Re: I'm telling, ceep on anecdotal concerns

[Guest guest]

ceep,

I think this is an excellent idea. I have often felt neglected and

confused when post WLS issues have cropped up for me. My dear GP is

a wonderful doctor in his early 50's but he has had experience with

only 3 gastric bypass patients. Me, my sister-in-law, and one woman

who wishes she had never had the surgery. Every time I have an

issue, I feel the docs try to pass it off as a WLS issue and " miss

the forest for the trees " when they try to diagnose. It has made me

feel as if I am a hypochondriac or that the docs think that I am.

Especially the ER docs!!! I would love to see a list of problems

that post WLS patients commonly experience and I would love to see

the medical community address these issues and provide training so

they all know what to do when faced with our unique problems. So,

kudos to you for this wonderful idea!!

from Washington

Lap RNY Sept 2001

Minus 205 pounds

333.5/128.5

http://www.wworw.com

> Dear Brave Souls:

> I wasn't sure this was the right thing to do, so have been praying

about it

> for several weeks now. Currently I think it may be the right thing

to do and I

> would like your help if you can. I'll tell you how you can help

many others in

> a minute.

>

> You might recall sometime back I asked a short list of questions

about

> people's post op experience and many many people answered. Those

who answered

> privately I kept in a file, and as I looked over the many emails,

I realized that

> there are ongoing REPETITIVE VERY serious concerns and needs that

are not

> addressed uniformly and some cases, not at all, by docs

nationwide. Some have to do

> with late regain, others have to do with supplementation, others

have to do

> with anemia, bowel obstruction, excessive weight loss, weight

regain in excess

> of the mean, atonic stomas, ulceration, volume consumption,

concerns about how

> to evaluate the health of the transected floating stomach,

the " sore tongue'

> syndrome, constipation, excessive gas, and so on.

>

> I have decided, (although I am currently trying to force myself to

get more

> than 5 hours sleep a night--grin) that I am going to compile " a

letter of

> concern " (The postage has already been underwritten for the most

part) in order to

> send it to every bariatric doc from ASBS. I am going to send it as

anecdotal

> evidence from a professional (moi) being on several OSSG lists for

going on

> five years now, and I am going to ask for further research in

certain areas, and

> more clear disclosure in other areas. I am also going to ask that

new

> oversight attention be given to some of the new docs who are

offering NO follow-up

> care, who appear to be jumping on the GB bandwagon for bucks

alone. (We have

> three cases where I live (all with the same surgeon) which are

truly shocking with

> regard to the seeming post-surgical lack of professional concern

and

> response. )

>

> If you have a concern that is especial to you about any of these

areas,

> please email me privately and I will see that at the end of the

letter (which will

> likely be about five pages, mostly bulleted) your concern is

listed in an

> attachment at the end. The thing is, your concern needs to be

stated *in one

> sentence* only, if you can manage.

>

> My goal is to give information in a professional language and

manner, to

> alert docs to some what seem increasingly to me ethical and

organic issues that

> ahve reached critical mass, need attention, to stir thinking about

aftercare,

> and to gather altogether in one place, a general anecdotal report

by the people,

> for the people, and of the people who are living with this

plethora of gb

> surgeries.

>

> love,

> ceep