Recent Posts
White Dove, these feelings are the best and most positive I've had in a few years. I would get so down on myself for failing at dieting and it felt like a vicious cycle of depression and food and nothing ever went well. I am really feeling confident that I can do this!
KimmyJJ
TheWombat, I'll take all the luck I can get, thanks very much! This was a big step for me, but I'm feeling supported and have a bright outlook and I think this is going to really change a lot of things for me.
KimmyJJ
stacyrg, thanks for the well wishes. Things went very well, I barely felt any nausea from being put under, and just a bit uncomfortable, nothing major. They got me up to walk right away and I did ok by them on all counts so they cut me loose! I'm home now and feeling pretty excited about this new life.
KimmyJJ
This is a shot in the dark , but I am reaching out to see if anyone else has had or heard of this:
About a year ago, my brother had the sleeve surgery and started dropping weight super fast. He was doing great, but after about 6 months, he started to develop a foot drag/drop and difficulty grasping things with his right hand. He didn't think much of it, but soon after, he started falling down/tripping (hard). He fell out of the blue in the kitchen and chipped his front tooth, and he also fell in the drive way on his way to get the mail (causing a concussion). He went to his primary doctor who ran a bunch of tests. His doctor couldn't find anything out of the ordinary from the tests, so he sent my brother to a neurologist. The Neurologist ran a whole bunch more tests and still nothing. Finally, my brother was sent to a major hospital in Los Angeles because his symptoms continued to progress. After several more test and comparing results with prior test results, it was revealed that he has motor neuron disease. The type he has been diagnosed with is ALS (the worst of all the MND's). Immediately after his diagnosis, we began doing research into other possible illnesses that mimic ALS (if you're not familiar, its the ice bucket challenge disease that has no cure), and we found some Vitamin deficiencies that cause the same symptoms. Armed with this new information, my brother headed to the mayo clinic in Minn. to see if he had been misdiagnosed and get a second opinion. Within the first 30 min. of his visit with the specialist, he was confirmed to have ALS without having anymore testing. He felt like the doctor dismissed the information about WLS and diseases that mimic ALS without a clear explanation. I guess I am writing this in the slim chance that someone else has had this happen to them, and if there is any helpful advice as to how to find a doctor who will look into alternative options. It just seems so fishy that he was perfectly healthy before surgery, and within a year he has been given a death sentence! We have read many studies on the (small) connection between bariatric surgery and neurological disorders. From what I have read, there are reported incidences of some vitamin deficiencies and nutritional malabsorption that can cause symptoms that mimic ALS. Like I said, I know it's a long shot, but I still think its worth investigating. I am just afraid that his doctors are not looking into the connection between rapid weight loss and neurological problems. If anyone knows any helpful info, we would love to hear from you...thanks so much for reading my post.
I have never seen anyone post that they developed ALS aft the sleeve, in the 10 years I have been on this site.
you mention vitamin decencies, is he up to date on his labs/ been supplementing appropriately since his surgery?
sadly , and I'm sorry to say, it appears this would possibly been his diagnosis even if he never had had the sleeve.
This is a shot in the dark , but I am reaching out to see if anyone else has had or heard of this:
About a year ago, my brother had the sleeve surgery and started dropping weight super fast. He was doing great, but after about 6 months, he started to develop a foot drag/drop and difficulty grasping things with his right hand. He didn't think much of it, but soon after, he started falling down/tripping (hard). He fell out of the blue in the kitchen and chipped his front tooth, and he also fell in the drive way on his way to get the mail (causing a concussion). He went to his primary doctor who ran a bunch of tests. His doctor couldn't find anything out of the ordinary from the tests, so he sent my brother to a neurologist. The Neurologist ran a whole bunch more tests and still nothing. Finally, my brother was sent to a major hospital in Los Angeles because his symptoms continued to progress. After several more test and comparing results with prior test results, it was revealed that he has motor neuron disease. The type he has been diagnosed with is ALS (the worst of all the MND's). Immediately after his diagnosis, we began doing research into other possible illnesses that mimic ALS (if you're not familiar, its the ice bucket challenge disease that has no cure), and we found some Vitamin deficiencies that cause the same symptoms. Armed with this new information, my brother headed to the mayo clinic in Minn. to see if he had been misdiagnosed and get a second opinion. Within the first 30 min. of his visit with the specialist, he was confirmed to have ALS without having anymore testing. He felt like the doctor dismissed the information about WLS and diseases that mimic ALS without a clear explanation. I guess I am writing this in the slim chance that someone else has had this happen to them, and if there is any helpful advice as to how to find a doctor who will look into alternative options. It just seems so fishy that he was perfectly healthy before surgery, and within a year he has been given a death sentence! We have read many studies on the (small) connection between bariatric surgery and neurological disorders. From what I have read, there are reported incidences of some vitamin deficiencies and nutritional malabsorption that can cause symptoms that mimic ALS. Like I said, I know it's a long shot, but I still think its worth investigating. I am just afraid that his doctors are not looking into the connection between rapid weight loss and neurological problems. If anyone knows any helpful info, we would love to hear from you...thanks so much for reading my post.
Good luck. Hope to hear from you soon.
Real life begins where your comfort zone ends
There are a few other conditions, such as diabetes or PCOS, where one surgery might be preferred over the other. Best to discuss this with your surgeon. As catwoman7 said, your personal preference is an important factor.
My understanding is that while there is strong scientific evidence that both surgeries are effective, there isn't (yet) strong evidence that one surgery is significantly better unless the patient has certain conditions. So ask the surgeon which surgery he or she has seen work best in patients like you.
Just saw this. Hope surgery went well and the recovery is easy! Good luck!
Good Morning!
Have you ever wondered what staples do I use when crafting a Gastric Sleeve?
Check all about it in this video I made!
Regards
Dr. Alvarez
