utahgirll

Here's the deal.
If you once liked yourself, you can like yourself again.
Everything @@McButterpants said I can relate to. I bet you can, too.
It happens. We set standards for ourselves. We don't meet our standards. We beat ourselves up (quietly, on the inside, where no one else sees it). Of course, we hide out. That's what I did for the last year and a half before surgery.
But you know what? That's over. It's in the past. I don't have to "live" there anymore. All you have is your future. You really can make that what you want it to be. When you *get* that, you will start smiling again.
In your shoes, I'd start a bloody fantasy document of *everything* in the world you want to be different. Keep it private. Make it honest. Be as outrageous as you want. Pretty soon you will realize that the sky is the limit. And that you can actually put your foot on the sidewalk and go right or left.
It's going to be OK!

@@Summer Rain - I felt like you about a year ago. I was in a bad place. I basically became a shut in. I was disconnected from my family and my life. I was going thru the motions...just doing the minimum to get by. I lost contact with friends. I avoided the grocery store right by my house so I could avoid the change of seeing someone.
Fast forward to now...I just started hot yoga, I go to the gym, I talk to total strangers, I've reconnected with friends, and I am enjoying my life. I am much more engaged with my family - the other day my son said, "You don't get angry like you used to. I'm glad you had the surgery." I am learning to become content - something I haven't been in years.
This has become so much more than the number on the scale - I want to lose more, but my life does not revolve around my scale any longer. I hike, I bike, I walk, I exercise and I love it. I got my life back. This is not only a life changer...in my case, it was a life saver!
You're starting down a path that will be so rewarding - you will be frustrated, you'll be angry, you'll get down on yourself. But just wait, in a few short months, you'll start blossoming into that person you are supposed to be. Trust me - it's all worth.
Best of luck to you! Keep your chin up.

Everyone's responses to this almost make me cry. How encouraging.
I have had back pain since I broke my back in 1993, and I know the extra 100 lbs. I carry makes it worse. Your comments about that are also very encouraging.
in support,
tris

Yes I regret it every damn day, 7 mths post op and even though it has got better I would never recommend this to anyone. When I did my research I thought yes this is what I want to do before I get old and have real health issues but I am with Susan. I was totally prepared to eat smaller meals but really to have to eat at a snails pace every single time is so tiring and cumbersome and yeah there are other things but no point going on and on......

@@SusinMichigan, thank you so much for your reply. Your candidness is refreshing. I have not had surgery and although I am approved for the VSG, something in my mind keeps bugging me and it's exactly what you pointed out.
The sleeve forces you to do what you could not do, maintain, or accomplish on your own. The question I keep asking myself is why...... I have been successful at losing 75 lbs and keeping it off for years. I wonder, had I paused and appreciated what I accomplished and sought therapy for my food addiction at that time, where would I be today? I really feel in my heart that I could have maintained my weight.
I looked awesome and I felt awesome. It felt amazing knowing I had accomplished this from eating 6 healthy meals and working out hard and consistently; but I didn't appreciate it and didn't feel like I deserved it, as odd as that sounds. I never addressed the mental aspects of this roller coaster ride of obesity and slowly but surely I began sabotaging myself and slipping back into old habits - and of course the weight came back with a vengeance.
I have been reading these threads for a couple of months and one minute I'm all for the surgery and then I read a story like yours and remember why I'm reluctant in the first place. Again, thank you for your honesty.

Yes, I am 6 weeks out and regret it every day. Thinking I should have tried harder with Atkins since that's what life basically is now. I don't like the stalls, it almost kills me to go 12 days without losing a single pound all while trying to drink 64 oz. of Fluid a day that I just about never get in. I'm lucky if I can get 350 calories in a day.
I don't enjoy eating anything it's a chore to do so. I eat by a timer, hell, I live by a timer these days. I have to take a cooler with me when I even run errands because there is something goofy going on that throws my entire body off whack. I'm always tired.
While I have lost 36.5 pounds since surgery, and am grateful for that, I have yet to have a single happy day. My stomach hurts with just about every meal I eat. I can slowly sip on bouillon and as long as it's only 4 oz. I can do okay. I can eat about 1 tablespoon of food at a sitting without severe chest through my back pain. About 30 of the 36.5 pounds came off in a week. Then there were 12 days with nothing ... not one pound lost. After that I've been losing maybe 1/4 or 1/2 of a pound a day when I have a loss. I think I might have made the wrong decision ... maybe I should have had RNY instead. My brother and friends all went that route, but I didn't want my insides all rerouted.
Think long and hard before you make this decision. It's not reversible and it's forever.

You all crack me up!
Here is the rant I tried to post last night:
Please people, read the research papers that abound on this crazy thing called the internet about WLS. You know the vitriolic, name calling arguments that ya'll have been having over carbs, band vs vsg, vsg vs RnY? There are recent and good scientific studies about the pluses and minuses. (Good, meaning not funded by a medical company and peer reviewed, etc) And those questions and statements that vsg is mostly restrictive (it's not, actually)? A couple of new studies have shown it's mostly metabolic...
I could go on and on with examples but you get the idea. Why do I care, you ask? Here's why:
When one understands fully how and why each procedure works, you can make proper choices.
If you understand that vsg is mostly metabolic and you basically get a reset then you can make choices to keep that reset. If you read that new studies show the size of sleeve (ie 34 to 40 ish) makes no difference in weight loss but does in reflux...you can have a serious conversation with your doc. How much supplementation do you .really. need if you have had RnY? It's in a study...
It's your body and health. Don't count on a surgeon you see occasionally (or nut. Or strangers on the internet) to know it all. Know it all for yourself.
There is a lot of research happening with WLS these days because the results are phenomenal. Drug companies and institutions are performing basic research because they are looking for new drugs to produce. That's good news for us!
One last note: some of the studies are dense and even with a science background I can't follow the details. However, I can follow the basic argument and conclusions. I can decide if it's a well designed study. So don't let the 20 character long molecule names stop you!
Get reading people!
Rant over.
And now you can proceed to tell me why I'm wrong (isn't that what comes next with strangers on the internet?)

oh hellfree i am feeling ya. if you feel a bit uncomfortable there, go to a few different gyms just to see how you feel. in my large city, we have a lot to choose from. I just remember going into a gym, wanting to put a bag over my head, overweight, and kinda crawling home. i felt best about planet fitness (10/month) as even their ads are geared toward normal folk that don't grunt as they lift weights or something. there's also curves. i also loved the idea of swimming to get in shape, so there's that. and if you have no other possibilities, take the advice of these other ladies and just DO IT. i DO want to start weight lifting, so I will be joining you at some future date.
in support,
triss

oh hellfree i am feeling ya. if you feel a bit uncomfortable there, go to a few different gyms just to see how you feel. in my large city, we have a lot to choose from. I just remember going into a gym, wanting to put a bag over my head, overweight, and kinda crawling home. i felt best about planet fitness (10/month) as even their ads are geared toward normal folk that don't grunt as they lift weights or something. there's also curves. i also loved the idea of swimming to get in shape, so there's that. and if you have no other possibilities, take the advice of these other ladies and just DO IT. i DO want to start weight lifting, so I will be joining you at some future date.
in support,
triss

oh hellfree i am feeling ya. if you feel a bit uncomfortable there, go to a few different gyms just to see how you feel. in my large city, we have a lot to choose from. I just remember going into a gym, wanting to put a bag over my head, overweight, and kinda crawling home. i felt best about planet fitness (10/month) as even their ads are geared toward normal folk that don't grunt as they lift weights or something. there's also curves. i also loved the idea of swimming to get in shape, so there's that. and if you have no other possibilities, take the advice of these other ladies and just DO IT. i DO want to start weight lifting, so I will be joining you at some future date.
in support,
triss

My daughter and I were going to do the Sleeve together. There was nothing holding us back! EXCEPT..... Money. My insurance approved my sleeve surgery. My daughter's ins did not approve hers. :-(. We actually booked her for surgery in Mexico for July 22, but in the end chickened out. Could not find a dr that would take her followup here in US after she had the surgery. So every pound I lose is bittersweet. I know this breaks my daughter's heart seeing my success yet knowing she will likely never be able to have the WLS. Very depressing for her. And for me!

My hesitation in getting surgery was that I felt it meant I had to admit I was a failure. After trying every diet and exercise plan and failing, I thought WLS was like throwing in the towel and taking the "easy" way out. What changed all that for me was research. Finding answers here, and doing research into scientific studies. But perhaps more importantly, I stopped thinking of myself as a failure, but rather the diets failed me.

you are right. At the moment it seems like never... But we are going to attempt to reapply again in 6 months. Keeping our fingers crossed

I chose other. For me it wasn't about the fear. Well when I first heard about the surgery, but after doing research for a few weeks I wasn't afraid/ I was willing to accept the risks. It was more about my age at the time. I was 16 I'm now 18. I didn't have the resources or maturity. Now I have a job, I drive, I have money I can go out and buy my own groceries. I'm better at cooking (back then i could barely saute an onion). Now I can be responsible for my own health. I have also had time to reflect. I don't look at food the same, I'm now a vegetarian, soon to be vegan. I question everything I put into my body, and ruled out a lot of foods/ ingredients. I think im in a good place to do it now

hey everyone, i saw the surgeon today and he says i am doing AWESOME!!! when i asked about working out, he said "join a gym tomorrow".
there is a great gym in my town, about 4 miles from my house. they even have child care for my little one and classes for my tween to try, including a pool and swim lessons!
i really like it there and took a tour of it last year when i was considering joining then. but.........
this gym seems really full of REALLY thin and fit people. i'm still a VERY big person. i have issues about being around people socially simply due to my weight. i just feel like in public, everyone is noticing my weight. at a gym, well i think it would be worse. they open at like 4am so i have even thought of going there at 5 and working out when, hopefully, the attendance is minimal...
HOW do i get over being a fat lady a a skinny gym?

You just go. I'm 100 pounds more than you are right now and I just pay attention to me and me only. Luckily my gym is ladies only so I feel people are there to work out and not be seen by the opposite sex, but you have to believe that they're paying more attention to themselves (as they should!) than they are to you.
Do it because in the long term, to be successful, we need to incorporate exercise into our lives. Do it because you value YOU more than what they think of you because truthfully, they probably won't think much about you either way

Girlfriend listen to me:
Your money is the SAME size and color as those skinny people.
You know how they got skinny and stay that way? By not caring what some other person with a hangup has and getting in there and working it!
You will have role models in front of you to keep motivated.
I didn't care. I was in a gym for college age people. I got out there walking and then cheering on any one else larger. I then kept working it until I was down girlfriend ...
do not under any circumstances, after you've come this far, let someone with a small mind interrupt your Quest to be healthier.

That is a problem you will have even when you reach your goal. you will not see yourself for who you really are for sometime. That is the nature of the beast!
Surprisingly though the people at the gym are not looking at you. Most of them are busy trying to get in shape or stay in shape. Most people are not looking around. And if they do, most of them applaud you for coming.
35 lbs down nothing to sneeze at I would say..Hold your chin up. Get your bag together and get there and work it girl! You deserve to be healthy. just like anyone of those people at that gym. Who knows you might inspire others as they see you working out because you are doing this and making changes for yourself no one else!!!!
35 lbs of butter on the kitchen table is a remarkable accomplishment......Go, do it and think about the fact that you are 35 lbs smaller then you were when you started this journey! Kick ass!

Like RJ said, almost everyone is focused on themselves and their workout. The cardio machines at the Y have TVs in them, so people are watching those as they do their cardio... If they aren't watching the TV, they are listening to music... Lifting weights, people are focused on their form...
Personally, I felt the exact same way as you. I thought everyone would stare at the fat girl and wonder why i was even bothering... I couldn't join a gym until I had lost over 100lbs. Boy do I regret that! Once I started going I realized no one cares about anyone else (unless your on a weight machine they want). When I look around, no one else is looking around. Everyone focuses on themselves... When I see a bigger person, I'm actually jealous that they have the confidence and I didn't. Just think of how much further (or less loose skin!!) I might have if I'd started earlier...
All that said, you go and work out! You deserve to be there as much as anyone else. Have that confidence I didn't. Rock the gym!!!

food is affected.
Please watch the videos for a great explanation of this fascinating procedure. This particular tool is cleared by the FDA for other purposes, but it is undergoing testing here in the USA for weight loss. If you live near a testing center, you may qualify to undergo this procedure at no cost. There is a doctor here in the USA who has done many of these procedures. At this time there are no long term negative effects we can present, as the procedure is newer.
Pros:
Outpatient procedure
Inscisionless, no surgical scars or wounds (no infection)
Healing is fast - back to work next day, sounds like.
Fast procedure
Permanent procedure
Secret surgery
Cons:
We don't know long term negative effects
What could they be?
Permanent procedure
Only for people who want to lose 25-60 pounds.
__________
USGI Medical Receives FDA Approval to Launch Head-to-Head Pivotal Study to Determine Safety, Effectiveness of Incisionless, Endoscopic Weight Loss Procedure By Marketwired - Medical and Healthcare Wednesday, 09 October 2013 09:27
The company plans to enroll approximately 350 subjects at up to nine centers across the U.S.
"Although published data show significantly superior weight loss results from bariatric surgery than from diet and exercise alone, a major open or laparoscopic operation still poses risks and longer recovery times, and surgery is not right for every patient," said Thomas E. Lavin, MD, FACS, FASMBS, founder of The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana and an investigator in the study, known as the ESSENTIAL™ Trial. "Surgery for weight loss has been studied with positive results, but this will be one of the first major trials to prospectively compare the effectiveness of an endoscopic procedure against a sham procedure plus diet and exercise. Based on preliminary studies conducted in Europe, we believe that this new approach may help patients feel full sooner during meals, improving satiety and reducing hunger cravings so they can control their portions, consume fewer calories and lose weight."
Physicians participating in the study will use USGI Medical's g-Cath EZ™ Suture Anchor Delivery Catheter to place tissue anchors across folds of tissue in strategically-located parts of the stomach to reduce its size and ability to stretch to accommodate a meal. The g-Cath, which is used extensively for general, non-obesity indications, is the first endoscopic suturing technology proven to create a durable, healed fold in the stomach.
The incisionless outpatient procedure has been performed on over 2,000 patients, mostly in Europe, where it is known as "POSE." The procedure is performed entirely through the mouth without any incisions through the abdomen. Many patients have returned to work without any bandages or signs of surgery within two to three days.
"If the data are positive and consistent with smaller trials, it could mean that tens of thousands of patients may have an incredibly compelling option to consider if they've struggled to lose weight with diet and exercise, but aren't prepared to accept the risk of traditional bariatric surgery," Dr. Lavin added.
"The start of the ESSENTIAL Trial represents a significant milestone for USGI Medical and endoscopic approaches to weight loss," said John Cox, Chief Operating Officer of USGI Medical. "Our efforts to support this study underscore our excitement about the potential of our technology and our commitment to patient safety and outcomes. We look forward to working with many of the country's leading bariatric surgeons and advanced endoscopists, both at top academic medical institutions and well-respected private centers, to enroll patients in this study. Based on our experience to date, we believe our new incisionless approach to treating obesity may offer promise to patients who have struggled to lose weight through diet and exercise."
Results of European Studies of POSE Recently Announced
Physicians from Spain reported results of two studies showing the positive outcomes and physiological effects of the POSE procedure at the 18th World Congress of International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity & Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) in Istanbul this past August.
Román Turró, M.D., reported results of his team's POSE experience at the GI Endoscopy Department at the Centro Medico Teknon, Barcelona. Prospective, institutional ethics-approved data collection began in February 2011 and included results from 137 consecutive procedures performed through July 2013. The first 22 patients who had been followed for 12 months post-procedure at the time of the presentation achieved average excess weight loss of 62% and total body weight loss of 19%.
Importantly, initial safety data were favorable for POSE as well. Of the 137 patients, none were hospitalized with a surgical intervention after undergoing POSE. One patient developed an infection that was treated with antibiotics and two patients suffered intra-gastric bleeding, which was treated endoscopically. The average age of patients included in the safety analysis was 42.8 years and the average body mass index (BMI) was 36.9 at the time of the procedure. Females accounted for 74% of the patients.
Endoscopies on a subset of these patients also confirmed that the suture anchors remained in place in the stomach 12 months after the procedure.
Separately at IFSO, Silvia Delgado-Aros, MSc, MD, PhD, a member of the Neuro-Enteric Translational Science (NETS) Research Group at the Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques in Barcelona, presented physiologic findings showing that POSE led to weight loss, a sustained reduction in caloric intake, normalization of blood sugar levels and improved feelings of fullness and satiety triggered by an improved gut peptide response to food. In this controlled study, patients followed for 15 months reported mean excess weight loss of 63.7%.
For additional details about the ESSENTIAL Trial™, please visit ClinicalTrials.gov.
CAUTION: Investigational Device. Limited by United States law to investigational use. The safety and effectiveness of the g-Cath for weight loss has not been established.
About Obesity
On June 18, 2013, the American Medical Association adopted policy that recognizes obesity as a disease requiring a range of medical interventions to advance obesity treatment and prevention. The American Heart Association (AHA) estimates that 78.4 million Americans age 20 and over are obese (with a BMI of 30.0 kg/m2 and higher). If current trends in the growth of obesity continue, total healthcare costs attributable to obesity could reach $861 to $957 billion by 2030, which would account for 16% to 18% of U.S. health expenditures, the AHA predicts.
About USGI Medical
USGI Medical is committed to the development of technologies to enable Incisionless Surgery -- the treatment of diseases through the natural passageways of the body. USGI's Incisionless Operating Platform™ provides surgeons the operating platform and specialized tools they need to perform surgery through a patient's mouth or other natural orifices, reducing the need for external incisions into the abdomen. Importantly, USGI has demonstrated the capability to reliably and durably suture GI tract tissue without an incision. Operating through the body's natural orifices offers promise for less pain, shorter hospital stays, reduced risk of wound infection and no external scars -- and is rapidly becoming an option sought after by patients and healthcare providers. USGI offers surgeons and gastroenterologists the tools they need to offer millions of potential patients a less invasive surgical option. www.usgimedical.com
Read more http://www.marketwired.com/mw/release.do?id=1839575&sourceType=3

Very interesting.

I am still waiting and waiting....... I go back and forth, one day will go for it, the other will not. I have lost over 155 pounds on my own without the surgery, so every friend I have and my significant other all keep telling me, "Don't do it". My SO will give me zero support especially if something does go wrong or if I am sick afterwards during the recovery. He will more likely say, "I told you not to do it so don't come crying to me if you feel bad".
No one is on board for this except my bariatric surgeon and his staff. Initially I did not have the co-pay for the operation but now I have complete coverage. I have done all the tests and preliminary work ups except for one exercise class, an abominal sonogram, a chest x-ray and blood work.
I fear that it won't stop me from gaining weight back because the only two people I have met who had the sleeve done are already getting fat again. And if I can lose 155 pounds (and still living the program to lose more), then why do it now? My reasons so far are that (1) I am a diabetic (insulin needs are WAAAAY down and soon to be gone), I have moderate sleep apnea, and I need abominal surgery anyway because I have both a hiatal hernia and an umbilical hernia.
My reasons against it are that I fear that my life will change so much that I will never be able to enjoy a diet coke again, or eat a BIG salad (I enjoy the crunch) or that I will go out with friends and have head hunger over what they order while I eat nothing or little. I also fear (big time) the evidence I have seen that food will no longer taste good or I won't be able to enjoy the foods I like today. One person who loved shellfish could no longer eat any shellfisth after the sleeve, and I cannot imagine life without shellfish or beef (another food I have heard may no longer be tolerated).
I don't care that I may be physically no longer hungry after a few bites, as we all know (and some here won't admit it) food is part of what makes life enjoyable and there is more to the eating of food other than to satisfy physical hunger. I do not mind eating SMALL amounts of food, I mind that I may not be able to enjoy SMALL portions of things that I love. I can be happy without a LOT of shrimp, or a LOT of beef, or a LOT of lobster, but I cannot imagine being happy not being able to eat any of those again or enjoy an occasional diet soda.
These boards are filled with great stories and I have to ask where are the failures, the surgeries that went wrong, the people who wish that they never did it????? Is anyone here willing to claim that almost every story was a success story of all being OK?
How to make a decision when only ONE side is presented. I want to go into this with my eyes wide open as to what I am agreeing to and so far I only hear one side of things.
And finally, my neighbors only son, age 32, died on December 22, 2012 as a result of gastric bypass surgery, and last week I met a woman in my bariatric surgeon's office in terrible pain, recovering from his fixing her gastric band that ate into her stomach and caused a problem that almost killed her. She told me that he removed the band and told her that she cannot attempt any further bariatric surgery.
So the bottom line, I am frightened of both the known and the unknown and still on a holding pattern.

Get a cuppa.. I have been researching WLS for many years. The band seemed sensible and there were myriad articles about it. The closest I got was attending a bandster bash in Tijuana, talked to others, watched a fill, and interviewed quite a few doctors there. I decided on who I wanted, started getting together with ladies in my area who had the band, then decided to 'give it another try' on my own. Two of my good friends struggled terribly with the band and one was, 2 months ago, finally dragged to the ER by her husband in a near coma state (both my mother and I gave her money, she was very poor). Both had them removed. A dear relative has gained almost all her weight back after a RNY. Another relative almost died from complications months after her bypass.
So there's that.
Now comes the sleeve and gastric plication. I liked the plication because initially I read that it was reversible. Now I find it really isn't. So, back to the books: I allow myself months of research. Then I came across some studies about 'foot drop', leak rates, and suicide rates in post bariatric surgery patients. That last one was my achilles heel as I struggle with depression. So those are my reasons for WAITING, and doing more research.
While I am still very seriously considering the sleeve, and now I have narrowed it down to 3 doctors, much of my research energy is going into new and non invasive bariatric weight loss procedures. Even Dr. Ariel Ortiz (much admired here) states that in future we will look back and see these cutting surgeries as primitive and the Obalon type procedures as more preferred... I promise to go get the exact quote from him. OR go watch the Obalon video I posted from Nightline.
I am excited to post these bariatric procedures and my research here on this website. Many are passed European safety trials and are being used in Europe/UK/South America now, but have not yet passed the FDA. Some have trials now going on in the US and some don't, but are available in Mexico or foreign countries. It is true that non-surgical methods may not bring you rapid, huge amounts of weight loss. But I find these non invasive methods can be used more than once, to get a larger amount of pounds lost. I kind of like the idea of no cutting to my tummy.
I like the Endobarrier (a sleeve of clear plastic that is placed through your mouth and works like a non surgical bypass, and is removed through your mouth after a period of 3, 6 or 12 months - they are finding it eliminates type 2 diabetes as well)(now in trials in a city near you) and the Obalon (a capsule that is swallowed and turns into a gastric balloon, allowing you to feel satiated...after 3 weeks it is then deflated and removed through the mouth). These procedures are done on an out patient basis by doctors, and have success. It is true that they are not permanent, but for me, I hope after initial weight loss, I can get my 'healthy' on, and use that weight loss as a kick start to get me rolling with new habits. The Endobarrier can be adjusted for greater weight loss, or you can do it again, and the Obalon after the 3 weeks, you can do it again, after a wait i would imagine.
http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/1015-gastric-balloon-endolumenal-bariatric-procedures-forum-new/
Prices seem high now, for these outpatient procedures, but I think these will come down, in time. But can I wait? I am just not sure if I can, thus my continued sleeve interest. But, If I was NEAR a city that was doing the Endobarrier trials, I would be there in a heartbeat.. I have actually considered MOVING to one of the cities for a year to get in on this trial.
I am very supportive of everyone's journey here, and may still go with a sleeve, but feel free to have a look at my new research on non invasive or non cutting types of bariatric procedures (link above). I know all the arguments, pro and con. Please respect my outlook, as I respect yours.
In support,
triss

I can’t imagine that any WLS patient could be 100% educated about the complex causes of obesity, weight loss surgery, or WLS post-op care. It’s a very complex subject. I usually learn something new and useful each time I come to this or another WLS board.
I chose the “Rants and Raves” forum for this thread because in the last eight months I’ve felt both concerned and exasperated about some questions I’ve seen posted here that stand out from the majority. Some questions come from people who seem to have zero grounding in how to care for themselves. Others come from folks who seem to know the guidelines, but don’t believe those apply to them or acknowledge the dangers to them of not following the guidelines.
As I’ve learned today on this thread, some people actually don’t receive any instructions from their surgeons about recommended post-op eating stages or behaviors – not even written handouts!
The National Institute of Health, the American College of Surgeons, and the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric surgery all state that bariatric surgery can be an effective treatment plan for obesity, “… when combined with a comprehensive treatment plan.” This is defined as “… a multidisciplinary team of experts for follow-up care. This may include a nutritionist, an exercise physiologist or specialist, and a mental health professional ….”
I realize some patients have surgeons who only do the wet work and don’t offer comprehensive treatment. But to hear that some surgeons don’t even advise patients about after-care and that their patients must educate themselves solely using books bought on Amazon and from advice handed out by other patients—whether good, bad or indifferent—makes me ill.
It’s no surprise that WLS still has a bad reputation in some quarters.

i will attest that there are many people out there who receive lots of medical instruction and still claim that have no idea what they should be doing. i can tell you that lots of people never even look at the discharge paperwork they are given. there are lots of reasons for this. my MIL is one example of a person who has so much anxiety all the time, she doesnt really hear what other people tell her. esp doctors or medical people. then we have my FIL and my mom who hear, but dont care and disregard what the doctors tell them....
there are people who arent able to read their instructions, people who dont process verbal instructions, people who think doctors are full of shit, people who think they know better than doctors. i have a friend who gets rid of every doctor that doesnt agree with her. then takes her meds, not as prescribed, but as she thinks she should take them. i'm like, why do have a doctor? just order your meds from mexico! (she's a book keeper not in the medical field)
there are some people who get little preparation, esp private pay people, but there is tons of info online, all you have to do is a little research, but some people need/want to be told what to do... and not take responsibility for themselves, ever. surgery isnt going to change that.