My surgeon and I disagree...imagine that

So I went to a dinner-talk the other night that my surgeon was speaking at.  The topic "What's new in Bariatric surgery".  Honestly the only reason I went is because my BFF is his surgical assistant and I was there to support her.  It was a group of other providers so the format was pretty low-key and open discussion.

I left in shock at some of the things he said...

1)  There really isn't much malabsorption with RNY at all
2)  You really don't have to worry about deficiencies with RNY and you only do to some extent with DS
3)  If someone is deficient in Vit D - prescribe 50k iu's D2 qweek for 4 weeks
4)  His annual lab list looked grossly anemic
5)  RNY patients don't dump after 9-12 months
6)  Reactive hypoglycemia is not really a problem
7)  You don't need to worry about time-release medications - they work just fine.

...I'm sure there was more but I was so steaming hot mad that I believe my brain quit processing the garbage coming out of his mouth!

Yes - I did correct him on all of his inaccuracies and told him he should stick to cutting and sewing and let someone more knowledgeable give talks and lectures.  He's sort of a friend of mine and he actually expected me to correct him on a lot of it but something tells me that he has no intention of changing his power-point presentation to reflect the correct information.

Don't worry folks...I'm working on him and I WILL wear him down.  Fortunately he is in surgery 98% of the time and only in the office 2% so his patients are followed up by PA's who are more open to what's "real".   They aren't up to par yet either but I'm bombarding them with references and articles to get them there.

It's no wonder we feel like we are led by the blind when it comes to post-op stuff!

Right on! 

 Where did he dream that stuff up? It sounds more like a sales pitch than a lecture.  He's downright dangerous, Bekah.

--gina
 

Bekah, I linked other folks to this post on a FB group I belong to. It's led by a dietitian who has posted here from time to time. I hope you don't mind.

--g

Whatis the name of the FB group?

Who was the audience?  So was it our PCP that were getting this misinformation or folks considering surgery? 

Really scarey.

PCP's

Wow.  Another reason to stay on top of current research instead of assuming the surgeon knows everything.  Before my lapband I thought I had done enough research.  My surgeon's presentation convinced me it was the way to go.  What a mistake.  Before my RNY I had plenty of time to realize I could make more informed decisions.  We have to stop believing our doctors are gods.

That is pretty scary that information like that is coming from a weight loss surgeon.  Good luck getting him to correct the misinformation he is giving out.

My surgeon told me vits for life and to make sure I could handle it prior to surgery, if not -- don't do the surgery.  Of course - they don't like the protein drinks, so I guess they all have their ups and downs!!

Linda

This guy sounds like a narcissistic A-Hole, who doesn't read the literature. When I was researching the literature, prior to my surgery, the research was very definitive on the need to supplement, the malabsorption issues with the RNY and DS, need for complete labs, reactive hypoglycemia, and dumping syndrome. What planet is he from, that he doesn't base his practice and presentations on the evidence? This guy is very dangerous and should be reported to a medical board for malpractice.