[Maria]

Get the consulting surgeon to focus on explaining the procedure for you and why he or she thinks it may or may not work for you . Ask how many surgeries done and success rates and success rates with cases similar to yours. Ask about pros and cons with your particular case, ask about possibility of future surgeries or what else may happen to surrounding or adjacent structures should you have this surgery vs. another. Ask about materials used, recovery time, if you currently take pain medication can you continue to take it if that is a concern at all. In other words have your list and try not to deviate too much from it. I bring a list and say I want to go thru these questions "quickly" as I know the surgeon is pressed for time. Usually a consult like this has a slot of a half hour in terms of time so try to get your 30 mins worth from the surgeon.

I personally think we often have to make a decision based on our first impressions of the surgeon and how that first visit goes that is if they are willing to take the case at all or can do anything for us. If I'm going to have to make my mind up based on one visit I do like to get the amount of information that would allow me to even consider that surgeon.

Get whoever it is off the "we're better than anybody else" sales train should that person go there. If they're that good everybody already knows and it's probably why I want to see that surgeon in the first place and will tell him or her that. . Past partners or not (if that were to be the case and I've seen that a number of times with varying medical specialties when it comes to elective or even necessary surgeries) the we're so great stuff just comes off as immature and childish unless it's stated in a certain way that doesn't sound like a "sales job" at least IMHO.