Question:
Has anyone had the Dr. that did their psych eval. tell them they'd only lose 50%?
The doctor who did my psych eval. kept asking me would I be upset if I only lost 50% of my desired weight. He stated that this is the "average" for most WLS patients. Has anyone ever heard this? This is very contradictory to what my surgeon told me. But the discrepancy has me kind of worried. — Laura H. (posted on September 26, 2001)
September 26, 2001
WEIRD!!!! My PCP kept saying the same thing... she was like "I hope
you know you will never look like a supermodel, and may never reach your
ideal weight... etc. etc." I thought nothing of it though, as I plan
on commiting myself 100% and whatever results from that is what is
important, as that way I know I have at least tried my hardest... but how
strange I that... I heard the exact same thing. I know a lot of the less
invasive surgeries have lower success rates, but still huge compared to
diet and excercise... maybe thats what they are thinking of... who knows?
But don't let it bother you! Good Luck!
— Deborah W.
September 26, 2001
The ignorance in the medical profession is astounding. Why would you even
consider believing some shrink or simple PCP rather than a surgeon whose
specialty is WLS? Those people are basically clueless, and if they even
know one other person who's had WLS, that's probably what they're basing
their assumptions on. I think you should politely, but firmly, tell them
that they're wrong.
— Leslie F.
September 26, 2001
I agree with Leslie....put your trust in your surgeon. I, myself, am only
4 1/2 months post op and have already lost 50% of my excess weight.....so,
don't worry about it! : )
— Heather W.
September 26, 2001
Listen to your surgeon. I remember when I went in to get my referal, my PCP
said they would not approve me, even though the surgeons office said that
they probably would., Then after i got the approval and told my PCP, he
then said I would never lose more then 50 lbs. Well they did approve me,
and I've lost 70 lbs in less than 2 months. He hates it when I have
appointments with him, I rub it in his face! HA!!! Some medical
professionals have a big chip on their shoulders and are just plain
ignorant , especially about WLS. Just read some of the profiles, many
people have gotten to goal and under.
— [Anonymous]
September 26, 2001
Laura, </p>
A lot of people in the medical profession will tell you this... And I've
heard the Average is 50 - 75%... But this average is being taken from
people who fail with this too.. and it is possible.. I found out that some
people think this is "miracle cure" and expect to be 30 lbs down
coming out of the hospital and then don't properly utilize their
"tool" but then you have the other extreme where people totally
get into their weight loss and loose 100% of thier excess wieght... This
surgery will give you what you put into it... The best of luck through
your journey...
— Elizabeth D.
September 26, 2001
OMG!! Your PCP sounds like my own..who by the way I SUMMARILY DISMISSED
shortly after surgery. I am down 130lbs in 7 months and FEEL INCREDIBLE.
I have about 50 more to go, but even if I stopped at the 180 I am now I
would be content. I AM A PRETTY CHICK after all! Nope, not a super model,
but NOT STARED AT for being 300+ anymore either. DONT LISTEN. Youre doing
this for health reasons first (hopefully) and all the benefits of LOOKING
healthy come second. IF your PCP feels that this isnt the correct avenue
for you then maybe you should find another. Im assuming youve done your
homework and are comfortable with your decision. Once your frame of mind
knows this is right for you, let NO ONE and NOTHING stand in your way.
GOOD LUCK
Tam
— Tam P.
September 27, 2001
I was wondering if the Psychiatrist was trying to assess if you had
"realistic" or "fantasy" expectations of the surgery.
Did you expect the weight to disappear without any effort on your part ?
Or do you expect to have to monitor protein and vitamin intake and
exercise? How would you handle disappointments and plateaus? If the
Psychiatrist was unfamiliar with WLS, in addition, he may have been
"fishing" to see what your expectations were of the surgery. Or
perhaps, he was just a jerk. Either way, listen to your surgeon - he's the
final expert.
— Kathy J.
September 27, 2001
I ran into a pulmonologist like this. Said I would loose some weight and
regain in a year. Really had NO knowledge of current surgeries and no
interest in learning either. I told him he was missinformed and I ignored
him. I have lost 67 pounds in 2 months and will pay out of pocket to see
him again once I loose more weight. My goal is to inform him so he doesnt
discourage others, and possibly cost them their lives. I encourage pre ops
to use their surgeons recommenmded doctors for pre op approvals to prevent
such upsetting events.
— bob-haller
September 28, 2001
My psych evaluator told me that 40% regain every pound. I ran right home
and posted a question just as you did. Plus I emailed my surgeon and said,
huh? I think they do deliberately mis-inform you because they want you to
take it seriously and be prepared for less than perfect results. I think
this is terrible and that anyone doing any pre-op evaluations should be
informed. And lying or exagerating to a patient is unforgiveable. That's
just my opinion.
— kcanges
September 28, 2001
Here is the quote from the American Society of Bariatric Surgery report:
"Mean percent excess weight loss at five years ranged from 48 to 74 %
after gastric bypass and from 50 to 60% after vertical banded gastroplasty.
In a study of over 600 patients following gastric bypass, with 96%
follow-up, mean percent excess weight loss still exceeds 50% fourteen
years.(2) Another 10 year follow-up series from the University of Virginia
reports weight loss of 60% of excess weight at 5 years and in the mid 50's
between years 6 and 10.(39) Multiple other authors have reported 5 and 6
year follow-up of their patient series with similar weight loss results.
(2, 15, 40-44)"
Remember, this is statistics. The "average" amount of weight
loss maintained after 5 years post op was between 48 and 74% of excess
weight. These are numbers, mathematical calculations, not people. Some
people will have maintained 100% weight loss, some will have gained back
ALL of their weight loss, some will have not lost weight at all. And a
whole bunch will be somewhere between those ends of the range.
— BethVBG
September 28, 2001
And, on another note, the average weight loss for a post-op BPD/Ds is about
80%... studies at www.duodenalswitch.com. I was told that one should lose
'roughly' 50% of the excess weight by the fifth month or so to be 'on
track' with getting to normal weight range by 12-18 months post-op. Also,
it is important to distinguish between immediate and long term weight loss
statistics. Perhaps this is where the confusion arises from: One really
should look at the long term weight loss stats (and this, of course, is an
average and NOT indicative of every individual who had a particular
surgery) to get a better indication of how any particular surgery is
effective in the long run. Of course, other variables like compliance,
nutrition, exercise, etc. all play a role, too. All the best,
(laparoscopic BPD/DS with gallbladder removal, January 25, 2001),
— Teresa N.
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