Hi. My seminar is coming up this Thursday. I have already came up with some questions to ask the doctor. I was just curious to see if anyone else knew of any questions I should ask? What should I expect from this seminar? I am really hoping I like this doctor because he is so close to my house. I would feel more comfortable in case I ever had an issue and needed to be seen right away. I am so excited. Unfortunately my husband wont be able to go with me. But my dad and his long time gf will be coming. So I am thankful for their support.

p.s. Thanks in advance.

Hi:

I hope you like this surgeon too because having them close to home sure makes the follow up process easier. You're making a lifetime committment. After you reach your goal you may have to just see him/her once a year. However, if your surgeon offers support group you may continue to see him/her as often as you attend support groups. I believe they've found that the patients that follow up the most have the most success.

I would want to know the following:

How many bands has he/she done?

Does he/she accept your type of medical insurance? Does your insurance include coverage at the hospital where he/she operates?

Does he/she have a website that you can look at ahead of time to review what he already offers?

What is the typical time to wait for an appointment with him/her if you need a fill? How about if you need an unfill? Is he/she available 24/7 to his/her patients?

I've been spoiled by my surgeon's group that has now done more than 600 bands and is entirely devoted to banding now. He's added a nutritionist, some nurses, a psychiatrist (or psychologist), and a physicians assistant to the original group which included two surgeons and three office staff people. Take a look at my surgeon's website and you'll see what a bandster devoted surgeon provides to his patients. They've provided the best service to their patients. His site is www.massweightloss.com.

Best wishes to you. You're very fortunate to get this band at a young age because you're going to feel so much better about yourself going forward.

Let me know how you make out.

Sue

Thanks so much Sue. I appreciate your feed back. =) Hope you are having a great week.

Is your surgeon conservative?

What is his fill schedule like? does he put any fluid in the band during surgery? Does he do fills under fluro or on a monthly schedule? How many cc's? Bandster hell can last months for some people......others not. Pre op diets can be conservative and demanding also- for others not so much. Directions post op can go both ways in addition to after a fill.

All I cared about was getting through the pre op and post of instructions and I have a conservative doc. These forums help....

Thank you everyone for your suggestions!! I have my first seminar tomorrow, and all those questions that I've been thinking about are all getting mushed up! Thank you for helping me sort them out!