OK, so I've heard a few times that health professionals should use discretion when bringing up their own health issues with patients, because you don't want to overstep professional boundaries by oversharing personal details or making it look as if you think you understand your patients better than you really do.....but today I just couldn't help but share my VSG experience with a patient I saw for some other issues. I left it up to her to bring up her weight, so when she did, I took advantage of the opportunity and discussed her weightloss efforts in more detail. There was a long history of failure and frustration in that regard.

After talking about non-surgical interventions, I asked her for her opinion on WLS and she said she's researched it and felt hesitant about it for a number of reasons, but it was obvious that she was quite open-minded and would probably benefit from seeing others who've had WLS and have been successful. I was a bit iffy about it, but as she was young, and yet severely obese and really overwhelmed and frustrated with her many health problems, I opened up to her about my VSG experience and told her that this is something she may want to consider in the future. Thankfully, she seemed to take kindly to my sharing my WLS story and I really hope that maybe in a year or two I'll run into her again and she will have taken advantage of VSG and improved her health. My supervisor came in to see her after and she brought it up with my supervisor, as well; luckily, my supervisor said she's in support of WLS for patients like her and it seemed to alleviate some of her concerns now that she had another person tell her something positive about WLS.

Hesitant as I was to share it, I felt very emotional telling her about it and, embarrassingly enough, even cried a bit because I felt so empathetic towards her struggles, but it felt quite cathartic to use my experience to potentially improve someone's health and quality of life. But then I wonder if I should keep it a one-time event. How do you think you'd have felt a year or two ago if your doctor or some other healthcare provider shared this with you?

I think sharing your experience is fine. I was fortunate because my GP was very supportive when I asked her about WLS. Also, when I was going for pre tests before surgery, several of the nurses shared their stories, either personal or that of friends and I was very appreciate of the positive input, especially since I didnt tell too many people before surgery. I know this is a little different since I had already decided to have the surgery, but I think what you did was a good thing no matter when, in the process, you did it.

I think sharing your experience is fine. I was fortunate because my GP was very supportive when I asked her about WLS. Also, when I was going for pre tests before surgery, several of the nurses shared their stories, either personal or that of friends and I was very appreciate of the positive input, especially since I didnt tell too many people before surgery. I know this is a little different since I had already decided to have the surgery, but I think what you did was a good thing no matter when, in the process, you did it.

I had a similar experience to this.... I think what you did and how you did it was just fine.

Blackberry are you a doctor? I think its great that you talked to your patient. It is very comforting knowing that a medical professional is supportive.

I don’t think that a doctor or any other health care provider can truly understand the struggles some obese men and women have unless they have been in their shoes. For ten years I struggled to find a healthcare professional who was even the slightest bit interested in listening to my struggle and attempts and who didn’t immediately label me lazy and compulsive the second they saw my overweight body. I faced doctor after doctor for a variety of health concerns ranging from infertility to headaches and the common solution was to lose weight. They didn’t listen to the attempts I had made. They didn’t believe the effort I put in. I believe that having a doctor who had struggled in the same ways I had and found something that truly worked would have been a life changing meeting! I have never been one to keep my surgery a secret. I don’t tell people unless they come out and ask; but I have feel that I have been giving an opportunity that some out there in my same shoes may not even know about. I feel they are worth sharing my experience with.

I feel that if I can help anyone down this journey than they could help someone else too. Maybe one day all insurance companies will agree that this is a cure for obesity and offer the solution to many more.

Thank you for sharing with this girl. You told her that she is worth finding asolution and that a solution exists.

I would have appreciated hearing it as well. In fact, when I went for my pre-op, the nurse who took care of me had RNY 10 years ago and lost over 200 lbs. It gave us a common ground and I felt trust.