Amy5000

Hi all. I'm new the forums and am considering seeking a gastric bypass. I've been to an information session for a local surgeon (who happens to take my insurance) and I met with his nutritionist. Here are some questions: 1. Can anyone explain the no drinking before or after food to me? 2. Why no caffeine? 2. I like the surgeon but I'm not impressed with the education his office provides. (I read the rant thread about people getting a binder / book with all necessary info about the surgery, complications, etc. The Doctor's lecture at his info session went over these but there were no handouts to study post session. Is it enough if I can create my own "bible" or should I look for another surgeon. (I did confirm that my Dr. does over 200 bariatric procedures per year and that the hospital has a special ward and does over 600 procedures. I live in Northern NJ and I could potentially travel to the city or an little further for my operation. But I'm hesitant b/c I don't know that I would want to have to travel further for all the follow up. Any advice is helpful. Thanks so much. Amy

Hi Pinkgirl: Can I ask what hospital? Is it a Bariatric Center of Excellence? One local doc had a "Center of Excellence" shield on his site but he wasn't listed on the http://www.surgicalreview.org/patients/find-a-provider/ website. I'm finding it confusing and I've decided to go to a bunch of information sessions and support groups and see who has a good support program. I suspect that support is key. Best, Amy

Thank you all for your responses! I should mention that at my first meeting with the Nutritionist I received 3 pieces of paper from the Nutritionist. Two of the pages had been photocopied so much that they were practically illegible. Page 1 is entitled "Gastirc Sleeve and Bypass 1st Two Week Diet" . There is a lot of important information squeezed into this almost illegible page, but it is a poor to way covey such important information. Page 2 is legible entitled "Concentrated Sweets". It's poorly written and contains a list of crappy foods to eat and suggests you look at the list and find alternatives. Page 3, barely legible again, is "Baratric 2 Week Post-Op Diet". Under the title it begins "Program Instructional Guide (begins 2 weeks after surgery). Literally, the instructions are poor and contain lists of foods you can eat after two, three or four weeks. The back of the third page has portion sizes and grams of Protein. I'm going to check with the office about the amount of post-op support / instruction, but I'm guessing that I'm going to have to find a different doctor with a better support program in the new year. So glad I found these forums. Amy