Question:
Anyone have surgerydate cancelled due to weight gain at pre-op (five pounds or less)?
I gained three pounds and Dr. Ali at UC Davis cancelled my Surgery date at pre-op. I understand HIS decision, He thinks I have not shown I am ready to make the lifestyle changes. OH POOH! On Average, I have lost a pound a week since January, but i gained 3 #'s in the last six weeks. I tried to explain this gain; muscle mass , PMS water retention, it didn't work. I seriously want to know if I can be cancelled again for something else even if I do lose 3 #'s? Anyone have any experiences with Dr. Ali? All responses and support will help me to get over this and prepare for the next long month ahead of me? Thank-you — Spy Girl 9. (posted on August 26, 2004)
August 26, 2004
This is totally nuts. What's up with him? Same goes for me......I usually
put on about 4-5 lbs. during my cycle. Either way, when I do weigh in I
get on at least 3 different scales at my doc's office and they usually say
3 different things. Hang in there.
— Lisa J.
August 26, 2004
This is not that unusual. Rules are rules. I have a good friend who went
through this - So where is the cut off? If one person squeeks through with
3 pounds, what about the person who doesn't get through with four pounds?
And what about the people who are smokers, who don't quit and were supposed
to? The rules are there for a reason, and the surgeons don't put them there
to be jerks - they are there for legitimate reasons: for our safety and the
best possible outcome. My girlfriend who went through this, now at nearly a
year post-op is NOT bitter about the pre-op weight-loss and is doing great.
— kultgirl
August 26, 2004
I understand why they have rules about quit smoking and such. It makes the
op easier...but give me a bloody break, if you could lose weight easily you
would not even be having the surgery!
— [Deactivated Member]
August 26, 2004
My Doctor asked that you lose at least 10 pounds before surgery and when I
went back for the appt just before surgery, he was surprised that I had
lost weight. He said that most people actually gain because they are in
"last meal mode". So this Dr. Ali certainly isn't the norm.
— Greg D.
August 26, 2004
personally I think the doctors that 'do this' are on a head trip...
complying post op is nOT the same... your bodies arent the same.
— star .
August 27, 2004
Let me get this right...You have lost 30lbs in the last 9 months yet gained
3 in the last 6 weeks and the doc thinks you are a risk for non-compliance?
Find a new doc.
— RebeccaP
August 27, 2004
Ok - I'm putting myself out here to be flamed but my primary goal is what
is in the patient's best interest so I'm going to tell you the bitter
truth. The surgeon who cancelled the surgery for the 3 pounds gain is #1
NOT on a "head trip" as Helen said. #2 Morbidly obese people can
lose a few pounds at the drop of a hat contrary to what Gen said. I know -
I used to be one. We just can't keep it off. #3 and the surgeon is NOT
totaly nuts as Lisa said. If you think for one minute that compliance
pre-op is different than compliance post op you are 100% WRONG! Sure, it's
different during the honeymoon period because our body has an internal
governor but you ask anyone who hasn't been compliant during their
honeymoon period to come see you when they're 2 or 3 years out. They're
gaining weight! How do I know this? Because that person is in my office
every single day of the week asking me how to fix it....how to get back on
track because they didn't follow the rules, stick to the program and do the
right thing. Linda honey, if anything, you should be thanking God that you
have a surgeon who is making you toe the line. If you follow his program
you will have long term success. I preach to people about developing good
eating habits, staying in a support group, making themselves accountable
for what they eat, supplementing protein, etc. and still they feel they've
been given a "get out of fat free" card. Shelli's comments are
right on the money and until we can stop carrying around this chip on our
shoulders thinking the doctors are jerks for making us follow the rules we
will never experience the degree of long term success that we could have.
You can still have your surgery and go into it with the right mindset. I'm
genuinely sorry for the delay. I personally know how frustrating that can
be but it sounds to me like you've got a surgeon who is determined for you
to be successful and you should be thankful for that and those of you who
disagree and encourage folks not to follow the rules of their program are
only hurting the people you advise. I apologize if I have offended anyone
but I am seeing long term folks EVERY single day who tell me "I wish
I'd followed the rules and listened to the nutritionist, surgeon,
etc." I wish you the very best in your journey and again, I apologize
if I've offended anyone.
— ronascott
August 27, 2004
Rona not all morbidly obese people can lose 3lbs at the "drop of a
hat"! Yes compliance is important and key to success but the surgeon
needs a little common sense. I can see if someone has not lost any weight
or just a few pounds, but when a patient has lost a good amount of weight
and a 3 lb gain comes on that is not common sense, especially if he does
not bother to find out why. For us women when we are premenstraul a 3lb
gain can be easy just from water retention...nothing to do with bad eating
or non-compliance!
— [Deactivated Member]
August 30, 2004
My surgeon request all his patients to lose 10% of their weight before
surgery. This is a major lifestyle change and it is helpful in aiding you
after surgery and it does help some of the risk go down while you are
having surgery.
— Marti M.
August 30, 2004
I can see both sides of this argument. When I first started out I was so
frustrated, I wanted something done yesterday and didn't want to sit
through a weight loss attempt before someone agreed to do surgery on me.
But because of delays in insurance approval, I did lose 41 lbs. pre-op
waiting on Cigna to do their thing. But after reading the many, many
people who have problems post-op, I'm wondering if it's not a good thing to
require a moderate amount of weight loss pre-op, just to see if the patient
is going to be compliant. I'm wondering if it would cut down on much of
the lack of compliance. I had surgery the same day as a woman who started
cheating less than 4 weeks out. She developed an ulcer, fought multiple
malabsorption problems and isn't doing that well now, last I heard from
her. This surgery is a tool--nothing more. It takes compliance with best
recommended procedures for the rest of your life to be successful. Don't
get me wrong, everyone falls off the wagon periodically, but it's new
eating patterns and compliance with the rules that make us successful in
the long term. I know I have to eat the way I do now and exercise daily
for the rest of my life. There's no way around that. But sadly, many I
believe have the idea it's a get out of fat free card and they can do what
they want. Sad, but true.
— Cathy S.
August 31, 2004
Thank You all for taking your time and sharing your thoughts and opinions.
I went to the hospital five days later and loss six pounds. I guess I will
have to pay closer attention to my PMS time of the month. I am still a wee
bit concerned because I am going to have the next pre-op around that same
time next month. I have heard increasing Magnesium and B6 will help
decrease wt. gain at PMS. Any Comments?
— Spy Girl 9.
October 28, 2004
I know this post is a couple of months old, but I just had to put in my two
cents anyway. First, if we could lose a substantial amount of weight, we
would not need the surgery, now would we? Second, if a patient loses a
substantial amount of weight BEFORE the surgery, some insurance companies
will then refuse to pay for it, claiming that you don't actually need the
surgery, since you have proven that you can lose the weight on your own. I
know someone who went through this personally.
— [Deactivated Member]
December 29, 2008
Although, this post is years old, I thought this might help someone who
just comes across it like myself. The reason that you can't gain weight
prior to surgery is because it weight gain is caused by an enlarged liver
and it dramatically increases the surgery risk. The Dr has to push back the
liver to get to the stomach. It is hard enough when the liver is normal
size, but with one large meal, your liver can increase to 6 times its
normal size. Plus, when the liver is enlarged and the Dr goes to move it
out of the way, it can crack and bleed. My Dr told me that he had a patient
in the hospital for 3 extra days once because of this. It is very difficult
to stop a bleeding liver. He also informed me that he will never put
another patient at risk by doing the surgery with a liver that is too
large. He will even cancel once you're open if he thinks its too risky for
you.
— Under C.
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