Customer Reviews

The Patient's Guide to Weight Loss Surgery: Everything You Need To Know About Gastric Bypass and Bariatric Surgery

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I have just finished reading The Patient's Guide to Weight Loss Surgery. This is the most incomplete and misleading publication I have every read on weight loss surgery! I am appalled at the minor attention given to certain subjects (A PAGE AND A HALF !) on the "Positive Aspects of Weight-Loss Surgery" pg. 44)..........and a whole chapter on the NEGATIVE ASPERCTS?

In the page-and-a-half devoted to "positive aspects", there in not one word of mention about the single biggest and most phenomenal effect of the surgery: cure or major lessening of diabetes and its terrible effects.The focus seems to be on body image (fountain of youth), an attitude every knowledgeable person associated with bariatric surgery discourages. This is a procedure for health and mental well-being, not vanity.

The Personal Stories" section is outrageous. The stories here are goulish, and almost all are so negative that most readers would be influenced with a picture of this subject akin to a horror story. I have never seen a collection of first-person accounts on this subject anywhere that is so negatively balanced. Where are the stories of uncomplicated and total success that are included in almost any other publication on the subject and all over the internet?

I am, frankly, infuriated that I spent my hard-earned money on this almost useless book and the statement on the back cover that "It is the most current and relaible source of information for anyone who wants to make an informed decision about gastric bypass and bariatric surgery" is laughable. It worries me this book may be the only one that some poor prospective patient out there will read and the book has done a disservice to any reader.

If you want good information, save your money.

I have read numerous books on the weight loss surgery beforehand and I have to say this is the worst one. It is scary to read preop. It focuses on the death rate (which if you are considering this surgery you already know it) but the author goes into detail about it.
It makes you feel like a failure that you need this surgery. It repeatedly lists that after time you will basically gain back 50% of the weight back.
It devotes a whole chapter to negative aspects of the surgery but not much info on the positive aspects of it.
The only good thing about this book is the weight loss surgery quiz.

I am a post RNY person and this book while offers some different perspectives and yes, some very scary personal experiences from a few people doesn't do the surgery justice. Everyone is different and while all of us go through our own experiences w/ the surgery, going in (if you did your research) knows the pros & cons. For many of us the pros outweigh the cons a 100 to 1! It is a very viable and safer now than ever before option for many of us who are dealing w/ obesity. It's hard for me to appreciate such negative-ness about something that while yes, it's not a quick fix and yes,you better be aware of the problems that could result ,you are most responsible for the outcome. You can't do what you did that caused wt. gain, you have to change. That's what it's all about! Hundreds of people have had really great results and live a much more productive life than they had previously! My personal journey is mine, no one else's. So to yours will be if you go this route. It's 2007 and the medical changes and updates and experience grows daily! My personal opinion is this book doesn't do gastric bypass justice in 2007. I'm a happier, healthier and thinner person for it! There are much better books than this out there that cover the pros and cons, save your money on this one!

This book was extremely informative and helpful. You need to read it if you are thinking about weight-loss surgery. It laid out the various procedures in a way that anyone could understand. The best part was the section containing testimonials from many individuals who have had both good and bad experiences. You know exactly what to expect and how it might affect you life: personal, work, friends, social, self-image, energy levels, eating enjoyment, and general well-being aspects were all addressed. This is a must read for anyone considering weight-loss surgery.

knowing someone that is morbidly obese and considering surgery, i purchased this book for them after hearing about it on a local radio show. it contains very extensive knowledge describing all the major operations, diagrams of the procedures available as well their side affects. the author goes into detail about psychological affects of being morbidly obese in todays society, as well as the mental transformation people must make post op.

one part of the book i found touching were the personal stories of morbidly obese people and their journeys through surgery. some of them were very eye opening tells of people that almost died on the operating table.

all in all i found this book a good starter for anyone who is planning on having surgery, or if you know someone that is thinking about. this book is a true "guide" and does not try to paint weight loss surgery as a rosey image like the many news stories on televison. a great read that covers all the bases and will probably be something handed out in doctors offices!

I am currently considering WLS and wanted to hear about the negative aspects of the surgery. I thought the personal stories, while sometimes disheartening, gave me a lot to think about and discuss with my doctor. I don't think this book is anti-WLS, it just doesn't present it as a fix-all for obesity. The quiz was interesting and maybe should have been at the beginning of the book rather than at the end. It's easy to skip around, rather than reading from start to finish. This will be a book I will share with my loved ones as I continue to research options.

This book ought to be required reading for anyone who has ever gone on a diet. I didn't know about the different types of weight loss surgery. It was explained in a precise way with very clear illustrations.

The second part of the book is about why dieting will never work. Move over Dr. Phil. This book challenges what I thought I knew about dieting and weight loss. It tells why dieting only adds more fat in the long run. Dieting takes off as much lean body mass as fat and if you don't exercise, you put on a greater proportion of fat than you lost. I wish I had know that 30 years ago. Maybe I wouldn't be interested in weight loss surgery now.

Then the third part of the book was the most interesting to me. The case histories were not the 'lala' everything is wonderful cases you hear about on TV. These people had real-life problems with their surgeries and some of them ended up happy and some of them ruined their life with their choice. Especially Floyd, the man who died as a result of weight loss surgery. Imagine having to be moved around with a hoist because you were so large. It moved me to tears. It's high time someone wrote a book like this with a realistic view of weight loss surgery.

I was looking for something like the quiz that is included in the very back of the book. It's kind of like a second opinion about whether I should consider weight loss surgery. I was surprised by some of the questions. For example: "If there were no mirrors in society, could I be happy with myself right now?" I would have to answer 'yes' and I guess that says a lot about who I would be having the surgery for.

I also liked the story about the subway system experiment. I've often sat on a subway and wondered about my fellow travelers, but never had the courage to say anything to them. This experiment showed me that most of us feel lonely in a crowd and would welcome the right kind of interest from others.

The tone of the book was very professional and it made me think twice before jumping on the bandwagon for weight loss surgery.

This book had some interesting info, but the anti-WLS bias is evident throughout the book. SO many negative stories and "personal testimonies"...I started thinking, if WLS is so bad, why do they still perform these surgeries?

I realized that I had to take this book with a grain of salt, and also remember that is COMPLETELY outdated at this point (2010). If you're thinking about WLS, don't bother with this book.

This book focuses so much on the negative of gastric bypass surgery that it makes me wonder if the author's research was up to date with the current procedures, death and complication rates. This is the first book that while claiming objectivity was actually negatively slanted. The personal stories were horrifying. For a more objective and thorough book I would suggest "WLS for Dummies".