from the MGB-Truth list - a post worth reading

[Guest guest]

Hi, all:

The writer of this post, Sue, gave me permission to post this to the MGB

lists. Hope you'll take some time to look this over.

Blair

In a message dated 10/4/00 5:08:35 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

gswidemark@... writes:

<< >

> > I hope I don't make EVERYONE on this list hate me but I went to

> some of the

> > links below and the explanations seemed a valid rebuttal. I am

> wondering if

> > the surgeons website may in part, be because Dr R is very honest

> about the MGB

> > and all WLS being risky and the surgeons are worried that knowing

> the honest

> > facts about WLS will deter prospectives in general. Because I have

> not

> > noticed them taking a website out against known quacks in the field

> (I won't

> > mention any names here but one real butcher everyone knows about

> comes to

> > mind, who is STILL performing procedures). In my research, it's

> been my

> > experience that most surgeons sites I've seen, really understate

> the dangers

> > involved with WLS and what risks they state, are given are in thick

> medical

> > terminology that prospectives won't bother to read. That's one

> thing I really

> > liked about Dr R's site that he was so honest about the risks. I

> linked his

> > 'risks' page to my site - it agrees with everything else I've read

> in the

> > medical literature in general about WLS.

> >

> > He states that he has a real concern about the dangers of ulcer and

> strictures

> > with the RNY and that's why he does the Billroth II. I have written

> to him

> > inquiring for cites of studies showing these dangers are greater in

> RNY's.

> >

> > In fairness to him, he must believe in the Billroth II in order to

> have chosen

> > it. It is to his advantage to do the procedure with the least side

> effects and

> > the least bad problems because bad problems tend to turn into nasty

> law suits.

> > I knew an anesthesiologist who was present at a death which was

> proven to be

> > 'his fault' But in fact, it was a rare thing which happens and

> wasn't really

> > his fault at all. A young handsome man with blond hair (I can

> still see his

> > face), his career was over in a flash. I had him in my fiddle

> class and the

> > man could literally not work as a doctor from ONE very nasty

> lawsuit. All

> > physicians have heard these horror stories so it's to their

> advantage to try

> > and do - what they feel is - the best procedure.

> >

> > Usually physicians tend to have a 'professional courtesy' towards

> other

> > physicians yet the MGB dot.com website goes in opposition to this.

> And one

> > might say that this is because these physicians are so upset that

> Dr R is

> > doing this horrible procedure. I would like to believe that but I

> have seen

> > 'professional courtesy' to real quacks like 70 year old

> abortionists who have,

> > out of proven negligence, killed patients, for example (one gent

> comes to mind

> > who ate his lunch while a patient bled out in another room and told

> the nurses

> > to not bother him - he eventually lost his license but in such a

> way that he

> > still can practice in other states - he's over 70 years old). I

> have also

> > seen the medical community totally slander and character

> assassinate those

> > whom they think are stealing business. In fact, this is happening

> on a wide

> > scale at present, with nurse practitioners and it's not pretty and

> it's not

> > fair and many of us feel that it's not because of anything else but

> that some

> > folks are seeing that NPs are delivering a holistic type of

> empirical medical

> > care which patients love and which has a high rate of efficacy as

> far as the

> > healing process.

> >

> > Operating with an extremely limited medical knowledge (and it ARE

> limited...

> > although I did study thoroughly in medical literature the

> procedures I feature

> > in my site including in medical A & P books and more and have

> researched this

> > well over a year rather intensely), it seems to me that:

> >

> > 1. Dr R. is performing a procedure which is NOT any MORE dangerous

> or risky

> > than other types of RNY. It's just that the dangers of RNYs are

> generally not

> > detailed on websites.

> >

> > 2. Dr R. may be performing something safer than an RNY because it

> seems, in

> > part, a procedure still done to non weight loss oriented patients

> and from my

> > own experience, people of size are still the most abused segment of

> this

> > population - thus receiving surgery that non fat people receive may

> be an

> > advantage.

> >

> > 3. Dr R's procedure may APPEAR more dangerous than other types of

> WLS because

> > Dr R is so open about the risks.

> >

> > I am asking these questions openly. There is a lot at stake. First,

> > individuals who have received this procedure may NOT be worse off

> than those

> > receiving other types of WLS. WLS is risky and those going into it

> should be

> > aware of that - this lack of awareness on the part of pre ops has

> long been a

> > concern of mine. Second, this upset about the MGB might be fueled

> at least in

> > part by something other than 'professional concern' - not to repeat

> but to

> > emphasize, I have seen it happen before in the medical community.

> >

> > It is so difficult for us, laypersons to figure out exactly what is

> happening

> > when talking of highly complex things. Just think if I launched a

> discussion

> > of intricate software development concepts here how lost everyone

> would be?

> > These scientific things involve so much learning - all medical

> providers go to

> > intense schooling for many years and equally intense practicum.

> >

> > When I began studying the GI tract via medical books, my son told

> me " You will

> > not even begin to scratch the surface of understanding this " . He

> was SO

> > right. That is why he IS the advisor for my Health site and why I

> run

> > everything by him. The best we can hope for is a surgeon who is

> honest enough

> > to tell us the full story and that we can figure out enough to ask

> the 'right

> > questions' before we have a procedure done. I to this date, am not

> convinced

> > that Dr R is NOT trustworthy. Yes he has made some tactical errors

> in dealing

> > with this situation but that just shows he's not a politician.

> However,

> > people hire Dr R for his medical ability and not his political

> correctness (or

> > lack thereof). Need I remind of certain politicians who ARE very

> charming and

> > politically correct but totally corrupt?

> >

> > To date, the item of most concern here, seems the risk for cancer

> in 20 years

> > or more. But from my research it appears that ALL WLS post ops have

> this risk

> > and if not for esophageal cancer then for colon cancer or other.

> Some post

> > ops have gotten cancer the year after surgery and their doctors

> have told them

> > it was probably partially due to the WLS.

> >

> > But if you think of it, we all are at some risk. I with GERD am

> also in risk

> > of esophageal cancer. My husband with a vasectomy is at high risk

> for

> > prostate cancer. People who have taken birth control pills or had

> an abortion

> > are at high risk for breast cancer. Seems most folks walking the

> face of the

> > earth are at risk for SOME kind of cancer.

> >

> > There are steps which can be taken to prevent cancer or

> significantly cut down

> > the risk - many veggies have actual anti cancer chemicals IN THEM.

> WLS post

> > ops can go rich on the supplements to help prevent cancer. A

> regular exercise

> > program (3 times a week, aerobic exercise or more) can cut the

> risks of cancer

> > by 40 percent. Not smoking, not consuming alcohol, eating a good

> nutritious

> > diet, lowering the fat consumption (which most WLS patients do).

> All these

> > things cut down the risks.

> >

> > I am throwing this out for honest discussion and rebuttal. I too

> have

> > experienced dreadful character assassination (not by surgeons

> though but by

> > very zealous pre ops and post ops who for some reason do not wish

> prospectives

> > to know about the dangers and risks or about alternatives to

> surgery). So

> > please heap no more abuse on me. If you can answer my concerns here

> > preferably with sites and facts, I would be very interested.

> >

> > I don't think surgery is for everyone and laying out the facts

> including the

> > risks before AND the alternatives is a good step towards making

> sure that

> > those who seek the surgical path are making a full INFORMED consent

> decision.

> > Dr R still provides the most information about this on his website

> and I have

> > not seen any of the info he provides which is not reliable

> according to all my

> > other research.

> >

> > I look forward to your comments to any of my points but please no

> flames or

> > insults, thanks in advance,

> > Sue

> > >>