my disclaimer

poet_kelly
on 1/13/12 1:04 am - OH
The abbreviation "nut" cracks me up too.  I usually say dietician, and I am hoping most people are referring to a registered dietician when they say "nut."  Nutritionist is a general term that anyone can use, so they may be without formal education in nutrition and are not regulated or licensed in any way.  I hope people are not really just seeing a "nut" but seeing a registered dietician, who does have a college degree and is regulated by the state.

View more of my photos at ObesityHelp.com          Kelly

Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR.  If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor.  Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me.  If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her.    Check out my blog.

 

Kim S.
on 1/13/12 1:09 am - Helena, AL

Thank goodness you do care!  My doctor completely ignored my declining D and without your knowledge and offer of assistance to look at labs, I'd be in a deficiency right now.

Thank you so much for caring and all you do for the OH community.

Kim

             
     
beth1010
on 1/13/12 1:12 am
RNY on 08/01/11 with
Kelly,

You have patiently answered questions for me on a number of occassions. While you are not a doctor you might be one of the most well informed resources on this board. Always with information to back up your knowledge. Without your advocacy countless people would probably be vitamin deficient.  Any one remotely intelligent knows that if they aren't sure about a suggestion they can take that information into their doctor for a discussion.

Thank you for your continued ability to stick around here and pay your knowledge forward.
Keeves
on 1/13/12 3:48 am - Elizabeth, NJ
Many thanks to Kelly and Lora and all the others -- I guess that would mean the entire Message Board membership -- who post here and help us gain this extra knowledge, and help us figure out the whole maze that we're traveling.

I'm not sure what is motivating me, but there's something else I'd like to say, and I hope it comes out right: Kelly is (of course) correct when she says that we should not rely on her, but that we should learn as much as we can about all this, and from a wide variety of proper sources. But that doesn't apply only to us -- it applies to our doctors too. And if Kelly is fallible, it isn't because she's not a medical professional - it's because she's a human. And the doctors are humans too. And let's keep in mind that a surgeon is a surgeon -- he's not a dietician!

At my checkup yesterday, I spoke with my surgeon (for almost a half minute) about developments in the bariatric field since he did the RNY on my wife seven years ago. He has learned a lot, and he has modified his rules and procedures. But it was needless to say that much of what he's learned relates to surgical procedure, and not so much relates to what vitamins are needed 3 years later!

My point is that when someone says "Don't follow OH blindly. Take it with a grain of salt and check with your surgeon." -- that too must be taken with a grain of salt! Is this question really one for the surgeon, or might it be better suited for your dietician or PCP?
  
poet_kelly
on 1/13/12 3:52 am - OH
I actually hope my surgeon does spend more time learning about surgical techniques than vitamins.  I don't want a dietician operating on me!  Of course, it would be nice to have one professional that could do it all - and fix my car and my blender, to boot - but I have yet to find that person.

View more of my photos at ObesityHelp.com          Kelly

Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR.  If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor.  Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me.  If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her.    Check out my blog.

 

Keeves
on 1/13/12 4:04 am - Elizabeth, NJ
Exactly my point! 
  
swannys22
on 1/13/12 4:03 am - MI
very very new to this , i havent even been scheduled for surgery yet, but please please please keep giving advice about anything i have learned so much on this site i am on it everyday. I have had my pre surg visit and seen a dietition but so much more i have learned on here just by reading THANK YOU FOR CARING AND HELPING ALL OF US. Some will listen some will not. Like you said that is their choice.
april89love
on 1/13/12 5:13 am - NC
Having had my surgery in Mexico, my pcp has done all my follow-up care. He is quite knowledgable about bariatrics but he does not know alot about vitamin D. I had to do my own research for that. Of course my research was following advice given on this forum. I did almost no research prior to surgery, so without all of you I would be lost. I am very thankful to have the veterans who care enough to tell us the truth.

 Sandy

HW 225, SW 219, GW 140, CW 124

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!  
    

Cleopatra_Nik
on 1/13/12 5:38 am - Baltimore, MD
Uh...Kelly? I trust your advice!

(Sorry...SOMEBODY had to say it!)

Anyhoo...our community is very unique in that the information given varies so widely. Some of us have very good surgical practices with up-to-the-moment advice. Others...not so much.

And even if we do have good surgical practices, we somehow feel "funny" calling them for every little question (as if their obligation to us, through what they were paid, ends once the surgeon stitches you up).

So all that is to say we are a very peer-reliant community. And within that there are certain generous souls like yourself who are willing to share what they learn with others. What I like about you is that this is stuff you are genuinely interested in. You never seem burdened by questions nor do you admonish folks (read: me) for not knowing more than they do. You have a gentle way about you, Kelly.

But what you say is true. You're not a doctor. Few of us here are (I think a few lurkers might be though!). I always tell folks if you are TRULY concerned for your health right at this moment, call your doctor! Otherwise, we're happy to share our experience, but folks should always take everything, even what doctors tell them, with a grain of salt. Science is not perfect. Precise, yes. Perfect, no.

Remember everyone, Socrates tells us that the unexamined life is not worth living. Examine EVERYTHING.
Kat Kat
on 1/13/12 8:16 am - AZ
Okay, I really tried to stay calm on this one. When I first read this thread I wanted to start ranting! I walked away thinking I'd calm down, and collect myself. Then I came back a bit later, and had to walk away once more, only to return again this time, and my reaction is still the same, so I'm done holding back. "You have got to be "F"ing Kidding me?!?! Someone admonished Kelly for all the information she have given us, and the time she's selflessly spent here helping others even in the wee hours of the morning, and on major holidays?!?!?!  

If I had listened solely to my Surgeons office which BTW is the Bariatric section of the worldwide  renowned Johns Hopkins,  I'd have had some serious problems without Kelly's help. Their Dietitian advised me that Flintstone Vitamins were okay , I was given the wrong D vitamin when my levels were low, I was taking 2 Multis at once because they did not specify taking them separately. Just recently, Kelly gave advise to a recent post-op regarding calcium, and  because of it I rechecked my bottle only to discover I was taking less then half of my required dose. Oh and I almost forgot to mention that I am able to prolong a surgery because I developed serious hemorrhoids due to constipation because Kelly had information which now allows me to keep them under control, until my schedule allows me to take a few weeks off. I'm busy, and do not have time to do all the research she has done. I treasure, and am thankful for her advise. I look at the links she has spent so much time finding and providing  for our reference....even the ones I didn't  know  existed until she  shared her wealth of knowledge.

 I hope whoever said this is reading this thread to realize how ignorant you really are. I also hope you're  hanging your head in shame right now. Believe me when I say this, living with the type of ignorance you have is NOT BLISS.

I suggest in the future that if you don't want to be in a community that shares, and do not know how to filter out Internet advise then your time might be better spent making doctors appointments, and sitting in his/her waiting room rather than in this forum. Oh and I think you might want to start by blocking me because like Kelly, I care enough to share and try to help.

Another alternative might be to take the high road, and apologize to Kelly, and we can just start over.

I'm not sorry that I didn't namby pamby around on this one, because Kelly's advise has helped me stay healthy, most probably prolonged my life, and allowed me not to suffer from vitamin deficiencies. (THANKS KELLY!)

Kat

            

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