Question:
My surgeon says I have too loose 50 lbs. has anyone else heard of this?
My surgeon wants me to loose at least 50 lbs. He says that I wouldn't fit in the mri machine ,that the weight limit is 300 lbs. I weigh about 390.Has anyone else heard of this.I would appreciate any input. — Patricia Stephenson (posted on May 18, 2005)
May 18, 2005
It sounds like the doctor is holding you to the limitations of the
machinery and equipment at the hospital he plans to use. Can you find
another doctor, or will this doctor allow you to go to a hospital that has
larger equipment? The hospital I was in had equipment specifically designed
for large patients such as wider wheelchairs, sturdy beds, larger sized
gurneys, etc. Even the hospital gowns were large enough for us bariatric
patients. It was the first time a hospital gown covered me entirely!
— Shayna T.
May 18, 2005
Ask your doc if there is a place that has a open MRIm You should not have
any problem
— Betty G.
May 18, 2005
My suggestion is to look for another surgeon who doesnt require the weight
loss due to "equipment issues". If the hospital your current doc
works at isnt equipt well enough now to offer you as a patient the
necessary tests for your life-saving surgery, then how will they be during
and after the procedure? Also at the same time, since you are seeking a
new doc anyways, I would look for one who has experience and is skilled in
working with high BMI patients. Those docs already have the necessary
equipment to deal with bariatric patients and most even understand that its
not that easy to lose 50# just because they would like us to be smaller.
They have the skill to operate no matter if we are 100 pounds overweight or
300 pounds overweight. Just make sure you check out all aspects and go
with who you feel most comfortable and not just the closest.
Although I noticed you are in Marietta...you have an excellent DS doc right
in your own city. I would beg that you call Dr. Dennis Smith Jr. and at
least go to a consultation with him. He does all the surgeries - RNY, DS,
and LapBand. That is a definate plus because he wont be biased on one
surgery over the other and give you false information. He will most likely
offer you what is your best option for your current health situation and
for your long-term success.
His site info can be found on (www)(dot)advancedobesitysurgery (dot) com
I personally travel 3 hours (6 hrs roundtrip)to Chicago for my surgeon and
all my followups and I am glad I did. And I have no regrets. =)
Good luck on your journey to better health.
— ImANewDee
May 18, 2005
been there, and its not just a weight requirement on the machine.the MRI
report can read...poor imageing due to large body habitis....meaning i was
to dame fat for the test and they couldnt get a conculisve report.now that
i have lost 92lbs...im having another MRI to see what really going on. you
other option is a sit-down MRI..but the "large body habitis" can
cone into play there also. All the Best! Tracey
— traceybubbles
May 18, 2005
See if you can find a "stand up" MRI. My mom is claustrophobic
and could not take going through the tunnel so they had her go to a special
facility that had a stand up MRI where it's like a little room. Ask your
doctor if he knows where one of those are.
— Kara J.
May 18, 2005
I have never heard of having to lose 50lbs before surgery, but i have heard
of 10-20lbs. My surgeon only requires me to be on a 10 day liquid diet,
which will probably cause some weight loss.
— lovejj01
May 18, 2005
Find a new surgeon,one who is equipped to handle someone of your size. A
MRI isnt a normal pre op test, whats it needed for? You can ask on the
georgia state message board too, for futher info.
— bob-haller
May 19, 2005
Yes, most definitely and I hear it all the time. You are in the super
obese category and with that comes a fatty liver. With a fatty liver it
makes it much more difficult for a surgeon to maneuver around and actually
perform the surgery. Also, it makes the complication rate less and
recovery much much easier. It could also be that your surgeon you decided
on wants to know you are going to dedicate yourself after surgery. It will
be work in the end. I struggle with maintenance daily. I was at 287 the
day of surgery and my surgeon had told me as well to lose weight prior to
surgery. So yes it is VERY normal for a surgeon to require this. Good
luck darlin and I wish you much luck in your journey. YOU CAN DO IT
girlie!!!!! Hugs..Erika
— Egyptianeyesdiva
May 19, 2005
I would say look for a new surgeon. We can get so sucked into wanting this
surgery so bad we forget that we have options and it is our body and we can
choose a Dr. who meets out needs. Not just jump on the first doctor you
see.
— **willow**
May 19, 2005
— [Deactivated Member]
May 19, 2005
Thank you Diana Cox! that was put so well that I'd like to save it to
forward to every person who has to deal with this!
— **willow**
May 19, 2005
Yes I have heard of some surgeons and insurance companies requiring some
patients to lose some weight before doing surgery. I am just grateful mine
doesn't. I weighed 300 when I applied but when I went to weigh in, I
weighed 287 and don't know how. But yes I have heard of it and I hope this
helps.
— Angelfirewithwings
May 19, 2005
Diana, I would LOVE to see your documented information!!! I disagree and
honestly don't believe everything you just stated. There IS documented
information and I hope YOU do your research and your surgeon before you
start giving out medical advice to a preop. My boss' best friend is a
liver Transplant surgeon at Baylor and wholly agrees with the fatty liver
FACTS. My two cents!
— Egyptianeyesdiva
May 19, 2005
Let me just tell you that I wish now that I had been required to lose some
weight before my proximal RNY. My preop weight was 368 lbs. I lost 120,
regain has been about 10-15 lbs and there I stay. My lowest weight was
247. At 6' tall I would have liked to have at least gotten below 200.
Perhaps I should have asked more questions, discussed Distal vs Proximal.
Not sure my surgeon does distal surgeries. But one thing is certain in my
mind losing some weight would not have hurt me in any case. I also would
have benefited from learning and applying some of the eating habits/diet
required post-op. If you do not choose to look for another dr, do not
look at required weight loss as a totally negative requirement.
— SARose61
May 19, 2005
I am not Diana Cox, but I do know what my own research has shown me about
the liver. Here is what I copied from the American Liver Foundation's
website: "Obese patients with fatty liver will have reduction or loss
of excess fat in liver cells, as well as in other cells in the body, if
substantial weight loss can be achieved." -- Basically it is saying
that substantial weight loss will reduce a fatty liver, is 10-15 pounds
substantial when, like me, you need to lose 100+ pounds as a pre-op? My
surgeon does not require weight loss before surgery nor does he put you on
a diet of any kind pre-op. I was put on a liquid diet by my PCP prior to
surgery with the blessing of my surgeon, but it was NOT a surgical
requirement. You can read more about non-alcoholic fatty liver disease at
the American Liver Foundations website
http://www.liverfoundation.org/db-select/articles/CatNonAlcy/1/1/ascend/Validated
Also read this from the hepatitis central under the title of Fatty Liver
and Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis: "Cirrhosis, due presumably to
nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, may be found unexpectedly in up to 6% of
patients undergoing gastric bypass surgery for morbid obesity. Most
surgeons do not view the discovery of subclinical cirrhosis at surgery to
be a contraindication to proceeding with gastric bypass surgery despite a
reported perioperative mortality rate of 4% in this group of
patients." This is website
http://hepatitis-central.com/hcv/liver/surgery/risk.html My other reference
is http://www.americansurgical.info/abstracts/2005/28.cgi where it states:
"Surgically induced weight loss results in significant improvement of
NAFLD and of the metabolic syndrome." From
http://www.gastro.com/html/liverdisease/fatty_liver.shtml it reads:
"To find out for certain whether a patient has fatty liver requires
that a sample of liver tissue be obtained (biopsy). Images of the liver
obtained by an ultrasound test or by a computed tomography (CT) scan can
suggest the presence of a fatty liver." And lastly, from
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3225/is_12_69/ai_n6158102 (which
did not include patients who had WLS, but their findings are significant
since the person asking the question is a pre-op): "The authors
conclude that even though weight reduction is considered an effective
therapy for nonalcoholic fatty liver, few data support or refute this
recommendation. They add that there is a need for randomized controlled
trials to determine whether weight reduction in these patients is
beneficial."
— Shayna T.
May 20, 2005
Some doctors require that you lose weight before surgery to decrease the
size of the liver. The liver sits on top of your stomach and it is more
difficult to do the surgery if it is large. It will make surgery safer for
you. Mona
— monymony
May 21, 2005
I would just like to say if we could loose 50 pounds on our own we would
not be hqving surgery in the first polace...I think you should check out
more surgeons and get more opinions..Just my opinion..have a nice day...
— mystic0619
May 21, 2005
I think the previous posters have made very good points. But to play
devil's advocate, there are circumstances under which I don't think this is
a bad requirement. <P> Chances are, your diet history fits into one
of three categories. First, maybe you have a diet history of busting your
butt to lose weight only to regain it. Second, you have a history of
busting your butt and honestly couldn't lose the weight no matter how hard
you tried. By that I mean, full compliance with a good plan but no weight
loss, not inability to stick with a good diet 'n exercise plan for any
length of time. Or,third, you have a history of never really dieting and
exercising long enough to see what's involved. Based on questions I see
here, I have the impression WLS patients come from all three groups.
equirements of a prior diet history. <P>If you belong to Group 1
(can lose it, but can't keep it off), you can meet the 50-lb loss
requirement. Why? Because unlike every other failed diet you did before,
you'll have surgery here to keep you from regaining that weight, and to
help you lose a whole lot more.<P>If you're in group 2, then this
requirement is total B.S. because you'll never be able to meet it, and so
it's time to get a new doc.<P>If you're in group 3, this isn't an
unreasonable requirement. Plenty of people regain as post-ops because the
same habits they could never reign in as pre-ops return, and it's easy to
"eat around" any WLS surgery in the long run. Having some real
dieting skills to blend with your WLS helps fight that. <P>Just
another perspective. I just don't see this as an outrageous thing to
require (unless you're in group 2, which I believe very few people are).
This is a life-saving operation being offered here. To me, this seems a
small price to pay for getting yourself on the road out of Morbid Obesity,
and makes you a more active participant in the process than those who
"last-supper" their way into significannt pre-op gain.
— Suzy C.
May 21, 2005
I think, if I were you, I would just do what your dr has asked. He is the
one who is doing the surgery. My doctor has also asked that I take off some
weight (I weigh 415) before surgery. And for all of you people who are
saying get another dr, get another dr..... let me tell you a story about a
lady that I met at my dr appt the other day...
As I sat there, trying to read a magazine (I couldnt I was too excited
about seeing my WLS dr for the 1st time) a really pretty lady came in. I
asked her after a few, if she was there to see my dr, and if she knew if
the appt took a long time. She said that it was her 1st time, and that she
was from OK. She stated that she was sent to see my dr as a last resort.
She said that her dr had NO requirements, and that he took her right in for
surgery. He did not do her surgery correctly, and she couldnt eat anything
without throwing up. THis went on for a year and a half! Finally when they
realized that something was wrong, her esophagus was damaged. She cant
swallow anything and keep it down any more. She eats out of a tube from her
arm, and was going to my dr to see if he could save her life!!!!
DO WHAT YOUR DR SAYS!!! Dont take other peoples word for it. If you dont
trust your dr to be able to do the surgery, then change your dr. Whatever
the case...please listen to your dr!
— bawana
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