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Emf122872
Member
very interesting article thanks for sharingSpeaking of psych evals, here's a really rich government abstract about all the aspects and motivations found there:
Psychological Assessment of the Patient Undergoing Bariatric Surgery
The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the critical domains assessed during the psychological evaluation of candidates for bariatric surgery. Although no formal standard exists in the literature, there is growing recognition of the important ...www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
"The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the critical domains assessed during the psychological evaluation of candidates for bariatric surgery. Although no formal standard exists in the literature, there is growing recognition of the important elements to be addressed and the appropriate means for collecting the necessary data to determine psychological readiness for these procedures. Information regarding the components of the clinical interview and the specific measures used for psychological testing are discussed. Given the limited data on predicting success after surgery, determining psychological contraindications for surgery is addressed. Additionally, the multiple functions served by the psychologist during this assessment procedure are highlighted along with the value of this procedure in the patients' preparation for surgery...
dianeseattle
Member
It shocks me that the government publications still don't know what we need to know about basic nutritional needs after surgery. I had surgery 14 years ago and it was really hard to take care of my supplemental needs back then. I was told I had to have two chewable vitamins daily and no others were advised. But now bariatric nutrition is an industry tied to insurance companies and that means things have really changed.
The most important thing I learned back then was the difference between water and fat soluble vitamins. I'm not talking about branding as such, but the fact that, for instance, C is water soluble and you can take as much as you want because what isn't absorbed, you'll just pee away. That came up mostly during the days when suddenly Vitamin C was the cure-all for colds. If I hadn't had RYGB, I probably never would have learned about vitamins and minerals and how they affect the body, and specific organs. But it's dangerous to take too many fat soluble supplements, which can live in your organs and cause permanent health conditions.
And I was recruited into a study at the University of Washington, where I had my surgery in partnership with Virginia Mason Hospital. The interns there got to use me as a guinea pig for their own studies, where I was tested in all kinds of ways. That didn't necessarily improve my health, but it alerted me to many things, including the fact that I had severe sleep apnea, which I was able to correct over time with a CPAP machine and changes in many physical habits. Their studies of me and thousands of other post-op subjects are included in many publications.
This is why it's important to listen to a nutritionist or dietician who is trained in post-op nutritional needs. And as K said, teams have different recommendations. I think I got lucky with my nutritionist because I never had any trouble, and I made sure I had a CBC every time I saw my regular doctor, even though she wasn't specifically knowledgeable about bariatric veterans' needs. The blood test tells all.
I also got hooked up with the FDA site that lists nutritional information in every food anyone eats, including a section on fast food joints. I didn't change what I was eating necessarily, but I made sure I KNEW what I was eating. My family has what looks like a genetic disposition to high cholesterol. Even the skinny cousins racked up huge numbers where cholesterol was measured. And there's a rather large proportion of heart disease and diabetes sufferers on both sides of my family, and very few people lived beyond the age of 75. I just turned 71 and because of bariatric surgery, my numbers are stunning, I feel very strong and energetic, I hike big mountains and walk without getting winded.
One thing I don't think I ever mentioned was sitting in the waiting room for all the medical appointments I had in follow-up. I would see hugely overweight people there and hear them complaining about what they were going to have to do. Imagine that these people probably didn't even take a daily multivitamin and they were offended that they were now being considered for a surgical "cure." I was so grateful they even let me in the door, but others were bitching about what they'd have to give up in terms of eating habits.
I'm sorry if I'm rambling here, but something in this thread reminded me of the days when I used to go to Weight Watchers, lose weight, gain it all back, and then sign up again. I vividly remember the snide comments people would make inside the group, as well as the hostile comments from outside. I remember hearing someone tell a story about tossing out a piece of chocolate cake after a couple of bites, then later, retrieving it from the trash and eating it all. That's an eating disorder. Your mental commitment to weight loss only goes so far, for most people. I needed surgery, as do so many, and I'd probably be dead from gross obesity if I hadn't been given the surgical option. Surely, my family history indicates that. I've watched two of my siblings slowly die from the effects of sugar addiction, specifically. This is very painful for me, losing them, especially because they asked me for help & I gave it. They just couldn't stick to it and I'm pretty sure one of them would have made it if she'd had surgery.
Anyway, taking vitamins and minerals is a jumping-off point to learning more about what's happening with your body. If you can change your focus from food frustration to changing your diet, using surgery and other tools, you can change your whole life.
I took the Flintstones until I found an affordable chewable that met my needs. I'd never recommend them for regular use because they're full of dyes and god knows what. It's important to study and to check FDA and other scientific and government resources who actually spend money on analyzing what's going into your body. But I needed them for a short while because in those days, no one even knew what post-op patients were really going to need to stay alive, let alone healthy. You might remember "Valley of the Dolls," and its specific focus on housewife shame, doctors prescribing amphetamines and sedatives to shut them up, without giving them the respect and assistance they deserved and needed.
Bariatric surgery has been around for decades, but hasn't been given its props until our society truly turned its eyes and ears to health concerns related to obesity and junk food. I would never advise anyone not to use Flintstones, because that might be their only choice. But thank god, obesity is being taken more seriously now than I remember in the first 30 or 40 years of my life. It's good we have more choices in medication, but even better that the diet culture turned to aerobics and walking and increasing activity, while changing one's diet.
Mrssolis31
Member
That’s so awesome yay you keep up the great work
Mrssolis31
Member
Welcome hope you find this chat helpful I know that I have since I joined just a couple days ago . Good luck
Mrssolis31
Member
That’s awesome to hear .. I’m about a week one day from getting my gastric bypass … still learning
Mrssolis31
Member
Let me tell you surprises me the most that my surgeon told me not to take any until he lets me know , I have my first follow up with him this Monday so I’m hoping something changes as I feel my body needs the extra help
I found a 1 a day bariatric multivitamin. I am still fresh, so I don't know the long term results but so far so good with blood work. I really do not prefer to take 15 pills a day. I don't know why but even I know it is vitamins it makes me feel unhealthy. haha So, I currently take 1 multivitamin, 2 calcium and 1 vitamin D. Hopefully, my blood work stays good and I don't have to increase!
Emf122872
Member
I do there some interesting things that been very helpful here. Also my surgery will be in December also however I don’t have a date yet.