gastric bypass

kmbrooks15

I am not trying to start an argument, but I want to share a story about gastric bypass. There is a lady my sister knows from her work in the ER. This lady, an EMT, had gastric bypass surgery a few years ago. Last week, very suddenly, she became very ill (one day she was fine, the next she wasn't). The gastric bypass surgery site had developed a problem, and she quickly became septic. She was on life support for several days; her family is burying her today. Please, if you are considering gastric bypass, DO YOUR RESEARCH. This surgery has proven to be incredibly risky, and many who have had it have long-term complications and health issues. I know there are success stories out there, but here's the thing...this lady was a success story--until she wasn't.

Just food for thought.

ShannonMpls

I'm very sorry to hear about this woman's death. However:

1) A great number of people die each year from complications associated with morbid obesity - heart disease, primarily.

(2) Studies have consistently shown that for some people, gastric bypass is a lifesaving surgery.

(3) All surgeries carry with them inherent risks of infection or other complications.

(4) No one who has gastric does so on a whim. The requirements of insurance companies and doctors include education, counseling, pre-surgery dieting, and, as with all surgery and medical treatments, consent must be given after being informed of the risks.

(5) 117 people a day die in car accidents in the US. DO YOUR RESEARCH before getting in a car, people! It can be incredibly risky. You think you'll be fine...until you aren't.

(for the record, I did not have gastic bypass or weight loss surgery, but I'm friends with several who did - people who worked hard before, work hard now, and most definitely knew the risks and benefits of going forward).

kmbrooks15

I get that, but I'm stressing that when there's another, less risky way to lose, that should be first option. People can lose without surgery. I'm not knocking anyone who's had it; it's their choice whether to do it or not. I just know how heartbroken this woman's family is, and some people go into the idea of surgery thinking it will be a quick fix. As you know from your friends' experiences, it's not, and it's much riskier than losing weight the MFP way. I just want people to understand that this is seriously risky surgery that can have long-term, unforeseen consequences.

ShannonMpls

Do you actually know anyone who had WLS as a first option? I don't.

Also, have you read the actual research on successful outcomes of dieting/exercising vs WLS on the long-term? (spoiler alert: They have a lower risk of gaining it all back than I do).

Need2Exerc1se

I'm very sorry to hear about this woman's death. However:

1) A great number of people die each year from complications associated with morbid obesity - heart disease, primarily.

(2) Studies have consistently shown that for some people, gastric bypass is a lifesaving surgery.

(3) All surgeries carry with them inherent risks of infection or other complications.

(4) No one who has gastric does so on a whim. The requirements of insurance companies and doctors include education, counseling, pre-surgery dieting, and, as with all surgery and medical treatments, consent must be given after being informed of the risks.

(5) 117 people a day die in car accidents in the US. DO YOUR RESEARCH before getting in a car, people! It can be incredibly risky. You think you'll be fine...until you aren't.

(for the record, I did not have gastic bypass or weight loss surgery, but I'm friends with several who did - people who worked hard before, work hard now, and most definitely knew the risks and benefits of going forward).

I agree with this. You can't throw one bad example out there and not expect argument.

It's a medical procedure, there are risks. Do your research before any medical procedure.

vismal

I get that, but I'm stressing that when there's another, less risky way to lose, that should be first option. People can lose without surgery. I'm not knocking anyone who's had it; it's their choice whether to do it or not. I just know how heartbroken this woman's family is, and some people go into the idea of surgery thinking it will be a quick fix. As you know from your friends' experiences, it's not, and it's much riskier than losing weight the MFP way. I just want people to understand that this is seriously risky surgery that can have long-term, unforeseen consequences.

The issue here is the statistics surrounding losing weight via diet and exercise. While I would agree that most of the time it's going to be the choose with less complications, the odds of successfully doing it are shockingly low. A review of the research shows about 20% of people can successfully lose 10% of their body weight and keep it off > 1 year (http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/82/1/222S.long). That is pretty grim in and of itself but that's only 10% of total body weight and maintenance of only 1 year. Someone considering gastric bypass needs to lose much more then that and hopefully keep it off much longer then that. I do not have statistics on losing say, 30% or 50% of your total weight and keeping it off for say 5-10 years. One would be forced to assume the percentage is much lower.

While there are numerous success stories on MFP, two in this thread alone, the statistical likelihood of someone losing massive weight and keep it off long term is rather low. I'm not trying to say people can't lose weight through diet and exercise, I'm living proof they can. The issue is that most of them won't. That's not to say it isn't worth trying, it's also not to say that having gastric surgery is always the answer. It carries with it a number of irreversible lifestyles changes when it goes right, and terrible risks if it goes wrong. Whether or not the risk of the procedure combined with the lifestyle changes it brings is worth the rewards is going to be based on a person to person basis. I agree that the person should exhaust every other possible avenue of weight loss, but in many cases, gastric surgery is a very viable option. Even those who have surgeries run the risk of not maintaining their weight loss. This to me was the reason I never considered the procedure even at my heaviest. To me, having even a modest chance of regaining all the weight made the whole thing not worth it. But again, that's going to vary from person to person.

In short (too late :laugh: ) gastric bypass is similar to just about every other surgery in that their are inherent risks that must be carefully weighed against the potential rewards. No surgery, be it quadruple bypass or an appendectomy should ever be taken lightly.

shexy16

I'm sorry about your friend...that is very sad. Any surgery has risks, unfortunately. I don't think WLS is the answer for everyone, but I know many people who have had it, and been successful. I know some people who have had it, and ended up gaining all the weight they lost back.

stacyjh1979

In short (too late :laugh: ) gastric bypass is similar to just about every other surgery in that their are inherent risks that must be carefully weighed against the potential rewards. No surgery, be it quadruple bypass or an appendectomy should ever be taken lightly.

^^^^This. Any surgery has risk of complications both immediate and long term as well as the possibility of death. A friend of mine went in around Christmas for a hysterectomy...routine surgery performed every day in this country without a hitch. Well they "accidentally" cut a major artery. She was in ICU for more than a week, in the hospital about 3 weeks total and had to go through rehab to learn to walk again. Anything can happen but making the decision to have any surgery a person has to weigh the possible pros and cons and determine if they are willing to risk it and if the expected benefits outweigh the possible risks. I had gastric bypass 9 years ago and it was the best decision I've ever made. I had a husband and a 9 month old baby at the time and I can assure you it was not a decision taken lightly. Every person on MFP could probably come up with a story of some person that they or someone they know knows of who has had a serious complication and/or died from a hundred different types of surgery. Just my two cents worth.

meridianova

I'm sorry about your friend...that is very sad. Any surgery has risks, unfortunately. I don't think WLS is the answer for everyone, but I know many people who have had it, and been successful. I know some people who have had it, and ended up gaining all the weight they lost back.

+1

i've been extremely leery of bariatric surgeries, especially considering that it's a drastic response to a problem that has so many other solutions. i think aside from the problem of gaining the weight back, there is the possibility of severe nutritional deficiencies that may be going on that we can't see yet... yeah, i know, i'm not speaking from any level of authority on this, i just think there are more dangers than we realize.

i also don't like that the attitude about it is the be-all-end-all silver bullet of weight loss. i don't come close to qualifying as a candidate, yet i've had doctors say "i'm not saying you're a candidate for gastric bypass, but have you thought about gastric bypass?" WTF, dude...

stacyjh1979

i also don't like that the attitude about it is the be-all-end-all silver bullet of weight loss. i don't come close to qualifying as a candidate, yet i've had doctors say "i'm not saying you're a candidate for gastric bypass, but have you thought about gastric bypass?" WTF, dude...

I would consider a new Dr! Unless a person is morbidly obese a Dr should not be suggesting surgery. Even with morbid obesity it should be a last resort. It is certainly not the silver bullet and any Dr who has that mind frame is probably not a great choice IMO. Properly trained Dr's also suggest a very strict and intense vitamin regimen and patients are to be checked every 6-12 months for deficiency if they have a gastric bypass that causes malabsorption (not all of them do). It's a surgery that no one should go into if they are not well informed and not to be mean but if they don't do their research and something bad happens they have no one to blame but themselves (not saying she deserved to die either, she like was aware of the POSSIBILITY of complications and decided it was worth it to her).

meridianova

I would consider a new Dr! Unless a person is morbidly obese a Dr should not be suggesting surgery. Even with morbid obesity it should be a last resort. It is certainly not the silver bullet and any Dr who has that mind frame is probably not a great choice IMO.

yeah that doctor got kicked to the curb pretty quickly.

Kalikel

It is good of you to share that. Everyone goes into that surgery thinking it won't happen to them. The bad things only happen to other people.

It's a good reminder that it can happen to you.

I know someone whose sister spent a couple months in the hospital after her surgery. Almost died.

Nobody who hasn't tried eating small portions of healthy food for six months should have the surgery. There is risk involved. When you have had it, you must eat small portions of healthy food. If you cannot eat small portions of healthy food, you shouldn't even consider taking that risk because you're taking it for no reason.

Canwehugnow

As much as I appreciate where you are coming from, a place of forewarning, I have to disagree. You put one example out there and let it be? There are thousands of people who NEED WLS to survive. They are so morbidly obese that it's either WLS or die. I think putting yourself at harm (as you do with any surgery) is a better risk than simply accepting the fact that your disease (obesity) is killing you.

Again, I get it. You're trying to warn us. But, some people actually need it.

12skipafew99100

sorry for your loss


Edit to say that my husband is 10 years out from WLS and has not had any complications. He would do it again in a heart beat.

CupcakeCrusoe

Do you actually know anyone who had WLS as a first option? I don't.

Also, have you read the actual research on successful outcomes of dieting/exercising vs WLS on the long-term? (spoiler alert: They have a lower risk of gaining it all back than I do).

I, unfortunately, do. She has now regained all the weight because she came into it thinking that she was cheating the system and everything would be hunky dory afterward. She also had gone into the doctor's office padded so that she qualified for the surgery.

She is obviously not the norm, but those people do exist.

cheripugh1

I get that, but I'm stressing that when there's another, less risky way to lose, that should be first option. People can lose without surgery. I'm not knocking anyone who's had it; it's their choice whether to do it or not. I just know how heartbroken this woman's family is, and some people go into the idea of surgery thinking it will be a quick fix. As you know from your friends' experiences, it's not, and it's much riskier than losing weight the MFP way. I just want people to understand that this is seriously risky surgery that can have long-term, unforeseen consequences.

Your opinion is just that YOUR opinion, you THINK diet MFP way will work for all... but it does not, and not everyone here is on the same diet/exercise plans either, and some of those plans can and have killed people doing them. It takes a year before you can have this surgery, you have to try different diet programs, you have to go through counseling which also makes sure you understand everything, dietician meetings to teach you what you can or can't eat. I do not think anyone who has any surgical procedure to lose wt. does so because it's the 'easy way' it is their last resort and they have tried hard, real hard and other ways haven't worked for their body for whatever reason and YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY HAVE TRIED so please stop judging others choices. I'm sorry this lady died, although sounds like it was long after the surgery which makes me wonder what else played a roll in that? Either way I'm real sorry for her family and friends.

jkestens63

WLS is like any surgery, there are risks and you have to do the follow up work as recommended. I had a knee replacement in April and I did all the rehab and physical therapy as prescribed. I am 100 % pain free, able to do just about everything I was doing before (sadly, no tennis). I can't tell you how many people have told me how lucky I am. They or their spouses have had it and still experience tons of pain or still can't walk. I would have my other knee done without question if it needed it.

My best friend had WLS and followed doctor's instructions to the letter. She lost 150 lbs and would do it again, Not easy, still had to learn to life a different lifestyle, make healthy choices, but it was life saving and life changing for her. But I do know others who didn't get the "cure" they were expecting and didn't make the changes they needed to so had complications or gained it back.

I comes down to individual response to whatever the procedure is. We all hear the horror stories, those get passed on and repeated over and over. While the good outcomes are not really mentioned. Just like the news, all the bad stuff is trumpeted and the positive stories are ignored.

Need2Exerc1se

Nobody who hasn't tried eating small portions of healthy food for six months should have the surgery. There is risk involved. When you have had it, you must eat small portions of healthy food. If you cannot eat small portions of healthy food, you shouldn't even consider taking that risk because you're taking it for no reason.

The point is to force you to eat small amounts. It is not a choice after the surgery. Saying you can't have the surgery unless you can also eat that way by choice makes no sense at all.

kmbrooks15

I get that, but I'm stressing that when there's another, less risky way to lose, that should be first option. People can lose without surgery. I'm not knocking anyone who's had it; it's their choice whether to do it or not. I just know how heartbroken this woman's family is, and some people go into the idea of surgery thinking it will be a quick fix. As you know from your friends' experiences, it's not, and it's much riskier than losing weight the MFP way. I just want people to understand that this is seriously risky surgery that can have long-term, unforeseen consequences.

Your opinion is just that YOUR opinion, you THINK diet MFP way will work for all... but it does not, and not everyone here is on the same diet/exercise plans either, and some of those plans can and have killed people doing them. It takes a year before you can have this surgery, you have to try different diet programs, you have to go through counseling which also makes sure you understand everything, dietician meetings to teach you what you can or can't eat. I do not think anyone who has any surgical procedure to lose wt. does so because it's the 'easy way' it is their last resort and they have tried hard, real hard and other ways haven't worked for their body for whatever reason and YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY HAVE TRIED so please stop judging others choices. I'm sorry this lady died, although sounds like it was long after the surgery which makes me wonder what else played a roll in that? Either way I'm real sorry for her family and friends.

Where did I ever say I was judging people for having it? As I said in my second post, it is ultimately people's choice. But this is serious stuff and too many people take it lightly and go into it with the attitude that it's a quick and easy solution. And sadly, there are quack doctors out there who will fudge the safeguards in place because doing the surgery nets them more money. Again, not saying all doctors or all people who seek out the surgery are this way. But there is a subset of people who have this attitude, just as there are people here on MFP who, in spite of all the MFP warnings, still seek out the crash diets and easy fixes. I just want people to hear this so that maybe it makes them stop and really consider if they're willing to take that risk.

I've known 3 people who have had WLS. One, my aunt, gained a good chunk of the weight back. Another had to have hers reversed because of severe vitamin deficiencies and can now never lose weight again no matter what she does because she trashed her metabolism. The other is this lady who died from complications several years later. So not a single happy ending there. Can you see why this concerns me? I'm not saying that it should never happen, but people just need to think long and hard before resorting to it. And I know there are people here on MFP who have had it and done really well, but there are a lot of horror stories, too. All I'm saying is that if someone is considering it, be sure you know what you're getting into and how risky it is.

kmbrooks15

Nobody who hasn't tried eating small portions of healthy food for six months should have the surgery. There is risk involved. When you have had it, you must eat small portions of healthy food. If you cannot eat small portions of healthy food, you shouldn't even consider taking that risk because you're taking it for no reason.

The point is to force you to eat small amounts. It is not a choice after the surgery. Saying you can't have the surgery unless you can also eat that way by choice makes no sense at all.

The reason for that, though, is that if you don't have the willpower to eat smaller portions, the surgery will not be successful. Some people have actually endangered themselves by eating too much after the surgery and making themselves very ill.

kmbrooks15

Do you actually know anyone who had WLS as a first option? I don't.

Also, have you read the actual research on successful outcomes of dieting/exercising vs WLS on the long-term? (spoiler alert: They have a lower risk of gaining it all back than I do).

I, unfortunately, do. She has now regained all the weight because she came into it thinking that she was cheating the system and everything would be hunky dory afterward. She also had gone into the doctor's office padded so that she qualified for the surgery.

She is obviously not the norm, but those people do exist.

And these are the people that concern me. People who go into it knowing they've tried everything else wholeheartedly and still need it, fine...their choice as to whether to take the risk. But there are plenty of people who just decide they want the surgery so they can, as you put it, cheat the system. And as I said in another post, there are unscrupulous doctors out there who will do the surgery for those folks (personally, I think they should lose their medical license for that).

And wow...going in padded so she'd qualify? Sad.