Patient Guide (click here to download) - includes helpful information on preparing for surgery, your stay in the hospital, post-surgical care, and recovery and maintenance instructions and suggestions.

Does everyone get the same preoperative evaluation?
Everyone's preoperative workup is slightly different, because we customize it to meet the needs of each individual. However, you can count on having all of the following evaluations and tests (at least):

Part 1: Surgical Consultation
The first step in the preoperative evaluation process is to meet your surgeon. This step is described in depth in Meet Your Surgeon.

Part 2: Nutritionist Consultation
It is important to understand how your diet needs to change both before and after bariatric surgery. Our team's nutritionist will meet with you to help you understand these important changes. Before surgery, weight loss will help to shrink the size of your liver and make your operation safer. After surgery, maintaining a high-protein but low fat diet will optimize your weight loss and postoperative nutrition. Your nutritionist will be available to answer your questions as they come up during the evaluation process.

Part 3: Psychiatrist or Psychologist Evaluation
Your insurance company will expect a clearance letter from a psychiatrist or psychologist. We are happy to refer you to one with extensive expertise in bariatric surgery preoperative evaluations.

Part 4: Upper Endoscopy (optional) (by Gastroenterologist, or GI doctor)
It is important to make sure there are no problems in the stomach, such as polyps, tumors, ulcers, or bacteria that cause ulcers prior to surgery. The gastroenterologist will perform an upper endoscopy to ensure that none of these is present in your stomach prior to surgery.

Additional Evaluations
Other evaluations: sleep apnea survey, comprehensive medical exam, and screening/baseline blood work.

If you have heart, lung, or other major medical problems, it may be necessary to undergo some additional medical evaluations.