Help! Consult appt Tommorrow

Hi everyone, I am pretty new to the board and I have my consult for my RNY tomorrow and sitting here trying to write questions to ask tomorrow and I have gone blank.    Anyone have suggestions or knows what I should expect during this appt?  I am in Modesto and am seeing Dr. Coates (I think).  My insurance is Health net with CVMG as the IPA.

 

 

Thanks,

 

 

Gina

 

Hi Gina! Welcome to the board. This is a great place.  I would find out as much as possible about your surgeon's protocol regarding diet after your surgery. It's always best to be as much prepared as possible. You may feel a bit overwhelmed if you are not sure what types of foods he wants you to eat and what to stay away from. Since almost every surgeon has their own protocols it's best you follow your surgeon's rules, protocol etc. I would ask about what he expects afterwards as far as what you can eat.  Congrats on the beginning of your journey. Hugs, Jaime

Thank You Gina

Here are some awesome questions I got from my friend Melissa K: how will they be performing the surgery? laposcopically, hand-assisted, completely open? what is THEIR opinion on each of these surgeries, and why? in other words, according to them, why is THEIR way of doing it the best? what would their reccomended stomach size be? what channel length would the doc reccomend? how many people become lactose intollerant after this surgery (with THAT doctor's specifications ..channel length, stomach size...the channel length makes the difference)? can you take birth control pills...or can you be on an iud or something during the surgery? what kind of pain killers will you be put on after the surgery? what kind of over the counter pain pills/meds can you take after the surgery..or what should you avoid (there shouldn't be any really)  more likey they will say "you must wait *this* amount of time to start taking such and such...rather than list what you can't take. i asked what kind of staples would be inside me, because i am allergic to nickle...(they're going to be titanium!) what does that doctor reccomend to help keep your hair from falling out after surgery? (mine said take all your vitamins, at least 85 grams of protein a day, lots of water, and if you notice hair falling...take biotin, coenzyme Q10, and omega 3) and since i'm really going to stick to the high protein, low carb diet for after the surgery until i reach goal weight...i asked how many carbs a day i should eat . is the doctor going to remove the gallbladder or appendex? if not, will they put you on medication (actigall) for gallstones..what's the percentage of people who get gallstones after the surgery, if they keep the gallbladder? how soon after the surgery will you be fully healed? how soon after do they reccomend you can drink alcohol? if you smoke, they will make you quit!! will your doctor provide a dietician (sp?) or a before or after diet plan? what will the requirements be, if so? (like i am fine before surgery, but must go on liquid diet 2 weeks after, etc.) will the reccomend probiotics? (good bacteria that is found in yogurt, to help with stinky bowels. bad/smelly bacteria can grow in the shorter intestines) There is also a list from OH that has lots of good questions.  I made a hybird of both & asked my Dr.  Here's the link: http://www.obesityhelp.com/content/questionstoaskyoursurgeon .html Best of luck!

Thanks for all the great info. Gina

You've got a couple of good ideas already.  I just wanted say good luck tomorrow! -Donna

Thank you Donna

it's late and my brain's a bit fried, so i wanted to say good luck. one thing i did was to take in a written list of questions; it can feel overwhelming when you go in there b/c you are bombarded with so much information.  if you've got your questions written down, you are less likely to forget something.

I wanted to know what kind of complications might occur, how often they had occurred with that particular doctor, and what he did/recommended to avoid them.  For example, I felt much better after finding out how many surgeries he had done, and that he had only one fatality.  Since I wasn't interested in being a fatality, that made me feel much more confident about the doctor I picked. -- Carol

Hey Gina...welcome to the boards and best of luck to you today with your consult with Coates.