Questions for surgeon????

Like most of you I have spent a lot of the last year researching various aspects of WLS and RNY. I go to support meetings, I follow OH and a Facebook group, and I have read a lot of research  on both the internet and in books. Now that I am approaching my meeting with the surgeon I can't really think of any questions that I will need to ask him. I have faith in the system and have felt very confident in the care and attention that I have received so far. So... what kinds of questions did you ask?

Thanks,

Jennifer

 

I have the same thoughts...I did read once that one member asked the doctor to point out on her body where her new tummy would be. She said it helped her define if she had real hunger....so I will ask him/her that.

I am wondering the same thing! I feel like I could perform the surgery myself at this point, write a thesis on the psychology behind it. I have zero questions but I know there must be something I haven't thought to ask. I saw a post by someone else saying they had a whole page of questions - maybe they will chime in here and give us some examples.

"CHIMING!"

One of the main reasons why I am getting this surgery is b/c I have gastrointestinal cancer on my mom's side of the family ... and everyone that died of were heavy set.  So many of my questions are related to cancer:

• Can I still get my yearly colonoscopy done?
• I saw a video by one of the TWH surgeons mentioning the increased surgical emergencies associated with weight loss surgery.  Can you please elaborate on these emergencies and just how difficult would it be for me to be treated by a general surgeon at a non-TWH associated site if I were to experience such an emergency?
• Can I still get gastrointestinal cancer (specifically STOMACH CANCER) after this surgery?
• Is it possible (in the long term - like 15 - 20 yrs down the road) to have the stitches erode and possible stomach/intestinal leaking?
• It is common for people after surgery to develop bowel issues when the wrong food is eaten (incontinence).  Does the prevalence of bowel incontinence increase as one ages?  Therefore, is it fair to say that this could become a major issue for me as I age -- due to the surgery?
• Will I be able to participate in contact sports (full contact ice hockey) in the future?
• People say their pouches have stretched out over several years.  Is it possible for the pouch to 'burst' if it stretches out too much?

This is just a few of my questions.

Remember:  what may seem important to me may seem totally unimportant to you!  If you feel that you have no questions to ask, then life is good!  :)  I tend to make correlations with things so end up asking lots of questions that go beyond the basic a+b=c.

 

I only asked how many of the procedures they had done (I saw my surgeon's colleague at TEGH) had turned into open surgery, rather than laparoscopic.  She said, "None, zero".  I think I also asked what painkillers I would be sent home with, to judge how much pain I might be in and if it was going to be managed well.  I was told Percocet, up to 2 at once, so I was relieved to hear that.

Jenn.  :)

I asked my surgeon if the mortality rate in Ottawa had increased since My orientation 18 months before. The answer was no.

I asked about recovery and how soon will I be able to go back to work....2-4 weeks depending on how I'm feeling and how well I'm doing with food/liquid intake

My sister is also going for RNY and has a 20month old son, so I asked about lifting him. No lifting for 4 weeks to ensure she is healed internally and avoid developing a hernia.