Question:
I was told open rny patients have a life span of 5-10 yrs after is it true?
I know this cant be true but my aunt say's she's been reading on this and that open RNY patients have a life span of 5-10 years after suregery due to many complications from suregery.I know she's wrong but can someone please reasure me. — Lisa B. (posted on February 21, 2002)
February 20, 2002
I think the reason that you don't hear of so many post ops that far out,
because they are too busy out enjoying life. There are many people who had
some of the older surgeries back in the 70's who are still out there alive
and kicking and they had far more problems with health issues. The surgery
is far safer than it was thirty years ago. I hope that helps you some.
Take care
wishing you peace, happiness & health
— Mustang
February 20, 2002
Please tell me that you haven't been reading crap from Sue Widemark. There
is no study, nothing on life spans after WLS. The surgery has really only
been around in it's current state for the last 30 years. But again, nobody
has done any studies and there is nothing to back up that claim. Now if
you are reading stuff from Sue Widemark, look closely at what you are
reading. She sites no examples, factual info, nothing. Almost everything
that she puts out is pure speculation. Anyway, hope this helps.
— John M.
February 20, 2002
My sister died 3 years ago, 5 years post op from complications of her open
rny surgery. I had my surgery on June 11th and am down 109 pounds.
— Jeanese M.
February 20, 2002
Just wanted to say I have a friend that had a Gastric bypass in the late
70's. She was in her early 20's at the time, and is now 44 years old and
has done quite well.
— ScatCat
February 21, 2002
Just last night, I was on a weekly dinner date with a friend of mine. The
waitress knows us well and laughed when he said, "And a to go
box," after I ordered.
She hesitated and said she had to ask me something. I could only assume
she wantd to know why I didn't eat much anymore.
She asked if I had had a gastric bypass and then stated she had one over 20
years ago. She is alive and well, in her 50's and about a size 14. She
was pleased with her progress and was my doctors 10th patient. He is
retiring now. I do not live in fear.
— valerie S.
February 21, 2002
I feel I have to defend Sue Widmark and the WLS Uncensored chat group she
runs just a bit...yes, Sue can be pedantic, but she serves as an important
source of information for people looking into WLS (and for post ops who may
be getting complacent, too)...her objective is for those considering WLS to
go into it aware of all potential complications...Yes she is anti-wls to
some degree, but if she makes a mistake, she will own up to it, and she
freely admits that many wls patients have had great success. She's a good
lady, with convictions, and hardly deserves to have her work described as
"crap".
— [Anonymous]
February 21, 2002
I know MANY people who are long term post-op, and yes, we DO have some
problems. So does anyone who AGES, actually. There are some weight-related
problems we have been rescued from and some WLS problems we have, but those
are being gradually eliminated with more education in nutritional
supplementation. As far as the surgery itself, you mean post-op risk? I
think you mean long term. Our doc here says they "think" it
prolongs life by about 7 yrs, but that's an educated guess. I know my own
PERSONAL life has been extended from where I was. Life is not perfect after
WLS, just better, IMHO. My heart is now beating regularly and my lungsare
inflating right on schedule. To me, that is worth the slight inconviences I
have to deal with in having chosen this treatment for my fatal disease.
— vitalady
February 21, 2002
Hi Lisa. My older sister had her rny over 15 yrs ago and is now over 50 and
doing great. Never weighs over 150! My younger sister had hers 09/10/01
(down 85lbs) and I had mine on 10/13/01 (down 65lbs). We are all doing
great!
— Janet R.
February 21, 2002
Can someone please post (in the answers to this question) where i can find
Sue Widmark's info. Whenever this kind of question comes up, someone
always references her, but I dont know what they're talking about. I
already had my surgery and I'm doing fine...i just want to see what all the
fuss is about!
— [Anonymous]
February 21, 2002
You can join at [email protected] prepared! It sometimes can
get to be like a soap opera : )
— [Anonymous]
February 21, 2002
I post on sues board, and my success helps balance her sky is falling
mentality. I have a swimmers ear ands she claims its a WLS side affect from
compromised immune system? Incidently I have always been prone to this
problem. She is interesting lady. I encourage all post ops to join her list
for awhile and post how your doing. A bunch of success stories will drownd
her out. May save some pre op from being scared off.
— bob-haller
February 21, 2002
Oh, no! More doom and gloom from the anti-wls contingent. No truth
to it at all. I sometimes wonder what drives those sad, fools in the
quest to turn people away from wls.
— [Anonymous]
February 21, 2002
To the "anonymous" person that refered to my use of the word
"crap." Look, I think that Sue Widemark, and anyone else for
that matter is entitled to their opinion. And first off it's nice when
people SIGN their name to that opinion. Anyway, the reason that I am so
"Anti-Sue" is because the picture I get after reading
"articles" by her, is of her walking towards the castle with the
mass, torch in hand. One of the problems that I have with her are the fact
that her EDITORIALS are listed as "articles." I run a small
support group on MSN, and I cannot tell you how many times I have either
had posts and or emails regarding somebody getting totally, over the top
upset after reading something from her. I once read an "article"
of hers that she posted on some website for fat acceptance. The
"article" was full of mistakes and false information, inlcuding
the "WLS patients don't live long after surgery" bit, with no
FACTS to back up that claim. Now would you like to know how she came up
with this little nugget? Sue assumed that because a lot of people who had
this surgery 10 and 20 years ago and aren't reporting back to their
original surgeons/support groups anymore, are dead. Now in this day and
age, how many times have you changed your PCP? I am like 90% of the rest
of the population and don't have the same PCP I had three years ago, and I
don't call my old PCP to let them know how I am doing. Regardless, I don't
hate anyone and as I said at the beginning of this post, everyone is
entitled to their opinion. I only have a problem with your opinion if it's
based on false/made up information. Now I have sent Sue Widemark a number
of email's in an attempt to get her to respond to some questions I have.
That was over 9 months ago, and still no response. So yes, I think her
stuff is "crap." When I was researching this surgery for myself
I wanted cold, hard facts, information that I could really use. What I
found in Sue's information was bogus facts, made up facts, and conjecture.
So this is the end of my editorial about Sue Widemark. You want to talk
futher? You can find me by clicking my name underneath my post.
— John M.
February 21, 2002
To be honest with you, I am trying to think of a reason why someone would
think the life expectancy from soemthing like RNY would be that short. I've
seen people who have had coronary artery bypass grafting live more than 20
years after having that done. Why would a malabsorptive procedure shorten
your lifespan? If your labs are fine, I simply cannot come up with a reason
for it. Think about it for a minute. You're obese, have RNY done, then take
off your excess weight over the 12-18 months as most do. If you take care
of your self and make sure your nutrition is good, have no health problems,
then you should have a long life span. I do understand that wls is
considered major surgery by many, but I can think of many, many more
procedures I would think would be more drastic and life threatening.Was
there some study someone was quoting from?? I even know of a woman who had
the original BPD done. Aside from a problem with chronic anemia and
hypocalcemia, she is healthy, MUCH healthier than she was at 400 pounds. I
doubt she's planning on dying in the next couple of years from her weight
loss surgery.
— NicoleG
February 21, 2002
Ask yourself this. How long are you going to live if you don't have the
WLS? I am personally waiting for approval, but I have had many people try
to talk me out of this. They are all skinny and don't have the problem I
have with weight.
I have been doing lots of research and just about everyone I have talked
said the complications to the WLS are minor and if you follow your dr's
orders they are fixable.
As a christian I believe that when it is my time to die I am going to die.
No matter where I am at or what I am doing.
— Emile N.
February 21, 2002
Okay, I rarely post here, but had to jump in on this one. I am 9 months
post op, down 117 pounds and having my first cold since surgery. I am
healthier than I've been in years. I certainly didn't take vitamins BEFORE
WLS! I didn't drink enough water, I ate every carb ever invented! Tell in
how in the world I could be LESS healthy than I was before???? Also, my
best friend's mom had 'stomach stapling' in the 70s. She's still with us
and still healthy (except for the lifetime cigarette habit which has taken
a toll) AND her weight is still stable. My beloved late mother had the
horrible intestinal bypass in the 70s..she lived another 15 years and died
from complications from a different surgery. I stand by my assertion that
life is fragile and the length of it is in God's hands, not ours. A dear
friend of our family is sixteen years old and lying in ICU from a car wreck
yesterday. She was perfectly healthy until a truck hit her car. We need
to stop obsessing over how long we will live and start working on living
the best we can in the time that is alloted to us. WLS may or may not have
prolonged my life...but it has WITHOUT A DOUBT, made the life that I have
now better than the existence I had before.
— Sharon L.
August 28, 2003
THE ANSWER IS....AFTER WLS YOUR LIFE EXPECTANCY IS 5-10 YEARS LONGER THAN
IF YOU DID NOT HAVE THE SURGERY.
— Holly W.
August 28, 2003
One of the many questions I asked my surgeon was "why do you practice
this type of medicine" to make a long answer short he said because
obesity is the biggest threat to health. By doing this surgery and fixing
the obesity he has the opportunity to affect patients health in ways he
could not otherwise. thousands of wls patients with fully cured diabetes,
hypertension, high cholesterol, etc, the list goes on and on. Now, why
would anyone in their right mind believe that a morbidly obese person with
all of those problems live a shorter time post op and a hundred or more
pounds lighter live shorter with surgery than with out it. studies aside,
let common sense prevail!
— **willow**
August 28, 2003
That's not true. I've only seen that bogus 5 - 10 year thing in one place,
and we all know where that was. Pre-op, I asked my PCP if there would be
little old ladies running around after having WLS. She said YES, there
will be lots of "little" old post-op ladies, but I wouldn't be
seeing any morbidly obese ones. That math was good enough for me. This is
not to say there can't be problems, but if you're very overweight, losing
weight will lengthen your life, not shorten it. Remember to take your
vitamins and get your labs and dexascans done to avoid most potential
problems.
— mom2jtx3
August 28, 2003
I was told by many docs that it adds at least 5-10 years TO your life after
WLS.
— Saxbyd
August 30, 2004
omg i think this is such crap.
i mean i know some people have complications but not everyone is going to
die with in 10 yrs of having the surgery, you are more likely to die in 10
yrs if you don't have the surgery, but perk up i got good news, my mom had
the surgery when i was 1, im 19 yrs old know almost 20 and she's still
around and kicking happy as ever so i think that puts that story to rest
right there
— Krystle W.
August 30, 2004
I know in my heart that if I had not had the surgery and had not done what
I was advised to do to lose the weight, my co-morbidities would have killed
me. Morbid Obesity in and of itself is a death sentence if you don't do
something about it by the time it rolls around to serious co-morbidities.
And the psychological side of being MO is a killer as well. No one
guarantees any us one more day than we're living now, but I have full
confidence that I have the chance of an extended lifespan above what I
would have had if I had done nothing.
— Cathy S.
August 30, 2004
This is a OLD question from 2002. The posters asking it are approaching or
passed their 5 year mark. I post at Sue Widemarks site to moderate her sky
is falling mentality. Actually over the past 3 years she has changed a LOT.
She no longer disses WLS, but advocates the adjustable band as the perfect
safe solution. I KNOW it wouldnt of worked as well for me as the RNY. But
ts a individual decision! Anyhow its odd seeing old questions pop back up.
HAVE A GREAT DAY!
— bob-haller
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