Originally published February 22 2006
Bariatric surgery survivors share their wisdom and suggest some changes for doctors
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The Tribune Star of Terre Haute, Ind., looks at proposed changes to the practice of bariatric surgery in America, as patients suffering side effects offer their wisdom as to what doctors could do to better inform and care for patients after the risky surgery.
Carmen Spencer was just getting accustomed to her post-bariatric surgery diet when food began tasting bad.
No matter what she tried, she couldn't escape the taste or smell that permeated her senses.
The rare side effect of weight-loss surgery led to a week's hospitalization and a two-month, nightly, IV regimen of a protein-rich liquid dripping into her veins.
"Even during that, it was worth it," Spencer said recently, some 17 months after surgery, with her sense of taste returned to normal.
The Rockville woman, who has dropped 200 pounds since the stomach-reduction operation, said she favors proposed state rules which require surgeons to report deaths and serious complications of weight-loss surgery.
Larry Baty, a Paris, Ill., truck driver, underwent a gastric bypass in September 2004.
He has heard stories of patients who experienced infections, even ended up in a coma after weight-loss surgery.
Remembering the anxiety he experienced before his gastric bypass, he added, "I made out my will, my living trust, everything."
Baty can see both sides of the issue on the length of time surgeons will be required to monitor patients.
Doctors who already do a good job will be forced to follow patients for five years, Baty said.
But for physicians who may not be as scrupulous, the new rules may be a good thing, he said.
"For the safety of the public, maybe five years isn't a bad idea," Baty said.
Baty also theorizes that complications are not necessarily the surgeon's fault --- sometimes they are a result of patients not following a doctor's recommendation.
He has a lot more energy, he says, and he hasn't taken medication for diabetes since the day before the procedure.
I've lost a whole person," the 39-year-old said earlier this month.
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