Question:
What should a consult consist of?

I had my surgical consult yesterday, but am bothered by the fact that the surgeon barely glanced at my chart and just looked at me and said he could do the surgery lap. He does send his patients to an internist, but shouldn't he do some kind of exam? I also felt rushed with questions I wanted to ask, etc.    — Want2bslim (posted on May 23, 2002)

May 22, 2002
Hi Karen. I just had my consultation a couple of weeks ago. Basically it consisted of the surgeon making sure I knew all that I needed to know about the operation itself, the post-op info and we talked about if I wanted it open or lap. I felt he wanted me to ask him any questions I had on my mind (and I did!). His office is extremely busy, but I did not feel rushed at all. As for an exam, he asked me to unbtton my pants so he could see my belly to make sure that I didn't already have a hernia and to see (I am assuming) how "thick" it was since we were talking about lap. He looked over my chart several times as well. I am sure that all surgeons do things differently- he may have looked at your chart before he came in. I would be concerned though about being rushed. He should have taken the time to help you feel comfortable. Personally, I think I would find another surgeon. One might think I was jumping the gun, but I think its extremely important that the person who will be performing this life altering operation should have the patience to prepare you thoroughly. It would also make me wonder if he will be a good after-care doctor....Good luck to you.
   — karmiausnic

May 23, 2002
Hi Karen...I went to two different surgeons and the consult for each was different. The first surgeon (who I chose not to go with) did nothing except talk to me about the surgery, tell me what would be involved and then gave me a list of specialists to go see. He was very informative, but did not do any type of tests on me. The second surgeon (who I have decided to go with) first weighed me in, then we went into the exam room, discussed the surgery in detail, he had pictures and everything, told me all about the benefits as well as the risks, I had a huge list of questions which he answered one by one and he also had me lay down and felt my belly too. It wasn't anything thorough, and I believe that is because we go through such extensive testing before we are scheduled for surgery. I have gone to almost all kinds of specialists you can think of to have everything checked. It kind of put my mind at east too, having had all these tests because if there was something wrong, it would have been detected. I never felt rushed with the doctor and he explained everything so thoroughly. If you have any questions in your mind or any doubts, maybe you should look into another surgeon. Its a life changing decision and who you choose as your surgeon is very important. Good luck to you.
   — Giovanna G.