Dying a year out? Why?

It's important to understand the stats and subjects of the study that lead to those results. First - the study was conducted on Medicare recipients only. Those are people who are already sick so the mortality would be higher. That was expected. Second - Because they were Medicare only, the surgeons who performed their surgeries were considered to be in the lowest 1/4% of experience and skill compared to those surgeons in private practice who do not accept Medicare. When you combine these factors, and take into consideration that the groups were lumped together (those who had band/RNY/other) without a good breakdown of health issues, age, etc., you come up with a higher rate.

Amy, Deciding to have WLS was the hardest decision of my life. I have a boy 9 and girl 5. I was soooooo scared of leaving them. I wrote them letters just in case something happened they would know how much I loved them. But I made it through great! 5 months out and 80 pounds gone! I am soooo happy with my decision. I am much more active and my kids love their new and improved mommy. I ran up and down and sand hill 3 times with my daughter and I wasn't winded at all and the smile on my daughter's face was sooooooo worth it! 5% seems a bit high. I have heard 1-2%. And remember that it is within the first year, that includes dying on the table and early post-op. and those numbers are from the beginning. The surgery has come a long way. The leak test after surgery has saved many lives. Also remember you are younger and lighter then most who have the surgery. I am 34 and was 290 with no co-morbilities other then joint pain. Many people are older and bigger and have many health issues. I was the light weight in my support meetings and doubted myself pre-op. But if I would continued gaining the way I was, I would have been 350+ and have many health issues by the time I was 50 and think of all the life I would miss out on. I didn't like to leave the house and that is no life. I didn't go on any field trips or help with parties at school because I was embarrsed and didn't want my son to be teased about his fat mommy. I promised my son I would o on as many as they would let me from now on. It can be done without surgery. If you have Discovery health channel, check out "I lost it" and the "Diet doctor". Many people have been successful with Weigh****chers and the south beach diet. One of my mom's friends had complications and has gained most her weight back. She told my mom not to let me do it and just to diet and see a psychiatrist. So my mom was against it, but now sees how happy I am and is much more supportive of my decision. It is a tough one girl, Good luck! Big hugs, Stacy

Hi there, it's normal to be so emotional right before surgery...I know I was. I have to tell you, my mom had this surgery 11 years ago and is doing fine. No complications at all. Thank goodness! you take care, Bambi

Hi Amy! I'm 11 years out now, and I'm doing fine! I had some complications- malabsorption, anemia, hypoglycemia, and strictures- all were cleared up early, as soon as they were discovered. If you pay attention to your body, and you see the doc any time you know you are not feeling right, they can catch almost any side effect and nip it in the bud. This is not a decision to make lightly- if you have any doubts at all, don't do it, becuase you'll already be expecting the worst, and thoughts are powerful things- we can actually sabatoge our success. Do your homework, and make the choice that is right for you. God will let you know His will. Good luck! Michelle 362/132

Here is the article I read: "Risks of gastric bypass Because this surgery is something relatively new, few studies exist on the risks of gastric bypass surgery. But those that have been published have found -- like any surgery -- that its risky. Two major studies released last month gave some of the first findings studying large groups of patients. One study of 16,155 Medicare recipients, who make up less than 10 percent of all gastric bypass patients, found that 2 percent had died within 30 days after the operation. Almost 5 percent had died within the first year. Nearly 3 percent of women and 5 percent of men aged 35 to 44 were dead within a year. Rates were slightly higher for those 45 to 54. Among patients 65 and older, 11.1 percent had died in the first 12 months. Another study of 60,077 California residents who underwent surgery for obesity between 1995 and 2004, found that the one-year mortality rate was 0.91 percent. Edition: Final Home Section: Living Page: D1 Index Terms: Health Matters Copyright 2005 Tulsa World. World Publishing Co. Record Number: 051117_Li_D1_Lostµ72655" Also, I know Jessica had breast cancer but people, even on this website and in yahoo groups, have suggested that the malabsorption and malnutrition lowered her immune system, making her more susceptible to the cancer and more likely to have spread of the disease. I understand everyone here has actually had the surgery and is very pro-WLS. I just wanted to see if anyone, in their research, had seen these statistics or any reasoning behind it. This IS part of my research in WLS.

I think that it also need to be done on a comparison basis. If they take the same number of Medicare recipients with the same obesity isues and co-morbidities and see what happens to THEM within a year after surgery, my bet is that the rate is going to be even higher. A lot of the success of the surgery has to do with being pro-active about one's own health, nutrition, and followup. Malnutrtion is VERY COMMON among people who are obese. Being fat does not equal healthy. Point in fact, most obese people are NOT good eaters, do not do supplements and nutrition and have set themselves up for malnutritive issues. I believe the fact that Jessica had cancer was already an issue in her body well before she had the surgery. She had other issues going on as well and it all took part in her eventual succobing to the cancer. Low carbohydrate diets actually help PREVENT the growth of tumors. It may well be that the cancer was held in check for a longer time because of her surgery. I don't think this is something we will ever definitively know, unfortunately. Kathie 285/272/**224**/150ish??

Key words in that article: "Medicare Patients" That d*mn article is causing more trouble than anything.

I see a HUGE red flag in this article. Firstly, it references "One study of 16,155 Medicare recipients, WHO MAKE UP LESS THAN 10 PERCENT OFALL GASTRIC BYPASS PATIENTS, found that 2 percent had died within 30 days after the operation. Almost 5 percent had died within the first year." (The emphasis is mine.) Then, it turns right around and says "Another study of 60,077 California residents who underwent surgery for obesity between 1995 and 2004, found that the one-year mortality rate was 0.91 percent." This is a difference of 4.09 per cent---anyone wonder WHY??? COULD it be because in order to BE a Medicare patient, one must be either elderly, medically disabled, or both??? Could it be because California has a high income level, AND an unusually high concentration of world-class WL surgeons? And of course, the fact that the Medicare study was on roughly one-quarter as many patients as the California study makes each individual four times as significant. Let's face it---WLS is a highly-specialized field, and good, experienced WL surgeons can 'pick and choose' among the insurance companies they want to contract with. Medicare generally AIN'T a first choice for any surgeon, because it pays---badly. I'm a Medicare patient, and I could have had surgery with Doc A, basically with NO out-of-pocket expense. Largely because I wanted a procedure that Doc A didn't perform (the DS), I wound up using Doc B instead, and paying the $7500 surgeon's fee myself. After the fact, I met a few of Doc A's post-op patients---ALL of whom have had complications, ranging from minor (strictures) to life-threatening (undiagnosed leak, septicemia, etc.) I think there's a very good chance that my decision to use a non-Medicare surgeon kept me from becoming a 'statistic'. As for the questions about malabsorption/malnutrition causing immune system troubles---as others have pointed out, the two aren't the same. My personal experience tells me that I was MORE malnourished pre-op than post-op. Pre-op, I ate a LOT of calories, but not, generally, a lot of nourishing foods, I took no vitamins, nor had I EVER had most of the post-op bloodwork that's a VITAL component of aftercare. I used to be sick a LOT, and have trouble with easy bruising (Vitamin K), energy levels (iron, B-12, and protein), and night blindness (Vitamin A). Since my DS, I've been sick TWICE in almost two years (one was food poisoning), my bruising is greatly reduced, my night vision is greatly improved, and my energy level has gone through the roof! Granted, I DO feel that I've experienced exceptionally good results---I DO personally know people who've had a lot of problems. But, strangely, most of them are Medicare patients...

Please research-research-research!! I have had many many complications-blockages, aspirated, pneumonia, pulmonary embolisims, surgical abcess, seromas, now kidney stones from the re routing of the stomach and subsequent complications resulting from the bypass. I am in Hospital Management and have access to many publications the general population does not have access to--I researched for over 2 years prior to having the RNY. Would I do it again? NO!! true, I have lost weight, but was close to losing my life too. The complication rate is much higher than advertised--put gastric bypass in on google and read for yourself. Many people have good results, I am not one of them. You must answer the question yourself......Am I willing to subject my body and my family (and children) to the potential complications as a result of the surgery?

(1) The Medicare study is skewed by the factors that you would expect to find in that patient population, including the fact that they don't always get access to the best doctors out there, which affects everything from screening to surgery to follow-up. Just my opinion, but sadly, how many docs take Medicare . . . many don't, and I suspect this means less experienced (or just lesser) docs are overrepresented in that group. (2) In reading Jessica O.'s profile, I was left wondering whether it would be possible to piece together why her WLS went so badly . . . was the undiagnosed cancer a piece of that or not? Hers is such a tragic case, but it is so complex I don't think anyone can blame the WLS for all of that poor woman's misery. (3) On the flip side from that case, there are those whose cancers will be diagnosed sooner due to the weight loss associated with WLS, and their lives will be saved because of it. I'm one of those people. (4) I don't think the surgery is likely to compromise the immune system of a healthy person, particularly if they keep up with their labs and adjust supplements accordingly. Not likely to be a problem. . . but of course there are no guarantees. Things do go wrong sometimes and sometimes you cannot blame it on anything else besides the WLS. It can result in death and suffering. There's certainly risk in having this surgery. But the hard reality is that there's risk in remaining morbidly obese. It can be a tough call deciding which set of risks to live with (or take), but my point is, there's risk *either* way.