First surgeon appt - what to expect

[natalie132 2]

I have my first appointment with my surgeon on 9/11 I'm so excited! My first orientation is the 9th.

What should I expect for my first appt with the surgeon. I want to mentally prepare. Exciting time ahead!!

[fezik23 240]

My first meeting with the surgeon was a non-event. He asked a little about my weight history and medical history. He told me the risks of surgery and what it could do. He felt around my upper abdomen/liver area. And he gave me a surgery date!

[Pepper123 320]

None event....the doc asked if i know why i was there...then the convo moved on to what i can accomplish after the sleeve...the risks and living a healthy life style...then i was given 6 appt to get a series of tests done and his tele if i had more questions

[Spring Dixie 53]

Just had mine today and it was supper easy peasy. Surgeon just went over the surgeries he'd recommend for me and we discussed the pros and cons-it was a short conversation because I've researched the crap out of them and already have my mind set-surgeon agreed with my choice. He also went over my health history and then a coordinator came and gave me a list of things I have to get done in order to submit to insurance (labs, pap, endoscopy, psych and nutrition class) and then set me up with some of those appointments. Done

[natalie132 2]

Awesome! Thank you everyone! yay!

[Racewalker48 41]

Congratulations on taking your first steps!

I had already attended my surgeon's informational seminar, so at my first appointment, he went over which surgery I felt was best for me (he agreed) and what I could expect in terms of weight loss. He did a quick physical exam, gave me a sleepiness survey, and discussed the pre-op process (psych eval, EGD, Labs, sleep study). He introduced me to his Bariatric advocate, who handled all of the insurance and pre-authorization processes. Then it was up to me to get things scheduled and completed before everything was sent in to my insurance company for approval.

My other suggestion would be to write down any questions you have about the surgery, it's risks and complications. Good luck to you.

[amazon 579]

Mine was very similar to what folks have all ready mentioned, except I'd all ready gone through the pre-op appts and had a date.

I'll just add that now is the perfect time to ask our questions - write them down so you don't forget any. If you have questions about your surgeon, now's the time to ask: how many of x procedure have you performed? What's your complication rate? And leaks - how far out and why, or (gulp) deaths? Things like that are hard to find out about an individual surgeon on-line. You want to feel as confident with them, and them with you being a good WLS candidate.

Remember, he may be evaluating you for surgery, but you should also be evaluating him/her.

good luck!!

[ready2B 263]

I am sure everywhere does it a little differently. Where I am going they did everything in a 3 hour appt. They had 4-5 of us in a small conference room and first a nurse came in and went over all the different procedures, explained what they are like, the recovery process, etc. Then an insurance person came in and gave each of us a list of the requirements for our specific insurance plans, and she explained that process. Then a nutritionist explained about the post-op diet, necessary Vitamins, ways to get in Protein, etc. And then the surgeon came in and explained things in more detail. Everyone let us ask as many questions as we wanted. Then we each met individually with all the different people. We were weighed and measured, went over medical history, talked with about any additional testing we might need, talked to the billing department to see what our co-pays would be, met with the surgeon to be evaluated by him about which surgery would be best as well as what concerns he had or that we might have. Then we got the rest of our required appointments scheduled and were finally done! It was a lot to take in but it was all very very helpful. They gave us a packet with everything too to read when we got home.

[dwilliamsrice 0]

Dear Natalie,

First of all, congratulations on your decision to have the surgery. When you go to your appointment, you will be given a folder with information, and all of the doctors you need to see prior to the surgery. Make sure you go to all of the appointments. During this process you may become afraid; if that should happen talk to the people on your team. My nutritionist was excellent. She encouraged me to go to support meetings, and that made the difference for me. I put my fears behind me, and went on with the surgery. I'm happy to tell you that I lost 41 pounds. I was awarded the silver medal for loosing 20% of my weight. I wear my medal proudly everyday. please remember that you still need to exercise, and follow the diet(healthy menu plan) that your nutritionist is going to give you!

Good Luck,

Beans