subject: Weight Loss Surgeons How To Find A Good One [print this page] There is no easy way to pick a weight loss surgeon. Wouldn't it be nice if there was some sort of company that did comparisons of surgeons and ranked them sort of like products? Well, that does not exist! Instead, you need to be your own detective. Here are just a few things you can do when it comes to finding/interviewing a prospective surgeon:
* If any of your friends have had weight loss surgery ask them what their experience was like. Even though they only had contact with the surgeon briefly, they may be able to give you an idea how they were treated and what their outcomes were like.
* Find out if the surgeon you are interested in is a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. In order for the surgeon to be a member they need to meet some minimal criteria and have recommendations from other peers.
* Does the surgeon have an entire program and staff set up to help you thorough the process? It appears that better programs typically will have their own dietitian, exercise physiologist and sometimes even a psychologist to supplement the training and support you will get from your surgeon alone.
* How much time is involved in getting you prepared before surgery? If you go in one day and your surgery is scheduled soon after with no training, that is not optimal.
* How much time, energy and resources are spent helping you after surgery? Will you see the dietitian after surgery for example? Will you see an exercise physiologist?
* Does the surgeon have support groups? If so what are the topics and how often do they meet? Support groups are typically a gathering of the surgeon's past surgical patients who meet in a group format; many times there are lectures and topics that are gone over. The camaraderie of a group who has gone through the same thing is important.
* Distance. Picking a surgeon in another state may not be such a good idea. The surgeon may be wonderful, the best in the world, but how are you going to see his/her staff (dietitian) after surgery, how are you going to attend support group meetings and most importantly, if you develop a complication from 500 miles away what are you going to do?
Finally you should question the surgeon.
o Ideally the surgeon does more than one type of weight loss operation so you have options. Find out how many of each operation and how many laparoscopic vs. open procedures the obesity surgeon had done.
o A critical number to note is the surgeon's mortality (death) rate. Ask him or her to explain how their death rate compares to the national average. For example, there appears to be an average death rate of about 1/250 for the gastric bypass. If your surgeon's death rate is 1/10 you may want to reconsider.
o Find out who will cover the surgeon when he or she is out of town. If you get sick 6 months after surgery and your surgeon is out of town what do you do?
o Ask them why they are doing the procedure? Is it for money? Do they like taking care of people with a significant weight problem and helping them change their lives?
Obesity surgery is a serious matter and you should be 100% you have made the right choice in getting surgery as well as you have chosen the best surgery expert to perform your surgery. You don't want to make any quick decisions in this matter because of the severity of this matter. Remember to weigh all your options there are new procedures coming out all the time and you want to make sure your surgeon and you are up to date with the latest information and procedures so you will have the best success. Use this guide as a template so you can find the right weight loss surgery expert for you.
by: Scott White
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