liver shrinking diet questions

I am right there with you. Is this legal? I think in my case the doctor/practice is very careful in using the word 'required' rather than something more forceful. I definitely think it is unethical. But unfortunately I don't even think some doctors are above unethical behavior.

I worked in the healthcare industry in the early days of 'managed care' and left b/c insurance companies were 'dictating' treatment plans rather than the providers. I think only the very innocent think there is no 'scratch my back & I'll scratch yours' relationship between some doctors and their friendly 'pharmaceutical' reps! A VERY profitable relationship!

I would have less of a problem with this if I could easily afford the $300 for 2 weeks, but that is at the top end of my grocery budget for my family of 3. I will not deprive them when there are other options that I believe will achieve the same outcome...especially when my surgeon is already making money on my procedure.

And I will shut up now b/c I really don't want to encourage ppl to not follow their doctor's orders. It is just this one particular instance that gets under my skin. And I am not one to usually cause a fuss!

For non-emergency surgery, they can turn you away for lots of reasons. A lot of surgeons won't touch you if there is any nicotine in your system, for instance.

Mine did a nicotine screening on me prior to surgery. He will absolutely not perform WLS on a smoker. He's well within his rights, too, and I get where he's coming from on this issues. Why do WLS on a patient that is going to continue in life threatening behavior?

The shake thing is different altogether, but I can see some pompous a-hole surgeon cancelling surgery if a patient didn't buy his shake **** claiming the patient was showing non-compliant behavior and WLS would be too risky for a non compliant patient.

And if you get tagged as noncompliant, insurance can cancel you. Trying to get an insurance company to reverse a decision once you get tagged as noncompliant can be a big struggle.

 Believe me I'm not going to do anything to risk not getting my surgery you can bet on that 

I'm not sure but they require it 

Congratulations on your 50lb loss that is great I'm smart enough too but I still am going to have to buy some stuff from their store but I'm not buying post op stuff they said they will give me 1 week today that someone else didn't use and donated to people like me they called me today ya hoo.

If my surgeon chose to press the issue & be so asinine as to refuse to do the surgery b/c I would not use his shakes I don't think I would want him to do the surgery. Granted, I am then entering into a power struggle & would lose valuable time already invested in the pre-op process PLUS I am unsure how this would impact my insurance.

However, I wanted to voice my opinion on this b/c not only do I feel it is unethical, but I also think it is unfair for those struggling financially. I have heard/read countless stories over the years of ppl desperately in need of the surgery, but for whatever reason their insurance did not cover it or the co-pays were ridiculously high.

Although this is an 'elective' surgery many do die without it...or suffer from a multitude of serious life-threatening health issues. I feel anything that makes the process more difficult is just SO unfair, and ppl need to know they can at least challenge their doctor's orders or recommendations when they feel the need to do so.

I am 100% behind a surgeon testing for nicotine, illegal substances or anything else that would indicate success is unlikely for a pending patient. I have a relative in the process who has a BMI over 60 & COPD. This person continues to smoke not only cigarettes, but also weed! Maybe they will have an epiphany before surgery, but it is doubtful! To me, this is an indication they are not committed.

Well, I've got a nickel's worth in now so I'll shut up!  

To be fair, medical marijuana has been shown to be effective for treating COPD, and honestly, marijuana isn't as bad for you as a lot of people think. That said, the cigarette use is ill-advised and may cause him issues in getting surgery later down the line.

I agree 100% about the medical marijuana, and I should have mentione that! The issue w/my relative is it is street-bought & you never know what it is laced with.

My husband has a card for MM & it sure beats the 14 pharmaceuticals he was prescribed!

Holy crap..am I back on the pharmaceutical bashing wagon again...lol! Shame on me!