Hi newbie with questions.......

my_new_life · March 23, 2007

Hi,

I am going in for my first consult on Monday, and wondering what questions should I ask?

And wanted to ask you all generaly how long from first consult to op did it take?

Cant wait to get this all done, I am 5 ft 10in and 114 kilos and want to get down to 70.

Hope to get some help from you guys

TIA,

Christie

blytheswideshut · March 23, 2007

I have already seen my surgeon for an initial consultation, but hadn't read these boards and didn't have any questions prepared for him, the following is a list of some of the questions I'll be asking when I go back to see him, and some are questions that other people seem to be asking. (questions are in no particular order)

* Does the band itself have a warranty/guarantee?

* What is the expected life span of the band/port/tubes?

* What type of band is used, how much fill does it hold, why does the surgeon choose to use this brand of band?

* What happens if something goes wrong - leaks, slipping, port movement/flipping etc. Who pays? If the band is faulty (and from what I've been reading occasionally there are leaks, ports that don't work properly etc) who is responsible for that? (this relates to my question about whether or not the band has a warranty/guarantee)

* Costs - surgery, pre-op visits (dietitian, psychologist, tests, physio etc), post-op visits (fills, dietitian, psychologist).

* What happens if the surgery doesn't go through in the first instance - ie: you're on the operating table and they discover "fatty liver" or something else.

* If "key hole" surgery isn't an option for whatever reason, what other alternatives are there?

* Post operative support.

Most surgeons are very helpful and extremely open and welcome your questions, having a list is a great idea.

Good luck, let us all know how everything goes for you. I'm sure there are heaps more questions you should ask - hopefully you'll get a few more responses!

bronnie70 · March 23, 2007

Christie........ Hey i first saw my surgeon on 7/2/07 and i was banded on 9/3/07. If your going private you will get done fairly quickly but the public waiting list is quite long.

Can i ask where you live and hopefully there are others that live in your area on this site that can give accurate advise.

She Smiles · March 23, 2007

Hmmm I think I saw my GP for a referral (my surgeon won't see you without one) in late August. I had my first consult in September and had to wait for my health insurance to tick over a year and got my surgery done 3 days after that happened on the 22 November (I did actually BEG my surgeon to get me in as soon after that date as possible!).

My father had already had his band done for about 8 months at the time I got mine time so I had kind of watched him go through it and didn't have many questions. But if you are a thorough person, Blythe's list of questions is awesome. They warned me that there is a percentage of bands where something goes wrong, and I just prayed that I wasn't one of them (to date I've had no probs what so ever!). I think the most important thing I wanted to know was about post operative care/support/assistance, and that was all explained with out me having to ask. Really, a good surgeon should be explaining it all to you with out having to ask.....thats what I think anyway!!

my_new_life · March 23, 2007

Thank you for all the replies, great questions blythe.

Bronnie I am in Concord NSW, my appointment is at sydney obesity clinic. I am paying for the surgery myself, dont have insurance and dont want to wait, so hopefully that speeds things up.

I am so excited have been wanting to do this for so long, but have been to much of a chicken to go ahead and make the step and get on with it.

Can I ask how is the weight loss, they say it should be .5 to 1 kilo a week. but that doesnt make sense to me as obviously I will be eating atleast 1/4 of the calories I normally would eat?

How has the loss been in your cases?

Thanks again,

Christie

She Smiles · March 23, 2007

Congrats ont he decision to be banded!

I've lost about 23 kilos since my surgery 4 months (and 1 day!) ago, I also lost about 6 kilos on my pre-surgery diet. I lost a lot just after surgery and for some reason (it still has me baffled) I lost 4 kilos in the last 2 weeks. The trick seems to be that you shouldn't just rely on your band to do the work, cos it just won't if you want to lose the most weight possible. You have to eat better food and integrate exercise as part of your day to day life. Thats how you will get optimum results. I exercise 6 days a week in some way (usually a 1 hour session at the gym - sometimes a jog outside or an exercise vid at home if the gym is not an option). As an another example, my Dad hasn't exercised a day since he had his band a year ago (because of other medical issues) and has lost 30 kilos, he has also had most of his fill out of his band for about 5 months too. 0.5 to 1 kilo a week is the healthy weight loss Dr's recommend. Any more and your body can go into starvation mode and hang onto every calorie you eat and your weight loss will stall (so the story goes!). Losing too much too fast can also have other negative effects (like your skin being even more loose than it already might be). Check out the archives of this forum, there will be heaps of examples.

The bottom line is though, we are all different. And really, a loss is a loss! Whether you lose a lot or a little, fast or slow, its weight that will be gone forever, and to me, thats awesome!!

bronnie70 · March 23, 2007

Everyone looses the weight at a different rate but the main thing is people should be proud of even the smallest amount of weight lose as its an achievement that may not have occured without the band.

I had my op on 9/3/07... Lost 3kg on pre-op diet and now 5kg in the past 2 week liquid diet phase.

susannah · March 23, 2007

Hi Christie, I just wanted to welcome you to our little family here on the Australian section of LBT. Why dont you join us on the Melbourne chat thread. I wish you lots of luck on your banding journey.

Susannah

my_new_life · March 23, 2007

Thanks for all that I will pop over to the melbourne thread. But one last question while I am here, what is the pre op diet??

Thanks again, see you all in the Melbourne thread.

Christie

bronnie70 · March 23, 2007

Hello.... after you see the surgeon, he may request you go on a pre-op diet which in most cases is 2-3 weeks on Optifast ( purchased from the chemist) pre-surgery.

I was lucky enough not to have to do the pre-op diet due to my BMI being 38. My surgeon puts people on the pre-op diet if they have a BMI over 40.

Monkey · March 24, 2007

wait, what about the fatty liver thing. what is it, what if you have it? will they know before the the surgery???????

bronnie70 · March 24, 2007

Apparently going on Optifast makes the liver more easier to monauver during the op. I dont think they know for sure who has and doesnt have a fatty liver but the lighter in weight you are pre-op i imagine the less chance you have a fatty liver. Some of the other people on this site will have a much more accurate explanation than myself as they are more experienced...

She Smiles · March 24, 2007

I think you're spot on Bronnie. Obese people carry a lot of fat aroudn their organs, and typically that is where they will lose weight from first. Imagine operating laparoscopically in someones belly trying to get to the stomach when there is a liver in the way that is twice the size it could be because of the extra fat around it. My surgeon asks just before you go under if you did the pre op diet. If you say no, he won't operate, unless, you are certain that you won't be upset if you wake up and have needed to be cut right open. The chances of him needing to do that are much much higher if you still have a fatty liver that he can't get the laparoscopic tools in behind.

susannah · March 24, 2007

Hi All, Hi Bubble butt. That was a very comprehensive response!:biggrin1: Christie lives in Australia, so the it is a little bit different here. You are covered if anything goes wrong with the band if you have private insurance. You are covered for revisional surgery and replacement etc, once you have paid your $3500 out of pocket fee.

As for the band The AP band has been available in Australia for a while now and alot of surgeons are now switching over to it.

Australia and Europe have been performing banding surgery since the early nineties.

Susannah

blytheswideshut · March 26, 2007

Hi All, Hi Bubble butt. That was a very comprehensive response!:biggrin1: Christie lives in Australia, so the it is a little bit different here. You are covered if anything goes wrong with the band if you have private insurance. You are covered for revisional surgery and replacement etc, once you have paid your $3500 out of pocket fee.
As for the band The AP band has been available in Australia for a while now and alot of surgeons are now switching over to it.

Australia and Europe have been performing banding surgery since the early nineties.

Susannah

Thanks for that Susannah - I couldn't have said it better myself.

I'm pretty sure there are a variety of bands in use...from what the Aussie bandsters seem to say...different makes, sizes and volumes - which is why it's nice to ask your surgeon which one he might use or after surgery you can find out which one s/he did use.

I think it's useful also to ask or be aware of as many questions as possible - even if you've read an answer on the boards. Some things may vary from surgeon to surgeon - I know that some surgeons here have different after surgery requirements...but most of these things will be discussed at one of your pre-surgery appointments.

Especially costs - most surgeons seem to provide a costs sheet, and their office staff should be very helpful about answering questions.

Christie let us know how you went!