pre-op info
I have been waiting for almost 2 years for my consult with Dr Beausoleil. I finally got my appt this morning for Dec 17. What am i looking at in terms of steps from the initial consult? Any info would be greatly appreciated. I am excited and scared to death at the same time and I am set on having Roux.
Hi There! Welcome!
This is great eh...you have just a couple more weeks til your appointment! You are on the road to success now. It is exciting times...and it is also scarey times. So..you are having all the normal feelings we all had.
Some of Dr. B's patients will be along to tell you about the initial consult. All the advice I can offer is to do alot of research into any area of your RNY that concerns you, and you will find answers to relax your mind if you look long enough.
It is a very successful operation, as are they all. There is the strategy where certain eaters are more likely to succeed with certain operations, but I am also of the mind set that if you put your mind to the task at hand, you will succeed with what ever operation you have. So....Good Luck and I hope we can meet up at the Dec Meet. Our Hostess is a real living example of just how beautiful a RNY can be!
Take Care,
Catherine
This is great eh...you have just a couple more weeks til your appointment! You are on the road to success now. It is exciting times...and it is also scarey times. So..you are having all the normal feelings we all had.
Some of Dr. B's patients will be along to tell you about the initial consult. All the advice I can offer is to do alot of research into any area of your RNY that concerns you, and you will find answers to relax your mind if you look long enough.
It is a very successful operation, as are they all. There is the strategy where certain eaters are more likely to succeed with certain operations, but I am also of the mind set that if you put your mind to the task at hand, you will succeed with what ever operation you have. So....Good Luck and I hope we can meet up at the Dec Meet. Our Hostess is a real living example of just how beautiful a RNY can be!
Take Care,
Catherine
DS Surgery June 2006, Been fine every since. Weight stays the same. Rarely remember I had surgery.....except for the daily vitamins.
My consult this month was with Dr Savoie who does things differently than Dr B but there have been a few here that have gone through or started the process lately and have been very detailed in their step by step accounts - just take a look in some of the past messages over the last month or so.
Hope you can make it to our support group meeting that is coming up soon!
Welcome to the group
Hope you can make it to our support group meeting that is coming up soon!
Welcome to the group
Live, Love, Laugh - Life is short so enjoy today!
Michelle Clark
Canadian Mom, Tupperware Manager and AVON Leader
Angel to Charline (New Maryland) & Chrissy
Michelle Clark
Canadian Mom, Tupperware Manager and AVON Leader
Angel to Charline (New Maryland) & Chrissy
Hi Starsky,
I waited over 4 years to see Dr. Beau, who by the way is très très beau sur les yeux ( I am not bilingual but he is cute). The consult is just that, a consultation to see if you are a candidate for surgery. Dr. Beau will decide if you are a good candidate for Roux. He does not do RNY on anyone 55 years of age or older so hopefully you are a youngster.
Prior to your visit you will be sent a package of reading material and you MUST read it and if you can, do some more research online. You will meet with Lise the nurse on that day and she will set your profile up in the computer system, take your vitals etc and...... - brace yourself........ - weigh you. From that day forward you must not gain. You must lose weight from here on in. If you gain, the Dr. may decide to postpone your surgery for up to 6 weeks. He is expecting you to show him and his staff that you are committed to the process and that you are in this for all the right reasons. On your consult day you should take your significant other or the person who you will have support you through the process. My hubby went with me. That person needs to know what they will be up against when the time comes to help you after the surgery, support you and facilitate your success. Lise explains a lot of things to you during your vist with her. It would be a good idea to jot down any questions you may have after reading your package so that you will remember to bring it up. Then she takes you to an exam room to meet the doctor.
Once you have seen the doctor and discussed your options the next step will be the all day information session. That is a very informative day and you will have to pay attention to all the presentations because there is a small test at the end of the day and you must pass it in order to proceed to the next step. You will experience presentations from Lise the Bariatric Nurse, Rinette the dietician, a psychologist, a physio therapist and a successful patient who has had the type of surgery you will be having. There is a lot of information and you might want to make notes here. Its important that you pass the test.
About 2 weeks, usually, after the info session you will be invited back to the hospital to sign your papers. The doctor sees you again after you visit with Lise and he goes over all the good stuff and especially all the bad stuff, possible problems/complications etc. He wants you to be sure you are well informed before he invites you to sign on the dotted line. This paper signing does not mean that it is set in stone. If you get to within a short time before your surgery and you still don't feel ready you can postpone it at any time. The papers are more for Medicare than anything. But it is important that you take this seriously. You are making a huge life decision.
Then about 2 weeks after your paper signing you are back at the hospital for pre-admission tests. It takes about 4 hours. When they call you to set up the appointment for the testing, they will then give you your surgery date. On this day Lise does her thing again, BP, oxygen uptake, temperature etc and of course the dreaded weigh in. Then you go for blood work, ECG, chest X-ray and a visit with the dietician. It is that day that you decide if you want to use Slimfast or Optifast for the Liquid diet 2 weeks prior to surgery.
And that is where I am at this point. I had my consult on June 30 I was called for the information session on September 30, I had to have a separate test before I went for preadmission testing which slowed things down for me a bit. Then I signed my papers on October 23 and preadmission testing was on November 13, surgery is on Dec 2, next Tuesday.
Now some people have gone faster, some have gone slower, it depends on a number of factors none of which I am knowledgable about. But I feel that it goes the way it goes and you get to where you need to be when you are ready for it.
I am sure that some of the others on this site will have something to add. That is what we do - share our experience so that others will know what to expect and it is not so scary or so confusing. If you have any questions post them here. This is a great group of people who care very much about each other and they are all very friendly.
Hope this helps you,
Ann
I waited over 4 years to see Dr. Beau, who by the way is très très beau sur les yeux ( I am not bilingual but he is cute). The consult is just that, a consultation to see if you are a candidate for surgery. Dr. Beau will decide if you are a good candidate for Roux. He does not do RNY on anyone 55 years of age or older so hopefully you are a youngster.
Prior to your visit you will be sent a package of reading material and you MUST read it and if you can, do some more research online. You will meet with Lise the nurse on that day and she will set your profile up in the computer system, take your vitals etc and...... - brace yourself........ - weigh you. From that day forward you must not gain. You must lose weight from here on in. If you gain, the Dr. may decide to postpone your surgery for up to 6 weeks. He is expecting you to show him and his staff that you are committed to the process and that you are in this for all the right reasons. On your consult day you should take your significant other or the person who you will have support you through the process. My hubby went with me. That person needs to know what they will be up against when the time comes to help you after the surgery, support you and facilitate your success. Lise explains a lot of things to you during your vist with her. It would be a good idea to jot down any questions you may have after reading your package so that you will remember to bring it up. Then she takes you to an exam room to meet the doctor.
Once you have seen the doctor and discussed your options the next step will be the all day information session. That is a very informative day and you will have to pay attention to all the presentations because there is a small test at the end of the day and you must pass it in order to proceed to the next step. You will experience presentations from Lise the Bariatric Nurse, Rinette the dietician, a psychologist, a physio therapist and a successful patient who has had the type of surgery you will be having. There is a lot of information and you might want to make notes here. Its important that you pass the test.
About 2 weeks, usually, after the info session you will be invited back to the hospital to sign your papers. The doctor sees you again after you visit with Lise and he goes over all the good stuff and especially all the bad stuff, possible problems/complications etc. He wants you to be sure you are well informed before he invites you to sign on the dotted line. This paper signing does not mean that it is set in stone. If you get to within a short time before your surgery and you still don't feel ready you can postpone it at any time. The papers are more for Medicare than anything. But it is important that you take this seriously. You are making a huge life decision.
Then about 2 weeks after your paper signing you are back at the hospital for pre-admission tests. It takes about 4 hours. When they call you to set up the appointment for the testing, they will then give you your surgery date. On this day Lise does her thing again, BP, oxygen uptake, temperature etc and of course the dreaded weigh in. Then you go for blood work, ECG, chest X-ray and a visit with the dietician. It is that day that you decide if you want to use Slimfast or Optifast for the Liquid diet 2 weeks prior to surgery.
And that is where I am at this point. I had my consult on June 30 I was called for the information session on September 30, I had to have a separate test before I went for preadmission testing which slowed things down for me a bit. Then I signed my papers on October 23 and preadmission testing was on November 13, surgery is on Dec 2, next Tuesday.
Now some people have gone faster, some have gone slower, it depends on a number of factors none of which I am knowledgable about. But I feel that it goes the way it goes and you get to where you need to be when you are ready for it.
I am sure that some of the others on this site will have something to add. That is what we do - share our experience so that others will know what to expect and it is not so scary or so confusing. If you have any questions post them here. This is a great group of people who care very much about each other and they are all very friendly.
Hope this helps you,
Ann
I don't smoke and haven't for 21 years. Here is the bad news though. Start cutting back severely NOW. He is going to tell you to stop immediately on the day of the consult. The printed material provided by the hospital that Lise gave me on pre-admission day says stop completely at least 3 weeks before surgery but he will tell you to stop right away when you meet with him. Dr. Beau said to me "if you smoke, stop now".
Your tummy will have up to 5 wounds depending on which surgery you are having and coughing is an issue with regards to post surgery pneumonia. So much so that you meet with a respiratory therapist on pre admission day and she gives you a little device that you have to use to practice breathing for the 2 weeks prior to the surgery. There is no fooling around with this. This is not just a little surgery and as obese people we are already compromised in terms of complications due to the obesity. Adding another issue to the mix like smoking is a big deal to them.
All that being said, maybe this is the year that your New Year's resolution will be to stop smoking the only difference is you are starting early. Maybe you should see your family doctor about smoking cessation medication - there is a new one out now that is working really well I hear. I know it is a big deal - I loved my cigarettes but in the long run it will help your recovery and your health on the other end. Just don't let it be a deciding factor in you opportunity to live a longer healthier life.
Ann
Your tummy will have up to 5 wounds depending on which surgery you are having and coughing is an issue with regards to post surgery pneumonia. So much so that you meet with a respiratory therapist on pre admission day and she gives you a little device that you have to use to practice breathing for the 2 weeks prior to the surgery. There is no fooling around with this. This is not just a little surgery and as obese people we are already compromised in terms of complications due to the obesity. Adding another issue to the mix like smoking is a big deal to them.
All that being said, maybe this is the year that your New Year's resolution will be to stop smoking the only difference is you are starting early. Maybe you should see your family doctor about smoking cessation medication - there is a new one out now that is working really well I hear. I know it is a big deal - I loved my cigarettes but in the long run it will help your recovery and your health on the other end. Just don't let it be a deciding factor in you opportunity to live a longer healthier life.
Ann
Thanks very much. I know I need to quit anyway (Nathalie told me too) because I've been hospitalized 8 out of the past 10 years with uncontrolled athsma. Now, I'm sure, everyone is thinking "what in the world am I thinking" but then again, what in the world am I thinking everytime I overeat. I think they call it self destruction. I don't want to do it anymore. I just want to be healthy. More than anything, I want to be active. I barely do anything anymore because I either can't breathe or my back hurts. I've been smoking for 30 years and I'm only 41. I have terrible lungs ( capacity is under 60% last lung function tests I had) and I do not want that to get in the way of this wls. I have been pursuing this for almost 7 years now so I cannot take the chance. I will quit smoking. I'll call my GP today and make an appointment. It's a stinky habit anyway and I hate the smell. LOL. Whole life change. Ok, I'm ready to do whatever it takes. Thanks to all of you for all your info. You are a great bunch of people. This is day 1 of my new life. Oh my, I am so corny. LOL.
Corny? No, I will hazard a guess that this is going to be the most wonderful time in your life. Once you get approved, you start to realize what is important to you and what means the most in your life. I have found it to be the most wonderful opportunity to do some serious soul searching and to figure out what makes me overeat and face that and deal with the "crap" so that I can focus on using the Lap Band tool properly and to be successful at this. I know you are interested in RNY but be open to the Lap Band as well because it may be that the doctor would recommend it instead due to your breathing issues. Stay in touch Starsky, let us know how it goes and be patient and try really hard to get to where you need to be for this surgery. We are all in this together and we all understand what its like to live in these bodies. We have all been standing where you are standing now. You are not alone.
Ann
Ann
Most Active
Recent Topics
