Heart attack + sleep apnea + RNY

Hello everybody. I live in Germany where this type of surgery is just becoming "popular". Prof. Dr. Weiner is supposedly the 3rd best in the world. (He´s the one that I would have perform the surgery, here in Frankfurt, Germany) I have a lap band since 1997 but it´s not working. I have a BMI of 48. I have since developed Diabetes, Sleep-Apnea. I had a heart attack 4 months ago and since 2 weeks I have a....hmmm....dont know what it´s called in engli****´s an oxygen machine and I have tubes in my nose because I was having severe shortness of breath....even without doing anything and they found out (was in the hospital) that I only had 53% Oxygen in my blood and they dont know why. The last few months, 3 doctors have told me that I need to loóse ALOT of weight and FAST! Now I am considering Batriatic surgery but I am soooo scared but I am also sooo scared of everything now. I am 44 years old and the single Mom of an 11 year old boy. Does anyone know if this type of surgery can still be done with all my complications? The USA is much more experienced! Thank you! Regina

Regina, I too have severe sleep apnea and after my surgery I had low blood oxygen saturation levels. I am guessing that if your heart can handle the stress of surgery you will be fine - maybe not complication free but they should be able to do the surgery. Alot of us have sleep apnea so the medical community is use to that problem with obese people. Sounds like your biggest problem is the heart and finding out why your not getting enough oxygen thru normal breathing. My lungs filled with fluid and my asthma kicked up and I developed a plueral effusion, so that was my problems with the oxygen after surgery. Have you seen a Pulmonary Doctor to check out your lungs? A good CT scan will show fluid and pockets if that is effecting your breathing - which helped dx me. Good Luck and God Bless Dana P

Hi Regina, YOu really need to ask the surgeon if he has ever done this surgery on someone with your health issues, and exactly how their recovery went. Regina, with a blood oxygen saturation level of only 53% I'm not sure any surgeon would think of the surgery. I also have sleep apnea, and didn;t know until AFTER the surgery when my ox sats were low especially when I was sleeping.I did well after all that, and the breathing exercise with a small plastic breathing thing helped me to get off the oxygen after 5 days in ICU. Your heart will be much better off without the weight, my BMI was 48 7 months ago. I've lost 83 pounds. The sleep apnea isn't gone but it's not severe, I use less hypertension meds, and am almost off Insulin. Losing weight is what has saved me from the very bad health I was in. The only thing is...can you survive the surgery with an oxygen problem going in?? Good luck and best wishes, Kahiah

Hi Regina, I would get my lungs in good shape before sugery. See a pulmonary Dr. and they can find the problem. Best of luck to you and Get well soon~! Rose C.

Guten tag, Regina... Professor Weiner is one of the best bariatric surgeons in the world. I thought about going to him (from California) when I wanted my LapBand out and a revision to DS surgery. He did the LapBand for someone I "know" online. Also very experienced is Jacques Heimpens in Belgium. If the machine is adding oxygen, it's probably a "concentrator." If it's just what you wear while sleeping it's a CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) or Bi-Pap (Bi-level Positive Air Pressure) machine. With a surgeon like Weiner you are in very good hands. With a child,it is very difficult. We could all die with any surgery, but if we do not have the surgery, the weight can kill us. It is a difficult choice. Sue (I used to live in Kitzingen--near Wuerzburg!)

Regina...thank you so much for your post. All of your medical conditions are the very reason TO have the surgery. Look at it this way. You can live like this for the rest of your life, possibly getting bigger and coming into more medical difficulities, or you can go thru the surgery and get a hold of your body and life. God is an AWESOME God and if He brings you TO something in your life, He will definately bring you THROUGH it. I will be praying for you specifically and you can email me at [email protected] anytime and we can talk.!!! I have my surgery on November 7th. I can't wait. Hugs to you from this side of the ocean, Lori