Nerve Damage from WLS-Article

Nerve Damage Risk Seen After Obesity Surgery Thu Oct 14,10:20 AM ET Health - Reuters By Amy Norton NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Weight-loss surgery for severe obesity may carry the risk of damage to the network of nerves that runs throughout the body, researchers reported Thursday. The investigators found that of the 435 obesity-surgery patients whose records they reviewed, 16 percent developed peripheral neuropathy. That contrasted with 3 percent in a group of obese gallbladder-surgery patients who were studied for comparison. Peripheral neuropathy refers to damage to the nerves that relay information to and from the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body. In this study, many peripheral neuropathy sufferers had symptoms in the hands and feet, such as tingling, numbness and weakness. Others had damage to a single nerve, including 31 who had carpal tunnel syndrome. A few had more severe, painful nerve damage. The investigators believe that the nerve damage is largely explained by the nutritional deficiencies that can result from obesity surgery, which alters the digestive tract in order to limit the amount of calories a person can consume and absorb. This can be viewed as good news because it suggests that many cases of post-surgery neuropathy are preventable, according to Dr. P. James B. Dyck, the study's senior author. Dyck, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, explained in an interview that many of the patients in the study who developed peripheral neuropathy showed signs of malnourishment. Risk factors for the condition included very rapid weight loss, prolonged symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, and failure to take enough vitamin and calcium supplements. Ensuring that obesity-surgery patients get proper nutritional counseling and follow-up care may prevent long-term nerve damage, Dyck said. He spoke about the findings Thursday at an American Medical Association conference in Washington, D.C. The study will be published in the October 26th issue of the journal Neurology. The report comes on the heels of a study released this week that concluded that the various forms of surgery used to treat morbid obesity are effective, and in most cases can improve co-existing conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure. Referring to that study, Dyck said he does not dispute that with the right medical care, patients who have these procedures often do well. However, he added, they should be aware that they are having a "major, life-changing procedure," and that their medical care does not end with the surgery. Nutritional counseling and other follow-up care are crucial to long-term health, according to Dyck. Several forms of surgery are available for treating people who are 100 pounds or more overweight and considered morbidly obese. Some are known as malabsorptive procedures because they restrict the amount of calories and nutrients a person can absorb after they eat. For instance, in Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, staples are used to create a pouch in the stomach that can hold only a small amount of food at a time; then, a portion of the small intestine is attached to the pouch so that food bypasses the rest of the stomach and part of the small intestine. Because nutrient absorption is diminished in such procedures, patients must learn to eat a balanced diet and take supplements in order to prevent vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Dyck noted that patients in the study who did not have their surgery at the Mayo Clinic were at greater risk of peripheral neuropathy. The likely reason, he said, is that obesity surgery patients at his center attend a nutritional clinic. In general, his team found, patients who went to such clinics had fewer cases of nerve damage. SOURCE: Neurology, October 26, 2004

Hi Ann, Thanks for sharing the article, it is interesting to say the least. -Deb

I saw this posted on another board...(yes I have been unfaithful to you guys!) Anyway..I think I have mentioned in the past that I have gotten pain..most times sharp..most othr times burning or dull in my left back *rib cage...area every since my surgery. I thought it was gas, I used to get it after I ate sometimes...then sometimes after I walk... Now it is always "there". Its not something I can't live with..but its there and its just not right. Why haven't I called the doctor? I have been hoping that it will just "go away".... You know those in the medical field...don't go hopping to doctors..they just hope it disappears. Anyway, I will mention this article and my pain to Dr. Aranow when I see him on Nov 19th. But..maybe it will disappear before then! Joanie

Hi Ann--I read this the other day on the BBC and I think the simple solution is to make sure we take all vitamins, calcium and protein required for maintaining good health. This should serve as a warning to those who think they can skip these vital steps in our recovery. Hillary