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i talked to margie today at cmmc, she told me now i need to have a lung dr. & heart dr. to clear me and also a chest xray and then i would go for my pre-op . i ask her how long did she think it would take and she said as soon as i got those to clear me it would be within a month. so i will be on the phone asap wed. morning to get this set up. i feel like i am walking on air. i dont know if many of yall know but i have been trying for about 1 1/2 -2 years for this. i know i need to get some questions ready for my pre-op but right now i cant think of any. what would be some good questions i could ask? im sorry that sounds crazy but any help would be appericated.michelle

Hi Michelle, I hope these will help, I've been saving them for when my time comes. Debra Questions to ask your surgeon... 1. What pre-op testing do you require, such as blood tests, gall stone sonograms, upper GI, lung x-rays, etc? 2. What can I do to prepare for the surgery, such as dieting, deep breathing, etc? 3. Do I have to do anything special the last few days before surgery, such as a clear diet, fasting, special soaps, or laxatives? 4. Do you require me to stop smoking before surgery? If yes, when? How will smoking affect my surgery and post-op time? 5. How will sleep apnea or asthma affect me during and after the surgery? 6. If I am allergic to ________________ how will this affect my surgery? 7. Please describe the surgery you perform? 8. Will you do the surgery with an open cut and if so, generally how long is the cut? 9. Can you do the surgery Laparoscopically? 10. Do you staple, suture or band the stomach? 11. Do you separate the stomach pouch from the distal bypassed stomach? 12. Is the anesthesiologist experienced with heavier people? 13. How much intestines do you bypass? 14. What size stomach pouch do you make? 15. Do you consider it to be a distal or proximal surgery? 16. Do you cut the acid producing nerve to prevent ulcers? 17. Do you instead prescribe an antacid post-op? 18. Will you do a liver biopsy? 19. How long will I be in surgery? 20. How long will I be in recovery? 21. What types of pain management will you provide? 22. What are the alternatives to the pain management if what you initial prescribe doesn't work? 23. Will I have an epidural? 24. Will I be in ICU? 25. Will I have IV's? 26. Will I have a nasal tube? 27. Will I be on a ventilator? 28. Do you insert a catheter? 29. Will I have drainage tubes in my incision or elsewhere? How many and for how long? 30. Will I need a binder and does the hospital provide them? 31. How soon will I be allowed to consume water after the surgery? What about ice chips? 32. Will you visit my loved ones in the waiting room after the surgery to tell them how the surgery went? 33. If I choose not to tell my loved ones what kind of surgery I am having, will you also keep this information private? 34. Which hospital will I be at? 35. Will I have a private room, or will I share with someone else? 36. When will I be admitted to the hospital? 37. How long is the hospital stay? 38. Does the hospital have gowns large enough for me? 39. Am I required to stay in the hospital until I have a bowel movement? 40. How soon and how often should I walk after the surgery? 41. Will I have lung therapy? 42. What type of complications are associated with this particular surgery? 43. Are there any reasons why the surgery may not be performed after you open me up? 44. If this is Lap surgery, is there any situation that might cause you to switch to an open? 45. What type of complications may I have post-op, such as vitamin or mineral deficiencies, hair loss, gall stones, infections, hernias, ulcers, etc? 46. Have you had any patients die on the table or post-op due to complications? Please explain: 47. Is there any risk of cancer or other problems in the bypassed portion of the stomach? How will these be detected post-op? 48. How will I have to eat immediate post-op and down the road? 49. Will I be able to eat "out" eventually? When? 50. Will I have problems with diarrhea or gas post-op? How can this be treated? 51. Will I vomit a lot? 52. What kind of post-op care/help will I require once I go home and for how long? 53. How much weight should I expect to lose and how fast? 54. Will there be medications that I can no longer take post-op, or medications I won't absorb normally? 55. Will I get sick eating sugars, natural or otherwise, or from eating fatty foods? 56. What percentage of calories and fat will my body absorb post-op? 57. How many calories and fat grams should I eat post-op? 58. How many grams of protein will I need to consume each day? 59. Are there any specific foods I should not consume post-op? 60. What supplements and medications will I be taking post-op? 61. What about pregnancy post-op? 62. When can I plan to get pregnant post-op? 63. How often should I get weighed? 64. What types of exercise do you recommend and at what stage post-op? 65. If it came down to life and death, can this surgery be reversed? 66. How many surgeries have you performed? 67. Can I speak to some of your post-op patients? 68. How much does the surgery cost and do you accept my insurance? 69. Do you think I will have problems getting insurance approval? 70. Will you help me in the appeals process, if necessary? 71. If I have to self-pay or pay a portion of the costs that insurance doesn't cover, will you accept payments? 72. Do you have a sliding pay scale? 73. Do you require a deposit? How much? 74. Do you have a support group? 75. When and where do they meet?

Wow, that's a lot of questions - I can tell you that by the time you get to the point of seeing the doctor, you will already have the answer to most of those. But, I know where you are coming from, there is a lot to consider beforehand.... DeAnna

I've been researching for almost 3 yrs now. I have a lot of information saved that I hope to use one day. (sorry for the over-kill on the questions, Michelle. I hope you can at least use some of them.) Have a good day. Debra