General questions from a newbie

[ashlee624]

I have recently made the decision that lap band is for me. I have yet to discuss this with a doctor though. I have a few general questions....

1.) Can I call a surgeon directly, or do I need a referral from my PCP?

2.) How long (on average) does it take between having your initial appointment and having surgery?

3.) How long after surgery is it recommended that you wait before getting pregnant? This is my biggest dilemma. I have a 2.5 year old son and I had a miscarriage in September, so I really want to have another child. I know that I am at an unhealthy weight for pregnancy ( I had gestational diabetis last time and i was 30 pounds lighter). So, I can't decide if I should try to have a baby and have the surgery after the baby is born, or have the surgery and wait to get pregnant.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[nothereanymore]

This is the forum for patients of Dr. Ariel Ortiz, just so you know he is considered a world leader in the field with over 6,000 lap band surgeries performed. The best way to start is to click on the link below for information on how to start your journey.

You’ll get all of your questions answered, since some are medical and shouldn’t be answered by us. In addition the time between consultation and surgery is really dependant on how busy the clinic is – we unfortunately don’t know that answer but you can find it here:.

https://www.obesitycontrolcenter.com/cgi-bi...?section=public

All the best and good luck!

Lisa

[Cujo]

I have recently made the decision that lap band is for me. I have yet to discuss this with a doctor though. I have a few general questions....

1.) Can I call a surgeon directly, or do I need a referral from my PCP? Referrals will depend on the Dr. you choose. OCC does not require a referral

2.) How long (on average) does it take between having your initial appointment and having surgery?OCC Initial contact was via email, Booked the surgery and was having the surgery within two months. Depending where you go, this could take years. The local doctor where I am, has a multi-year process after a long long waiting list. Thats why I went the private clinic route

3.) How long after surgery is it recommended that you wait before getting pregnant? This is my biggest dilemma. I have a 2.5 year old son and I had a miscarriage in September, so I really want to have another child. I know that I am at an unhealthy weight for pregnancy ( I had gestational diabetis last time and i was 30 pounds lighter). So, I can't decide if I should try to have a baby and have the surgery after the baby is born, or have the surgery and wait to get pregnant. I'm male, so not much help but my understanding is they want you to wait a year after reaching goal weight for optimum success ie healthy and fully healed from the surgery. Good news about the band is that you can get the band unfilled when you get preggo to help keep the nutrition level up

Thanks in advance for your help!