TLC 13-part series: Big Medicine

[SamanthaNY]

Father & Son Surgeon Team Tackle Obesity in TLC's New Series BIG MEDICINE
Airing Mondays Beginning Memorial Day, 13-part Series Shares Personal Journeys of Transformation

By PR Newswire

SILVER SPRING, Md., May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- It's no secret that America has a serious problem with obesity. According to the American Bariatric Society, approximately 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million obese and 9 million severely obese. In TLC's new series BIG MEDICINE, a father and son physician team fight the obesity epidemic one bariatric surgery at a time.

BIG MEDICINE premieres Monday, May 28, at 9 PM (ET/PT) and follows the personal stories of severely obese patients who turn to Houston's Methodist Weight Management Center as a life-changing last resort. One of the most innovative bariatric surgery practices, Methodist adheres to a long-term, multidisciplinary approach that includes a plan for lifelong follow-up. At the heart of the operation is passionate father and son surgeon team Robert and Garth Davis, a pair who have dedicated their professional lives to raising awareness about obesity.

BIG MEDICINE offers a behind-the-scenes look into the controversial world of bariatric surgery. The series chronicles the emotional journeys and transformation of obese people who have opted to undergo weight-loss surgery in an attempt to regain their lives. Patients are captured at various stages in the process -- before and during the surgery, through recovery and post-op care and often through cosmetic procedures designed to remove sagging skin after dramatic weight loss.

The 13-part series introduces viewers to the Methodist team of experts dedicated to lifelong patient care, including a nurse coordinator, dietitian and counselor. This group works together to evaluate patients, prepare them for the physical and psychological impact of surgery and offer long-term support through post-op programs. To Robert and Garth Davis, obesity is a disease. And while weight-loss surgery is not a cure, it can be a lifesaving option for patients who are ready to commit to long-term lifestyle changes.

Some of the extraordinary stories featured in BIG MEDICINE include a 26- year-old morbidly obese man who is a prisoner in his own home and must rely on his mother for all of his daily needs; a mother and daughter duo who have huge amounts of excess skin removed after losing a combined 225 lbs; and a 32-year- old dad weighing in at almost 500 lbs who lost both his parents from the complications of obesity and is desperate not to follow in their footsteps.

Often as gripping as the patient stories is the colorful relationship between this father and son team where old school meets new school head on. Dr. Robert Davis, aka "big D," is true to the old ways of medicine and sometimes finds new techniques too flashy or unnecessary, while Dr. Garth Davis, aka "little D," is eager to modernize the business. Despite these differences, the pair unites in the operating room to fight a common enemy and change lives forever.

For more than 25 years, The Methodist Hospital in Houston has led the way in helping people achieve weight loss with safe, long-term solutions. The Methodist Weight Management Center is the only comprehensive program of its kind in Houston, offering numerous weight-loss options for patients.


SOURCE TLC

Copyright 2007 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved

[Waxwing]

So that's what Big Medicine is about. Hm.

I wonder if it will show the good and the bad of WLS.

Thoughts?

[AnnMarie]

So that's what Big Medicine is about. Hm.

I wonder if it will show the good and the bad of WLS.

Thoughts?

I doubt it, based on the past shows of this nature on TLC. While they're rarely overly rah-rah, if it's about a "father/son team helping the obese" then I doubt there will be any of the pitfalls. It will be like "these angels sent from heaven, with a duty to help those who clearly can't help themselves."

While I certainly believe there are people who fall into that category, from every walk of life, I hate when shows like this come on because the "masses" tend to lump anyone into the same group.

Anyway, I won't be watching... there's enough propaganda about WLS, I don't need to see more.

[Waxwing]

I doubt it, based on the past shows of this nature on TLC. While they're rarely overly rah-rah, if it's about a "father/son team helping the obese" then I doubt there will be any of the pitfalls. It will be like "these angels sent from heaven, with a duty to help those who clearly can't help themselves."

While I certainly believe there are people who fall into that category, from every walk of life, I hate when shows like this come on because the "masses" tend to lump anyone into the same group.

Anyway, I won't be watching... there's enough propaganda about WLS, I don't need to see more.

I hear you. I doubt I'll watch it either.

[Miss Vickie]

It looks interesting. Not the WLS thing necessarily but rather the father and son aspect. TLC gets a little old to me sometimes so I probably won't go out of my way to see it, but will watch it if it's on. It's just that TLC is perpetually on one of the TV's at the club where I work out and there always seems to be tears and angst and stuff. Feh.

I find the Barefoot Contessa much more interesting fare when I'm trudging on the treadmill.:eat1:

[SamanthaNY]

I'll give the show a shot, and I'm hoping that it portrays the good and bad about WLS along with showing how it affects someone experiencing it.

I get a little tired of TLC's constant parade-of-fatFatFAT-people, so I can't see that this is going to be anything different, but I was happy to see a focus on medical treatment instead of "look how much they eat/weigh", etc. It'd be nice if they added in programs about happy, successful fat people to balance out the gloom and doom, but... doubt that'll ever happen.

[Wayne_Zitkus]

Somehow, this program sounds like one big commercial for that hispital and the father-son set of bariatric butchers.

I may watch an episode, if I get the chance. And if it turns out to be a one-sided presentation, TLC will be hearing from me.

They will also hear from me if both sides of this issue are covered adequately.

[jamie]

I get a little tired of TLC's constant parade-of-fatFatFAT-people, so I can't see that this is going to be anything different, but I was happy to see a focus on medical treatment instead of "look how much they eat/weigh", etc.

On every single one of those shows, especially the Brookhaven one, there is always a scene with people eating - face/hands/fingers dripping with food and mess, it makes me so mad I have to stop watching. I don't mind the amount of food someone eats, what pisses me off is that you know the producer is sitting there saying..."we need the money shot here, can you just shovel it it, it will be fine, we want to make them feel you." I don't know anyone who would just sit with grease on the side of their face. I admit I do have a serious hang-up about people with food on them, but the manipulation in those scenes makes me lose any interest or respect I may have had about where the show I might go.

[activistfatgirl]

I admit that I'll be checking it out. At this point I can't seem to get enough TLC, weight related programming or not.

Someone might need to reel me back in. Between the Biggest Loser, Brookhaven, Big Medicine, and the REST OF THE WORLD, I might be in need of some fatty re-programming. :)

[SamanthaNY]

Just a reminder, this program starts tonight at 9pm on TLC.

[Shosh]

Hi, I don't know that the term "Bariatric butchers" is very fair or appropriate. The surgeon who performed my lap banding was very warm and caring towards me, and has always treated me with a lot of kindness and sensitivity.
I am starting to feel like a part of a marginalized group within the size acceptance community because I chose to have this surgery to be honest.
Susannah

[Miss Vickie]

Hi, I don't know that the term "Bariatric butchers" is very fair or appropriate. The surgeon who performed my lap banding was very warm and caring towards me, and has always treated me with a lot of kindness and sensitivity.

That's been my experience as well. The term bariatric butcher is little more than hyperbole, but Wayne has been very outspoken in his criticism of weight loss surgery. That's his prerogative, but I think that comments such as this show how little thought has actually gone into his point of view. Just as it would be easy for me to call surgeons who perform routine cesareans "butchers", or those who perform circumcisions "butchers", the truth is that they're professionals who have gone to a great deal of effort and expense to learn what they have learned. As such, they deserve at least a minimal amount of respect even if I disagree -- vociferously! -- with some of the decisions they make.

Given what doctors must go through -- and surgeons go through even more -- I have a hard time believing that it's their intent to either a) harm or b) make a quick buck. There are much better professions for that than medicine. Most of the time practicing medicine is hard work, dirty, potentially dangerous, and expensive. I have no problem with doctors earning high salaries because they deserve it. And while it's easy to call them butchers and claim that they intend to harm, or don't care if they do harm, my actual experience with many doctors of various specialties (both as a patient, a doula, and a nurse) has been that most really DO care about their patients. They may be at a loss, and are certainly limited by their education, but they certainly want to help, not hurt. Sadly, though, the few who are assholes (and there are those in every profession) get all the attention and focus, while the ones quietly going about their business all but get ignored until they make a mistake or have a bad day. That's why I appreciate the lists out there with fat friendly docs; that way we can focus our energy and dollars toward doctors who understand us, and avoid the ones who don't.

I am starting to feel like a part of a marginalized group within the size acceptance community because I chose to have this surgery to be honest.
Susannah

Susannah, I hope you can try to put some of your feelings aside and realize that many of us have had the surgery and continue to be active, contributing members of the size acceptance movement. Shows like "Big Medicine" illustrate to me, much like any time spent at many of the WLS websites, why I belong here. So many people still, even at size 8,10, 12, or 14 hate their bodies and consider themselves failures because they're not a size 2. As someone who has worked toward size acceptance and tried to help others, this kind of attitude is so frustrating to me; it makes it hard for me to feel like I get any real support there. Here at least my "fat body" isn't looked upon with disgust, and I'm not considered a failure because I'm not 130 pounds.

Size Acceptance, and Dimensions, should have room for all of us who are seeking to come to terms with our size and the joys and problems it can create.

[Shosh]

Hi Vickie, Thanks for the support. Thanks for the very detailed response also. You have given me some things to think about.It has been hard for me being a woman that has struggled with my weight and someone who has a neurological condition in that society makes you feel less of a woman etc.
Susannah

[Miss Vickie]

Okay so I've watched two episodes of Big Medicine and it's.... feh. Okay. Typical TLC "my life sucked and now it's perfect" fare. Also, the bickering between the docs makes me uncomfortable, both on a personal level and also because it seems really unprofessional. The last show had them having a contest between a husband and wife team (kid did the wife, dad did the hubby). I don't know, it just seems like they make light of what very serious work they do. OTOH, I've been accused of not having a sense of humor so maybe it's my own issue.

That poor guy, Allen. I really felt for him -- and for his mom. On the one hand I'm sure she's excited that he'll have a life but on the other hand is no doubt terrified for his health and safety and on the third hand (it's a little known fact that moms have three hands -- it's how we get so much done) maybe is worried that her baby won't need her anymore. He has a long road ahead of him and I just can't BELIEVE that the docs are planning on sending him home in two days. Given his risks and immobility, I think he should stay under nursing care for at LEAST two weeks or until he's moving around more.

I'm amazed at how little scarring the plastic surgery patients are having. It makes me wonder how much make up they're putting on them because with the before and after pics I've seen? There is one HELL of a lot of scarring, particularly for the first six months to a year, after which time they start to fade.

But yeah, overall? It's okay. I wish they'd talk more about how hard it is to adjust to eating so little, and also to talk to people who are years out who are struggling to maintain their loss. But I don't think the show is really meant to represent the average WLS patient but rather the give and take between father and son as well as the most impressive cases. That makes better TV I suppose. :rolleyes:

[RedHead]

I haven't seen the show...but I have to say that through my own trials and tribulations of having done a gastric bypass 7 years ago I have learned the following

1) It does not make everything in your life hunky dory

2) Your real friends will become apparent

3) If you were addicted to food, you will find something else to struggle with

4) It is not easy

5) You may never see yourself as anything but fat

6) It does not define who or what you are

I think the show may give people the opportunity to see the surgery without the hyperbole of the patient. Perhaps those that choose to watch will see that this is a life changing decision, regardless of the outcome

[Sandie_Zitkus]

I hate to be the one to say this, and I mean no offense, Wayne, but "bariatric butchers" just like these might be the ones to perform Sandie's Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy, saving her a lot of pain and discomfort and recovery time from an open procedure.


don't drag me into this. thanks

[Wayne_Zitkus]

I hate to be the one to say this, and I mean no offense, Wayne, but "bariatric butchers" just like these might be the ones to perform Sandie's Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy, saving her a lot of pain and discomfort and recovery time from an open procedure.
I use the term "bariatric butchers" to refer to the doctors I consider unethical because of the way they market WLS as the greatest thing since sliced bread.

If a doctor is concerned with the welfare of his/her patients, they're a "bariatric surgeon". If all they're cncerned with is getting more and more people to have WLS, growing their practice, and buying a bigger boat, then they're a "bariatric butcher".

ON EDIT - My OP in this thread was posted on 5-12-2007, missaf - long before Sandie's hospitalization. And I don't think you should have dragged her into this discussion, either. We're discussing WLS here - not other surgeries.

[Aurora]

Is it horrible that part of me is watching this program for eye candy? *laughs*

It's a show for shock value and entertainment. I'm not learning anything valuable from it at all. So much for "The Learning Channel."

[Waxwing]

So much for "The Learning Channel."

Learn that it sucks!

Isn't the Big Medicine thing on tonight? Or

[Miss Vickie]

Okay so I watched Big Medicine and I'm trying to keep an open mind, but...

Why in the HELL did they act surprised that Allen had psychological issues, particularly given that their office therapist (who clearly has issues surrounding weight -- did anyone catch her comments about her mom??) saw the issues with food, his mom and dependence right from off the bat. HELLO??? The guy's been in BED for seven years. Even if he didn't have psychological issues that contributed to landing him there, he sure as hell must have developed some while there. So they wait until two months out from surgery to address his mental health needs? They act surprised that the surgery itself didn't cure his emotional issues??? Come ON, people!!! THINK!!!! Of course he's depressed. He's been in bed the entire time GWB has been president and can't even go for a walk or do anything physical to address his feelings. His only solace has been food, and now that's been taken away from him. Gee, ya THINK he's anxious???

And as for his physical strength or lack thereof, do they get a PT working him right off the bat? No, instead they wait until months after the surgery and act surprised that he can't do it on his own (duh!) and then hire a physical trainer; I'm glad they finally did that, and the guy seemed to make a huge difference, but why wait? Why didn't he have PT for those months prior to having surgery and then immediately after? Why wait for his muscles to atrophy MORE???? GAH!!!

I can only tell a little about how their office is run from the show, but it seems like they don't have a case manager, someone who can manage all the various details and specialties for patients like this. But maybe he's such an unusual case for them that there isn't much need, except in this case, where it became glaringly obvious. But what became very clear to me from the show is that this group, despite the kind of surgery they do, doesn't really have a clue as to the emotional issues and physical limitations of the super obese. I hope they learned a lot from dealing with this guy because I think he deserved better treatment; and maybe the next superobese patient who comes to them to get help will have more resources available. I don't at all doubt how much these doctors care for their patients -- that is evident, particularly in Allen's case. But I wish they could spend time here, or at a NAAFA convention, somewhere that they could learn about the emotional issues and physical limitations in a more visceral way. :(

/end rant.

Maybe I'm not being fair to them, and maybe what we saw on the show was skewed (and I'm not naive enough to think that it wasn't). But wow, I was so disappointed in the lack of forethought into this guy's future after WLS. They seemed so caught up in getting the surgery done that they didn't think about what the day to day stuff was going to be like until he could walk and care for himself. They addressed it vaguely, how his mom is going to have to learn to have her own life, blah blah blah. But I really think that he should have been seen by therapists (both physical and mental health) regularly throughout this whole process and been more proactive in dealing with issues other than his immediate, life threatening physical needs. Maybe they were, but it wasn't evident in the show.

Okay, now /end rant.

[marriednotdead]

Just wanted to comment i live in socal and weigh around 400 and had laproscopic gallbladder surgery it was great what a breeze went to costco the next day susan