Gastric Bypass Surgery

[Justawoman]

When attending a family function this week I saw a cousin I haven't seen in over a year. She was thin. The kind of thin that causes one to do a double take in shock. The last time I saw her she was morbidly obese and on a walker. She is two years older than myself. She opted to have gastric bypass surgery when she was diagnosed with diabetes. Well the diabetes is gone but since her surgery she has had to have 2 surgeries to correct a kink in her intestine. She was throwing up bile on both times. She is now on her way to Denver for yet another consultation and corrective surgery. The bile and unable to keep food down is reoccurring. I did a short search on google and found three stories that pretty much tell me I would not have this surgery down if I was morbidly obese. The risk of complications and dying don't make the weight loss worth it. Here is a snippet from one of the articles.
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040914/OPINION03/409140303/1110

The truth: Stomach-reduction surgery is risky, and potentially life-threatening. A small pouch is created by stapling the top of the stomach. This causes a reduction in food intake. Then a section of the small intestine is attached to the pouch so food can bypass the stomach. Complications include the same risks from any invasive procedure, plus hernias, leaks in the stomach and infection. Those undergoing the surgery are likely in poorer health and more susceptible to complications.

Would you consider having this procedure done?

[Namos]

no way would i ever have it done! i have GERD,,, and a hiatal hernia and there are alot of things i can not eat as it is,,, having gastric bypass surgery,, there are alot of things u will never ever get to eat again! at least with what i have,, it causes my stomach to be upset and hurt bad but sometimes having that hot fudge sundae with peanuts from dairy queen is a need! and i wouldn;t give that up for anything!!!!!

[Justawoman]

I doubt they would even consider you a candidate for this procedure with all of the problems you have. So what can't you eat?

[Namos]

gerd i can;t eat spicey stuff,,, as for the hiatal hernia,, chocolate is bad,, and caffiene, flares it up bad,, makes me so sick,, but sometimes i just gotta have that pepsi,, and it's worth it when i am in serious need of caffiene. anythig with grease is really bad, so i cook most of my meats on the george forman grill.

[Justawoman]

Well that is suppose to be better for you right? I mean the grilled foods. I have found, as I age, I can't eat real spicy food for the last meal. I will have that reflux thing happen. So I control that with diet. I would shrivel up without my coffee. Nice to know that about greasy foods too. Diabetics can't have fat at all or are not suppose too. The diabetic specialist my father has been seeing for over 10 years chews on him about greasy foods. So we grill alot for him. Now that my spouse is diabetic we really check into more alternative ways of getting a tasty meal without all the fat and over spicing. Heartburn sucks big time.

[Madge]

I don't think I would ever have that surgery if I were an overweight person. I have a friend who had it done, and is miserable for it. She was extremely overweight and unhappy about it. She tried "everything" - diets, excersize -the whole 9 yards. She thought long and hard about the surgery, consulted many doctors and read everything she could beforehand. Today, she's thin, but doesn't look good. There's no color in her face, she looks sad and IS sad. She doesn't feel good and has had too many complications. Her dietary intake, to this day, is restricted to something like 9 oz, not including fluids.

[Justawoman]

I noticed how little food intake my cousin could do at this function. I felt sad for her. You are so right about them not looking good either. My cousin was well over 300 lbs but her face was always beautiful because she was happy. Now she looks all old and drawn and her color is ashen. It worries me. She just had her 3rd surgery to fix problems from the original bypass.

One of my childhood friends went to one of those metabolic diet centers. It was outrageously expensive and yes it worked. But she looks older too than what she should look. She lost her rear end all together and is now obsessed with exercising. She will even tell you she is. Her doctor, at the diet center, kept telling her, " you need to loose 10 more pounds." She kept doing what he said. Now she has no curves and has lost that Marilyn Monroe look she use to have. She is about 5'8" and a blond. All through high school the boys would chase her. She was gorgeous with that bad girl attitude. Today even her hair has no luster and I never see her smile like she use too.

I am beginning to wonder what ever happen to the idea that it was okay for a woman to be a size 12 or 14 and still be considered gorgeous. I wanna keep my curves and my silly, feel good, girlish attitude alot longer.

[pluscurves]

I also know someone who has just had this surgery. I've known her for 5 years. Prior to having the surgery she was not doing everything she could to lose the weight naturally. She was walking on a regular basis, but was not addressing her diet at all. Both go hand-in-hand in order to see results and to make a complete lifestyle change. She is having problems now and is suffering from malnutrition.

I have a problem when someone decides to have major organs that ARE functioning properly - cut-up, stapled, rearrange and damaged, because they do not have the mental will power and determination to control what types of foods they put in their mouths.

Granted I know there are some who have severe obesity problems due to medication or some severe cases where the person is bedridden and weights over 500 pounds. I believe this surgery was intented for individuals facing those types of serious health issues; not someone who is 200 pounds overweight -because they CAN get control and they CAN lose the weight without surgery, it has been done and CAN be done.

Yes, many people despite their list of excuses are using this as a "quick fix" because they do not want to do the long and hard work it takes to get control of their eating habits and their physical well being. That takes work, time, commitment and a mental change in how one looks at food -- and in today's society where surgery is mass advertised as a quick solution to weight loss and beauty -- why are we surprised that people are abandoning the hard work of committing to a lifestyle change, for what they believe to be "quick results" without the extra work.

What is really going on is people are cutting up major organs and finding that their bodies are shutting down, other organs are failing, malnutrition and constant vomting is rotting away their bones and teeth, their hair is failling out, liver and kidney damage, hernias, infections, destruction of their stomach lining. They lack the nutrient the body needs in order to function because the surgery is straving them to death.

They can't adsorb food nor the vitamins and nutrients the body needs from those foods. Even if they give them supplement orally, it is not being adsorbed properly because their intestines has been re-arranged. Also remember the body can't live on "supplements" alone - hence the word supplement - which means in addition to something else and that something else is solid FOOD!! The body needs daily intake of healthy solid FOODS....

...And HOW can you get the daily intake of solid foods, when the surgery reduces one down to eating rat portions (and many can not even hold that down without throwing back up).

You can NOT cheap the body, you can not try to re-arrange and cutup organs and cheap the body, you can not strave the body of life-substaining nutrient and think you will be okay. Even if you are 2 or 5 years post-surgery and feeling just great! Your body will collect on that debt later either through prolong damage of other organs, osteoporosis, arthritis and who knows what else. The long term effects for these types of Weight Loss surgeries are not fully documented and are really unknown.

Since 2000 these WLS have "boomed" and the doctors and hospital are collecting a huge payday at the expense of people's physical health. Now lets see where these WLS survirors are 7 and 10 years from now. What will their overall physicial health be like.

Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is and be very, very, carefully what you ask for because you might just get it and host of other things you never expected!!

[Justawoman]

You are so correct in your post. My cousin, since my initial post, has had to have two more corrective surgeries. She is still in the hospital and is fed with an IV. She is still not out of the woods. When she goes home they will have to feed her with a tube. This is no way to live.

[OnceByten]

Wow that is some scary info! A friend of mine just had GPS done about a month ago. I was scared for her then, and I am WAY more scared now!

I had no idea the list of complications was so high!

[pluscurves]

Wow that is some scary info! A friend of mine just had GPS done about a month ago. I was scared for her then, and I am WAY more scared now!

I had no idea the list of complications was so high!

My comment was not to scare anybody but to make people really think logicially about what they are "really" doing to their bodies and if this type of procedure makes sense when you are putting other organs at risk behind the effects of "surgerically forced starvation".

This is a very serious operation and should not be taken lightly. The stomach and intestine is doing exactly what it is suppose to do -- break down and process food and extract and distributed nutrient to the rest of the body. Why would you have someone disturb a bodily process and function that works!

The stomach and intestine is not the source of someone weight issues. Should not some of these people that opt for WLS be addresssing why they are overeating or eating in an unhealth manner as to cause an excess in weight gain or why they are not pro-active about engaging in some type of physical exercise or activity to burn the excess calories.

Many have survive this type of surgery and have not experienced any problems as of yet, but it is far too early in the game to make a serious decision like this one. This surgery has taken off in the last 5 years, but what are the "real" long-term effects of starvation on the body behind this type of surgery and/or what happens to those who "eat around" their surgery and start to regain the weight.

Too many question marks to put your health on the line.

[Justawoman]

Oncebyten alot of folks have this procedure done. After just listening to what my cousin and her family have went through my advice to anyone that wants this done is seek a second and even third opinion.

When Al Roker had this done he even commented that he had several test ran on his body to see if his system could handle the stress. Al Roker works for NBC on the Today Show. Al passed all of his tests and was a prime candidate for this surgery. He is okay today and looks good.

From all my cousin has said the whole reason she had it done was because fellow teachers at her school had had this procedure done and were okay. My cousin was tired of being my height (5 feet tall) and well over 200lbs if not close to 300. The more she talked about her doctor the more I got the impression he did it for the money only. Her husband called us today and said they did not do the last corrective surgery for the obstruction and absess. They are monitoring her and seeing if the absess clears itself up before they clear her obstruction yet again for the third time. Honestly, I don't expect my cousin to live through this. If she does I will be surprised.

[OnceByten]

Oh J.A.W that is awful!

It's sad what people do these days just to fit into what society sees as normal or beautiful.

What bothers me is there are so many people looking for a quick fix to weight issues. I know that some people can't diet and/or exercise., but most of us could use more of it that's for sure!

[Justawoman]

I think you hit the nail on the head OB. Quick fixes. Give me this pill, give me that surgery, you Dr. Man fix me now!!!

[Madge]

OK - this has probably been said a hundred times over - there are some people who are either destined by fate or genetics to be a "larger" person. I know many "larger people" who are more fit, healthy, beautiful and able than anyone else! Society has always dictated to us what we should look like and to the manufacturing world what the "size" of the average woman should be. That does NOT alway fall into the same categories of what a "healthy" person is!

[Justawoman]

It is all in the genes. Well said Madge.

[pluscurves]

Madge you summed it up perfectly. Everybody is not going to be a size 6 or even a size 20. The most important thing, that can not be stressed enough is that the person is actively engaging in some type of physical activity on a weekly basis to keep their bodies moving and are at least trying to and maintaining balanced meal plans.

Getting their vegetables in, monitoring carb intake and drinking plenty of water. No diets or diet plans, but making a permanent lifestyle change to incorporate balanced meals and exercise into their lives. That make more sense to me than someone cutting up body organs in attempt to force control over their eating habits. When eating should be controlled by behavior and education and not surgery. If you deal with the "mental" first and not the physical -- the body will follow.

[raybeck]

JAW, just read the thread about your cousin, I sure hope she recovers! That is just awful. I think there are a lot of things out there that people do, other that this particular surgery and are hoping for a quick fix, including popping diet pills, etc. Please keep us posted on her progress.

[Justawoman]

Her husband called my mom yesterday, Sunday, with an update. They had to move her to Cardiac ICU. She is now having complications with her heart. The family and her doctor are still shooting for Easter as to when she can be released. She is awake and alert and knows what is going on around her. She is still being fed through a tube the last I heard. The doctor did say that if she has anymore complications that require surgery he doesn't think she will be strong enough to live through another operation.

[raybeck]

JAW, how is your cousin doing? Hopefully, much better...

[Justawoman]

She is home still. Looks like the last corrective surgery they did worked and the blockage has apparently fixed itself. All it did was give her heart problems now. She goes to her heart doctor regularly for that. I guess she will make it. Thank God for that. Thanks for askin Beck.

[raybeck]

Glad to hear they, at least, may have solved one problem...but now heart problems? What a sad story, I hope she gets through all of this eventually.

[Hannamoren]

I have a niece who wants to do this.(she is 24) But this was really scare reading. I hope she will change her mind. Thank you for sharing JAW

[Noseypoo]

Change her mind for her and put a lock on the fridge ;)

[Hannamoren]

Change her mind for and put a lock on the fridge ;)So true!!!! She has now been to what we call a SLim-farm! They are almost isolated on an island in Denmark for 4 months. She got back 1 week ago, and had lost about 40Ldb. Still a VERY long way to go.....

[Noseypoo]

How much is she trying to loose?

[Justawoman]

No way would I have gastric bypass done.

[raybeck]

I know...I'm still hanging around (too much fun to leave). I do feel sorry for her, Hanna...losing weight is not an easy task. I've never had to do it until the last 3 years...I kept slowly putting weight on and now I have to lose about 20 pounds!!! It's hard, especially when ya love to eat!!! I hope she doesn't do the surgery...

[Hannamoren]

How much is she trying to loose?A lot! I would say about 70 kg(at least) I think that is about 140 ldb? I know it is hard to loos weight, I have been trying for years....