I hope your Dr is like mine....

[FLORIDAYS 3,040]

I have been traveling a lot over the past few weeks for business and this past weekend I was on the same 4 hr flight as was my bariatric surgeon and his wife of all the coincidences!!

Turns out he was attending a conference with other bariatric physicians... And introduced me to his new partner whom I hadn't met. We Chatted and I asked him What one learns at a bariatric conference. He said its mostly talks and lectures learning about new procedures, current adaptations in old procedures and this year's focus was on aftercare. I told him I was so excited to hear about that because while I have no complaints with his aftercare from what I hear on this forum,....many drs have a difficiency In that area.

He said that aftercare is a topic that is discussed a lot and he said the majority of doctors he knows are very clear to their patients about the keys to being successful with the band. He said it doesnt pay for them not to explain it....people who are successful will be walking billboards And lets face it.. It's a business because it's an elective surgery...whether or not insurance covers it or not.

Seeing a dr once a month during the losing stage is paramount in his opinion. He said it allows the dr to get to know the patient, discuss what is working and more importantly what isn't. He said he cannot control the choices his patients make but seeing them once a month shows dedication to the cause and a level of accountability. He said 80% of his patients who don't Miss appointment are successful. Where as those who do have a much lower success rate. That makes complete sense to me.

I asked him why people aren't successful and he said unless there is a medical reason like a slip or some other problem it's because they aren't disciplined about following a measured way of eating, they aren't counting calories or they are eating the wrong things. He said he really believes the reason I was able to lose my weight is because I took it seriously and followed his rules. He also said most people expect miracles and think its a magic cure to get banded. They do not hear the dr when he tells them it will take lots of effort.

It was refreshing to speak to this man in a setting outside his office... But it further confirmed that the band is JUST a tool.... And like anything else it needs to be treated that way.

[hely88 883]

I have been traveling a lot over the past few weeks for business and this past weekend I was on the same 4 hr flight as was my bariatric surgeon and his wife of all the coincidences!!

Turns out he was attending a conference with other bariatric physicians... And introduced me to his new partner whom I hadn't met. We Chatted and I asked him What one learns at a bariatric conference. He said its mostly talks and lectures learning about new procedures' date=' current adaptations in old procedures and this year's focus was on aftercare. I told him I was so excited to hear about that because while I have no complaints with his aftercare from what I hear on this forum,....many drs have a difficiency In that area.

He said that aftercare is a topic that is discussed a lot and he said the majority of doctors he knows are very clear to their patients about the keys to being successful with the band. He said it doesnt pay for them not to explain it....people who are successful will be walking billboards And lets face it.. It's a business because it's an elective surgery...whether or not insurance covers it or not.

Seeing a dr once a month during the losing stage is paramount in his opinion. He said it allows the dr to get to know the patient, discuss what is working and more importantly what isn't. He said he cannot control the choices his patients make but seeing them once a month shows dedication to the cause and a level of accountability. He said 80% of his patients who don't Miss appointment are successful. Where as those who do have a much lower success rate. That makes complete sense to me.

I asked him why people aren't successful and he said unless there is a medical reason like a slip or some other problem it's because they aren't disciplined about following a measured way of eating, they aren't counting calories or they are eating the wrong things. He said he really believes the reason I was able to lose my weight is because I took it seriously and followed his rules. He also said most people expect miracles and think its a magic cure to get banded. They do not hear the dr when he tells them it will take lots of effort.

It was refreshing to speak to this man in a setting outside his office... But it further confirmed that the band is JUST a tool.... And like anything else it needs to be treated that way.[/quote']

Ty so much for sharing this!