How Far Will She Go Next Time?

[Guest guest]

Ladies and gentlemen,

I doesn't matter to me which side of this debate that you are on. I

posted a message yesterday that was in support of the MGB. They are

my thoughts. That's all. The actual text of my post is below in

case you want to read it.....

I didn't slander anyone or any group.

I didn't claim that or Walter were wrong.

I didn't claim that anyone was not entitled to their opinion.

I didn't claim to be an expert on Billroth II.

I didn't claim any knowledge of Billroth II as relating to my work.

I didn't claim that my place of employment had any special knowledge

regarding the use of the Billroth II as a weight loss surgery.

I didn't claim any special expertise in research. I only stated that

if you look hard enough in the medical literature - you can find

something that supports the view that you " want " to take.

I used no deceipt to further my " cause "

I simply stated MY beliefs and MY opinion.

On the other hand..... chose to use deceipt to track down my

place of employment. She called the hospital where I work. She got

the phone number to my department. She spoke to one of my co-workers

and proceeded to dig for information about me and my job. She lied

about why she was looking for information -- said that she was

calling in reference to a potential speaking engagement for a

physician regarding Billroth II surgeries. She was able to speak

with the chief of gastrointestinal surgery by mis-representing the

reason for her call.

My question for you is this...... How far will she go next time?

Susie Bonds

MGB 1/24/00

283/207

****** complete message posted yesterday******

Hello all,

As a member of the medical community, I feel I need to say this in

light of all the accusations flying on this list and others.....

Reviews of medical literature can be twisted to support almost any

hypothesis. There are mountains of research articles out there. If

you look hard enough - you'll find something that supports the view

that you " want " to take. The real challenge lies in obtaining the

consensus of all that literature.

The medical community is typically very slow to " bless " new

procedures. They tend not to sanction a new treatment until several

years worth of research and data have been collected. That's where

we come in. We are those patients who create that data. We are that

research. This is a part of the normal evolution in a new surgical

technique.

For what it is worth, I believe the MGB IS a new procedure. In my

research, I looked at the MGB, Mason Loop, the RNY, the duodenal

switch, the VGB as well as several others. The MGB is different from

the old loop. The gastric pouch created for the MGB is a vertical

one rather than a horizontal one. This allows the gastric secretions

to drain DOWN and AWAY from the esophagus. This in turn, reduces

acid reflux and esophagitis. It doesn't eliminate it - but it does

reduce it.

You have to make your own educated decision. Trust your heart and

your head. Do your own research. If you are not comfortable with

this procedure -- it's not time for you. Many of us were ready. I

put my trust and my life in Dr. R's hands and have been thrilled with

the outcome.

For me, I was 44 years old and weighed 283 lbs. My brother died of

heart disease when he was 44. My father died of heart disease when

he was 52. I had been on blood pressure medications for more than 20

years. I knew that if I didn't do something -- I wouldn't live to

see my 50's and 60's. So..... I did my research. I read, I studied,

I filtered through lots of medical literature. I chose Dr. R and the

MGB.

In medicine, NOTHING is concrete. Study. Read. Learn. Decide.

The choice is yours.

Susie Bonds

MGB 1/24/00

283/207

Before I get flamed...... I am not a nurse, I am not a doctor. I

have, however, been employed in the medical profession for 21 years.

I have a BS in Health Education including post graduate work in

clinical studies. Currently, I work at a cancer center in the area

of data management and research for breast cancer, cutaneous oncology

and gi cancer. Incidentally, we do quite a few Billroth II's

here...... on patients from ages 20-80.