way , way, post op????

hi y'all. I was thinking...I have seen a lot of post ,of post-op folks..say 3-4-6 years out. Anybody out there...say 10-15 years or more post op??? Being 55 years young...I was hoping for some post of those that have been at this for a long time....successes, and failures. Thanks..Just trying to understand the long term ramification for by pass. I am still waiting , any day now to get my heart monitor test results back, and that' is all that is keeping me from getting a date. Waiting is such a drag. Peace ken

Ken, It’s about like looking for folks who’ve been using Message Boards for 10 to 15 years. Know many? Same reason with WLS…it’s still pretty new. Certainly new in the numbers of people having it done these days. This site is less than 10 years old. It only got to be “big” (as in member population) Abut 5 years back. So I would assume that folks who had their Surgeries prior to finding this place Wouldn’t be here at all. I’m just over 4 years out, and back when I started There were hundreds of others around the same time. Most have gone on to other things. This Site has a tendency to focus on Pre-Op and new post-op concerns.  So soon, Folks find it less valuable and move on. In the last year there has been a tendency to Help that normal action along for old-post-ops, By “showing them the Door.” If a site wants to be “fun” and “MTV-Hip” And thought of as “Cool,” It does better without a bunch of old-azzes Hanging around with boring info in contrast to the inspirational “New” and “Re-Born” fresh stories. Yes? There are other Boards populated by 4 to 8 year post ops Who are mostly just old friends keeping in touch. WLS Forum is predominantly Older-Out Post-ops. When the Men’s Board first started We had a guy who had his Gastric Bypass in ‘87 And a handful from the mid-90’s. They have since moved on to exercise forums or no forums at all. Hope your heart monitor test results come back with good news. Best Wishes- Dx

Hey Ken - sing with me..................... "The wa-ai-ting is the hardest part............"  (yes, i'm an old azz, but a new post-op).   As always, Dx has some good history and good rationale in answer to your question.    If you're looking for the long termers, maybe check with your surgeon's office.   I know my surgeon's practice has been around 25 years - and, my surgeon has been doing WLS for 22 years.  I haven't been to the support groups they offer, but there might be some old timers in there. So, i don't know if you've been to any support groups yet, but that might be a place to find those long-termers you're wondering about.   Just a thought...........    And, best of luck getting that date..... Chuck

Heres a link to an article a few monthes ago about a study of 10 year post ops.  don't miss the two link in PDF format at the bottom http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/68/21/1843

I think that most people lose touch with the message boards and support groups after a few years of  adjusting to life after surgery. It's like when kids grow up and leave the nest.