How do I tell my surgeon he screwed up?

[thomas1984 11]

Ok, so I need to tell my surgeon he screwed up on my sleeve but don't want to do it in a way to anger him.

I was sleeved on feb 23rd and as soon as I was on solid food I knew something wasn't right, I mean out of the gate it took 3x the food to satisfy me as it did my mother and aunt who were eight months out of surgery satisfy me as it did my mother and aunt who were eight months out of surgery.

Now the other day I grilled large porter house t- bones for the family and sat down at the table with the intentions on just eating off the fillet side until I was full. Intentions on just eating off the fillet side until I was full. So I'm sitting there eating and talking to my dad when I notice I just ate an ENTIRE 20 0Z steak!

This is dience protine were talking about here, I'm suppose to get full off 4 ounces of it! Needless to say my weight loss hasn't been anything to write home about...

I know he will try blaming me for over eating and stretching it out but the fact is when I was just released on solid food and my tummy was still swollen like I said above I comfortably was able to hold 3x more that my relatives that were 8 months out.

I know I should not have tested it that soon but I wanted to see where my sleeve compared to theirs.

So how do I tell the doc that he made my sleeve wayy to large and put me through a surgery for nothing?

I do know I was the last case that day and it was 2 pm before anesthesia even came and spoke to me, the surgeon hadn't broke from lunch and I'm sure was tired but come on, I would have rather had it out off than to rush though it and mess up due to being tired.

Advise please.

[AvaFern 3,516]

How about you confirm he screwed up before accusing him of doing so? Did you have a bariatric swallow test? If not, go get one done- you can clearly see the size of your stomach and compare it to others to determine if your surgeon did indeed do something out of the ordinary. Next, request your patient files- they're yours, they have to give them to you. See what size bougie he used and then compare this to the norm for a patient that is comparable to you.

Much as I am completely fine with calling out a surgeon for being incompetent, I like to make sure that I have documentation that he actually did something wrong before I make myself look stupid for nothing.

[Sophie74656 1,572]

He should not accuse you of stretching because you can't stretch your sleeve

[Sophie74656 1,572]

Yes see if you can get the test done to see how large your sleeve really is. But if yiu could eat that much something seems off

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Instead of blaming him for screwing up why not share what happened with him and see what he thinks? It sounds like you may need information before you start playing the blame game.

By the way, what is your goal? I assume it is to be healthy and lose weight. Will blasting your surgeon for his perceived error without more information get you closer to your goal?

[Sharon1964 2,530]

Why are you even trying to eat that much? Measure out your food and put on your plate only what you're supposed to eat.

I would say even go back on liquids for a few days so you can hit the virtual reset button.

[VDLT 244]

From looking at your stats though it looks like you are a third of the weight to goal already in just a few months so that is amazing. Congratulations on that.

I have learned that we all have different sized stomachs to begin with and that anatomy plays a big role in the ultimate size of the remaining stomach. It sucks. I have a lot less restriction as many folks on here who are years out and I am only 8 months out.

It is a very common and fair warning around here to not compare yourself to others. It is not fair to do that to yourself. We are all unique in our body types, physiology, metabolism etc. Again, trust me I know it sucks.

Are you eating less than you used to if so how much? After the first few months I could only eat about half of what I used to. Now I can eat about two thirds or so. Not enough of a change to lose without basically dieting by making sure I cut my portions and watch what I eat.

Like you I can also eat a lot more than I should if I am distracted so I make sure I try to be really conscious of what I am eating. Even though I don't measure or weigh my food, if I am home I only use salad plates and make sure I don't put too much on it. I shoot for about half of what my brain tells me to. When out at a restaurant I cut my food in half and shoot to not finish one half of it.

One more thing I wanted to mention, I had esophagitis and a hiatal hernia among other things when I got sleeved. My surgeon fixed my hernia but told me inevitably my esophagus would dilate again making it larger and easier for me to eat more. It is what it is on that front and another thing I have to deal with.

I hope this helps somewhat. Best of luck to you and again congrats on being a third of the way to goal. A third!!!

Edited June 10, 2016 by VDLT

[thomas1984 11]

Wow, some of you are right down hateful lol. I say I was talking to my dad while eating a steak for a cook out with the intentions of only have the filet mignon side and was able to consume a 20 oz steak without realizing it and I'm blasted because something might not be wrong????

Let me ask you this, can any of you eat 20 ounces of dense Protein? No? Then something is wrong lol.

My stats were stRted in 2007 before I had a lapband, it was removed last June due to complications and the sleeve done in February so they look better than they are. But I've lost 20 lbs since leaving the hospital with the sleeve.

I might not be the staple for doing everything by the book, but that's not why I came here. The reason I came here is because I ate a 20oz steak and that should be physically impossible and I need to know how to bring this up to my surgeon without making him mad or making he feel like in saying he don't know what he's doing.

[Dub 9,922]

Why do you eat so much at each sitting ?

Cramming food down our gullets isn't really the gameplan is it ?

Your capacity may always be greater than the recommended amounts per meal.

[grandmaofone 411]

I am looking at it from both sides. The first is from me the patient, you should ONLY put on your plate what you are going to eat. This should help with mindless eating as you are talking to friends/relatives. I eat a few bites talk for a while then eat a few more. Then you need to make sure that you are getting in the required Protein and Water everyday. To do this you need to make sure your meal doesn't last longer than 30 mins so you are getting your water in. After 30 mins you should be done eating and wait 30 mins than drink water. If you keep drinking you will feel fuller longer as your stomach as something in it. I was also told the beef was to harsh on my stomach to eat before 6 months. Maybe your dr told you something different.

From the dr's stand point, he is going to ask you if you started out with the recommendations of portion size. I started out eating a tablespoon for the first few days, then went to 2 for about week, and moved on till at 3 months out I was at about 1/4 to 1/2 cup and now at a year out I can eat about 3/4 cup and normally I get full just on the protein still. Then he is also going to ask about fluids, are you getting them in? Are you waiting 30 mins before and after to drink?? As this can wash your food threw before you even benifit from eating it.

It sounds like you are eating protein first so that is not a problem. Then comes the next question: Are you working out??

From the research I have done with trying to figure out which surgery I was getting, I found out that I needed to make the right decision the first time. I found that with the sleeve your majority of the work needs to be done in the first year, after that it is harder to lose weight and requires a lot more exercise to lose after the first year. Also, in researching I found out that revision surgery is 50/50 successful, you have to really work for it.

I would talk with your doctor and your NUT and find a plan that works for you. Each of us are very different and our bodies act and react differently to everything. Talk to your nut about what you can do to be proactive in the first year.

Congrats on your accomplishments so far and keep us informed as to what is going on with you!!! I will be praying that you find a path that will lead you to your Goal!!!!

[sherryk 54]

How about just telling him your concerns by saying I feel something is not right. Ask him if there is any testing that can be done to check your stomach, "swallow test", and ask if you could see your chart, stating I have to figure this out. By using"I" in your conversation you are not pointing a finger until you have all of your information. Hope this helps.

Sent from my XT1254 using the BariatricPal App

[VDLT 244]

I am also a lapband conversion so I feel you. Trust me. And I don't think anyone is telling you that there isn't anything wrong with eating 20 ozs of steak, I think what everyone is saying is that it should not have been on your plate to begin with. Yeah, I know, you should feel full, except you didn't until it was too late, many of us have been there.

At 4 or 5 months out, you should still be eating really carefully whether you think you can fit it in or not. You are still healing and establishing your new habits.

The sleeve is not what I expected it to be. I expected to feel that clear restriction I had with the band in which I would eat one more bite and it would tell me "nope! that is the last one or you are going to pay for it!". The most I have felt with the sleeve is being uncomfortably full. It is way more subtle than the band and therefore requires a lot more from the patient.

Again I don't think anyone is telling you that it was ok that you were able to eat that much, but do take into consideration that your capacity may be way greater overall than many, and that doesn't necessarily mean that your sleeve was performed poorly, just that you started with a larger stomach than others. Seems to be the case with me as well. And also consider that while you can eat more than others, doesn't mean you should.

[Read2016 658]

I think before you make a statement like that to the surgeon, your going to need some medical evidence to back it up... I'm not sure he will even engage you in this conversation because if you can show evidence he screwed up that would be a malpractice lawsuit... Have you lost any weight from having the sleeve?

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them"

Einstein

[NeedaBreak4Me 1,755]

I had my post op consultation the other day and my surgeon and i were actually talking about this.

I had asked him why i seem to be able to eat and drink a decent amount of food than others (i get satisfied with half cup)

He explained that as an ex bander the band causes damage to something in the esophagus and when we get sleeved we don't feel the restriction like a virgin sleever. According to him there is a loss of sensation there for us.. so we don't feel it as strongly... therefore his suggestion was to measure the food so i do not overeat and not to completely rely on sensations

On another note... your surgeon does not cut your tummy by sight.. he uses a bougie to guide him for size and does it according to the curvature of your stomach... so he technically can't make it way to big without him realising.

I hope this helps

Edited June 10, 2016 by AussieGirl81

[4MRB4PHOTO 3,899]

How about just telling him your concerns by saying I feel something is not right. Ask him if there is any testing that can be done to check your stomach, "swallow test", and ask if you could see your chart, stating I have to figure this out. By using"I" in your conversation you are not pointing a finger until you have all of your information. Hope this helps.

Sent from my XT1254 using the BariatricPal App

I was going to state the same things.

First express your concern to the surgeon about the quantity of food you can consume and have them explain the size bougie they used and the details of your surgery (I don't know, but I assume their should be some sort of written report of the actual procedure).

Have a barium swallow or other imaging test.

Then you will have your answer and know how to proceed.

Also, speak to a nutritionist to help you with your post WLS nutritional plan. 20oz of steak is too much, even if you are capable of eating it.

Good luck.