I'm looking for advice on what questions to ask my surgeon when we meet. I am planning on asking which size "bougie" he plans to use and if it really matters.

I also plan on asking what he does for patients who usually get sick (vomit) after surgery. When I had my kids (c-section) they had to give me heavy anti-nausea drugs so I wouldn't throw up.

What else should I ask? TIA!

What are the program requirements? Are there specific goals you have to meet to get approved? How many surgeries has he or she done? What is the practice's complication rate? What is their pain management protocol? What is their nausea management protocol?

I know my doctor put everyone on anti-nausea medication- a dose was given IV pre-operatively and then around the clock IV post-operatively until discharge. This was great for me. I too have experience nausea after surgery, however, with this protocol in place, I had none! What a relief!

Ask him how he handles pain management and what he can do to prevent you from getting that horrible shoulder gas. My surgeon extracts as much as possible. Consequently, I had no shoulder gas to deal with at all. Some folks suffer needlessly with something that could have been prevented at least partially.