Thinking of Surgery...
My doctor recently told me that I am a prime candidate for bariatric surgery. He didn't mention which kind yet or anything like that, only that he thinks I should really consider it. Which I am. I'm going for my sleep lab stuff in October and will proceed from there. Can anyone fill me in on what happens from here, and what I have to look forward too? I'm trying to research as much as I can, but honestly don't know what's right or wrong info, or what's right forme.
If anyone is willing to fill me in on what they went through or whatever, I'm all ears and would love to hear from you!
Thanks so much!
Amanda
Hi Amanda and welcome to the Ky board. U sound just like I did when I started out 2 yrs ago. I had to get my sleep study done before I made an appt with a surgeon, well I thought I did, just to get it out of the way. I would say the first thing u need to do is go to this website
http://obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/forums/?ID=1039541369
Its my surgeons website. Thats not saying u have to chose him (he is the best, though, at least to me) but theres alot of info on here. About the surgerys he does, about if u qualify, insurance coverage, etc. When I was researching surgeons everyone would say Go to this one, go to that one. All I can tell u there is u have to pick a surgeon u feel u can trust your life with. For me that was Dr Shina. He is very serious about the surgery and post op care. His patients have a great record for keeping the weight off, one of the best around. All u can do is research dr's and pick one that u feel in your heart is right for u. Thats what I did. Also u better make sure who u pick is in network with your insurance, lol!
Hello Glascow Ky!! I used to live in Tompinksville, so we are neighbors, or were! 
Amanda, welcome to the boards! It took me 5 years to research, weigh the pros and cons, and find me a suitable surgeon. (the pros and cons were what took most of the five years)
When I knew that I was finally ready for surgery, I had come here to learn about St. Joes East bariatric surgery center. I could have also gone with Georgetown, but before they sent me any card for a seminar, I had recieved one from St. Joes. Most bariatric surgeries require you to do several seminars and some physical tests to make sure that you are able to handle the surgery. They will file your paperwork with the insurance company and I believe that most centers have a small fee for program costs.
The program that St. Joes offers, (I don't know about the others, but will share my experiences with you) is group support 2x's a month, an exercise room, an exercise weight training for post ops, a nutrionist that follows your phases with you anytime you need her, a nicely bound notebook with information regarding the surgery and what to expect afterwards--very helpful when you have questions and need answers to common stuff--and much more.
They have 3 great surgeons and the one I picked did such an excellent job, I've not had any nausea, vomiting, and very little pain. My stitches are looking so good, I wonder if I will even have much scarring.
The persona at St. Joes was tough for me at first, because I had one bad experience, but it was a minor one, that I was pleasantly surprised it was immediately taken care of afterward so that it would not happen again to anyone else. (an incident with one of the tables I was asked to get on--read my profile for details! 
)
They are very thorough and very willing to help you with any questions that you may have. They are always telling us (my hubby will be having the surgery too) that if you have any questions call--they want to hear from you!
After deciding you're a canidate for the surgery, my suggestion is to contact a bariatric surgery center and get a reservation for their next seminar. They will mail you an invitation in the mail with a date and time. It is a lengthy seminar, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours long, but you wont miss the time, because it is very informative.
In our seminar, you got the rundown of the surgery, what to expect, met a few patients that had the surgery, and even get to meet the surgeons--hearing from them their backgrounds--with a question and answer session with them afterwards.
Also, with you being about 2 1/2 hours away, they will schedule all your tests on the same day or on two separate days, so that you're not coming up all the time for each and every test. It's done within one to two times.
I know how difficult this decision is and I wish you all the best in your choice and journey. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.
By the way, if you are interested in checking out St. Joes East Center for WLS, you may call them at: (859) 967-5520
Take care--
Dee
Amanda, welcome to the boards! It took me 5 years to research, weigh the pros and cons, and find me a suitable surgeon. (the pros and cons were what took most of the five years)
When I knew that I was finally ready for surgery, I had come here to learn about St. Joes East bariatric surgery center. I could have also gone with Georgetown, but before they sent me any card for a seminar, I had recieved one from St. Joes. Most bariatric surgeries require you to do several seminars and some physical tests to make sure that you are able to handle the surgery. They will file your paperwork with the insurance company and I believe that most centers have a small fee for program costs.
The program that St. Joes offers, (I don't know about the others, but will share my experiences with you) is group support 2x's a month, an exercise room, an exercise weight training for post ops, a nutrionist that follows your phases with you anytime you need her, a nicely bound notebook with information regarding the surgery and what to expect afterwards--very helpful when you have questions and need answers to common stuff--and much more.
They have 3 great surgeons and the one I picked did such an excellent job, I've not had any nausea, vomiting, and very little pain. My stitches are looking so good, I wonder if I will even have much scarring.
The persona at St. Joes was tough for me at first, because I had one bad experience, but it was a minor one, that I was pleasantly surprised it was immediately taken care of afterward so that it would not happen again to anyone else. (an incident with one of the tables I was asked to get on--read my profile for details! )
They are very thorough and very willing to help you with any questions that you may have. They are always telling us (my hubby will be having the surgery too) that if you have any questions call--they want to hear from you!
After deciding you're a canidate for the surgery, my suggestion is to contact a bariatric surgery center and get a reservation for their next seminar. They will mail you an invitation in the mail with a date and time. It is a lengthy seminar, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours long, but you wont miss the time, because it is very informative.
In our seminar, you got the rundown of the surgery, what to expect, met a few patients that had the surgery, and even get to meet the surgeons--hearing from them their backgrounds--with a question and answer session with them afterwards.
Also, with you being about 2 1/2 hours away, they will schedule all your tests on the same day or on two separate days, so that you're not coming up all the time for each and every test. It's done within one to two times.
I know how difficult this decision is and I wish you all the best in your choice and journey. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.
By the way, if you are interested in checking out St. Joes East Center for WLS, you may call them at: (859) 967-5520
Take care--
Dee
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