WLS Book Recommendatons

WLS Book Recommendations Original Post by Julie Henderson at 8:06 AM PST on 11/02/2004 This thread has been viewed 117 times Gardendale, AL I'd like here to make two recommendations as to two books on WLS I've recently read and about which I feel very strongly. I consider myself very well informed about WLS, being in the process of wating for approval for RNY and being somewhat of a fanatic in gathering information. I have read everything I could get my hands on for the last 8 months, pro and con, and, of course, realizing that not everything you read is either factual or a balanced opinion, I think my opinions are as objective as any lay person can have filtering the material. I bought these two books at the same time. One I consider excellent information, the other I consider sadly lacking. The first is "the Patient's Guide to Weight Loss Surgery" by April Hochstrasser (2004). I can best explain my reaction to this book by here repeating the email I sent to Ms. Hochstrasser: "I have just finished reading your 2004 book, The Patient's Guide to Weight Loss Surgery. This is the most incomplete and misleading publication I have every read on weight loss surgery! I am appalled at the minor attention you gave to certain subjects (A PAGE AND A HALF !) on the "Positive Aspects of Weight-Loss Surgery" pg. 44)..........and a whole chapter on the NEGATIVE ASPECTS? In the page-and-a-half you devoted to "positive aspects", there is not one word of mention about one of the most phenomenal effects of the surgery: cure or major lessening of diabetes and its terrible effects. Your focus seems to be on body image (fountain of youth), an attitude every knowledgeable person associated with bariatric surgery discourages. This is a procedure for health and mental well-being, not vanity. Your "Personal Stories" section is outrageous. The stories here are goulish, and almost all are so negative that most readers would be influenced so negatively, that you should be ashamed of yourself. I have never seen a collection of first-person accounts on this subject anywhere that is so negatively balanced. Where are the stories of uncomplicated and total success that are all over the very site from which I'm sending this message? I am, frankly, infuriated that I spent my hard-earned money on your almost useless book and for you to state on your back cover that "It is the most current and relaible source of information for anyone who wants to make an informed decision about gastric bypass and bariatric surgery" is laughable. It worries me this book may be the only one that some poor prospective patient out there will read and you have done a disservice to any reader and to those of this community." Please note that this author is a PhD, and her degree is not in medicine. I have had correspondence with her, and she admits that her book and her slant toward this surgery is very much colored by her own negative experience with her WLS and the death of a friend after WLS. She has a statement in her foreword that says, " This book is about Weight Loss Surgery. It neither advocates nor discourages surgery". I believe this book absolutely discourages surgery. If you go to the book review of this book on Amazon.com, you'll see that every reviewer (except me) was scared to death by this book. Please save your $15.95 plus tax. This book is not worth the money or the read, in my opinion. You might also go to Ms. Hochstrasser's profile on this website. You will find that almost the only information she deemed important for her fellow members was that she wrote this book. Please also note, and I herby state, that the text of the foregoing paragraphs are strictly my opinion. Let me also recommend a book I found very informative and balanced. It is "The Doctor's guide to Weight Loss Surgery" by Louis Flancbaum, M.D. (2003).I always approach a book or article written by a bariatric surgeon with a little skepticism, as some are biased in promoting their medical "business". But I found this book full of useful information and a very balanced stance on WLS, which is what we all need. Unlike Ms. Hochstrasser's book, in my opinion, every page of this book has something to offer to inform the reader. The author dosen't push in one direction or the other; he gives you the facts whi*****lude all the risks and benefits, frankly and with documentation. After all I've read on the subject, if I had to recommend only one book to a prospective WLS patient, this would be the one. I hope this information is useful to members of this website and I've helped in some way to protect your pocketbook and conserve your time. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED HERE ARE ONLY THE OPINIONS OF THIS WRITER.

Julie: Thanks for sharing about these two books. Can you or someone else make some recommendations for good post-op books? Stuff to help you and/or your spouse with living the rest of your life post-op. Especially stuff about managing diabetes post-op. My wife had her surgery late October, is in the second week of liquids, looking forward to having just a little real food. Still working to get her insulin pump settings worked out to suit the new her. Using a lot less insulin, but still having blood sugar highs and lows and having to correct. So far, no miracle diabetes cure post-op for her! Thanks! Jim