Five questions to ask your LAP-BAND Surgeon
Thursday August 20 2009posted by Adam - Total Comments: 0
Most LAP-BAND Surgeons are very good at LAP-BAND Surgery. They've attended medical school, special trainings and they likely have years and years of experience. However, before your surgery, you might consider asking your surgeon these questions to make sure he or she is the right surgeon for you:
1. Is the operating room set up for heavy people? Be sure they have tables and equipment capable of safely holding someone your weight. Be sure the operating room staff regularly works with obese people and is trained to deal with special circumstances that arise during high-BMI surgeries. Also, see if the anesthesiologist specializes in obesity cases.
2. What days can I get follow-up adjustments? Some LAP-BAND Surgeons set aside certain days or partial days for new patients, certain days or partial days for surgery and the remaining time for fills. Be aware that you'll need to have regular follow-up with that surgeon to get your band properly fitted, and his schedule will become very important to you in the coming months.
3. Will the adjustment appointments fit my schedule? If your surgeon is really busy, it may be difficult to get in for adjustments. You may want to ask if the surgeon has a staff of fill specialists to allow for more and longer appointments. If you're feeling discomfort or are ready for the next fill, it can be frustrating to wait weeks to get in to talk to someone.
4. What is your fill procedure like? When you get your band adjusted, there are a couple ways a medical provider can access the port. They can feel the port through the skin and insert the needle by feel, or they can use floroscopy, which is like an X-ray. The first method -- called the blind stick or palpitation method -- is faster, but has added risks, like an unsuccessful fill or damage to a catheter line. The floroscopy gives the provider better information, and sometimes they can spot potential problems early.
5. Do you take fill patients from other facilities? Not all LAP-BAND surgeons will help patients banded by other surgeons or facilities. Just search the Internet for Mexican fills to find a lot of people desperately trying to find a local doctor to fill bands that were placed in Mexico. If your surgeon's practice does take fill patients banded somewhere else, there is a good chance that that company is in it for the long haul and has a dedication beyond the initial surgery to help LAP-BAND Patients lose weight for life.