6 Steps to Prepare For The First Appointment With Your Surgeon
April 13, 2016The decision to have bariatric surgery is a life-changing decision. Most of my patients can recall the exact moment they made the decision. For some, it was finding out they had Type 2 diabetes, and for others, it was getting out breath on the playground with their kids. Whatever the reason, when you take that first step and call a bariatric surgeon, you’ve decided to take control and do something positive for yourself to improve your health and your life. When you show up at the first appointment with your surgeon, you’ll want to make the visit as productive as possible.
Six Steps to be Prepared for Your First Appointment
1. Get to Know Your Weight Loss Surgical Team
Before you make an appointment, you want to make sure your surgeon is fellowship-trained and board certified. Fellowship-trained means that in addition to the required five years spent in a general surgery residency gaining surgical experience, your surgeon chose to train an additional year focusing on enhancing their laparoscopic general and bariatric surgery skills. Board certified means that your surgeon has passed a post-residency certification written and oral exam about all aspects of surgery given by the American College of Surgeons.
You’ll also want to make sure that the hospital that your surgeon is affiliated with is one that has been awarded accreditation through the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP). A bariatric surgical center achieves accreditation following a rigorous review process during which it proves that it can maintain certain physical resources, human resources, and standards of practice.
2. Attend a Free Informational Seminar
Many bariatric practices provide free informational sessions on bariatric surgery, where patients can learn about the procedures and how they work to help you lose weight. This is a great opportunity to learn whether weight loss surgery is right for you. At my weekly seminars, I review the risks and benefits of each surgery so patients can make an informed decision. We talk about the type of diet that patients will need to adhere to after surgery. I also leave plenty of time for patients to ask questions. If you can’t attend a seminar, try reading up on the most current procedures from a reputable source, such as the ASMBS website (https://asmbs.org/patients). Either of these options should give you enough information to pin down which procedure you are most interested in so you can have a productive conversation with your surgeon on your first visit.
3. Talk to Other WLS Patients
While your surgeon will be able to tell you how the procedures are done, they can’t tell you what life is like after surgery. For this you’ll need to talk to someone who has lived with the surgery. My practice has a weight loss surgery ambassador program in which successful patients connect with others thinking about having surgery. ObesityHelp is another great resource to hear the stories of weight loss surgery patients through the message boards, myJourney and the Before & After Photo Gallery. While every patient story is unique, chances are you’ll hear one story that resonates with you. Listening to their stories will help you start seeing surgery in more concrete terms and how it can fit into your lifestyle.
4. Write Down Questions You Have
Now that you’ve educated yourself on the procedures, communicated with some patients and hopefully have an idea of which procedure is right for you, you’ll want to write down any remaining questions you have. Bring them to your first appointment. Maybe you have questions about pregnancy after surgery, heard that you can’t eat a certain type of food or have a specific medical condition that is of concern. Your first appointment is the time to ask.
5. Start Tracking Your Diet
Your dietitian will ask you to start doing it anyway and they will love you even more for getting a jumpstart on it! Start by tracking everything you eat – including snacks and beverages – for about a week. Remember this is about giving your RD the information he or she can use to help you succeed both before and after surgery – so no cheating! If you have a food journal that you started on a past attempt at weight loss, you can bring that in too. One of our favorite apps for journaling is MyFitnessPal. You can download it to your phone and it has millions of foods in its database so you get real-time analysis of calories and nutritional content of your diet. Don’t worry if you’re not high tech, jotting your meals down with good old-fashioned pen and paper works too.
6. Don’t Forget Important Lists
Most people remember to bring a list of the medications they are taking, but don’t forget any vitamins or nutritional supplements too. While I’m on the subject of lists, have the names and contact information of all your medical doctors – including but not limited to your primary care doctors. Seeing a cardiologist, pulmonologist or psychologist? Your surgeon will likely want to talk to one or more of these providers.
Weight loss surgery is a lifelong commitment. With a little preparation, you will be able to make sure that your surgeon has everything he or she needs from day one to give you first-class care and that you leave armed with the information to succeed for life.
 | ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ajay Goyal, MD, FACS, is founder of the New Jersey Bariatric Center, a medical & surgical weight loss center with offices in Springfield, Somerville and Hoboken, New Jersey, and Director of Bariatric Surgery at Overlook Medical Center. He is a member of the American Society of Bariatric Surgeons (ASBS), the Medical Society of New Jersey, and the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES).Read more articles by Dr. Goyal! |
