I'm telling, ceep on anecdotal concerns

[Guest guest]

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