Questions to ask your Surgeon or other Doctor Taken from Michelle Boasten’s book “Weight Loss Surgery” Information should be gathered from paperwork, pre-op physician/nurse seminars and at your surgical consultation. What should I do to prepare for the surgery? Do I have to do anything special the day before surgery like washing with special soap or bowel prep? Is there a special pre-op diet like clear liquids only? Do you require psychological testing? What type of mental health professional can do the psych eval? Does it have to be a doctoral level or masters level education? Do you offer suggestions? Any special instructions for smokers? Will sleep apnea interfere with surgery or recovery? What medications are given before and after surgery? What substitutes are there if I am allergic to them? What medications will be used after discharge? Which gastric bypass surgery do you perform? Will the surgery be done laparoscopic or open? Do you use staples or sutures. Do you use special bands? Is the anesthesiologist experienced with large people? How much of the intestine is bypassed? Do you remove the gall bladder? Do you prescribe bile salts? Do you prescribe antacid or H2 receptor medications? What are the pre-op and post-op meds taken for? Will you do a liver biopsy if the liver looks bad? How long will the surgery be and how long will I be in the recovery room? Will I get a patient-controlled pain pump? How long will I have an IV? Will I have a nasal gastric tube? When will it come out? Will I have any post-op testing such as Upper GI? Will I have a catheter. When will it come out? Will I have any drainage tubes? When will they come out? How soon after surgery can I drink clear liquids? For open incisions are stomach binders provided at the hospital or should I bring my own? Are there any surgical assistants? Who are they? Will I see you the day of surgery? Will you visit with my family after the surgery to let them know how the surgery went? If there are privacy issues, can this meeting not take place? At which hospitals do you perform this surgery? When do I have to register at the hospital? Can I pre-register at the hospital? When do I have to be at the hospital for surgery? Take with you to the consultation and make known personally to the surgeon! Medical documentation from any past abdominal surgeries or past surgical complications. A list of your current medications including how long you have been on the medication, what you are taking the medication for, the dosage and how often you take the medication? A list of your current diagnoses, an allergy list and recent lab test results. How do I find out my surgery date and time? If I am coming from out of town, are there any hotel discounts? How long is the hospital stay and what are the indicators/requirements for discharge? Are the gown, wheel chairs and room chairs big enough for large people? Will the staff be able to transfer large people? Can/should I take any medication on my own at the hospital, like nasal spray or other over the counter relief aids? How soon after surgery do most people have a bowel movement? Will I have to stay in the hospital until I have a BM? Will I have a private room or will I have to share and can someone spend the night at the hospital with me? How often and soon after surgery should I walk? What is the policy about nail polish and acrylic nails? Do they have to be removed? What is the policy about jewelry during surgery? Have you ever had a case where the surgery had started and you couldn’t complete it? What are the chances of this? What type of complications have you seen during surgery and post-op? What are the possible surgical complications? How will my bowel patterns change? Will the odor change? What short-term side-effects should I expect? What long-term changes should I expect? What vitamins do you recommend? Do you require vitamin and protein supplements? When are the incision staples removed/ or not? If traveling from out of town – what precautions should be taken after surgery? How much time should it take to recuperate? Do I have a limit on how much I can lift? How long before I can have sex? What will the scar look like? How much should I lose and how fast? How small will my stomach be? Will it stretch out? What is dumping? What are the post-op diet instructions? Are there any foods I need to avoid? Do you have a support group? When are the meetings? Will I need to get monthly B-12 injections or other forms of B-12? How much water should I try to drink? What kind of exercise do you recommend after surgery and how soon should I start? Since I will not be able to take aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs ever again what should I take instead? Do you have a list of what I can and cannot take? What about pregnancy after surgery? When can I have children without risk to my unborn child or myself? Should I get a medic-alert bracelet? Is this surgery reversible? Have you ever done a reversal or a revision? How many operations have you performed? Can I have patient referrals? How much is the total cost of the surgery? Have you had anyone with my insurance carrier and did they have any trouble getting approval of the surgery? Will you help during the appeal phase if my insurance refuses the first request? If my insurance won’t pay do you and the hospital have a self-pay rate? If I have to pay for the surgery or pay a co-pay does this have to be paid before the surgery? Can/should I give blood since I will take iron the rest of my life? How soon after surgery should I have blood work done and what tests do you suggest? Will my medications need to be adjusted by my primary care or specialists after surgery?
Last update : Monday, 09 July 2007
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