Question:
What kind of teams are out there?

I am kind of curious about this, because I think we have a really great team at my clinic. Surgeons, PA, nutritionists. But still, there are a lot of people who have had the same team who have a lot of questions that I think should be answerable by the WLS team. Then I log on and see a lot of the same questions on the Q/A. Are we just not getting enough answers from the teams at our clinics, or are people not asking? This is just a curiosity I have, and not intended to be sarcastic. I just wonder if we (and this includes myself) are just not asking enough of our professionals, or we don't have what we need from them. Or do we get answers to our questions and not believe what we are told by the people who actually did the procedure? Thanks for your input on this. Also, what professionals are technically on your hospital's "team"? Is there even one? -shelli    — kultgirl (posted on September 11, 2003)

September 11, 2003
Hi Shelli, Your question caught my attention. And for what its worth, my opinion is running along the same lines as yours. I haven't had my surgery yet, but am so close to getting my surgery date it's exciting. I must admit. I felt like this is a rather new procedure and most of us haven't really been exposed to it. which makes us more cautious and more curious. I like hearing the actual experience of each post op it helps with the fear of the unknown syndrome. I read and read and read profiles just to absorb everything. It is helping me with creating my list of questions. it might seem a little or a lot redundant, but evidently its a need by many people who are considering surgery. As for the post ops, I do believe the first questions should always be to the Doctor or surgery team, but there is a special kind of comfort in knowing someone else who has experienced the same problem. Or maybe just a basic question. I see such commaraderie on this site, I think it's great, and I'm proud to be a part of it.
   — SnoJo S.

September 11, 2003
Well, here's the thing ... how do we *know* whether we have a really great team? Because they seem responsive, prompt, caring, personable? Because they've got credentials from good schools? Because they've handled x number of procedures? It's really, really hard to know whether you can really take your doctor's word to the bank, on every single issue that ever comes up, even if he or she is an excellent doctor. I think people assume that a good doctor knows everything there is to know about his area of practice, and that people further assume there's always one "correct" answer to every problem or situation. Neither assumption is true; medicine is far more complicated than that. In my experience with doctors, even very good ones can disagree (and even be wrong) on certain issues. So, reading about other patients' experiences with their doctors can really help me, as a lay person with no medical education, appreciate what types of questions I should be asking so I can feel more confident about the advice I'm receiving, or at least I can feel I've tried to focus my doctor on the right question. We sure can't "practice medicine" based on what we see on the Internet, BUT ... we can learn that there are multiple opinions on common questions or problems, and we can learn from other people's experiences. Plus, the patient perspective is often different from the doctor's, or the "team's." I like my doc, and his team, but I'd say 80 percent of what I've learned and practiced about my WLS, I've learned elsewhere (mostly here, or in the Yahoo OSSG Grads group) ... I might run it by my "team," or I might not, but there's a lot more to this process than what one doctor says. JMHO. :-)
   — Suzy C.

September 11, 2003
In all honesty, I've learned more from this place than I have been able to learn from my team. At my last appointment with my surgeon, I was explaining that I still feel hungry, but after his looking at me and not saying much, I just stated that, I'm probably suffering more so from head hunger. He looked shocked and asked me how did I know about head hunger and proceded to agree with me. I've never been one to sit back and wait for others to give me all the info I need, I visit sites like this and I read all the time. I sort through the info and take what works for me and put that to good use. I go to some of these meetings and the person in charge usually ends up asking me to bring some of my info to the next meeting. I'm not saying these teams don't do a good job, for the most part they do a great job of getting us on the right track. I think that it's all relatively new to many working in the field of wls, so they are not always as advanced in their knowlege of providing all we need. I almost feel like an experiment to some of my team. As with any medical condition, it's very wise to take an active role in aiding in your healing. I've learned from experience that if you don't, you could end permanately impaired or underground.
   — Rosa F.

September 11, 2003
Shelli, Remember that most if not none of the members of your team has probably had the surgery themselves. They may not be aware of all of the day to day problems that pop up for many of us that have already gone through the proceedure. I don't think you necesarrily have to question the members of your team if they have a good track record in the past. However, remember that a lot of the information that you will need to get through day to day with problems that arise can very often come from those of us who have been there. Keep an eye on this web site and ask questions when problems come up. We are all here to support you in your weight loss and you can gather a lot of good information through this discussion board.
   — Jane S.

September 11, 2003
I should have qualified my question with stating that I am nearly 18 months out and have been pretty successful, and am very happy with my team, and thrilled that I had WLS. It has literally saved my life, and I wouldn't go back for anything. That being said... I really want to know what kind of teams are out there, and what professionals make up the teams. My surgeon has told me that his team is unusal in that he hasn't anyone on it who has not had the surgery... but some of the nurses in the aftercare area have. And I know that this is not a "new" procedure... it has been done for decades. It has just has been getting refined to what it is today. I wonder what kind of experiences we are all having in the doctor's offices. Just kind of a personal survey, I guess, out of curiosity. Thanks again for the input. -Shelli
   — kultgirl

September 12, 2003
I just wanted to revisit what I said about the newness of the surgery to some teams. Yes this surgery has been done for decades, but there was a time when you had to travel quite a distance to find a bariactric surgeon in your own home state, now you have them poping up every where. I have friends in the medical field that know the ins and outs and believe me, to some teams this is all still pretty new to some of them, though it's becoming less new, but the after care was not what it is today. WLS, has become big business, so more people are getting into and not all of them are as knowlegable as you may think. I believe it's improving. I've heard horror stories of people not getting the proper after care. My surgeon happens to be very well known in my county, but I have some inside info, that not all would be happy to hear. Nothing that would damage his repatation or anything, he's a great surgeon and I appreciate all he's done for me in the OR. Let's just say, not everyone on every team is as well versed in the after care of post-ops as you may think. This is just my opinion from what I know personally
   — Rosa F.

September 12, 2003
My surgeon's team consisted of him, his office staff, a psychologist, and a nutritionist. I love my surgeon but some of his advice was not appropriate. For example, he told me to take Tums for calcium and prescribed ferrous sulfate for iron. The iron made me sick as a dog. Thanks to this website I found the correct iron and calcium to take. I never took the Tums and didn't have to develop osteoporosis before I knew to take calcium citrate. My nutritionist was very nice but I wish she had told me to follow a low carb diet from the start. I was always told to keep them under 125 grams per day, not the 30g everyone else seems to have been told. As a result I feel my "honeymoon period" was not as successful as it could have been and it's near impossible for me to "no carb" it now. In short, I think most "teams" need a little education.
   — LLinderman

September 12, 2003
Americans are lucky to have a 'team'. Here in Canada it is almost unheard of. There are no seminars, group meetings, information sessions, etc. I have a surgeon 3.5 hours away(that I was lucky to get in to for a consult) and he has a nutritionist in his office once a week. I was given a week by week eating plan for the postop period. That was over a year ago the 1 and only time I saw the nutritionist. I can't even find the paper now. I rely on wls message boards for food ideas-full fluids, puree and soft phases. I know what phase I am in week to week but don't have the examples or measurements of foods I should be having. Daily protein grams were never mentioned just to eat protein first. There are no 'group' meetings set up with the surgeon or the hospital. We are on our own and have set up online groups at yahoo. Again I will say you guys are lucky that you have preop and followup even if some doc's are lacking in some info. The group itself can find the answers online and educate the surgeon :)
   — mary ann T.