DO AS YOU'RE TOLD BY YOUR SURGICAL TEAM!

[jintycb 721]

I've got to have a rant- sorry guys but there you have it.

I have noticed that there are so many people starting threads/posting on this site recently with questions for other members. However, they are normally questions that they should be asking their surgical team as they are the people who are qualified to answer. They will be in charge of care so ultimately it's their necks on the line if anything goes tits-up. It's them who will have to deal with any lawsuit that ensues due to anything that might go wrong.

For every bit of surgery I've had (and believe me as an old hoofer there have been plenty of orthopaedic bits of mending and replacing on my knackered carcass) I did as I was told by my surgical team.

If they had asked me to whistle Dixie whilst standing on my head farting the National Anthem and air dancing the Marseillaise I would have done it. Apart from my VSG all my surgeries were paid for by the National Health Service (NHS) and that included my hip replacement. I did as I was told pre-surgery and then post surgery. I read all the info and watched the DVDs that I was given. I had to give myself the anti-blood clotting jabs every morning and wear those REVOLTING AND UNCOMFORTABLE anti-thrombosis socks for WEEKS after my hip replacement but I'd been told to do it so I did it!!!!!

After my VSG (which was self pay as our NHS here in the UK do very few) I stuck like glue to all the info that I was given. Any questions I had I knew that I could call or email my team for their help and advice.

It appears that there are a lots of newbies (and sometimes more experienced WLS patients) who really don't want to adhere to instructions that they have been given. They post on this site in the hope that they can find someone who will give them the answer that they WANT. Not the answer that they NEED! My answer to those people - JFDI. Just as you're told by the professionals who are in charge of your care.

Maybe Alex you should start a forum with the title 'Half-arsed Questions from Those Too Lazy and Arrogant to Listen to Their Surgical Team'.

Rant over. Happy Monday. It's pissing with rain in the UK so could start a rant about British summertime but.........................!

[NeedaBreak4Me 1,755]

Hehe love it.... would love to like this post 100 times...

Edited June 20, 2016 by AussieGirl81

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Some people have doctors that tell them no Protein for a month or no Protein shakes at all. As surgery is becoming more popular, and there are more quack doctors out there. Expect more dumb questions.

Even if the questions are annoying, it is better people ask than suffer alone.

This is a support forum. Every topic isn't going to be about low self esteem, bad spouses, and gossipy co-workers.

[4MRB4PHOTO 3,900]

...If they had asked me to whistle Dixie whilst standing on my head farting the National Anthem and air dancing the Marseillaise I would have done it....

I would have bought a ticket to see that!

[PayItForward 207]

@jintycb.

Get over yourself. This site is place for people to ask questions.

[James Marusek 5,244]

I have found most of the advice from my surgical team and nutritionist to be sound. But that leaves many questions unanswered or partly answered. Although I think they have the "weight loss" phase well covered. The advice is generally almost nonexistent in the "maintenance" phase.

Individuals have to make judgement calls. Is this a serious problem? I have these symptoms. What should I do? If they call their surgeon's office every time the slightest abnormality occurs, they will drive their doctors crazy. Problems always seem to happen on weekends or holidays when the surgeon's office is closed and their staff are away. They have to make educated guesses. They need a personal touch. There are many areas of practical advice given, such as recipes for meals, what to pack for surgery, when can I go back to work, when can I start lifting weights again.

[jintycb 721]

@jintycb.

Get over yourself. This site is place for people to ask questions.

Duly noted x

[PayItForward 207]

@jintycb.

Get over yourself. This site is place for people to ask questions.

Duly noted x

Sorry, didn't mean to sound so harsh.

[GettingKimback 12]

@@jintycb thanks so much for sharing.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

[Dub 9,922]

Well said @@jintycb

Well said. I agree, completely.

I think that timing and acceptance has a lot to do with some of the basic and oft repeated questions. I think these are factors as much as laziness is.

I remember the workshops and classes I attended during my pre-op checklist. There were some really lively and heated discussions among the groups over base level stuff when it was presented. It was obvious that some simply were not ready to accept the changes and effort that was being asked of us. Later on.....after some time has passed......things get real and the questions resurface and get asked here. Over and over again..........

It's all good, though. When it ceases to be....I'll just scale back my coming here.

[Thecloude1 342]

I think some people don't want to bother their bariatric team for what they feel is a minor issue.

[Fredbear 397]

I think some people don't want to bother their bariatric team for what they feel is a minor issue.

"Doctor and staff to whom I've paid thousands of dollars to, I don't want to intrude by asking pertinent questions you are trained to answer, and that I've paid for you to provide. "

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

[Djmohr 6,965]

I think I spit Water out of my nose while reading the OP! Love the rant and especially the funny that you brought with it.

I do think many many people have sub par medical support. It just isn't the same for everyone leaving many unanswered questions. This is the place that people come and that's great.

It seems you can always vett out those that simply don't want to listen to their medical professionals. They are usually the folks drinking alcohol soon after surgery or going right back to old crappy behaviors.

[Thecloude1 342]

@Fredbear....just saying this could be the case....I have an awesome Bariatric team [emoji7]

[judanna77 45]

Funny, because my rant would be almost the opposite- I don’t see how anyone can look at the huge variation in pre-op and post-op guidelines among bariatric surgeons and yet somehow come to the conclusion that in order to succeed, I must follow my own surgeon’s rules and you must follow your own surgeon’s rules, even if those rules are diametrically opposed.

If my surgeon had asked me to “whistle Dixie whilst standing on my head farting the National Anthem and air dancing the Marseillaise”, I most certainly would not have blindly followed his orders. I would have researched to see if there was any evidence-based reason for the request, and if not, I would have ignored it (and then looked to change surgeons because mine was clearly tripping balls).

When it comes down to it, I trust myself way more than I trust my surgeon. No one is more invested in me than me. That doesn’t mean I didn’t trust my surgeon to do the operation- I absolutely did. The surgery part is what he excels at. But that doesn’t mean that somehow everything he says is gospel. Instead, I’m much more comfortable researching and coming to my own conclusions.

Now, this doesn’t mean that I’m advocating for people to just eat whatever the hell they want to, because they know better than the surgeon. If you’re eating 3 slices of pizza a week after surgery, or eating nothing but carbs because Protein makes you feel too full, you’re making some bad choices and are just screwing yourself over. But for me, this means figuring out which of the guidelines are important and have to be followed to the letter (I get enough Protein and fluids in each day, no excuses), which are important but there is some wiggle room (I take my Vitamins, but I use the patch and not the brand my surgeon requires), and which are just silly (I use straws and chew gum and my stomach hasn’t exploded yet).

Edited June 21, 2016 by judanna77