Questions to Ask Surgeon

Hi Everyone! I have my first of two consultations with surgeons this week. I have some ideas for questions to ask each surgeon, but I wanted to get input also from people who have already gone through the process. What suggestions do you have for questions for me to ask? 

Thanks in advance!

What pre op testing do you require?

How long is the typical hospital stay?

Can you describe the post-op guidance and support I will get?

Which surgery do you think is best for me and why?

Here are a few topics you may want to look into-- these are things that will be unique to your situation and this doctor, and you may not be able to find elsewhere in books or online.

What is the surgeon's experience? How many surgeries has he/she performed? What has the complication rate been?

Does the surgeon have any specific requirements for patients (tests, policies, etc.) to be approved for surgery other than what insurance requires?

What kind of follow-up does the office provide? Support groups? Regular check-ups? How available are they for appointments or returning phone calls?

Ask about your specific health situation. Does the surgeon think you're a good candidate? What is his/her opinion on which type of surgery would be most appropriate for you?

On the surgeon's experience, most specifically, how may sleeves (or DS's, which use the sleeve as its basis,) has he/she done? A surgeon can be a whiz with bypasses but still a newbie with the sleeve, which involves some quite distinct skills. The consensus is that a surgeon should have several hundred of the procedure that you are considering under their belt.

I would also want to know about their program's typical pre-op and post-op protocols and procedures. Some programs have their patients on a liquid diet for weeks (or even months!) after surgery while others progress much more rapidly, often with soft foods allowed from the start. Which do you think shows greater confidence and experience in their procedures? Likewise, some programs may impose several weeks of liquid diet pre-op while others do nothing until the day before surgery. I've never seen a good reason stated for these liquid diets, but the surgeons who don't impose them tend to want their patients as strong as possible going into surgery and fasting for weeks before doesn't do it.

Long term care and support - support groups and check ups / lab checks after the initial few months. How long do they do follow ups - this can provide early warning of potential problems and gives the surgeon's program valuable feedback on what may need to be changed in their procedures.

Thank you for the input! These are great questions!