VERY important print out for all BAriatric peeps!

  PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE

GO TO THE LINK BELOW, READ IT, PRINT OUT SEVERAL COPIES, KEEP ONE IN YOUR BAG, WALLET, CARS, AND TO give one to YOUR LOVED ONES AND FORWARD TO ALL BARIATRIC FRIENDS AND FAMILY!

docs.google.com/viewer

WHY?  BECAUSE IT CAN SAVE WLS PEEPS LIves!

 This may be an easier to read version


asmbs.org/download/er_poster/ASMBS_ER_Poster9-20-10.pdf

I've seen this on other sites and have a real problem with it. This is something that any decent doctor will look for on anyone that shows up in the emergency room with any of those symptoms. It doesn't really change just because our anatomy has changed. Yes, I know it was put out by ASMBS, but that doesn't make it good. What is does is make people run to the ER for every little twinge in the belly. Yes, there are some serious complications that can occur and because our anatomies are adjusted it may make treatment difficult but the diagnostic process is the same. They will not go in looking for something just because you show up with a piece of paper that says 'looks for this because. . . . . ." Diagnosis is based on symptoms and test results. Treatment is based on what is found and adjusted accordingly to the individual. You also do not need your bariatric surgeon to treat some of these complications. He/she is not going to be the one to treat an embolism - that would be a vascular doctor. If it is your pouch, sleeve or band, yeah maybe he/she needs to know but a gastroenterologist is going to be called first. 

I could go on and on about this but I won't. I know that I am going to have my head bitten off as is.  

Debbie,

 Thanks for yuor input and thoughts... I actually considerd some similar concerns before I posted this.. I never discourage anyone from voicing their opinion and would never "bite off your head".
I agree that some may abuse this knowledge but feel the plusses of having the "knowledge" outweighs the possible negative effects you mention.
It has been my experience, similar to others I know, that the medical community in general is not educated on WLS and feel anything we can do to help ourselves is important.
Please continue to share yuor thoughts and knowlegde...
(((Hugs)))
Maryellen

 Mary Ellen - I didn't mean you when I made that comment. I don't think the people that would do it visit this board. They don't live in NY and I'm not sure I even see them on OH too much. 

The thing that we all need to realize is, that as long as the ER doc knows what TYPE of surgery you have had he/she can start diagnosing and treating. And even if you were unable to tell them, some of the testing that they would do to diagnose is going to tell them.

I have the same feelings about medical ID bracelets for bariatric surgery. Not needed. The information that most people include on them is not helpful. And making them look like jewelry makes them very invisible to EMS. 

I'm going to get off my soapbox. Thank you for letting me vent.  

I know someone who collapsed at the state fair.  If it wasn't for a medical ID bracelet the EMT looked for, while the other EMT was about to dump OJ with Sugar into her mouth....she'd definitely be in the ER. 

Medical ID bracelets are useful!!!  Especially when you put no concentrated sweets, no blind NG tube (Yes, I know of a hospital that did that on a different WLS person and had the pouch perferated!!! - they had no bracelet and was unconscience)

 Don - any nurse that perfs a pouch (or stomach for that matter) needs to have his/her license revoked. We (nurses, I am one) have all been trained that if you meet resistance to stop pushing - something is in the way or you've hit the wall. The force needed to go through that wall is tremendous and the tubes are flexible, they will generally curl before going through.

As for the concentrated sweets - a high blood sugar or dumping is better than dead. You can die from a low blood sugar. A high one is much more easily treated and rarely fatal. Dumping while painful and potentially embarrassing, goes away. I for one would much rather have an EMT pour sugar and OJ in me than die. 

Medical ID tags have their place, but the information on them needs to be pertinent. All that is needed for us is the type of surgery that has been had and the hospital that it was done at. Listing the doctor that did it is not helpful. They retire or in my doctor's case, die.

As I said before, testing and treatment does not change just because we have had our insides rearranged. I know several WLS patients (bands, pouches and sleeves) and other friends all being treated for ulcers - testing and treatment is identical for all. And they all went through ERs before being referred to gastroenterologists. No one was referred to a surgeon.