Rating: +3
Questions Every Pre-Op Should Ask
These are some very important questions that every pre-op should know the answers to before considering themselves ready for weight loss surgery:
1) What are the “pouch rules” and why are they important?
2) What is the “rule of five”?
3) What does the surgeon actually change inside our bodies?
4) Can you gain weight when you have gastric bypass?
5) If your stomach is tiny and you don’t absorb very much of what you do eat then how can people gain weight?
6) Why do some people choose not to eat grains after surgery?
7) What is the “honeymoon phase”?
8) Why do I need to exercise if I’m not eating very much?
9) If my stomach is so tiny then it shouldn’t matter what I eat, right?
10) What’s the big deal about protein?
11) What is “head hunger”?
12) Why shouldn’t I eat whatever I want now? It’s the last chance I’ll ever get to have it.
13) Why should I bother exercising now? I can’t do very much anyway.
14) What is “dumping” and why does it happen?
15) If sugar and fat make me sick then it will be impossible to eat “bad” foods, right?
16) What are some of the complications of gastric bypass?
17) Why do so many people have gall bladder problems post-op?
18) Why shouldn’t we have alcohol after gastric bypass?
19) What other specialists and tests do I need before I will be approved for surgery? Do I need to make the appointments myself?
20) What is “sleep apnea”?
21) Why should I deal with my food issues or see a counselor before surgery? The surgery will stop me from making bad choices anyway, right?
22) Why do we have to drink so much water? What happens if I don’t?
23) Why shouldn’t we drink when we eat?
24) What’s wrong with carbonated beverages even if they are sugar-free?
25) What vitamins do we take, why and for how long after surgery?
26) What blood tests are needed after surgery and how often?
27) Does everyone need plastic surgery to remove excess skin? I’m still young, so it will shrink back, won’t it?
28) Does everyone experience hair loss after surgery? How can I prevent it?
29) I eat to deal with my emotions. How will I deal with my emotions when I can’t binge like I used to?
30) Am I ready, willing, and able to make a commitment to daily exercise and healthy eating for the rest of my life?
Weight loss surgery is only a tool and it is how well we use that tool that determines how successful we will be. This is not a simple tool, like a hammer or screwdriver. Your pouch is a complicated tool, more like a computer or a car that requires knowledge, training, and constant fine-tuning to work properly.
Surgical weight loss is by no means “the easy way out” and it is not a simple solution to a complicated problem. No matter what our relationship with food might be it is still all about the choices we make and the more work we can do prior to surgery the more successful we are likely to be afterwards.
Why are there no answers provided for these questions? The answers are available from many sources. Support groups, face-to-face and on-line, will be your most valuable resource. You will learn far more than simple answers to the questions on this list when you talk with others on the same path. Individual experiences vary but all are valuable on the life-long journey through weight loss surgery.
