHH.

[Phoenix]

Dr. Ortiz will make the call. There was a person in your situation exactly the day Diamond Jim and I got banded. She hadn't put down the pounds already lost correctly and they were concerned.

Congratulations on your success so far! Some days it's hard to see the forest for the trees and maybe it's Dr. Miranda's turn to have one of them.

Give yourself a day to collect your thoughts into a clear, unpassionate e-mail and re send.

[ackovach]

Sounds like something is not right on Dr. Miranda's end. Maybe she misunderstood some of the numbers you gave you her. Unless I am miscalculating something, 275 is 7% of 296.

You will be fine. More than likely you will be ok for surgery.

I am sorry that you are stressed out. The pre-opt and post op diet can take its toll on your energy levels. I was very emotional and had brain farts all the time.

Just stay determined and stay the course. You are doing great.

[Kim2BSlim]

Well that's just not right! She must have been confused or something. They very seldom turn you away unless you fail the pre-op tests. I went with 3 buddies to be banded and I lost 15 lbs on my pre-op, my Aunt lost none (lower BMI), my BFF Lance only lost 3 lbs (he weighed 300) and the other girl we went with lost 1 lb and she was the same size as me. We all four had our surgery done and Dr. Miranda praised us all. Don't fret over it..just keep doing what you have been doing and you will be fine.

What did you write on your paper you turned in to her as your weight? That is what she will go by when she weighs you in.

[Mammaof2wins]

Well I feel the need to share..... At home on my very own scale I started with a weight of 250 when I called to OCC to schedual my surgery. I lost 16lbs and on the morning I left for Mexico I weighed 234lbs. Of course I arrived fasting and when I was weighed by Dr. Miranda I weighed in at 242lbs. I was totally upset. I know I lost 16lbs but on their scale I had only lost 8 I was devisated considering they told me I needed to loose 12lbs. I was so worried they would tell me I couldn't get the surgery. I assured her that I had lost 16lbs she was nice about it at told me that my starting weight was just higher then I had thought. That made me feel like crap..oh yeah I am actually fatter then I thought I was..yippee.

The moral of my story is it made me feel horrible to think that maybe she thought I was lieing but then I decided who cares!! I know what my scale said and that is the scale I am going to read on every time so it really didn't matter what their scale said or what she believed to be true.

Just be strong and keep doing well... what matters is when Dr. O does the surgery he will be able to tell by looking at your liver and your stomach if you stuck to the diet and lost 5% of your weight!!

[Alana]

First of all, congrats on the weight you lost so far. Dr. Miranda told me I needed to lose 20 lbs by surgery and I ended up only losing 7 and still had the surgery. I was going through a lot of "female" issues and it really made the weight loss hard. She chastised me quite a bit on the phone and via email before the surgery despite an email from my gyno saying a 20 lbs weight loss wasn't realistic with what I was going through. I was sooooo nervous going there thinking I was going to be turned away and in the end it was fine. Just relax, keep up what you've been doing, and you'll be fine. Like Phoenix said, Dr. Ortiz will make the call. If you feel like she is still being unrealistic when you get there, request to speak to him directly about the situation. You'll do great, you've done so well! Keep your head up, sweetie!

[doinitagann]

I am a little worried as well, When I requested the info for surgery I put my weight at 260. However, i did not weigh myself for close to 3 months. Was I in for a surprse when I stepped on the scale when I needed to fill out the paperwork. I had gained over 20 pounds. (I have an enormous amount of stress lately, I know, no excuses but that is a good reason to eat) I sure hope they are not thinking that I really weigh 260 because I have to loose 30+ pounds in less than two weeks.

[Kittycat]

Wow, you are doing amazing on your weight loss...I am not sure what the expectations of the doctors at OCC are, but my surgeon was concerned about reducing the fat in my liver, not necessary losing lbs. They told me that as long as I followed pre-op diet, it would do what was necessary to reduce the liver and they did not focus on lbs at all. I lost 12 lbs pre-op from 280 to 268 and everything went very well.

Take a breath and revisit the information you originally sent to her and she provided to you and send her a message with the details. I am sure everything will be just fine!!!

(((HUGS)))

[ackovach]

Hi doinitagann,

You should really make that correction with Carolyn or whoever you sent your original paperwork too. I don't think they will be too happy to hear it during your pre-opt visit.

I had a similar situation. Carolyn changed the number and gave me new diet guidelines to follow.

[doinitagann]

Hi doinitagann,

You should really make that correction with Carolyn or whoever you sent your original paperwork too. I don't think they will be too happy to hear it during your pre-opt visit.

I had a similar situation. Carolyn changed the number and gave me new diet guidelines to follow.

It was the email that requested info that I had not put my real weight, the paperwork was listed correctly

[FRANCIE]

I had my surgery Monday the 18th of August. When I arrived I hadn't lost any weight but my BMI was low. The girl that went with me hadn't lost all of her pre-op weight and she (Dr. Miranda) was TOTALLY RUDE to her. When Dr. M asked her why she didn't lose all the weight, my friend said she had tried but just didn't lose it all. My friend has a situation where she doesn't have a colon and cant really eat alot of greens and such. I could not believe how Dr. M spoke to her. My mouth just fell open at how mean she was! She said "Dr. Ortiz will get you!" and told us to get out of her office. Dr. Ortiz was the sweetest, kindest man and very compassionate but I have nothing good to say about Dr. M. By the way, my friend got banded same day as me.

Hang in there, I think she's just not a compassionate person. Oh, and she's really skinny too so she probably doesn't understand what a diet is like. This is just my opinion.

[fat2nrml]

It sounds like Dr. Miranda was having a bad day and was being a little bitchy with you! I sincerely feel that Dr. O will be happy with your progress and your surgery will go fine. You SHOULD be proud of your progress because you HAVE done a wonderful job! Chin up honey, awesome job!! =D> =D> =D>

[erin2796]

I had only lost 2 pounds on the pre op diet and followed it to the T. When I weighed in there were two other people in the room with me, my friend and her 13 year old daughter which is probably why she didn't say anything mean or nasty to me. She only told me I could not eat anything but chicken breast for dinner or a protein shake.....

[ackovach]

Francie,

I agree with you. I did feel like I was from a different planet than her. Too bad they don't have a nutritionist in there that is skinny and has been through the lap-band process. My husband directly asked her if she had the lap-band. She seemed to be offended. But she was very professional, but a little cold.

I think my husband offended her a couple of times. So I just chalked her attitude up to that. He does not a filter and it gets him trouble. He thinks he is being cute, sometimes it is, other times.....well... ole foot in the mouth.

I did not pass the lung test & only lost 6 of my 10 pounds. I was banded the next day.

Everyone else was wonderful......

[GirlBarb]

Out of all the people that I met at the OCC Dr M was the only person I found to be phoney, she smiled on the outside and tried to apear warm, but I truely felt that she is not interested on a personal level at all! I felt she didn't fit in with everyone else there.

[FRANCIE]

achovack:

I didn't pass the lung test either but Dr. Acosta and I had a great time with me trying and we laughed and laughed!! I ADORE those doctors.

[julieburns]

Oh Jessica don't let her get you down. I am sure that if you just follow the diet plan you will be fine. Has anyone been turned away? None that I know of under many circumstances where they didn't pass certain "criteria". Now that it has been brought up I did also feel like Dr. Miranda was not at all personal, didn't want to hear anything I had to say, was short with her answers and almost spoke in a "scripted" voice and she went through her speel, drawing the same pie plate for everyone and again not wanting to be interrupted for any reason. She didn't even review my chart or questionnaire sheet because if she did she would have picked up on the fact that I didn't lose the right amount of weight either. I won't get into it but several things she said to me about me were wrong and I had to keep correcting her. Hopefully one of the moderators will fill her in on this thread so she can see how she is perceived by the patients. Maybe this will help to change her ways so she won't put any other future patients what she has put you through, it's just not right.

[cckcsharp]

AHHHHHHH!!!! Did you all hear that big sigh of relief. I do feel terrible though because I don't want to seem like I am gossiping about Dr. Miranda. That honestly makes me feel bad. But the thing is that there is no confusion about the numbers or information that I originally gave to her. All our information matches perfectly. That was not the problem. The problem is that in the beginning, 6 weeks ago, she told me I needed to lose 14 pounds for surgery and today, only a week before surgery, changed her mind and said 21 pounds. That is what frustrated me. And when I strongly stated that I lost 8 pounds in the two weeks prior to calling, she didn't believe me and would not consider those pounds. Then I went from frustrated to mad. And she wants 21 pounds from 296, not from the 304 that I really started at.

Well, I hope this not sound terrible when I say this. But I am glad to hear about other peoples opinion about her. That at least helps me to know that it's just how she is and not to worry about it. I did get the feeling like she had no idea what it was like to lose weight. Particularily when she tells me that I need to lose 10 pounds in the last week. WHAT??? I couldn't believe she said that. And when I said that was not going to happen she said " well, if you are following the diet then why won't those pounds come off." Seriously I was so frustrated and that I almost wanted to go out and binge like a mad woman. But I restrained myself and I feel better now. Thanks for all you replies. I appreciate it so very much. I am not going to worry about it. I will just tell Dr. O to cut me open and see for himself. That will tell the true story. Love you guys and I agree with Cathy... you guys are the best friends I NEVER MET.

[Kevin86]

" I will just tell Dr. O to cut me open and see for himself"

Haha! That's kind of gruesome.

Well there seems to be a consistent impression of this Dr. Miranda-- perhaps she would benefit in time from reading those impressions over time.

You seemed to handle it well though. I would have unleashed my wrath and been smiting people left and right.

[vix]

Oh Jessica that just sucks!!! I am afraid now because I haven't even talked to Dr. M once and am scheduled for my surgery the same day as you. I have just started my liquid diet and didn't know we were supposed to talk to her.

I dunno what I should do - whether to contact her or not now...

If I contact her and she asks me why I haven't...I will just tell her that I have heard that she was so mean that I have been afraid to...lol

Seriously though...I will see you next week and we will both have our surgery and we will do fine. You are doing WONDERFUL on your loss and you can only do what your body lets you do. I mean you can't cut off a body part to lose more pounds! I'll support you and we will not let anyone there bother us...

[JeanetteG]

I must of have Dr. Miranda on a good day she was great with me, I have called her several times with tons of questions and she has always been wonderful.

[AmberLam]

I totally agree with the majority. I had MAJOR issues with Dr. Miranda pre-op via emails and phone conversations. She told me I had to loose 30 lbs.. OK fine! But I only had 4 weeks to make it happen.... UGHHHH I was only 'penciled in' for my date and was NOT allowed to book air fare until she said it was ok.

Ended up booking the plane 2 or 3 days prior to surgery (had to pay out the keester for the tickets!!). When I met with her, she was ecstatic that I had lost 21 pounds. She made no mention of the issues before I got to the OCC.. I don't think she had read my file, recalled any of the issues/conversations and to be honest, I don't think she had any idea who I was. She was completely a different person.

Split personalities much??

Amber

[fat2nrml]

Jessica's right, Dr. O and\or Dr. Martinez will know as soon as "they cut her open" because the fat around her liver WILL have shrunk due to her excellent job of pre-surgery dieting!! You are doing great Jessica and don't let Dr. Miranda get to you!!

[stormy]

I have only had one conversation with her and it went ok. I sure hope I dont get down there and she is rude to me, I dont handle that well. I will already be scarred enough. I may freak out on her and tell her off. Not good. I think if a person hates their job, or doesnt like the people they deal with, they should get another job. I work with people who are in poverty and trust me some have attitudes but I dont disrespect anyone. So far she has not called me back so we will see how it goes.

[FRANCIE]

CCKSHARP: I forgot to mention a big CONGRATULATIONS on the weight you have already lost. I think that's awesome!!