Dr. Younan Nowzaradan: Saviour or Surgeon?

[Brooklynista]

Dr Now drives!!

I don't know why that amused me so much.

[notyrmomma]

Dr Now drives!!

I don't know why that amused me so much.

And it looks like he was driving a Ford...that's most likely not his car!

[PityFree]

But it makes me wonder if he drives everywhere in his lab coat with his stethoscope on - the gym, grocery store, on vacation, etc.

[Cranky One]

I was cracking up at him driving in his lab coat

[ChicagoCita]

I've recently discovered this show.  I have to say that Dr. Now's "Helloooo" as he walks into any situation is so adorkable, as is his use of "y'all."  I really like him, I don't get any reality TV famewhore vibe from him at all.  I really think he sees giving the severely obese a chance at life as his calling.

[momofsquid]

I've recently discovered this show.  I have to say that Dr. Now's "Helloooo" as he walks into any situation is so adorkable, as is his use of "y'all."  I really like him, I don't get any reality TV famewhore vibe from him at all.  I really think he sees giving the severely obese a chance at life as his calling.

I like him too. My daughter doesn't normally watch the show, but whenever she sees a minute of Dr. Now she says, "I love the broken English sass!" What I want to know is why he doesn't pronounce the "s" on his plurals: "so-and-so weighs almost 700 pound." I assume it's related to his native language somehow.

[Oldernowiser]

Coming from Iran where so many are poor, I wonder what he really thinks about his American patients eating themselves to death. It must really be hard not to grab a Penny by the jowls and point out that her weekly food intake would feed a family of six.

[algebra]

I doubt very much that Medicaid is going to come across with potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars without some kind of psych eval first. They're not including it in the show, probably because any real therapist would consider this an ethics problem.

I agree. I can't imagine any real therapist allowing a camera crew into their waiting room.

I am wondering about the funding, how much does Medicaid pay for all this, and how much does the show cover? Most doctors end up losing money on Medicaid patients so if his office is in a strip mall, so what? His patients need curbside access. Most medical centers you have to walk several feet into the building just to get to the elevators

[algebra]

And it looks like he was driving a Ford...that's most likely not his car!

[HalcyonDays]

*Ahem* Apparently I forgot to put a link in this thread to this note...

 

Now I shall. Please be so kind everyone and review it, SVP.  Merci.

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

What I appreciate about how Dr. Now handles patients is his blunt honesty about their circumstances. Let's be honest - for some of these patients, this is what may stand between them and a premature death. Many of them come in with multiple health issues related to their morbid obesity, which makes an already risky surgery even more dangerous. And then you have the myriad of psychological pathologies that these patients suffer from. None of them came out of psychologically healthy environments. Most of them are surrounded by either enablers or those who actively sabotage their efforts to help themselves. He can't afford to coddle them because for so many of these patients, it is a case of life and death.

I loved his blunt-but-honest summation of his job on one episode (rough paraphrase): "I see people like you all the time. I tell them again and again to change their habits and they only give excuses. And then I get a phone call to come down to the morgue and identify their body. And that's their story." Edited February 5, 2016 by Sir RaiderDuck OMS

[Brooklynista]

http://abc7ny.com/news/surgery-patient-wakes-up-to-missing-belly-button/1203756/

 

Say what now?  I just can't see letting this man botch up my body any more than it is.  Why have him perform any body work?  He's a bariatric surgeon, not a plastic surgeon.  It does say losing a belly button might be a side effect of removing excess skin, but I just don't think the man makes any real effort.  He's more of a skin hacker.  There's no finesse to his body work.

[Hero]

I would never let Dr. Now do any kind of skin surgery on me. When he does some surgery on 600lb life, the patients end up looking terrible.

[Noirprncess]

I've always thought the main reason folks go to Dr Now is that cosmetic/plastic surgery is still largely considered an elective procedure. So most insurance policies won't cover the cost of it. However, some companies will approve it IF there is a medical reason or component.

In past shows, I think Dr Now alluded to this by deeming the skin removal surgery as "medically necessary". I'm pretty sure that since he specializes in many issues related to obesity, they have more insight as a practice on how to get insurance approval. It's also worth mentioning that his patients aren't necessarily financially flush, based solely on what's shown on his shows. This means most are dependant on insurance coverage in order to get the skin removed.

[lovesnark]

I have two friends that had gastric bypass and both had a great deal of excess skin which caused all sorts of problems. One of them had the money to pay for skin removal surgery out of pocket (around $50k) and the other waited for two years before her insurance deemed it medically necessary. She had a great advocate in her MD and after constantly battling chronic infections of the skin, it was finally approved. I agree that Dr Now most likely performs these surgeries because of insurance reasons.

[Fuzzysox]

I'd think the psyc eval would cover making sure the patient can make decisions for themselves rather than are they depressed.

I've always wondered why the patients aren't given anti-depressants? I would think a lot of them would benefit along with learning new coping and eating skills.

[Twopper]

I saw part of a show last night; I think it was about Amber.  It looked like when they pulled up to Dr Now's office in addition to his name on the building there was a large picture of his face.    I just thought that was very strange.

[Armchair Critic]

His office is in a strip mall with a large picture of his face... "Better Call Now!" [/breaking Bad reference]

[JosieThePussycat]

I'm just not sure what to think about what seem to be omissions in Dr. Now's early consults with his clients. We see the same general conversation each time, and I can't fathom he and his programs succeed without a stronger, immediate retraining in the emotions and the mental processes of compulsive overeating.

 

He says "stop eating that way." He says to the family "stop feeding her that way." But no actual teaching. We don't see him imparting knowledge about how these things take hold of the human mind, and not only what has to change ("eat less" - no, really? shock!) but what it will take, what tacks we now know have never worked, what does work, what success will look like. (Hint: never linear, never perfect.)

 

Lupe said to him so plainly, "I'm an emotional eater. I get bad anxiety. And then I eat until I get sick." Almost every patient could have said exactly the same thing - although some clearly didn't have the self-awareness, others seemed to be lacking only the words.

 

But we only occasionally see a therapist, usually late in the hour, and then for crisis intervention rather than behavioral reshaping.

 

Overcoming compulsions and addictions is not a matter of willpower. Countless people suffering from those ailments have their misery further compounded with that common misconception. When Lupe very succinctly nails exactly why she's 600 pounds, Dr. Now has the usual followup: "Who brings you the food?"

 

Well, that's important. Who the enablers are and how they play into the picture - of course that matters. But it's one of a very few factors that he highlights each time. We never hear about or see him address the brain changes that we know take place with these compulsions, so it's easy to assume the clients aren't learning about them. Not learning about the science of addiction, the coping mechanisms to overcome it.

 

When they fail - they have no grasp that their very chemistry and wiring are now working against them because that's the damage that's been wrought through their habit.

 

So they gain 20 pounds back, and they hate themselves. Knowledge is power. It would make their road just that much easier to know that this is not a matter of their evil, terrible selves making crappy choices again, but that their very mind and body are fighting against them. Imagine how helpful even that small shift in attitude would be. "I don't suck; I'm not terrible; I'm fighting my brain and more appetites than I ever realized. My mind is contorted by what it's been through. I can't choose for that not to be the case, and it will take time to change it. Research says I can change it, and that it will be slow and difficult. This is all part of the process."

 

I wish we had some indication of if and when this kind of cognitive behavioral training comes into the picture. If it does, it's important to show that. If it doesn't, some of these success stories are beating even bigger odds than they're discussing.

[Elizabeth9]

In general, it does seem like a lot of shit had to happen before therapy is ordered- usually as the last resort. This mystifies me. If s person was quitting drugs or alcohol, of course they'd be in therapy. Why is this different?

[notyrmomma]

I'm just not sure what to think about what seem to be omissions in Dr. Now's early consults with his clients. We see the same general conversation each time, and I can't fathom he and his programs succeed without a stronger, immediate retraining in the emotions and the mental processes of compulsive overeating.

 

He says "stop eating that way." He says to the family "stop feeding her that way." But no actual teaching. We don't see him imparting knowledge about how these things take hold of the human mind, and not only what has to change ("eat less" - no, really? shock!) but what it will take, what tacks we now know have never worked, what does work, what success will look like. (Hint: never linear, never perfect.)

 

Lupe said to him so plainly, "I'm an emotional eater. I get bad anxiety. And then I eat until I get sick." Almost every patient could have said exactly the same thing - although some clearly didn't have the self-awareness, others seemed to be lacking only the words.

 

But we only occasionally see a therapist, usually late in the hour, and then for crisis intervention rather than behavioral reshaping.

 

Overcoming compulsions and addictions is not a matter of willpower. Countless people suffering from those ailments have their misery further compounded with that common misconception. When Lupe very succinctly nails exactly why she's 600 pounds, Dr. Now has the usual followup: "Who brings you the food?"

 

Well, that's important. Who the enablers are and how they play into the picture - of course that matters. But it's one of a very few factors that he highlights each time. We never hear about or see him address the brain changes that we know take place with these compulsions, so it's easy to assume the clients aren't learning about them. Not learning about the science of addiction, the coping mechanisms to overcome it.

 

When they fail - they have no grasp that their very chemistry and wiring are now working against them because that's the damage that's been wrought through their habit.

 

So they gain 20 pounds back, and they hate themselves. Knowledge is power. It would make their road just that much easier to know that this is not a matter of their evil, terrible selves making crappy choices again, but that their very mind and body are fighting against them. Imagine how helpful even that small shift in attitude would be. "I don't suck; I'm not terrible; I'm fighting my brain and more appetites than I ever realized. My mind is contorted by what it's been through. I can't choose for that not to be the case, and it will take time to change it. Research says I can change it, and that it will be slow and difficult. This is all part of the process."

 

I wish we had some indication of if and when this kind of cognitive behavioral training comes into the picture. If it does, it's important to show that. If it doesn't, some of these success stories are beating even bigger odds than they're discussing.

Yes.  Absolutely.  Amen.  You nailed it.  Next time someone posts "I just don't see why these people can't stop eating" I'm going to quote your post. 

 

And it has always been my assumption that there is a lot more testing and stuff going on behind the scenes, but perhaps I am wrong.  I had bariatric surgery and was required to get psychiatric clearance prior to my surgery.  We saw in last night's update that Betty Jo attempted ​suicide nine times.  NINE!  And Dr. Now looked completely shocked by this information.  Nine suicide attempts seems pretty important and should have been highlighted in her medical record...forget the discussion on how she was ever approved for this surgery with nine suicide attempts.  On a side note, even though you are losing weight, the surgery can aggravate depression as eating is the one thing that soothes and/or makes these people happy and this surgery takes the pleasure out of eating.

[greekmom]

Am I the only one who wants Dr. Now to review and comment on Whitney's case from My Big Fat Fab life?   

[Hero]

Am I the only one who wants Dr. Now to review and comment on Whitney's case from My Big Fat Fab life?

That would be interesting. Whitney would go on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook and tell the world that Dr. Now is "fat-shaming" her.

I used to like Whitney, but she always says that she wants to get healthy, but she obviously doesn't. She makes a lot of excuses and uses her PCOS as an exuse as to why she is 400 lbs.

Her weight makes her money, and I don't really see her getting healthy.

[Brooklynista]

That would be interesting. Whitney would go on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook and tell the world that Dr. Now is "fat-shaming" her.

I used to like Whitney, but she always says that she wants to get healthy, but she obviously doesn't. She makes a lot of excuses and uses her PCOS as an exuse as to why she is 400 lbs.

Her weight makes her money, and I don't really see her getting healthy.

Whitney very quickly became Ruby Part Deux.

[Hero]

Whitney very quickly became Ruby Part Deux.

Oh, man. Ruby was the worst.

[Albino]

Okay, I'm embarrassed to admit this but I'm watching "Half Ton Killer: Transformed!" about a woman in Texas who weighed 1006 pounds (really...she did) who admitted killing her 2 or 3 year old nephew by accidentally sitting on him.  Turns out, she was covering for her sister who actually killed the child (not accidentally).

Anyway, Dr. Now is a completely different person in this...kind, forgiving, understanding, supportive - even when she put on a little weight.  Also: undyed hair.  I have a new appreciation of him.  And the patient - Mayra Rosales - is so thankful and appreciative...unlike OTHERS.

Edited May 3, 2016 by Albino

[Guest dutronc]

Half-Ton Killer and HTK Transformed is guilty pleasure viewing. I'm not really a true crime person, but I thought it was a really compelling story. I think that Dr. Now is probably pretty good at reading people, and his occasionally hard and bland persona comes out with people like Pauline, Penny, Chuck, etc...

[jenlar3]

I wonder if Dr. Now goes about his business, and TLC people edit the footage however they want?  There is so much more that happens in the 12 months than is able to be properly portrayed in the 1 hour (minus commercials) show, and he might not have any say in the matter.  

A friend had bariatric surgery (sleeve), and she has talked about the difficulties; healing from the initial surgery, re-learning how she can eat, and dealing with the mental/emotional issues that impact her ability to lose weight. She gets really irritated at people who believe having surgery to lose weight is cheating. 

Personally, I am intrigued by the family members.  Do the obese family members benefit by eating better and losing weight along with the bariatric patient?  What has happened in the lives of the skinny caretakers/enablers that cause them to be willing to accept a life being a caretaker?  Wasn't it Bette Jo's husband that wanted to leave when she was becoming 'successful' and he was afraid she wouldn't need him anymore?  

And do these people keep the weight off?  For how long?  If there is only a 5% success rate, which ones make it?  What helped them to succeed?

Dr. Now is trained to do the plastic/ski removal surgeries that he does.  I'm not a doctor (although I do watch them on tv!  ?), but it seems to me, the initial skin removals aren't 'pretty' because they aren't meant to be the final one.  As the person continues to lose weight, their body changes shape many time.  So the initial skin removals are more about getting the excess skin out of the way in order to increase mobility, and any finessing will occur when patient is done losing weight (and maintained it for a period of time, I believe.).  

I am inspired in my daily life, by these individuals who take such huge, scary steps into the unknown; risking everything they know and love and find comfort in, to improve their lives.  When I balk at cleaning my house, paying my bills, or exercising to maintain my health, I think about these people and am able to push myself in their honor  

[notyrmomma]

Many of these people do it kicking and screaming though

[Cbutts82]

On 1/7/2015 at 0:53 PM, BostonBlonde said:

 The more menial stuff is probably left on the cutting room floor. 

Hah yeah I imagine there is a WHOLE LOT left on his cutting room floor, amiright? 

Or were you already going for that pun? In which case bravo

[Trees]

Speaking of Dr Now, I'm always curious about his son being the producer. I wonder how this show came about?  Did his son contact some folks and say, "Hey, I have this really interesting dad..."?

[AdorkableWitch]

10 hours ago, Trees said:

Speaking of Dr Now, I'm always curious about his son being the producer. I wonder how this show came about?  Did his son contact some folks and say, "Hey, I have this really interesting dad..."?

Here is an article about the original documentary his son produced. http://www.austinchronicle.com/screens/2007-08-03/510950/

[Trees]

Thank you!

[SuzieQ]

On 1/21/2015 at 6:34 PM, silverspoons said:

 

I think Im torn because he is still  hard working at 70 years old and could easily retire. So is he in it for the money/fame or for the people? I have read conflicting stories from he tries to recruit certain patients that have the high paying imsurnace to stories that he saved someone life. He certainly is not as transparent as other TLC stars.

Realistically, I'm shocked they even let a 70 year old do surgery.  That in itself is rare.

[Trees]

9 hours ago, SuzieQ said:

Realistically, I'm shocked they even let a 70 year old do surgery.  That in itself is rare.

He's good at it. I just hope that there are teams of younger surgeons who are closely learning from The Man.

[AZChristian]

9 hours ago, SuzieQ said:

Realistically, I'm shocked they even let a 70 year old do surgery.  That in itself is rare.

I'm 70.  I know that 70 IS old for an active surgeon; most people choose to retire if they can afford to.  It's possible that his fine motor skills may not be what they once were, but at least he's not a facial plastic surgeon requiring that level of skills.  

[Wings]

I can see why he is still working.  He finds it satisfying and the surgeries are routine at this point.  All of his patients are not as obese as on this show so that must be very rewarding.  Some gain their weight back but I bet the majority do not.  

[auntjess]

Someone posted about a suit and a tube left in a patient during surgery, and apparently got it all wrong.
Dr. Now has replied to the page.
"

‎Younan Nowzaradan‎ to "My 600lb Life" viewing and discussion room

· 7 mins ·

FAKE NEWS~ I was contacted by Radar-on-line to comment on the law suit that was filed against me by Melissa Cronin. I responded that the suit was dismissed against me because I was not the one who left the tube in the patient. But when the news media has no story to report they as we all know make up one! ~FAKE NEWS "

[mamadrama]

I love Dr. Now. With that being said, it DOES aggravate me when the patients complain of pain and he more or less writes them off as addicts, or as the pain being psychological. I may be biased and a bit sensitive because I am a chronic pain patient with an invisible illness (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) that was misdiagnosed for years. But while I agree that many of them do just appear to be in discomfort and not actual pain, even I as a viewer can tell that some of these patients probably have legitimate issues. I mean, the lipedema alone on many of them is probably painful. Not to mention the arthritis and wear and tear their weight has caused on their joints. 

[Pretty5Vacant]

Dr. Now is like the Johnny Cash of weight loss surgeons in his black scrubs

[ethalfrida]

Dr. Now's diet plan before he performs surgery

[auntjess]

I don't think that's it, because he's always telling them "no fruit."  Remember one who loved strawberries, and he said again, "no fruit."

[ethalfrida]

20 minutes ago, auntjess said:

I don't think that's it, because he's always telling them "no fruit."  Remember one who loved strawberries, and he said again, "no fruit."

Okay. Now I do recall how he says that because fruit produces digestive problems. Oh well, so much for stealing stuff from Facebook...

[Scarlett45]

On 3/18/2017 at 11:27 PM, SuzieQ said:

Realistically, I'm shocked they even let a 70 year old do surgery.  That in itself is rare.

Not really, my Mom will be 70 in April and she isn't the oldest on her team. She does surgery at least once a week. (Ob/Gyn)

[HarleyDiva52]

My question & topic I'd like a discussion on is this awful loose skin.  I had Bariatric Surgery in College Station back 11 months ago. My weight surgery was paid for by Medicare & Medicaid and did not cost me a dime.  I was diabetic..high blood pressure..Sleep Apnea ( I stopped breathing over 300 times a night)..COPD..and several other illnesses. I am 66 yrs old.  I have lost about 200lbs & have gone from a size 32 woman's to a 14/16 as of now & still loosing.  If I could afford the skin surgery I would get it..but I'm on Social Security & a fixed income that does not include what they (Government) calls cosmetic surgery.  it is NOT cosmetic it is a necessary...I would be about 40 pounds lighter and 2 dress sized smaller if this skin would disappear.  

  It seems that this Dr. Now has some insight into getting this skin surgery after he performs the weight surgery on his patients.  Every one I see on his shows seems to get it. Is there something he knows that the other doctors doing the surgery do NOT know..?  If so..how do you become one of his patients..??  I would really like to know how to get it.  Any idea's out there.??

[AZChristian]

Have you contacted the surgeon's office where they did the bariatric surgery?  Most medical offices have someone on staff who might be able to provide some leads for you.  They might advise you as to how to submit the request (with confirmation from the doctor that this is NOT cosmetic; it is medically necessary).  Being on Medicare will definitely complicate it, but if you don't fight for it, it definitely won't happen.

[kokapetl]

On 12/04/2018 at 8:04 AM, HarleyDiva52 said:

My question & topic I'd like a discussion on is this awful loose skin.  I had Bariatric Surgery in College Station back 11 months ago. My weight surgery was paid for by Medicare & Medicaid and did not cost me a dime.  I was diabetic..high blood pressure..Sleep Apnea ( I stopped breathing over 300 times a night)..COPD..and several other illnesses. I am 66 yrs old.  I have lost about 200lbs & have gone from a size 32 woman's to a 14/16 as of now & still loosing.  If I could afford the skin surgery I would get it..but I'm on Social Security & a fixed income that does not include what they (Government) calls cosmetic surgery.  it is NOT cosmetic it is a necessary...I would be about 40 pounds lighter and 2 dress sized smaller if this skin would disappear.  

  It seems that this Dr. Now has some insight into getting this skin surgery after he performs the weight surgery on his patients.  Every one I see on his shows seems to get it. Is there something he knows that the other doctors doing the surgery do NOT know..?  If so..how do you become one of his patients..??  I would really like to know how to get it.  Any idea's out there.??

TLC/Dr Now very likely pay for all of it because they use it for the TV show. You can contact the production company here:

http://www.megalomedia.com/contact/ 

[CouchTater]

Oh my gosh!  I just saw Dr. Now on the Henry Foote episode from 2012.  Dr. Now used to be a lot heavier!  I didn't remember him being so heavy!

[Elizzikra]

Quote

But it makes me wonder if he drives everywhere in his lab coat with his stethoscope on - the gym, grocery store, on vacation, etc.

He wears his "Lil Now Now" tracksuit to run errands...

So pleased to see that Dr. Now is mentoring another doctor in bariatric surgery!

Edited May 3, 2018 by Elizzikra

[Gemma Violet]

The Nicki Swift channel on Youtube put up a video on Dr. Now: