Customer Reviews

Is It Worth the Weight?: A True-Life Documentary on the Negative Impact of Gastric Bypass Surgery

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This book recounts issue after issue of the bad medical care that the author was given. My question would be 'why did'nt you research your doctor and hospital before you had your surgery? Why did you proceed when you had NEVER met your doctor prior to surgery'? That should have been a giant red flag! If your Psychiatrist wasn't helping you, and you couldn't deal with the weight loss, why didn't you seek out a new one? And no call light to reach your nurse in the ICU? Come on...

This is one woman's story about her reaction to Gastric bypass. It is written in an extemely judgemental and negative approach and I did not enjoy reading it. Yes, we do need to consider the possibilities of what can go wrong, but this book just wasn't in my opinion, the way to go about it.

This didn't steer me away from gastric bypass surgery so much as make me glad I had researched my surgeon, surgical team, and hospital so thoroughly. I had gastric bypass surgery in January 2009, and I didn't have the same problems as the ones described here. I'm sorry that her experience was so bad, and certainly there are many people who have had terrible experiences, but like the other reviewer, there seemed to be a lack of research on the part of the author. If nothing else, this should be proof of how important it is for the individual to be absolutely committed to the surgery, having researched it thoroughly, and have a great healthcare team.

For all those who are negatively responding to this woman's testimonial of the negative impact of Gastric bypass surgery. Obviously and I am happy for you that you have not had any complications to date post operatively. That still does not mean that you are out of the woods. Yes, the surgery is risky but we are consumers and potential patents are not being told the honest truth In fact by the admissions of many doctors they don't recommend the procedure because no one is truly being informed. I don't care how much research you have done, most information out these days are sugar coated. Sounding too good to be true. Most is bull dung. . Many things can happen. even long term out but the medical community particularly those in the bariatric surgery field and those so called Centers of Excellence are a money making scam. You were not meant to have malabsportion and malnutrion issues for the rest of your life. ; and if you doctor says he can reverse it he/she is lying or has no intention of reversing the procedure. It is a quick way to make a buck for them, like it or not you are not seen as a person only a productivity number for making money at your expense not as a human being with a weight issue. I know. I am 27 months post op and all I wanted was to feel better not worse. I spent nearly 5 years researching every thing I could get my hands on. Doctors will lie to insurance companies saying you have this or that condition when you don't, lie about your height and bmi. In fact just in the United States alone has the most lenient qualification criteria for approval. Some not all of the doctors in the US are bad so don't take it the wrong way, but there are more bad apples who will write anything to get your insurance to approve you and make a quick buck. After the surgery they could care less if they ever saw their patients again. I personally went to one seminar where the doctor was arrogant enough to admit that if he never saw you after your post op you would be fine. What a crock and a liar. He is now in a lot of trouble and many of patients have suffered tremediously.
In European countries like Great Britain there is a medical mandate that if a potential patient can get approved and have the surgery once they reach goal and even many over there never reach goal that their bypass has to be reversed at a certain point. Why? because we were never meant to be starved for the rest of our lives. Metabolism gets shot to hell because of the the quick weight loss and longer you are on a very low calorie program you metabolism slows down even with exercise and you will grow weaker, gain weight or organs and bones fail including putting the patient at high risk for heart attacks and strokes and the very worst death.
Don't ostrasize someone who has had complications and blame that person for not doing enough research. The proceedure has been around in one form or another for over 40 years and yet there are no clinical legitimate facts regarding the procedure. Nothing but positivity at the expense of someone desperate for help and not being truly forth coming of all the negative things that can happen not just immediately following the procedure itself but years down the road is highly suspect for me, and should be suspect to everyone else. 40 years and no negative information? Sounds like a major coverup to me.
. Had I known about what I set myself up for in exchange for the hopes of a better quality of life and I spent over 5 years researching doctors and the various procedures l, now know that if I had to do it over again I would rather have remained the way I was and let nature take its course.
I am not against anyone having the procedure, ( that is a personal decision but realize you are not being fully informed and many doctors are speaking out and refuse to recommend it. If it were so safe, wouldn't think famous people like Oprah and other Hollywood celebs would have had the procedure done themselves?
I am not ashamed to admit that I had the procedure, not for vanity reasons but for health reasons. but don't be so damn quick to judge another person who does and ends up with complications that can last a life time. The odds are in favor that it was not the fault of the patient, but the medical establishment. Having the procedure its a person decision that should not be taken lightly. But unless you are have walked in the person's shoes that have had complications keep your mouth shut. Your life isn't over You have no clue as to what they are going through and will go through. I don't wish harm on my worst enemy and those that are out there who have mislead so many but think before you are so quick to judge and those of you that disagree with my view point. To that I say we are all entitled to our own opinions.
Tomorrow is another day it could be your best day or it could be a night mere and your last. Just some food for thought.
Obesity is a widespread epidemic instead of tearing each other down lets support each other out no matter what road you decide to take to get your health and weight under control.
And for others that say weight loss surgery is the easy way out it is not, you have so much more to lose and still have to eat right and exercise. So think twice and then again before you offer an opinion you have no real education on. Many of the people who have had Weight loss surgery lose their lives, but that is not is what is recorded as their cause of death. It is too convenient for the medical establishment to have it set up to blame it either on the patient or some pre-existing condition or a condition they never had in the first place.