Pre/Post Surgical Plans Are Not Required

[4MRB4PHOTO 3,900]

Want to eat tacos 1 week post surgery?

Want to drink copious amount of alcohol a week or two after surgery or smoke joints a day before surgery?

In fact you can do anything you want to, because tens of thousands bariatric surgeons, nutritionists and nurses must all be wrong!

Just post something you know you shouldn't be doing, related to WLS, and wait until someone with no medical experience tells you it is ok to do so and ignore the other 99% of the posts that tell you that you shouldn't do that.

If everyone else is offering sound medical advice that was expressed from their WLS medical staff or information they obtained from reputable sources like the ASMBS, JAMA, etc., just remember you can prove Darwin was correct and that:

Rant over. (Microphone dropped).

Edited August 13, 2016 by 4MRB4PHOTO

[Djmohr 6,965]

Ok, now I have to find the post that set this off. LOL. More drama today I guess.

[4MRB4PHOTO 3,900]

Ok, now I have to find the post that set this off. LOL. More drama today I guess.

No, it isn't directed to any one person. It is based upon 2 years worth of different WLS websites and posts I read from people who were informed what they should or shouldn't do, are of at least reasonable intelligence to know better, can post on a website so they know how to use a computer to search for the correct information, don't want to contact their surgeon or nurses for appropriate guidance, do not want to follow printed guidelines they were given, etc.. and act in behaviors that at the very least are counterproductive to weight loss and at worst could cause them physical harm.

[Djmohr 6,965]

It is very very scary and happening more and more frequently. This is my personal opinion and I know it might start dramatics but here goes.

My insurance company required me to go through a Bariatric center of excellence. I had to go on line and take an online class then I had to go and take an in person class where they gave me all the info in considering this surgery. At that time, they gave me a huge packet that I needed to fill out and in it was a test that I had to take and about 15 pages of information I needed to fill out. That included why I thought this surgery would work for me.

After I sent that back in, then and only then did I get my first appt with a Bariatric nurse, nutritionist, personal trainer and a physcologist.

My program lasted 6 months but took 9 to get through.

I was given a binder with everything bit of information I could possibly need including every phase of the diet so I could refer back to it. It also kept a physical tracker and information about the different WLS surgeries.

Once I jumped through every hoop and was approved for surgery, then I met the surgeon. Prior to that I worked with Bariatric Doctors that were a part of the team and helped me select my surgery.

The day I met the surgeon I was asked to sign a contract that made me committ to no alcohol for at least a year, that I would not get pregnant for at least 2 years and that I would follow the diet. Without the signed contract, no surgery would be performed.

I also had to take another test which consisted of everything I learned along the way. It was not a book test and they did not tell me about it ahead of time.

I am sorry, and I am not saying this is perfect but it certainly forced me to know my stuff.

If I were insurance company I would absolutely require this level of education before letting a person through the process.

Now I get that it does not cover self pay but if I am a Bariatric surgeon here in the states it should be a requirement which in turn would help them have more successful outcomes.

This is just my two cents. I think it helped me be successful from day 1 and for the most part I knew what to expect. I learned everything else from asking questions researching and leveraging the heck out of the veterans on this site.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

@@Djmohr I have never been a fan of all the hoops they make obese people jump through for surgery. Obesity is a disease and no one makes heart patients jump through hoops for surgery. I have always felt like it was punishing obese people and just further discrimination.

As time is passing and I see more people able to speed through the process or not go through any process, I am beginning to think there is more logic to having people wait 6 months and jump through hoops.

WLS is mostly mental, just like weight loss is mostly diet, not exercise. If people aren't mentally in the space to lose weight, it makes for a very hard road.

[sc101071 398]

I just don't get why certain people get so angry. Worry about yourself. You aren't here to save all of us.

I read a post earlier where a girl who was told not to drink for the rest of her life by her surgeon asked when other people's doctors allowed for alcohol. So many people going on and on and denigrating people for seeking guidance others have also received from their medical doctors. Her question was not out of line. The responses, not addressing her question at all, were.

Edited August 13, 2016 by sc101071

[laney 172]

I am scheduled for August 18th and I also had to go to 6 months worth of classes. Each month a different staff member from my surgeons office conducted a class. The very first sentence they would say is we are responsible in knowing all the information in the module packet. When I went for my last visit before my upcoming surgery I was handed a test. If I did not pass the surgery was canceled. It is very important to follow what the surgeon says because you can make your self sick. i am not going to jump all the hoops I needed to get past to turn around after the surgery and do as I want. I want a healthier me. Good luck to everyone on your journey!!!

[summerset 5,265]

Ok, now I have to find the post that set this off. LOL. More drama today I guess.

What I thought.

[summerset 5,265]

When I went for my last visit before my upcoming surgery I was handed a test. If I did not pass the surgery was canceled.

Reminds me of getting a driver's license somehow. Interestingly enough there are many shitty drivers out there anyway - and all of them have passed their tests.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

I just don't get why certain people get so angry. Worry about yourself. You aren't here to save all of us.

I read a post earlier where a girl who was told not to drink for the rest of her life by her surgeon asked when other people's doctors allowed for alcohol. So many people going on and on and denigrating people for seeking guidance others have also received from their medical doctors. Her question was not out of line. The responses, not addressing her question at all, were.

No one here knows her medical history though. Her doctor might have told her no alcohol due to stomach ulcers or something. If the one person that actually examined you and has the education to back it up tells you something, why in the hell would you ask random strangers on the internet?

If your doctor tells you something, follow their instructions, hopefully you picked them because you actually think they are a good Dr/Surgeon.

It is completely maddening to watch people take such flippant attitudes toward their health and safety. At least there are some people that do still care enough to get angry, most people have completely checked out.

Edited August 13, 2016 by OutsideMatchInside

[sc101071 398]

I certainly agree about not knowing her health but neither do the complainers and none of them asked.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

[theantichick 2,204]

Why it matters to me is that I worry about the people who are just reading the forums, and see someone saying "yeah, sure, there's no problem with eating tacos a week out from surgery" and they think that's coming from a place of knowledge and/or experience. It's flat out dangerous, is what it is. While I'm not responsible for anyone else, as a nurse I feel compelled to correct information that's flat out wrong because wrong information about something like this can actually be life threatening. Or at the very least cause complications that the patient doesn't need.

And I'm not even a vet here.

Sure, someone who says "my doctor says no alcohol forever, so that must be the truth for everyone" is wrong. But most of what I'm seeing people complain about here is when someone comes on wanting to do something very close to surgery - before or after - that has the potential to be very bad, and then gets upset when people say "hey, that's not really a good idea".

[4MRB4PHOTO 3,900]

I certainly agree about not knowing her health but neither do the complainers and none of them asked.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

No, her health was asked about.

[WLSResources/ClothingExch 3,444]

@@Djmohr, he may not have had any one person in mind, but just before arriving at this topic, I saw a couple of new ones that, had he had, might have prompted @@4MRB4PHOTO's outburst.

I wanna hear what I wanna hear an' nothin' else will reach my ear.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Why it matters to me is that I worry about the people who are just reading the forums, and see someone saying "yeah, sure, there's no problem with eating tacos a week out from surgery" and they think that's coming from a place of knowledge and/or experience.

I worry that surgery won't be covered by insurance in the future and will overall be viewed as ineffective because so many people are non compliant. I have watched obesity related health coverage come a really long way over the past 15 years, but that could all be easily reversed by lack luster results.