HOLY CRAP!! This is why we list "vetted" surgeon(s), especially for MX!!

Check out this thread re Almanza, who is now saying he does the DS???  OMFG!!!
http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/4431946/surgery-in-me xico/ 

Gah!  My thought is who knows if she even really ended up with a DS?  That would be my concern!

I hope she recovers well and got a real DS.

Let me add to this list:

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/4396940/new-DS-Patien t-HELP-ME-PLEASE/
http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/DS/4427975/Dec-2010-DS-but -still-nauseated-and-cant-take-protein/#36610733
http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/DS/4425721/Barker-vs-Stewa rt

And regarding Wade Barker: http://reg.tmb.state.tx.us/TMBPublicWebSite/WEBDOCS/e00/00/9 C/00009CEA.pdf

 I spoke with Dr. Stewart last week.  According to him, Dr. Barker has been doing upwards of 4 DS's per week since December.  That would put him at over 100 at this point since he started.  He must be getting fairly proficient at it by now from the way Dr. Stewart was talking about him.  I just don't know where all of his patients go for support because I'm sure not seeing that kind of numbers here on the OH DS forum. . . 

I'd like to know where Barker's patients go too. I was a patient of his (am still pre-op) but just switched to Stewart after I was told I wouldn't need anymore vitamin than a typical RNY patient. Thanks but no thanks. I know better.

I hope they're going SOMEWHERE, since we have ample evidence of what his care is like. If he's doing four a week, that's a lot of people who are going to get malnutrition problems with that kind of supplement education.

A surgeon should be judged solely on his cutting ability.

They have neither the education nor the time to deal with what happens to you after your surgery has healed.

"Aftercare" is a myth.

When they offer it, it's awful and you have to do your own work anyway, so why bother?

I had brain surgery. Even though there are issues I could use some "aftercare" help with, his job was over when my wound had healed successfully.

So is it with bariatric surgeons.

(And you probably won't need much MORE vitamins than an RnY patient, just very slightly different.)

Allow me rephrase what I previously said.

When the doctor (or counselor, nutrionist, whatever), who is the go-to-guy for pre & post-op care for vitamin and mineral supplementation, gives you incorrect information, there is a problem. Why even have that position if you're giving false information? Any RNY patient I have known (and I know many) take very few vites a day (we're talking less than 10) compared to the sometimes (depending on each individual person's specific needs) 40-something vites a day certain DSers take. That is a world of difference, to say the least.

Granted, DS patients typically have to stand on their own and do their own work, it still doesn't erase the fact that there are many people out there who will not search or find out what they need for themselves. They will rely solely on what their physician tells them, and doing so can lead to serious complications down the road when what they are told is untrue. For me, personally, knowing what I know and that the fact that the information that was given to me is very "off", I am not comfortable going to a surgeon's office if I can't trust him or his/her staff. As a surgeon with your name on the line, you should ensure that your staff isn't giving your patients incorrect information that could jeapordize their health. It is not something I'm comfortable with at all.

If your RnY friends are taking so few vitamins, do them a favor to save their lives and send them to Vitalady. Their vitamin requirements are not much less than the DS. Ok, maybe we have to take 40-- as an example, they need 35.

Yes, there are people out there who will not research on their own and stumble upon the DS. The type of people who question nothing and do none of their own research. And they will die. These are the same people who drink and drive, who fix their day long sinus headache with 6 Tylenols, a dose of Nyquil, and a couple of glasses of wine, who don't take their vitamins and protein.

You are assuming that other people are more responsible for you than they reasonably are, than they legally are. BEFORE you have the DS, you need to divest yourself of this idea that other people are responsible for your health. That you can trust other people with your health.

Your surgeon ONLY has the responsibility to complete a successful operation and see it healing as it should.

It is not logical or reasonable to trust him for anything more.

I think we can both agree that you can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped. And, when people feel that you should have a medical degree & license before you give advice on what they should be doing, there really is only so much you can do, aside from waiting around for them to hopefully realize the error of their ways before it is too late.

I am not assuming, nor have I ever assumed, that anyone is responsible for me and my post-op DS care (other than myself, of course), which is why I, much like 90% of other people on this board, have taken the initiative to research and will likely continue to research for the rest of my life. Am I claiming to know everything? Absolutely not, that is why I'm here. Do I feel that I made the best decision for me based on personal experience and information obtained through research? Yes, I do. My reasons for feeling the way I do about a certain physician and his staff may or may not be "good" enough for you, and that is ok, because not everything is the same way for everyone and not everyone will feel the same on every issue.

I appreciate the fact that you would like to ensure that I trust no one but myself for my post-op care. Rest assured, I am aware that my health is my own responsibility, not my surgeons.