Howdy! Im getting ready....

aggiegal · February 23, 2008

Howdy!

Well, Im getting ready to attend my initial consulation meeting with a local doctor. I never considered lap band but after attending a meeting to support my bestfriend and reading which weight loss tools others have tried...myself included...before choosing lap band I decided it could be for me.

I know I'm in the very beginning of my journey but I'd like some advice to help guide my direction.

First, I'd like to know if anyone has ideas on what sort of questions I should ask the doctor...

Lastly, as I've read some of the threads on pre/post op and it sounds kinda scary but what scares me most is high blood pressure, type II diabetes, heart disease...and anything else that could alter my quality of life...so another question, if I may...what are some things to do post op to minimize any uncomfortableness you might have experienced....

I know we're all different but a little knowledge, positive attitude, and a deep breath might help me through it....

Thanks and I'm so excited to be a part of a community where we all understand eachother!

Thanks,

Aggiegal :thumbup:

SherryW · February 23, 2008

Hello Aggiegal,

Welcome and congratulations on the start of your journey. Best suggestion I can offer regarding questions to ask....EVERYTHING you're asking here can and should also be asked of your doctor/surgeon/bariatric center and nutrionist. Whoever you're considering doing your surgery should be able to answer all of those questions and answer them without hesitation. If they stall or skirt around any question.....really give that thought too because they shouldn't.

Questions I asked? ....I went online and researched this band to pieces, found out how it was put in, what type of candidates, results, complications, places to have it done...everything and anything I could find. Then I wrote down any questions I had and litterally carried those questions with me. The docs I saw had no problem answering all of them. A really good bariatric center/provider will send you through several steps to make sure you're ready for the surgery including an interview or session with a psychiologist or psychiatrist and they will check and ask questions to make sure you're doing this for the right reasons. For the bariatric center I went through...before you're given the ok for the surgery the group all meets and discusses if you're a candidate. For me that was the physician, surgeon, nutrionist, psychiatrist and nurse with all my exam results. I got the call from the nurse and booked my appt to consult with my surgeon and get a date for surgery. You should be well taken care of and have all your questions answered before that point. Never be afraid to ask!

As far as what you can do to minimize uncomfortableness....follow your surgeons/nurses advice. I wasn't in alot of pain at all...just one spot was more sore than the rest so I called the bariatric center, spoke to the nurse and she explained the incision that hurt the most was because that was the one used most. Mine was done laposcopically so only one area of the 6 was sore. After knowing why.....it wasn't so sore because I understood what it was so it helps to ask :thumbup:

Good luck!

MamaHerm · February 25, 2008

Howdy Aggiegal!

Welcome! Best wishes in finding the right surgeon for you. Are you in Texas, and if so, what area? My husband is class of '73 and my son is '02. Whoop! We live in El Campo, Texas, about 60 miles SW of Houston. I hope to be banded in April. I have to lose 40 pounds before surgery; have lost 25 so far. My surgeon is Guillermo ponce de leon. He is wonderful -- listens well, has a great sense of humor, and explains everything in layman's terms.

Anyway, hope to hear more from you.

Gig Em!