Gastric bypass - psycho

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Do any other nurses deal with post gastric bypass patients and the difficulties they have as a result of their procedure? I find a lot of gastric bypass patients to be extremely rude and demanding. The other day another nurse and I were splitting a room, I had B bed and the other nurse had A bed. The gastric bypass patient in A bed began complaining to her nurse that she wanted regular sugar and jello and not all this diet stuff. The nurse explained to her that the doctor ordered a clear liquid gastric bypass diet and explained the advantages of being placed on that type of diet. The patient did not care she began to yell at the nurse stating that all the other nurses brought her in a regular tray and that she was just being difficult. For the second time the nurse told the patient that she would place a call to the doctor to try to have the diet changed. The patient was utterly obnoxious to the nurse. The nurse walked out and the patient called the nursing coordinator. She explained her exaggerated story to the coordinator. The coordinator must have told the patient that the nurse was handling it appropriately, because I heard the patient say, "you don't see a problem with this?" And began yelling and screaming all sorts of rude things. In report nurses just cringed ever time they have a patient with a history of gastric by bypass, and ask are they psycho? Anyone else find gastric bypass patients to be difficult?:banghead:

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Specializes in cardiac/critical care/ informatics.

Yes I have noted that there seems to be some psych issues. I don't care to take care of gastric bypass patients for just that reason. And YES I know this is generalizing but that is the way it is, and I also know not all are like that. But jeez did they listen when they were going thru all of pre admit teaching????

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we occassionally have a gastric bypass patient but i not taken care of one post-op but i have taken care of them several weeks-to months later when they may need a surgery for gallbladder or some type of complication from the surgery itself. i don't believe they are "psycho" but in my opinion most are in dire need of a psych consult. the surgery "solves" their weight problem but the eating/weight is just a symptom of something else-like depression, being lonely, etc. i have a friend that had the surgery and after the weight loss she went "completely nuts." she got rid of her husband, started meeting guys online and sleeping with them, virtually ignored her then 8 year old daughter, began drinking, became an alcoholic, started drinking on the job, lost her job, got arrested(finally) for dui and now she has lost everything!!! this is not the only story like this i know. so maybe you are right in some ways.....

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Do any other nurses deal with post gastric bypass patients and the difficulties they have as a result of their procedure? I find a lot of gastric bypass patients to be extremely rude and demanding. The other day another nurse and I were splitting a room, I had B bed and the other nurse had A bed. The gastric bypass patient in A bed began complaining to her nurse that she wanted regular sugar and jello and not all this diet stuff. The nurse explained to her that the doctor ordered a clear liquid gastric bypass diet and explained the advantages of being placed on that type of diet. The patient did not care she began to yell at the nurse stating that all the other nurses brought her in a regular tray and that she was just being difficult. For the second time the nurse told the patient that she would place a call to the doctor to try to have the diet changed. The patient was utterly obnoxious to the nurse. The nurse walked out and the patient called the nursing coordinator. She explained her exaggerated story to the coordinator. The coordinator must have told the patient that the nurse was handling it appropriately, because I heard the patient say, "you don't see a problem with this?" And began yelling and screaming all sorts of rude things. In report nurses just cringed ever time they have a patient with a history of gastric by bypass, and ask are they psycho? Anyone else find gastric bypass patients to be difficult?:banghead:

These patients present very interesting dilemmas. We have a well-known bariatric surgeon (two actually) at our facility, and I was discussing the post-op and long-term outcomes with one of them. Interestingly, many of the patients develop drinking and/or drug problems later. These patients tend to have an addictive personality, and when food cannot be used as the addiciton of choice, they often change to something else - namely, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes. This is part of the reason that intensive therapy is often used in conjunction with the surgical procedure itself. MAny people think GBP is the be-all end-all for obesity, but it can bring a whole host of other problems too.

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I attended a nursing conference last year and flew back with one of the leaders from the organization in a small plane (maybe 20 passengers). I'm a bit chubby so it was a tight fit but I was comfortable. Anyhoo we're chatting away and she stops and says "Can you promise me something?", "what" I replied, “Don't ever get gastric bypass. I have lost so many friends and the ones who lived were changed forever. It will change you and not for the better.” I always remember that this woman who is a great nurse and leader could have stayed quiet about the issue, but she decided to be a friend. If I see her I'll ask if I can post her name.

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It seems to me that, no matter what counselors or doctors say, gastric bypass pts believe what they want to believe. If they think it's going to be easy and they can jusut do what they want to do after surgery, it's not going to be easy to talk them out of that. We're a society of "instant gratification". I don't know a whole lot about this subject (I wish I did, I find it very interesting!). Anyway, there is a lot of pressure in our society to "be perfect". I am not fat, but I am not skinny either, and I feel that I am "too big" sometimes. I can't imagine how people who are obese feel if I feel that way. That kind of pressure can weigh on self-esteem to the point where people think, "I've tried everything and it's not working, it's time for surgery!" And no matter what anyone says, and despite the counseling they recieve preop, they don't really think about how it's going to change their lives. A friend of mine recently underwent gastric bypass and is doing really well as of now. I can't believe how much detail there is in trying to maintain a good nutritional balance after this surgery! It's definitely something I would not want to have to do! I've also taken care of a lot of pts who have complications from this type of surgery. Bottom line, there is no one reason why people are overweight...it's a complex balance of hormones, environment, lifestyle, emotional health, metabolism, activity level, and much more. Because of this, the same solution is not going to work for everyone. It's not the size of your stomach that makes you eat more...if you're not 100% willing to commit to the lifestyule changes that this surgery brings about, then you're not going to be successful. As far as these pt s being demanding, I think a lot of the problem is a control issue. They used to be able to eat what they wanted when they wanted it, and now they can't anymore. It's really easy to get mad at the nurse that will only give you splenda and diet jello. It is very much a psych-involved thing, and if you're not used to dealing with pts with psych issues, it can really wear you out! I am NOT a psych nurse, and I never willl be, bur for some reason this particular topic is very interesting to me.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

WOW!!! I am approx 100# overweight and was considering this as an option. Type 2 diabetes, joint pain, etc. Does anyone have anything positive to say about this procedure? It is depressing to be so overweight. I have truly "done it all" to lose weight. I also walk and exercise regularly, and am well educated as to how I should eat-just don't practice what I preach. Maybe I will search through the threads and of course talk with my PCP, I certainly know this is not the "easy way out" but is it a good option for anyone?

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Specializes in Travel Nursing, ICU, tele, etc.

Oh my gosh people! I am an ICU RN who had a Roux en Y in 1998. I was hoping that nurses had become more compassionate in the almost 10 years since I had surgery. It was humiliating how I was treated by the nurses. They treated me with contempt without giving me a chance and I will tell you, I am not a demanding person. This was before lap procedures were done, so I had an 12 inch incision that was extremely painful... I will spare you the details, but I beg you not to assume every gastric bypass pt is psycho. I do know how hard it can be to take care of demanding patients, but just for me, have an open mind the next time you have a gastric bypass patient and see how it goes. Please also try to remember the nice patients you had, they tend to fade in our memories, whereas the demanding ones stick in our memories for a very long time....

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deeDAWN, congratulations on your success and outcome of your surgery.

it's ridiculous to stereotype all gastric bypass pts as psycho.

there's a show on tv.

i think it's called brookhaven obesity clinic, where the most morbidly obese are admitted for sev'l mos/even yrs of intensive dieting, exercise and counselling/therapy.

the director of this clinic maintains that obese people need to address the causes of their overeating....usually it is so deep-rooted that the intensive therapy is warranted.

so if one chooses to have a gastric bypass and is looking for a quick fix, this will not likely to be successful.

i think this is what some of the nurses are seeing...an ineffective way of coping.

of course, it's always so wonderful to see those who have accomplished their goals and have implemented major changes in their lifestyle so successfully.

best of everything to you.

leslie

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Specializes in Travel Nursing, ICU, tele, etc.
WOW!!! I am approx 100# overweight and was considering this as an option. Type 2 diabetes, joint pain, etc. Does anyone have anything positive to say about this procedure? It is depressing to be so overweight. I have truly "done it all" to lose weight. I also walk and exercise regularly, and am well educated as to how I should eat-just don't practice what I preach. Maybe I will search through the threads and of course talk with my PCP, I certainly know this is not the "easy way out" but is it a good option for anyone?

I had a Roux en Y in 1998 (I just posted a general reply) but also wanted to directly respond to your question. This is what I tell people who ask me about gastric bypass surgery: Obesity is a serious disease and gastric bypass is an extreme treatment, that will in itself create multiple side effects that will need to be dealt with probably for the rest of your life. I look at it as equivalent to recovering from cancer. The surgery is just the first drastic measure but recovery from obesity will take at least 5 years (or longer). Also I strongly recommend that people be in long term therapy (individual and group, if possible) while they are recovering. Just 1 year of therapy is NOT ENOUGH, a lifetime of awareness of what lead to obesity is a must and continuing to heal emotionally as well is physically is the only way to a successful outcome. I won't tell you all the unexpected issues I had to deal with, but they were many and difficult.

But yes, it IS worth it. If you believe you are ready for to climb the mountain, then go for it. It will be much more difficult than you can imagine, but also joyful and liberating. Please, please, please find a good eating disorder therapist and talk before you go ahead and then definitely, have that person in your life while you are recovering. A support group of others going through it is a great tool as well. But I would say, start with the individual support first. I'm telling you, there are emotional issues underneath your weight that will surface as you lose the fat. I hope this helps. Thanks.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
WOW!!! I am approx 100# overweight and was considering this as an option. Type 2 diabetes, joint pain, etc. Does anyone have anything positive to say about this procedure? It is depressing to be so overweight. I have truly "done it all" to lose weight. I also walk and exercise regularly, and am well educated as to how I should eat-just don't practice what I preach. Maybe I will search through the threads and of course talk with my PCP, I certainly know this is not the "easy way out" but is it a good option for anyone?

just to say I had the procedure done 2 years ago and have lost 104lb and was best thing I ever did. Joint pains have gone and I did try to eat appropriately before I had the op. It was not an easy decision to make and I do not treat it as a cop out but something I need to use as a tool as everything else I had tried did not work. I like to think I have sound mind although in the last few months a few food issues have reared their head and I need to get round it but think this is more due to boredom and currently not working, I am looking at stuff to distract me and take my mind off food and onto other stuff. Saying that I did know patients when I was working that would have seen it as a quick fix it and do nothing to address the problems and to them I would not discuss it with them. I do know of a very good support website in the UK which has helped me tremendously and find just chatting to others in the same boat help put other thoughts into being and ways to cope

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Specializes in School Nursing.

Thanks deeDawntee. It seems like I need to do much homework before I proceed with anything-just reassuring to know that even though I have a problem, I'm not "PSYCHO"

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