Scared, just read where a lady died from this forum.

I was on the main forum board trying to find the vitalady I have heard about and I saw where this lady named SherieL passed away from complications from her surgery.  She was a very young 50 and now I am scared.  I have printed a list of questions to ask my surgeon tomorrow, but my surgery is on Thursday and now I am really worried.  My surgeon to ask me to go on a pre-op diet or anything.  Do you think this is a bad sign? I don't have any major health problems other than just being overweight.  I am scared and now I am crying. 

Let's remember this lady and her family in our prayers. I am so sad.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/sheriel/

Mandy,

I read the same post and I have been praying for that family.  What  you should remember is that this is major surgery and even though the fatality percential is very very small it is still a possibility.  I figure that at the weight I was at, I was dying a slow and miserable death.  I had co-morbities and I was 39 years old (my surgery was 6 years ago).  But now I now have a life worth living and I live every day to the fullest.  I thank God for my success and try to do my best not to gain my weight back.  I think that if you have a positive attitude you'll have more success than if you worry about what may happen.  Heck, I could die tomorrow just walking accross the street or being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Don't borrow trouble and don't worry about those things you can't control.  Look forward to a happy and successful future with lots and lots of WOW moments to come!  Ask all the questions you have for the doctor, I'm sure if you don't feel better by the time you read all the answers to this post that your doctor will make you feel more at ease.  Best of luck to you and keep us up on your progress...  I'm excited for you!!!

Didn't she have RNY?  Not as much chance of fatality with lap band.  One of the reasons I chose it.  That said.  ANY surgery is dangerous.  I am praying for her family.

Mandy,
all surgeries have risk.
I knew that before my surgery but one thing I refused to do was read any and all memorials.
I had to stay focased and positive and know in my heart what I choose to do was the right thing for me and my future health.
I did have a complication I had a blood clot but fortunatly I had a vena cava filter put in the day before my surgery which saved my life.
Obesity is a monster and with it it has many health problems that can and in many cases will occur.
I wish I had my surgery when I was younger but I did not.
What I have done is improve my life for the rest of my life and I am going to be 50 in may.
I am now for the first time in my life enjoying things I thought I could never do.
I never knew how sick I was until after my surgery.
I had type 2 diabetes,sleep apnea,high blood pressure and the list went on.
Since surgery  my diabets has been in complete remission and my blood pressure is normal.
I no longer have to wear a cpap machine to sleep and no longer have to use a cane just to be able to walk across my yard.
Ask your questions to your surgoen and I hope you find you can put your trust in him to know he will know what to do to help you.
You are a beutiful young woman with her whole life in front of her.
                                    Annie

(((Mandy))),

I'm so sorry to hear of the passing of SherieL. I guess that it brings the rare, but very real risk of death front and center. I know that I was truly afraid that I might die as a result of my surgery, but to be honest I was more afraid that I would die without it. I have watched my mother and what has happened to her and could see it begin to happen to me. If you read the early part of my profile you will probably see some of my thoughts on the subject.

I think that you are wise to address these issues and concerns with your surgeon. Ask them how they look for and manage leaks post op ... I understand that this was the issue to which SherieL succumbed.

Only you can decide if you think that the risks associated with the surgery relatively outweigh the risk of staying morbidly obese. Even if you are not experiencing the negative effects of your obesity yet, it is a ticking time bomb. If you decide not to have the surgery, which has an 80 percent success rate at 10 years post op, then be sure that you have another plan to ensure that you are able to take back your life and lose the weight.

Wishing you all the best as you struggle with this very real concern,

Barb

P.S. I had my surgery through the program at Duke and if it eases your mind at all, I wanted you to know that I did not have to do a liquid diet before my surgery. Some people who go through the program at Duke do and some don't. I didn't because I had switched to a relatively lowfat diet before my surgery. At Duke, they use Vena Cava filters on some patients and don't use them on others .... at UNC Chapel Hill, they use them on everyone. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you can have a very good Dr and program and still have variances in practice. This doesn't mean that one is good and the other is bad, it does mean that they have different perspectives on what works best in their own experience. I would be most interested in the number of procedures and stats that the Dr you are using has with the procedure you are having done.

P.P.S Please feel free to contact me if you'd like to talk. You can PM me and I'll be glad to give you my contact information. B

Please just look at the positive.  You will never know the outcome because the future is uncertain.  I beleive lap band surgery is outpatient and I think you'll be in and out.

Many people have had rny and lap band and had sucesses, so please don't focus your time and energy on finding out negative things.

Mandy.......

I have had lapband a little over a year now. It was very easy and not as invasive as RNY. As others have said, ALL surgeries run a risk, from wisdom teeth extraction to heart transplants to ingrown toenails, there's always that one in however many chances that something will go wrong. Lapband is one of the easier surgeries for weightloss to have and to recover from.  Please talk about this with your surgeon and research the statistics and speak with other.....they will all help you reassure yourself.  If you're not ready to make a decision yet....take more time untill you are comfortable with it.  I never read those posts about what happened to others- I put my trust in God to guide my surgeon for a successful surgery and He worked wonders.  I wish you the best and can I say that your worries are Normal??????? 

Nancy

It is sad, and it is a possibility with ANY surgery, weight loss or otherwise, lap band or RNY, DS, gastric sleeve, balloon, etc.  It simply doesn't matter -- you risk your life by being put under anesthesia as much, if not more so, than the actual surgical procedure itself. 

Now, that being said, you need to check out your surgeon's stats and your hospital's stats and see what they're like.  That's vitally important, or at least it should be, to know what kind of record your surgeon and hospital have.  If they have a high number of leaks or fatalities or infections, then re-think who is doing your surgery and where you're having it.  I was mindful that there were risks, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't setting myself up for someone who was not incredibly experienced and had a good track record, ya know? 

I'm 18 months postop and have had no complications.  But I knew that I could have had complications up to and including death, and I was willing to take the risk as scary as it was.

HI all!!

We I had my preop appt today with my surgeon and the hospital staff (anestesiologist/nurses, etc).  I had a list printed up for my surgeon and he answered all of my questions.  He has never had any deaths, at all.  He has done over 300+ lap bands, he said the most common complication after surgery is nausea.  With Rex hospital he has done 300 procedures in the last year (rny, lap band, etc) and no deaths.  Although, he is relatively young (& HOT) he also did a 2 year internship and a five year fellowship.  I am feeling much better.  The staff at the hospital were very helpful and all said the same thing.  I am young, with out any conditions, other than just being overweight.  I should do just fine.  He does 5 or 6 a day.  So I am feeling much better.  I start my liquid diet tomorrow which I will do for Tue & Wed and then have the surgery on Thursday. 

Thank you so much for being my support!!