DR. OZ

Today's Dr. Oz was about Bariatric surgery.  Dr. Oz calls our surgery a miracle because of how, "overnight", co-morbidities are resolved (sleep apnea, diabetes, etc).  He said that the surgery is far too under utilized.  He said that RNY should be for any person with Type II diabetes, and not just for obese persons.  He believes the BMI requirement should be lowered. He said that RNY (especially the laproscopic version) is one of the safest surgeries one can have.   AND THEN he showed the actual surgery that was performed on a woman 2 weeks ago - the slimy stuff on the liver; the stomach; the pouch attached to the intestine; the whole sh-bang!  He said over and over that the stigma that seems to attach itself to this surgery is ridiculous.  This is a miracle surgery, yes, but it comes with a life time commitment to life changes and supplements.  There was one woman on there who said that she had the surgery a while back and after having 3 children she is almost back to her original starting point.  But, obviously, her special cir****tances didn't deter anyone because Dr. Oz had a positive response when he asked his audience if they would now consider the surgery. 

The above was typed in a hurry because I am heading off to a meeting.

God Bless you,

Hattie

 It was very interesting. I didn'****ch the surgery part. Had to look away. Not good with guts, lol .  I was surprised to see such a reputable Doctor FOR RNY. 

As I feared, Dr Oz did his usual "drive by" approach.  He made it sound like this surgery is a simple, quick fix.  I think he did a huge disservice to people by minimizing the potential complications after RNY (especially things like RH) and the seriousness of the need for vitamnin supplementation and the potential problems associated with not being able to take NSAIDs.  Those are all HUGE considerations depending on individual cir****tances, and he all but ignored them.

Is there ANY weight loss approach that he does NOT support, BTW?!?  It seems like every week there is a new diet approach that he is covering and he seems to support most of them -- including the HCG diet (where he also paid very little attention to the people who had serious physical issues while on it). 

Lora

I record Dr. Oz every day but don'****ch every episode.  I've not had time to see this program.  It really annoys me when people talk about weight loss and remark "they" did it without surgery as if surgery is a bad thing.  WLS was the best thing I ever did but it's not the easy way out.  It has changed my life and I have no regrets.

Dr. Oz confuses me though.  He pushes Weigh****chers which I think is a great program but he also proclaims the advantages of other diets.  Some of his advice is good, but if you did everything he said you would spend way too much money on supplements and be so confused as to what to eat.

I didn't see the show but I do feel compelled to point out it's an hour show, right? Speaking as a person who has, in the past, produced shows I can tell you there is only so much you can fit on a show and it seems as though he already fit a lot and at least tried to cast a positive light? I dunno. As I said, I didn't see the show.

Also, exactly what is wrong with endorsing a lot of different approaches to weight loss (although the HCG thing freaks me out a bit). I think the overall message is that if you have a weight problem, find a way, ANY WAY that's right for you to deal with it.

Of course I could be totally off the mark not having seen his show (I work and it's not worth my valuable Tivo space...I would much rather have my archived episodes of Y&R!).

Just challenging you with those few questions to get your thoughts.

I understand the limits of time, but there was a LOT of fluff that he could have cut out so that he would not have had to cut the woman off who was trying to point out the psych component of loss and regain or that he could have spent at least MENTIONING the possible risks.  If anything, the light he cast was TOO positive.  RNY is now a miracle cure for sleep apnea and diabetes no matter what you weigh...  and nearly everyone who has these issues should be having this surgery... and, apparently, there are no drawbacks to it other than having to take vitamins for the rest of your life.   Yeah, whatever...

Lora 

Oh yeah...I had a "very special moment" in the middle of Wal-Mart to prove that. No blood sugar problems as an obese woman. Lose 100+ lbs and now I can't even have popcorn at the movies!

But that's a small thing in comparison to some folks problems.

 I liked it, at this point I'm well aware of all the risks and I think with my surgery date quickly approaching I needed a little boost of confidence that I made the right choice.

I also doubt that any normal person would decide to get a surgery like this solely based on a 30 min segment on a tv show, if they do without further research than they have other issues to deal with.

 You would be surprised at how many people try various things just because Dr Oz "recommended" it!  I have no reason to believe that they would not also seek out a surgeon based on his endorsement.

 Hopefully, they WOULD do additional research, but you don't have to be here on OH very long to know that MANY people do not.  They listen to what one surgeon says at one informational session and that is it.

Lora