How to Select Your Bariatric Surgeon

Written by Jane Long

You have been on every weight loss program known to mankind. If you lost any weight, you have gained it all back and then some. You are starting to have complications with your health that can be directly related to obesity. If you do not do something soon, your very life is at risk. So, you and your doctor have decided that weight loss surgery is the procedure of last resort, to regain your health. Now, you need to know how to select your bariatric surgeon.

Of course, you know that it is no like deciding on which style of shoe you like best. If you are going to take this drastic step to regain your health and a better quality of life, you want someone who will be well-suited to meet your medical need, who has the experience to bring you safely through the operation and beyond. In fact, you may have to be willing to travel, in order to find the surgeon that is right for you.

Will he/she take you case?

Although it may not be the most important criteria, you can weed out a lot of surgeon candidates by simply finding out if he/she will even take you on as a patient. In some cases, the doctor may simply be too busy to take a new case right now.

However, each doctor has his/her own criteria for taking new patients. For example, some weight loss surgeons will not feel comfortable operating on you, if your body mass index is over 50. If you are grossly obese, other health concerns will definitely add an element of risk that many doctors are not willing to take. If they feel your chances of dying or suffering horrible complications far outweigh the potential benefit, you will have to find someone else.

In addition, if you are a senior citizen, you are more likely to suffer complications or death. Many doctors feel like your current quality of life, as bad as it seems, is better than taking the chance that you might die.

Thankfully, there are surgeons who specialize in high risk cases. They have the experience necessary to deal with potential complications of bariatric surgery. You just have to find the right surgeon.

Experience

When you find a surgeon who is willing to take you on as a new patient, the next criteria you have to check is their level of experience. The surgery you are about to undergo is dangerous, even under the best of health circumstances. Altering your digestive system is not a minor procedure. It is a big deal. You need to feel confident that he/she has the expertise to bring you through the procedure and help you achieve the optimum results.

So, you are going to have to ask a lot of questions. Find out how long the surgeon has been in practice. How many cases has he had that are similar to yours, and what was the outcome. Where were you trained, and how many procedures have you done? What types of weight loss surgery have you performed in the past? How many of your patients have died due to complications of bariatric surgery?

You will probably have many more questions than these few. Ask them all! Do not feel like you are being too cautious or inquisitive. After all, this is your life on the line. Plus, you are hiring a doctor to do the surgery. He/she will be amply paid-no worries.

After the Surgery

For your part, the surgery itself will be easy. You will be asleep. You will have no recollection of how long it took, or the challenges faced by your surgeon. The hard part will be after the surgery. Depending on your health and level of pain tolerance, you might wake up and wish you could hit reverse and go home.

So, you should be comfortable with the answers regarding what to expect after weight loss surgery and how the doctor is going to ease your inevitable discomfort. You should be aware of what to expect, if it goes well, or if you suffer a major setback.

If you have to travel more than a few miles from your home, how long can you reasonably expect to be away, even if things go well? What is the average hospital stay? Will you have to make arrangements to stay in the area for a few days to a few weeks? When it is time to return home, what precautions will you have to take for your comfort and safety?

In short, there will be many questions to ask the bariatric surgeon, before finding the doctor that is right for you. Your family practitioner will probably be able to give you a list of inquiries to make, in searching for the right provider. You have the right to know. So, ask away, and find the weight loss surgeon that will best help to find the healthier you.