Can you review my questions for me?

I have my first consult with a PS on Friday (1/28).  I already know his credentials and that he's got tons of experience working with bariatric patients, but I'm including those questions since I am also going to go to a couple of consults here locally and I haven't really found anyone who seems to do a lot of bariatric patients here.  (This doc is about 3 hours away from me.)  So, below are the questions I have so far.  Feel free to suggest more to me!

Thanks!


What are your credentials?    
Experience with bariatric/wls patients?    
Number of bariatric patients operated on?    
Number of procedures done?            
LBL?               Arms?               Inner thigh lift?                           Method used?    
Can I see some of your patients’ before and after pics?    
What procedures do you recommend for me?
Inner thigh lift?     Groin incision or down inner thighs?                                                 Why?     How do you anchor the incisions/skin? To bone?     How do you ensure the labia are not pulled too much?    
LBL?   Anchor cut for TT portion?     I do NOT want a muffin top! Do you lipo upper abdomen as needed?                             Any belly button issues?     Is mons included?     Can you do butt augmentation with own tissue?
Arms?   Side boobs included?    
Breast lift/augmentation?   What size implants?     Can you do augmentation with own tissue?     Under muscle?     What type of implants?     Why?     Do you do both BL & BA at once?   Why? Why not?        
What procedures can you combine?      
What do you recommend for scars? Silicone sheets?      
Do you have a surgical assistant?                  Do you do the cutting/stitching yourself?    
What is the recommended time off from work?                 Post-op restrictions?      
Do you complete STD paperwork?    
How long between surgeries do you recommend?                      Why?      
Do you use drains?    
Do you use compression garments?    
What do you use for pain control?                 OnQ pain pump?                 What if meds prescribed are not effective?    
Do you prescribe stool softeners?    
Do you recommend stopping certain vitamins before surgery? (E or K due to bleeding issues?)      
Do you look at labs for proper nutrition before surgery?                Do you have certain levels you aim for? (protein? Iron?)      
Do you operate in the hospital or a surgery center?     Can I stay overnight in the hospital?                 What is the extra fee?    
How long do I need to stay in the immediate area?    
When is the first post-op visit?    
What is a typical follow up visit schedule like?  
If revisions are needed due to dog ears or puckering how is this handled?                 What are the fees for this?    
Is there a discount for doing more than one procedure at a time?    
Does your office assist in obtaining insurance approval?    
How do you bill if insurance approves one procedure (panni removal) and you do that in conjunction with another procedure?      
Does insurance typically cover any post-op complications or hospitalizations that may be needed?      
Is payment due in full before surgery?                          When is it due?    
What if I have an issue after hours? How can I contact you?      
What if I have an emergency at home (3 hours away)?      Is there a Hampton Roads surgeon you would be confident referring me to if needed?

Hi-

Someone sent me a long list of questions you might ask a plastic surgeon when I was preparing for my consult; I forwarded the mail to you ;)

Good luck! 

Thanks!

Looks like a good list to me!  What surgeon are you seeing that is 3 hours away?

Dr. Krieger in Fairfax, VA (northern VA).

http://www.virginiaplasticsurgery.com/

I had a feeling.  He is my surgeon and he is GREAT!!  I live about 2 hours from him and it is definatly worth it.  Let me know how it goes!!

Dr Sauceda did my LBL, small upper thigh (stitches into the groin area), BL (including shrinking my left breast down to match the right), plus he extended the side cuts take care of the side boobies.  He lipo'd my muffin top and now it's flat as a pancake (no vertical cut).  My mons was all puffy with fat and it's all lipo'd off and pulled up nicely.  I think he lipo'd some off the back of my arms before he did my arms...   Dr S does a great job on bariatric patients, he understands their thin, baggy, weight loss skin issues.

There was no additional costs added in when I asked about fixing different parts.  What I liked about doing everything at once, is having one recovery.  Using an epidural and twilight sedation, was great for me.  I was totally awake in recovery, no nasty feelings like when I had my DS.  I felt like a mack truck went through my room with my DS, now granted, the facelift seemed to hurt more than all the body stuff.  

I did stay in the clinic from the body surgery through my facelift and then 2 more nights, then off to the hotel for another week before I headed home.  Visits daily from Dr S and his nurse came by daily to help me shower, regauze me up and get me back into my compression garment.

Tessy,

Dr. Krieger did my extended abdominoplasty and BR/BL just 10 days ago - he did a fabulous job!  Love him - he's a perfectionist, yet not pushy at all.   He takes all the time in the world to explain, answer questions, etc. - can't say enough good things about him!  I had a follow-up appt this afternoon with him - I saw from your post that you were seeing him today, so I looked for you in the waiting room to say "hi" just in case you were there at the same time but didn't see you. :)  Hope everything went well - he's definitely worth the drive!  (Even though he's only about 55 miles from me, there have been times when it's taken me almost three hours to get to his office when it's rainy, rush-hour traffic etc.) 

Debby