Death after a year?!?!?!

I keep reading articles about how gastric bypass patients are dying at a higher rate (3% to 5%) around 1 year post op. But they are not saying the details of what is actually causing the deaths. Is it due to other health issues? Is it b/c people are not taking vitamins? Or eating properly and following doctors instructions? I have tried doing a little research on this and I just can't find anything. Maybe I am looking in the wrong places? Has anyone heard about this? Please share any info you might have. I am sure others would like to know. Thanks! Kimberly

Hi KImberly, I have not read this and I read everything. I am pre-op and plenty scared to do it just because I defy all rules now- so what will happen then?? I would start by asking my Doctor..he should be honest with you- or Google "death from WLS"..see what i t says. I imagine it would be from lack of nutition , dehydration or not going to the emergency with a big problem and sitting here waiting for someone to give you an answer. At the first sign of a problem I would go quickly to the ER and gt an endoscopy..and cal you doctor immediately- he got $40,000 for the surgery he should be able to answer a question for you including statistics. Good luck ] edyth

HI Kimberly, I am 18 months post op and am in better health than i have ever been. I that all that hype about the increase in the number deaths is because more people are having the surgery and their health was horrible when they had the surgery and it just all catches up to them. I was lucky because other than being fat I had no real serious problems. I have know people who have died soon after surgery and one who did die almost a year out. She was just stupid for not going to the doctor when she got sick. Fear killed her! Don't worry, just take care of yourself and all will be OK> I would be my life on it that those people who died within a year or so would have died sooner had they not had the surgery! Take Care, Ken

Wow! I've never seen this info. Not sure if maybe this is people that have had complications that have suffered for a long period and couldn't fully recover or what the exact cir****tances are. The good thing is that on the 14th I will be 18 months out...alive and kick'n....kick'n higher than I used to that's for sure. I've never felt better in my life. If you find some data...pass it along please. TOnya

I'm pushing 11 months post op and never felt better. But then I follow my doctor and nut and take my supplements EVERY day faithfully, get in my protein etc. I personally have never seen any article or study which says folks are dying more at 1 year post op. Where did you get that from? I am always interested in more information about WLS. Kia

Kimberly, Where did you find this info at? The only person I know of that died within a year of surgery was because of complications from surgery and that was because of the doctor. I would really like to read up on this information you have. Good luck in your search, but I just haven't seen it. As long as you are eating right and taking your vitamins and getting your exercise, then I can't see why a person would die due to WLS. There may be other complications in their life, but I find it hard to believe that their deaths would be linked to their surgery. Again, good luck. Ken

I'm 19 months PO and othe than my B12 being "a little low" all my labs come back perfect. I'm in great health - and I was one of those who was in great health going into surgery - no comorbidities. I was just FAT and couldn't loose the weight but had a strong family history of heart conditions, kidney problems, diabetes etc and knew if I stayed that way I'd be worse off. I did a little bit of research and found this article on newstarget.com: "Elderly are at greater risk of death after gastric bypass than once thought Highlight: A study of Medicare patients has found that men over 65 are at greater risk than formerly believed after undergoing a gastric bypass, with a death rate of five percent within a year, a significant increase in the previous estimate of 0.5 percent. Summary: Medicare patients who undergo weight-loss surgery face a considerably higher risk of death than has been reported for other patients in previous studies, with 2 percent dying within 30 days of surgery and almost 5 percent dying within a year, a study of Medicare patients of all ages found. The American Society for Bariatric Surgeons and several earlier studies have put the death rate from the surgery at 0.5 percent, or one in 200. The paper was one of several published yesterday in the Journal of the American Medical Association that reported sobering results about the safety of weight- loss surgery. Another study found patients, whose average age was 42 years old, were twice as likely to end up in the hospital the year after gastric bypass surgery as they were the year before, mostly to be treated for surgical complications. Wolfe suggested that the poor outcomes of Medicare patients reflected a much sicker, disabled population at significantly higher risk than the average patient coming for weight-loss surgery. But Dr. Dave Flum, lead author of the Medicare study and an associate professor of surgery at University of Washington in Seattle, said the low mortality rates that have been reported in the past for such procedures were from "the best surgeons reporting the best results. "It's a high-risk operation, in a high-risk population, and there's nothing wrong with saying that. The desire on the part of the surgical community to minimize the risk is not well-advised." Concern about the risks does not appear to be discouraging Americans from having bariatric surgery. A third paper in JAMA estimated that the number of procedures has multiplied from 13,365 in 1998 to 72,177 by 2002, and was projected to reach 102,794 by 2003." I'm still doing some research and will let you know what I find out - but from the articles I can find I haven't seen anything else supporting this information. Thanks for the inquiry - it's important that we all continuously do our research to not become a statistic!!! Much Dee Dee

Hello Kimberly, I would like to know where you are getting your information. There was an article about patients dieing but that was for the Medicaide population. Medicade patients usually have many co-morbidities and that is why they are on medicade. Sometimes these medical problems are the reason for the deaths. But if you look at the national averages of deaths for Bariatric patients it is very low. I am 5 years out and have never felt better in my life. I was 400 lbs. If I was 400 lbs now the chances of me being sick or even dieing from the obesity would be greater. It is important to do as your surgeon has instructed you....also to get your lab work done as your surgeon has prescribed for you. We as bariatric patients will have to be monitored and compliant for the rest of our lives to be healthy. When getting into the process of having the surgery we knew that this was our future. To me it is a very small price to pay to be healthy and fit. But there are many bariatric patients who decide not to follow their surgeons orders and end up very unhealthy. Another thing that is so important is to go to support group. Find one somewhere that you like. Not only will you get up to date information it is also an accountablility thing. It helps keep you on track with your weight loss and helps you maintian your weight. Kimberly I wish you much success with your weight loss. Virginia

WOW, I wasnt expecting so many responses! I found the article on Yahoo (wished I had saved it). It went into detail about how the "band" was better and you get the same results (weightloss wise) over a period of 2 years I think. Then they went into how patients were dying at a righer risk of 3% to 5% with gastric bypass around a year post op. I just wish when the reporters write their articles about this, they include ALL information. I want to know the details of the 3% to 5% that past away. I was fortunate enough not to have other health issues before other than POS and Es Reflux. I am calling today to find out about my 3 month post op lab work. Thank you for all responding and for all your information especially yours Dee Dee. I wasn't sure if others had seen anything like that and wanted to know as well. Thanks ya'll! Kimberly

I just found this article on AOL....... With more than 30 percent of Americans considered obese, a procedure once reserved for few dangerously obese adults has ballooned in popularity. But how safe is it? Surgical weight-loss procedures were performed on nearly 200,000 Americans in 2005. Historically, gastric bypass surgery has been the method of choice in the United States, but many physicians now claim the "band" procedure is safer and just as effective, according to a recent report in the New York Times. Here's the rub: With the band, pounds drop off much more slowly and Americans are impatient. The weight loss that can be achieved in one year with gastric bypass takes five years with a band. To partake of any weight-loss procedure, patients must have a body mass index (BMI) over 40 or a BMI over 35 coupled with a weight-related medical condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure.* And while each these procedures may reduce the stomach to the size of a coffee cup, they won't be effective if you re-fill the cup hundreds of times a day! What are your options for the surgical slim-down? The Band: In this procedure, a "band" is placed over the top of the stomach and inflated with saline to restrict the amount of food that can enter and pass through the stomach. It's the preferred method in Europe, but accounts for only 17 percent of weight loss procedures in the United States. Weight loss is slower with the band, but the procedure is fully reversible and has the lowest mortality rate (0.1 percent). The drawback: bands can erode over time and may need adjustments to remain effective. Gastric Bypass: The most common method in the United States, gastric bypass (think stomach stapling) consists of stapling off a small pouch from the rest of the stomach and connecting it to the small intestine. The result: People can't eat as much because the pouch holds less food and they absorb less of what they do take in because part of the intestine is bypassed. Complications range from gas, pain and diarrhea to malnutrition, osteoporosis and death (at a rate of 2 percent). Biliopancreatic Diversion/Duodenal Switch: With a 2.5 to 5 percent mortality rate, this procedure is the riskiest in terms of death and malnutrition. The switch preserves a valve that controls release of food into the intestines from the stomach. And results are astounding with 60 to 80 percent of excess pounds lost within a year. -- Amy Paturel, M.S., M.P.H. * To calculate your BMI, divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared. Then multiply the result by 703. I don't know how much reliability I put in articles like this - simply because of the amount of research I've put in personally I don't agree with all of it's comments. That's MY opinion - I'm not a doctor and have no other proof....I think if we continually keep our labs checked and follow the diet and exercise regiment we should be on then we'll be fine. This was a LIFE STYLE change and not just a quick fix as so many people think......we're just making sure we continually re-educate ourselves!!! Hope this gives you some comfort in your decision. I know I'm still happy with my decision to have the surgery! Much :love Dee Dee