people not educating themselves

[Sophie74656 1,572]

I apologize in advance if I'm going to offend anyone

first of all I want to say this place is awesome, a great resource of support and personal experiences

But I am seeing posts here that kind of confuse me. I understand each doctor is different and some are more thorough than others. But I don't understand when I see posts that ask such basic post op questions like how much Water or Protein they should be having, or specifically what they should be eating.

I think it's great that people can come here and ask questions and see what other people are going through. But there are things that you should be getting from your doctor or nutritionist, not an online message board

I wonder if it's that some people are going into surgery not having done much research, or is it that some doctors or nutritionists are not educating people well. My team was so amazing, I had so much information given to me that by the time I had my sleeve I felt like I could be a nutritionist myself

[Christinamo7 4,042]

this is the 'rants and raves' section - I don't think peeps are allowed to get offended if they read something here.

[Read2016 658]

I am pre-op and could not agree more with your post... I'm pre-op.... I met with three surgeon's before I selected one as well as doing tons of online reading etc.... People didn't gain weight overnight and after surgery they go to extreme measure to drop weight quick, this to me accounts for why the surgery fails... After surgery is a time to retrain your stomach and more important your brain.. Before surgery you should be working on getting your grocery shopping groove down, so you can learn about high Protein items etc... You need to research your surgeon and hospital, this is still surgery..

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them"

Einstein

[OKCPirate 5,323]

@@Sophie74656 - I'm glad you have a great support team. I didn't. The people in Mexico did supply me with the basics, but I did learn a great deal more here. And some people like to get validation. And then there are those poor souls who want to find a loophole to get back into their bad habits. But you do raise a bigger point, it really is up to each of us to verify what we reading. 78.6% of statistics presented online are made up on the spot, so caveat emptor.

[Wolfgirl78 266]

Before I had my surgery, I was on here religiously ( it was still vertical sleeve talk then) and did a lot of research. So to my surprise when I got sent home, I was not told a certain amount of Protein or calories to be Intaking. Because from what I read here, other people's surgeons did that. I was given a food stage list week by week and what kinds of food I could have. I don't remember how long I had to stay on liquids after surgery, but I was told to drink drink drink. I think I was cleared for all foods either 4-6 weeks post op. They only reason I knew how important Protein intake and Fluid Intake was post op was due to these boards I was on religiously before my surgery. I had a very good surgeon too who was very involved with his patients. He would come to our support groups every month. As a side note, I'm allowed to have carbonated beverages and use a straw per his plan. Anyway that was four years ago.

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[KristenLe 5,979]

@@Sophie74656 I said something similar to my therapist today. I am amazed at the amount of people post-op who don't seem to have any idea what they should or shouldn't be eating but also those that didn't realize that this is not easy and you need to make serious changes.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Half of the people in the world are below average.

And some of them post here.

[Read2016 658]

@vsgann2014... The kind of "smarts" it takes to educate yourself about surgery isn't IQ related.... I have some very smart friends who make some real dumb choices regarding medical care because the fail to understand how serious it can be or they put too must trust in anyone with MDafter their name... All kinds of smarts, we're all good at something....

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them"

Einstein

[Fredbear 397]

There is a substantial percentage of the population who absolutely refuse to listen to anything said to them.

I see it everyday. I saw it in my bariatric introduction seminar... the surgeon says, "Now, after the surgery, your Protein goal is X per day." And literally two minutes later, a hand goes up in the (very small) audience, and their question is "Is there a Protein goal each day after surgery?"

These are the people who refuse to listen to anything unless you clasp their hands in yours, look them in the eyes and repeat everything twenty times and say prettyprettyprettyplease and compliment them on their hair.

And they'll still be clueless even after you do that.

If by some miracle they remember any bit of it, they'll still most likely not remember who told them, or may become convinced that they made the determination themselves.

Average people are still pretty stupid.

"When all is said and done, usually more has been said than done. "

Edited June 2, 2016 by Fredbear

[AvaFern 3,516]

I can see the validity of your point. I am a reasonably educated person, however my sleeve was self-pay and my surgeon told me nothing about Protein, Water intake, or nutrition. I was in a seminar learning about it one day, and 3 weeks later I was in the OR. I researched thoroughly before I made the decision, but that being said, there is a HUGE variety of advice on how much you're supposed to be drinking and how much Protein you're supposed to have. In hindsight I don't think I ever ate anywhere near the amount of protein I was supposed to have because I was focused more on calories. People likely ask the questions they do because they are like me in that literally no one told them anything and they see hugely different suggestions online, or they didn't pay attention to their doctor, lol. If the former is true though, I think they deserve to be cut a bit of slack because it's not so much not doing research as much as it's potentially being overwhelmed by the variations in information and seeking the opinion of people who have actually gone through the procedure.

[jaxmom 644]

It's great that your team was so wonderful. Not everybody has the same luck.

I also think that the vast majority of people are very educated, but the whole process really can be overwhelming to some. I know I've had moments where I've scratched my head and thought "Hummm... Did I hear my doctor right?" Thank goodness I have this forum to turn to so I can ask questions- especially in the middle of the night!

That being said I know these folks aren't doctors (if some of you are, yey you!) so I would never take serious medical advice without consulting my team.

This is a place to learn, listen and share. Sorry if it bothers you that some of us don't have the same smarts as you and didn't come through the process thinking we could qualify to be nutritionists as well. Darn! Then I could have added on to my the end of my name after J.D.

Thanks to all the members who take the time to respond and offer insight. I learn so much every day.

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[Icantbelieveit 955]

I wish there was a standard chart for everyone that varied with the persons weight. If you weight 300lbs, get 100gms of Protein. 200lbs get in 80 grams. It would calm down some jitters. Also Vitamins. I bought Celebrate chewables, i was wretching and throwing them up. I had to search on my own to get agreeable ones.

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[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

@

I totally disagree. The average american reads at 7th to 8th grade level. Studies have show that if medical information is written at a higher reading level, comprehension is compromised.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18811992

If you are a teacher you are familiar with lexile levels. Who knows what lexile level individual surgery companion manuals are written at for surgery. If they are even written just at 12th grad level, a good number of people are not going to understand the content.

http://cdn.lexile.com/cms_page_media/135/Lexile%20Map%208.5x11%202015_b%26w.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy_in_the_United_States

Most of the information available is written at reading levels that makes it inaccessible for the average american. People come to forums and ask questions because other people are responding to them in plain common sense conversational English. Even with that, a lot of people still don't grasp what has happened with their body.

I don't even have time to bring up the math and science issue. I think a lot of people don't understand measurements, measurement conversions, simple math, and basic science. Which creates a lot of problematic situations post-op. Like understanding food tracking and understanding basic science to get a grip on what has happened to them and what it means going forward.

Lastly, Doctors vary so much. The newer doctors have newer (imo, more realistic views on many things) and the old school doctors are sticking to the knowledge from 20 years ago.

All that being said, I ignore a lot of the really dumb posts. I think they are mostly trolls, and if they aren't they have more issues than I can ever help them with.

Edited June 2, 2016 by OutsideMatchInside

[Micoxv 276]

Same thing for me. My surgeon was great and I knew everything I needed to know about the surgery...but that was it. Being self paid, no pre op diet, I did all the tests needed though. Once I left the hospital I had 2 pages about liquid diet and purée phase. My nut is a no go. I posted on that. I also believe I have a decent education, but that has nothing to do with getting the right information. I have to admit I don't know what I would have done without this place. Most of the comments / advices I read here make so much sense and work. This is how I moved out of the purée phase and today I don't think I need a Nut . My regular doctor visits for blood tests reviews and control visits with the surgeon is all I need. The rest I find it here .

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[Sophie74656 1,572]

Like I said this site is great, and I'm not talking about people asking basic questions before their surgery, that is what i would consider research. I mean more of the people who ask the basic things AFTER they already had surgery