June 04, 2012 - First Meeting with Surgeon

Jun 06, 2012

I finally had my initial meeting with Dr. Sylvain Beausoleil at the George Dumont Hospital in Moncton NB! Although it's only been 2 months since I first received the call to make the appointment but it seemed to take forever to get here.

I met with Monique first. She was on time and as sweet and kind and fun as everyone says. She took my weight, height, temperature, blood pressure and pulse. She asked me about which surgery I was interested in and showed me a plastic model stomach with a line on it that would represent what mine would look like with the VSG (sleeve). She explained that it would start out the size of a pen and after a year or so of stretching, end up the size of a highlighter.  She did due diligence and explained that it was a tool but that I was expected to change my lifestyle habits and do the work to get the results I wanted. I have to give up my diet cola addiction before surgery!

She went over the process of next steps. She explained that there would be a mandatory all-day information session that patients would attend and herself, the nutritionist, and psychiatrist (and possibly someone else, I forget) would provide information and answer any questions we had. There would be a T/F test at the end of it to document that we understood the information. This would be kept on our files. 

We would have an appointment with a psychiatrist after that to make sure we're prepared for surgery and the new lifestyle it brings. After that, I understand there would be another meeting with Monique and the doctor, another trip for pre-surgery testing and then the surgery. I may not have that exactly right though.

I then met with the doctor and he's how others described him. Lovely but a little shy at first. He went over a few of the complications that are possible when I asked and agreed that the sleeve surgery would be his recommendation for me. I was happy we were in agreement!  He talked a little bit about his history and how the program has evolved to what it is today. When asked, he noted that he performs a size 34 bougie sleeve. He said he does this because the surgeon he trained with (I think that's what he said) in Florida, performs that. He's a best practice size and this surgeon has been widely published so he's comfortable with this size.

I didn't have a lot of questions for Monique or the doctor because a few local ladies have done such a great job of answering my many, many questions. Please review the NB forum's as there's so much information on them. One thing that did surprise me was that he doesn't do a leak test. He said he can clearly see when he's performing surgery whether there's a leak or not. That the staples should be lined up in such a way that it's evident. he double checks the seam before exiting. He does not use a drain which I've heard some believe, speeds up the healing / recovery time.  Staples are used on the laparoscopic incisions that are removed 3 weeks later (by Monique) and follow-up appointments post-op happen at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months and then annually. An overnight stay in the ICU is standard after surgery and Dr. B. will check on you in the morning and release you if there are no complications.

My appointment was at 2 pm and I left the hospital around 3:10 pm, so it was a quick process with no waiting. Now I wait for the all-day info session.  June's sessions are full and there's only one scheduled so far in July, with trying to coordinate everyone's summer holiday's, I don't suspect I'll get to one until August. Monique figured my surgery would be around the holidays, possibly right after. Although do-able, it would be quite a test to have to do the two week liquid fast over Christmas!  So December or January will be a time to look forward to, a good way to start the new year and a new me.

I have an appointment with Dr. MacLean, the plastic surgeon, on July 5th to remove a small spot on the back of my hand. While I'm there, I'm going to ask him what is needed to get plastics approved for after weight loss. Ie, what documentation and timeframe is needed to build a case for provincial coverage. I'd probably get it done in Moncton but hopefully he can give me some direction on this matter. I have an 'apron' on my stomach and a lot of fat on the front of my thighs / legs and the back of my arms so it's definitely going to be required.

I have to say, I feel much more at ease now that I've gotten my initial consult out of the way. I'm happy that the doctor supported my surgery choice and now this is now just a matter of time. I know I will be able to do the work required and will success, this is without a doubt within my power. I'm looking forward to what future holds.

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