Laney - I'm not sure how to contact Dr. Shen's office. But I just wanted to pop on and say that I've also been told by Dr. Remzi to lose weight (in my case, 50 pounds) before my next surgery. He didn't sugar coat it, he was just very matter of fact about it. It is what it is. Being a normal weight is better for surgery and your health.

Also, if something endangers your health they will operate on you no matter your weight. I had to have several life saving surgeries this summer even at my "high" weight.

Thank you for your reply. I really need the giant hernia repaired, bur now everyone is up in arms about the two fistulas. The radiologists here can't seem to decide how bad the fistula problem is. I looked to Dr. Remzi as sort of my last hope as I have a very sharp bend at my anastomosis site. He just suggested a permanent illeo..mostly because he said I was too heavy. (I am 5'2" and 160 lbs.)I can't do that because my skin rejects every appliance on the market, even with the Eaken seal and every kind of putty, paste, or glue out there. When I had the temp illeo the appliance fell off once if not twice ( or more) times a day. I guess I am just frustrated because I did travel to CC and my insurance didn't cover any of it. Thanks for letting me vent. It is hard to go from taking Pilates classes four times a week to being a complete invalid in the span of two years. Dr. Shen was more positive - saying that something could be done at the anastomosis site. But I never heard back from him. I don't know how everyone hangs in there. Most days I'd like to just die and get it over with.

I will PM you his offices number

I'm so sorry you are having these problems. I don't have the same problems as you, but I know what the "fall" is like. In two years I went from being able to do an Olympic length tri without training to working on walking down the block.

Best wishes...just do a little bit of something every day. I know it sucks to not be active.

I know what is is like for your appliance to fall off. You don't have time to do a healthy diet with exercise as ill as you are. It's a wonder you don't weigh more all that's going on!

Will your insurance cover the Mayo Clinic? I go there and they are the tops too. They don't have A #1 doctor, like Dr.Shen, but have many. I've been and there are many people on here that are happy with their care there. They have awesome surgeons too.

It could be your file just got misplaced so please keep calling back Dr. Shen. If the $$ thing is a problem please check out Mayo in Rochester, MN. Depending on where you live it might be closer than CC.

I wish you the best.

I am pming you the fast track way to contact dr.shen. so check your PMs and please keep it confidential.
Also sounds like you should contact dr. Remzis office. When you call into dr. Remzis office ask to speak to mary ann.

I have his email if you need it. I won't give out his cell number though.

I was seeing Shen, but he was not responsive to emails (he said to contact him this way) and it was 3 weeks for me to get a response. It does not matter how good a doctor is if he/she will not contact you when you are having an issue. I dropped him and now go to Johns Hopkins. I was a three stage surgery patient and Remzi did all three. His staff/office is very good.

You have to really CC his assistant Geeta and she usually replies if he is too busy. Yes it is frustrating but do you know how many emails he has on his phone unread at a time? hundreds... Doctors are human like the rest of us. He works all day long. Best time to get a response is to email him on weekends and weeknights. He has an iphone to reply. Only time I never get a response is when he is out of the country. Geeta will reply though.

time of day matter for sure when reaching out to him.

It also took 4 phone calls to get my biopsy results, which was 4 months after the pouch scope.

To me that is Cleveland Clinic in general. I called Dietz and never got a call back To this day and I was in the ER locally. not sure if it is the doctors or the idiots that drive me nuts at the front desk.