If you couls ask the leading bariatric professionals ANYTHING...?

Hi guys

 I am currently working on writing a bariatric book for the dutch market, you have many books for patients to read about WLS, we have none. So I am writing an A to Z kind of book about WLS with lots of info for people who are thinking about it, in pre op stage or long post op.

There will be a lot of before and after stories in there, experiences from WLS peeps, but also medical information. I am interviewing the top bariatric surgeon in Europe today and I also have interviews scheduled with the top bariatric nutricionist, top wls psychologist, top plastic surgeon who does wls patients and also top endocrinologist (about supplementing and bloodwork etc) all in their A game in the Netherlands, some even Europe, so I am very content :-)

So, what questions can I NOT forget? If you could ask these leading bariatric professionals ANYTHING in their fiels of expertise, what would you ask? What needs to be in such a book?

Would love to have your input and experience with this!

Being almost 1 year out I do know a lot myself, but some one else always gives a fresh outlook...

 

friendly greetings from the Netherlands

Cat (GBP 15 november 2010, lost 68 kilograms so far)

Sounds like a great project!

Things I'd like to see:

1.  Up to date info about vitamins, including the ASMBS guidelines.

2.  Easy to understand explanations for things, like why we need calcium citrate instead of carbonate, why we are advised not to drink with meals, why carbonated drinks will NOT make our pouches explode, etc.

3.  Some common myths and the truth, like the fact that we CAN absorb more than 30 grams of protein at one time and soda will NOT stretch our pouches.

4.  Information that will give patients a foundation that they can then build on to create a meal plan that works for them.  For instance, I don't eat meat so I would not like to see only a sample meal plan that included lots of meat.  And not a plan that insists patients must or must not use protein shakes, but the information patients would need to decide whether or not they wanted to use a protein shake.

5.  Definitely lots of information about the mental part of this journey.

6.  Information about maintaining after we get to goal.

7.  Information about how to get back on track if we get off track for a while.

I would strongly encourage you to interview a NUMBER of people in EACH of the various disciplines, because -- as we see here every single day --  surgeons and nutritionists do NOT all agree (and often disagree completely) on even major aspects of life post-op.  The psychologists/counselors also differ in their approaches/outlooks/advice, as do plastic surgeons (ther are at least three ways of doing tummy tuck incisions, for example, and many plastic surgeons here no longer do thigh lifts at all because the complication rate (necrosis and wound opening and infection) are so high and the patient satisfaction rate is often low when there is a lot of excess skin... while other plastic surgeons still happily do them, and if you have problems or don't like the results, well, that's just too bad.)

It would be problematic, I think, for you to write and publish a book that attempts to give "definitive"  A-Z information based only on interviews with a few people (and your own research, I assume), when, for many aspects of this surgery -- eating immediately post-op (some have only liquids for weeks post-op when others eat soft foods after just a couple of days, some people are allowed to eat certain foods MUCH earlier than others, some are told NO soda ever post-op, some people are told ONLY 3 meals per day and no snacks, some are told NO protein drinks after the first couple of months,etc.), the vitamin regimen (e.g., what kind of vitamins are acceptable), etc. -- there IS no definitive information.

Lora

 Veel succes! (hope Google translate got that right....) I think it's great that you're doing all this work for future WLSers. No real input here, just wishing you lots of luck & success in this endeavor!