Question:
If I didn't loose any weight since my first consult will they still perform surgery?
Has anyone had Dr Wernsing and not have surgery because you did not loose 10-20 lbs before surgery. I am scheduled for surgery on October 21st but I haven't been able to loose any weight. — lbruzzese (posted on October 19, 2004)
October 19, 2004
I do not have your doctor but just keep in mind that your doctor may have a
reason that his patients are required to loose weight pre op. I would come
clean to someone in his office and tell them that you have not lost any
weight before you go thru the pre op bowel prep. I also would not want to
be in your shoes and get to the hospital and then be told that he was not
going to do the surgery because of not loosing any weight. I think that
would be more or an embarrassment than anything. Can you call his office
without them knowing who you are and ask your question?
— ChristineB
October 20, 2004
Centers like Make A Wish, and other doctors make you go on a diet before
surgery for a couple of reasons. First, to see if you are committed to
lose weight. Remember, this surgery is a diet tool. If you abuse it you
will grain the weight back and you can have problems because of it. If you
lose about 10% or 20 lbs it improves your health which will help you during
the surgery (possible less problems). But the most important is your
commitment to your new life and eating. If you haven't started changing
your bad habits before the surgery they think you will not change after,
which is true. Good Luck!
— Linda R.
October 20, 2004
You really need to talk to your doctor. Quite frankly, I feel the
requirement to lose weight before surgery to be unfair at the least, and
cruel to set up for failure. I was not required to do that, But I did
start an exercise program on my own to get into better shape preop for a
faster recovery. The whole reason for having this surgery is that diets
simply do not work. If they did we would not need surgery to lose weight.
— **willow**
October 20, 2004
I agree with willow that the requirement to lose weight before hand is
cruel. The reasoning that they want to see that you have a firm committment
in crap. My aunt's heart surgeon did not make her stop smoking before he
cracked her chest and did a heart bypass. Oh, he talked to her about it,
strongly suggested it, but never once did he say he would not do the
surgery if she did not quit smoking because she needed the heart bypass to
save her life. To me it is the same difference. We talk and talk about how
WLS is medically necessary, how it saves our lives, then the docs go and
play mind games like this. All it does is prove to people that hey, maybe
the ins. companies are right and this is elective. If we truly want WLS to
be accepted as a mainstream way of losing and controlling morbid obesity,
the docs need to treat it just like heart bypass, or organ transplant or
whatever major mainstream surgery you want to compare it to. Ok, end of
rant!
— Ali M
October 20, 2004
My surgeon requires all his patients to lose 10% of their weight before he
will do surgery. There have been patients who gained weight or never lost
it and he cancelled their surgery. Loosing weight before surgery lowers
your risk and it also shows how disciplined and determined you are.
— Marti M.
October 20, 2004
I had my surgery at HUP (Pennsy's sister hospital) with Dr. Raper and while
he didn't come out and say that I had to lose weight or surgery would be
cancelled, he encouraged it. My wife put on weight between her initial
consult and the surgery with Dr. Williams (also at HUP) and the surgery
went on as scheduled. But I know of one person recently that put on 16
pounds and her surgery was postponed 3 months with the warning that if she
did not lose *30* pounds by then, her surgery would be further delayed...Go
figure...JR
— John Rushton
October 20, 2004
I initially was trying to see Dr. Wernsing. IT IS A REQUIREMENT OR HE WILL
NOT DO THE SURGERY at least that is what the nurse told me. After he
cancelled my consult 2 times, I decided that maybe he was not the surgeant
for me. I then went to Barix Clinic in Langhorne and they are awesome.
The nurse there told me that why require a person that is having WLS to
loose weight before the surgery. This is why they are here. Some people
can not loose the wait not matter weather they eat right or exercise and
need this additional tool to loose weight.What if someone eats right and
can not exercise due to comorbids? they will loose little or no weight. A
doctor that requires this does want to confrimt that you have discipline to
deal with the new life style post op but if we could eat like post ops do
as preops we would loose the weight. point blank what a WLS post op will
not satisfy a person who has not had WLS our stomachs are much larger and
need more food to fill it up.
— JerseyGirl
October 20, 2004
I had my surgery thru Bariatric Treatment Center, Now Barix Clinics, they
are awesome!!!!!! I think you should check it out if he is going to cancel
surgery. They are no fuss, if you have insurance approval it could happen
pretty quickly. I went from first consult in July, ins approval in August
and surgery in September, and could have had it in August a week after my
approval if I didn't have to give 30 days notice at work. No fuss, no
jumping thru hoops, and they are experts in that this is ALL they do. they
have a proven track record of > 20,000 surgeries done, a good over all
program with as much education as you can get. I loved the big binder of
instructions I got at My PAT's. they have a whole program, not just cut you
and then your on your own like some doctors I have heard about. A big
network of support groups, lifetime followup with a dietician, support when
ever you need it.
— **willow**
October 21, 2004
I just think that dr's who require you lose weight prior to surgery are on
a power trip or something. Really, what is the point? They can come up
with any rationale they want, but if we could lose weight on our own
wouldn't we have done it? My surgeon thinks this is stupid as well. I think
if he won't do your surgery because of something as stupid as this, then I
would find someone else. There are alot of surgeons out there who actually
get it. I would never have gone to anyone who required such a thing or
insisted I go on a 2 week liquid diet. I didn't do any of that and am just
as committed to success as someone who did. Sorry for my rant, but I am
bugged by such things.
— [Deactivated Member]
October 21, 2004
I agree with willow BTC now Barix is the best! Had my first consultation
with BTC in 9/2001 couldnt decide on weight loss surgery-- finally made the
big decision so I had another consultation in 9/2002 weighing 35lbs more
than the previous year...was approved in October, preop testing in November
and had surgery 12/23/2002! I had a great surgeon who didnt make me jump
through hoops and understood diets dont work. I have heard of another
group of surgeons in my area who demand you lose at least 20 - 25 lbs
before surgery and put you on a liquid protein diet for six weeks prior to
surgery. Most of these post-ops have problems later eating meat, etc. Not
sure why. Find another surgeon and best wishes to you!
— debmi
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