I'm 6 weeks post-surgery and am VERY happy with my experience. One of my best friends is now considering having the surgery as well. She has asked me what questions I asked during my initial consultations in order to choose my surgeon. I have my list, but I'm sure I didn't (and still can't) think of all of the most relevant questions.

So, what questions did you ask or do you wish you had asked during your consultations that I might add to my list for my friend?

Thanks for your input!

Can you share your list?

For me the most important questions were: How soon till I can really workout again- like take cardio classes. And the other question was how soon can I go back to my massage practice. But that was about it. I did a lot of on-line research to find my doctor especially on similar sites as this one. I also went and visited the two doctors I was thinking about to really get the one that felt right to me.

I was self-pay so some of my quesitons are directly related to that - I left out the obvious ones such as "how much?"

I don't have my list with me, but as I recall they were:

* What is your readmittance rate?

* What is/are the typical reason/s for readmittance?

* How many of your patients have had leaks? How long after surgery were the leaks typically discovered? What was the resolution (% healed on their own vs, % needing surgical intervention)?

* What is your mortality rate? Of this, what % is attributable to the surgery itself and what % if from pre-existing conditions?

* What type of post-surgery support do you offer? Is there any additional cost for the support?

* Where were you trained? Are you board certified?

* How many sleeves have you performed? Over what period of time?

* At what hospital will my surgery be performed?

* What doesn't my self-pay include, if anything?

* Why do you believe you are the best surgeon to perform my surgery? What differentiates you/your practice from the others in this area?

* When can I return to work post-surgery?

Things I didn't ask but would if I were to do it over again:

* Based on your experience, in this practice, what % of excess weight does your average patient lose with the sleeve? How long is the loss maintained?

* Why do you feel that your pre/post surgery nutrition guidelines are the best? Have you tailored your plans for sleeve patients or do you use the same plan for sleeve, bypass & lapband.

* Do your patients have a support group on FB or via other social media? Other than the formal support group/monthly classes, do your patients have informal support groups?

* How much interaction should I expect with you, the surgeon, vs. with your staff? If mostly your staff, what is their training and experience with bariatrics and WLS patients?

* Are your staff members, such as nutritionist, available for one-on-one consultations? If so, what are the charges, if any?

That's my list thus far. I look forward to adding to it with the input from others

My questions included:

• Anesthesia makes me nauseated. Can I have something to help with that?
  
• Are the insides of the staples checked, too?
  
• Do you sew over the staple line?
  
• How many incicions?
  
• Size of bougie?
  
• Exactly how do you test for leaks?
  
• Is the stomach (the part removed) also tested for leaks?
  
• Will I need blood thinner injections after surgery?
  
• When can I take my prescription meds again without crushing them? And which ones cannot be crushed?
  
• What is the biggest factor in failure after this surgery?
  
• When is my first follow-up visit and what can I expect?
  
• How long will my drain be in?
  
• Stitches, staples or glue on incisions?
  
• How far out are surgeries being booked?