Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

Questions to ask surgeon



Recommended Posts

I am totally starting to draw a blank. I have my first meeting with my surgeon next week Monday. I wanted to be prepared with some questions I had, but my brain has totally frozen. Can you help me resurrect my brain with questions that I NEED to ask?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My first question was and would be soooooo how many surgeries have you performed. They mostly want to know what your concerns are more than anything. But definitely you need to know how many he has performed. My surgeon is 3000 plus and I would never reccommend a surgeon who hasnt done a lot of them. What are your risk of surgery? Another biggie you want to know. You will know what to ask him.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I am totally starting to draw a blank. I have my first meeting with my surgeon next week Monday. I wanted to be prepared with some questions I had, but my brain has totally frozen. Can you help me resurrect my brain with questions that I NEED to ask?

hi,

I have been banded since July and have lost about 100 lbs (50 pre op). I love my band!! I think the most important part of the surgery though is the aftercare....you need to understand what types of things are emergencies (vomiting, too tight, etc) and how to reach him. you need support groups, and nutritional counseling to understand how your new way of eating will be....this is not a "diet". you need to know their policies on fills and unfills (are they going to make you wait after initial healing times, etc???) probably most importantly, you need to understand the pre and post op diets, and you have to stick to it. there are reasons for it!!

you would typically go on a liquid diet pre op to shrink your liver to make surgery easier and safer. yeah , kind of important, dont cheat. post op, your body is healing....you need to let it rest so stick to your surgeons guidelines.......

and mostly you have to have realistic expectations and understand what the band is. It is only a tool...you still have to do the work here....I am at the gym for 2 hours a day most days...yeah, not the easy way out at all.....not trying to discourage you, but you need to understand what banded living really is....its a great tool, and it will work for you, but it aint always a bed of roses.....it is though, by far the safest option out there....

good luck!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • Clueless_girl

      Well recovering from gallbladder removal was a lot like recovering from the modified duodenal switch surgery, twice in 4 months yay 🥳😭. I'm having to battle cravings for everything i shouldn't have, on top of trying to figure out what happens after i eat something. Sigh, let me fast forward a couple of months when everyday isn't a constant battle and i can function like a normal person again! 😞
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • KeeWee

      It's been 10 long years! Here is my VSG weight loss surgiversary update..
      https://www.ae1bmerchme.com/post/10-year-surgiversary-update-for-2024 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
      I live on the island of Oʻahu and spend a lot of time in the water- for exercise, for play,  and for spiritual & mental health. The day I had my month out appointment with my surgeon, I packed all my gear in my truck, anticipating his permission to get back in the ocean. The minute I walked out of that hospital I drove straight to the shore and got in that water. Hallelujah! My appointment was at 10 am. I didn't get home until after 5 pm. 
      I'm down 31 pounds since the day of surgery and 47 since my pre-op diet began, with that typical week long stall occurring at three weeks. I'm really starting to see some changes lately- some of my clothing is too big, some fits again. The most drastic changes I notice however are in my face. I've also noticed my endurance and flexibility increasing. I was really starting to be held up physically, and I'm so grateful that I'm seeing that turn around in such short order. 
      My general disposition lately is hopeful and motivated. The only thing that bugs me on a daily basis still is the way those supplements make my house smell. So stink! But I just bought a smell proof bag online that other people use to put their pot in. My house doesn't stink anymore. 
       
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Some days I feel like an infiltrator... I'm participating in society as a "thin" person. They have no idea that I haven't always been one of them! 🤣
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×