sweet-pamela 0 Posted August 23, 2010 Help! I want to make sure I ask my surgeon about everything. I know he won't volunteer info unless I ask. He has been confident and reassuring so far, but I have a month to go and am getting nervous. Has anyone wished they had an answer or wish they would've asked a specific question prior to surgery but didn't? My Mom is recovering from breast cancer surgery and wished she asked more questions. Need help in Texas!!! pamela Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SParkle 4 Posted August 24, 2010 Hi Pamela This next month will fly by and before you know it you'll be there! I took this list of questions with me to my pre op consults.....compiled from others lists on here and added some questions of my own as well. In my opinion ( I appreciate everyone is different) I'd rather know everything before going into surgery..... the good, the bad and the ugly LOL Questions to ask Pre Op /The Op If self pay - What does your fee involve? Is there some follow up care thrown in there, like labs at 3,6,9 and 12 months? Pre op diet – what to eat/drink and how long for? Do I get a nutritionist/psychologist? What size bougie is used? (This is the medical instrument which determines the size of your remaining pouch) Do you oversew the staple line? How many incisions do you make? Do you go in thru previous scars? How many nights in the hospital – is there facility for someone else to stay in my room as well? Do they need to be with me 24/ during my hospital stay? How many leak tests do you do? How many sleeves have you performed? Complication/leak stats? How many if any deaths? Who do I contact if I think I have a problem (most places give out an emergency number)? Is the hospital equipped an ICU and blood bank in case of complications? If complications do happen to occur, are these complications/additional surgery/days in hospital covered by the original quoted price of the surgery? Would you remove my gall bladder at the same time if needed? Can you give me some patient testimonials or do you have any before/after pictures of your patients that I could read/look at? Is it standard operation procedure, ie: no nail polish, no body jewellery? Do I need to stop taking any particular medication pre op? (Take a list of what you take and dosage) Post Op How often are the post op check ups? Where are they? – is price included? What supplements/anti acid drug would I need to take and for how long? Do I need labs done post op? – Are these checked with you or my local doctor? DO I get a dvd of the operation? Post op diet? How much weight would I be expected loose? What if I loose too much, how to maintain? Do you use heparin? – Will I have to inject it myself? How soon after the op can I……drive, swim, work out, lift weights, lift my kids? It may be you'll find some others to add, or that you already know the answers to some of the questions. Hope this helps - good luck. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
on_my_way 0 Posted August 24, 2010 Thank you so much for this list. It's wonderful. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sweet-pamela 0 Posted August 24, 2010 Thank you SParkle!:wave: You definitely brought to light some questions I would have never even begun to think of. I am worried about having to have another procedure if this one gets botched. I trust my surgeon, but the leakage and infections scare me. I'm poking around to see if any one has advice or any experiences with either. PS: any advice on this pre-op diet I'm on. Grrrrr!:lol0: pamela Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MINI-Me 196 Posted August 24, 2010 Since so many doctors give various pre-op diets, can you tell us what you are doing? That may help us give you better advice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sleevesearch 14 Posted August 24, 2010 What is heparin used for in regards to VSG? . . . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sweet-pamela 0 Posted August 24, 2010 it's basically a Liquid Protein diet. No carbs (which I crave and what got me into this mess!), no wine, no sweets. I guess it's what I can't have that's killing me. I know I need to be getting my body and self used to the new diet or I'll just be wasting my money and shortening my lifespan. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MINI-Me 196 Posted August 25, 2010 it's basically a liquid Protein diet. No carbs (which I crave and what got me into this mess!), no wine, no sweets. I guess it's what I can't have that's killing me. I know I need to be getting my body and self used to the new diet or I'll just be wasting my money and shortening my lifespan. Fortunately, I didn't have to do all-liquid for pre-op, but it is hard to "buckle down" when you have a full stomach still. Try to focus on the positives - that you are doing this for your surgery! Instead of thinking of what you can't have, focus on what you can have. Stock up on those items & have them ready when a craving starts. Can you have SF Popsicles on this phase - if so, have those around when the craving for sweets come. Not really sure why, but tea with splenda helps a lot when cravings hit me. Good luck! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chilo1 62 Posted August 25, 2010 What is heparin used for in regards to VSG? . . . Heparin is used as a blood thinner, in VSG as in most other surgeries as a blood thinner to reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis, that's why getting up and walking ASAP after surgery is important as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tiffykins 673 Posted September 2, 2010 Hi Pamela This next month will fly by and before you know it you'll be there! I took this list of questions with me to my pre op consults.....compiled from others lists on here and added some questions of my own as well. In my opinion ( I appreciate everyone is different) I'd rather know everything before going into surgery..... the good, the bad and the ugly LOL Questions to ask Pre Op /The Op If self pay - What does your fee involve? Is there some follow up care thrown in there, like labs at 3,6,9 and 12 months? Pre op diet ? what to eat/drink and how long for? Do I get a nutritionist/psychologist? What size bougie is used? (This is the medical instrument which determines the size of your remaining pouch) Do you oversew the staple line? How many incisions do you make? Do you go in thru previous scars? How many nights in the hospital ? is there facility for someone else to stay in my room as well? Do they need to be with me 24/ during my hospital stay? How many leak tests do you do? How many sleeves have you performed? Complication/leak stats? How many if any deaths? Who do I contact if I think I have a problem (most places give out an emergency number)? Is the hospital equipped an ICU and blood bank in case of complications? If complications do happen to occur, are these complications/additional surgery/days in hospital covered by the original quoted price of the surgery? Would you remove my gall bladder at the same time if needed? Can you give me some patient testimonials or do you have any before/after pictures of your patients that I could read/look at? Is it standard operation procedure, ie: no nail polish, no body jewellery? Do I need to stop taking any particular medication pre op? (Take a list of what you take and dosage) Post Op How often are the post op check ups? Where are they? ? is price included? What supplements/anti acid drug would I need to take and for how long? Do I need labs done post op? ? Are these checked with you or my local doctor? DO I get a dvd of the operation? Post op diet? How much weight would I be expected loose? What if I loose too much, how to maintain? Do you use heparin? ? Will I have to inject it myself? How soon after the op can I??drive, swim, work out, lift weights, lift my kids? It may be you'll find some others to add, or that you already know the answers to some of the questions. Hope this helps - good luck. I'm totally stealing this list, and posting it in my blog for quick reference ! ! ! Thanks for posting this, it's a great list. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SParkle 4 Posted September 2, 2010 I'm totally stealing this list, and posting it in my blog for quick reference ! ! ! Thanks for posting this, it's a great list. You're welcome Tiff - in fact I think lot of the ideas for the questions came from your posts!! So I should be thanking you!! :scared0: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
