Weight Loss Surgery If you've had it, or are considering it, share your discussions here

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Old 10-28-2008, 06:04 PM   #1  
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Question What to expect from first visit to Surgeon

I meet the Dr for my first visit after filling out paper work and watching information packet they sent me, is there anything that I need to bring or what is important to mention. I want this appointment to go well and Im not sure what to expect.

Any insights from post surgery friends would be awsome

Last edited by GinaG; 10-28-2008 at 07:29 PM.
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Old 10-28-2008, 07:14 PM   #2  
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Mine was just seeing if all my paperwork was finished...we discussed whether or not I was a good canidate for the surgery I wanted to do and he informed me about his background and technique. It was short and sweet...then I was onto the 6 month pre surgery, dr. supervised diet required by my ins.

Pretty painless but frustrating in that I had been working hard to get my ins. to pay for it for 2 years at that point and then I had to WAIT another 6 months! I wasn't happy. But it really was the beginning of the emotional rollercoaster that lasted until I had surgery in Feb. Then begins a whole different banana! LOL

It's a rollercoaster all right, but you just put your hands up and yell WOOHOO!!!!

Good luck honey! Let us know how it goes!

Angela

Last edited by missangelaks; 10-28-2008 at 07:16 PM.
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Old 10-29-2008, 08:12 AM   #3  
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I just had my first visit with my surgeon on Monday. They had sent me all the forms to fill out ahead of time, so I had those completed to turn in. When I got called back, they weighed me, measured my height, and took some measurements (waist and hips).

First, I spoke with the nurse. We talked about birth control (my surgeon's office wants women off any estrogen-containing birth control for one month before and one month after surgery since estrogen increases the risk for blood clots). We also spoke about which procedure I wanted and why, what the risks were, and how it was different from other procedures.

When the surgeon came in, we went over the technical aspects of the surgery (he brought up diagrams on a computer screen). When he was done with his general spiel, I asked my questions. I had prepared a list of questions ahead of time so I wouldn't forget to ask anything. We discussed his leak rate, what types of complications he saw most often, how many of his laparoscopic procedures needed to be converted to open, how he felt about removal of gall bladder or appendix during surgery, how many patients he'd lost who had my particular procedure, etc. He also gave me a worst case scenario--I have a scar on my lower abdomen from a prior surgery (ovarian cyst removal 10 years ago), and he said if there was a lot of scar tissue in there, he might not be able to do the entire procedure. It hurt to hear that, but I understand he has to cover all his bases.

Then, I talked to the insurance coordinator. She was very pleased to see I was almost done with my 6-month medically supervised diet and that I'd already scheduled an appointment for a psych eval next week (both required by my insurance). She gave me the information for whoere to call to set up my meeting with the dietician. I asked her a question about my insurance requirements (brought a print-out of their requirements from their provider manual online) since it seems to require both the 6-month diet plus a "multi-disciplinary program," so we talked about the second part, and she seems to think it is really only the diet or the program, not both, so she's going to research that and get back to me.

It was an easier day than I had expected. I was nervous, and my blood pressure showed it (170/120 ), but it went well, and now I'm just that much closer to submitting to insurance and getting an actual op date!
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Old 10-29-2008, 03:35 PM   #4  
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Wow Jill--you really did your homework! I've been away for a bit but noticed you are having WLS.

Good luck with all the hoop jumping!!
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Old 10-31-2008, 08:06 AM   #5  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jen415 View Post
Wow Jill--you really did your homework! I've been away for a bit but noticed you are having WLS.

Good luck with all the hoop jumping!!
heh, you know me--can't do anything half-assed! If I've got my mind set on something, it's full speed ahead!
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