Long Term Success Rate of RNY???

Excellent. Thank you for your post.

Thank You

I think success goes back to the individual.

I have met a few people who are in the same stage as me and have no clue as to what surgery they had...The first thing my roommate in the hospital said to me was 'what do we get for supper' - 'Ah, nothing' I replied. Another roommate didn't know what dumping syndrome was, along with not knowing many other possible side effects of having the surgery the surgery.

A man in my pre-op class slid his quiz to his wife and said, 'You do it, I don't know anything about that stuff.'

We are definitely given the resources but success goes back to the individual that uses those tools. Many just nod their heads and have no clue how to care for themselves.

So true!

I don't even know how that can happen, at HRRH we are asked several times by different members of the bariatric clinic what surgery we are having and what the surgery implies long term,  it is such a life altering surgery physically i cannot imagine going about it blindly.  That is how people die post op and those stats are added to the mortality rates they quote.

Sad

Well, the RNY has a fairly good success rate, or they wouldn't still be doing it. (*grin*) However, there is a form of WLS that has even better long-term results. It's called the Duodenal Switch, and at ten years post-op gives an average success of keeping off 78% of one's starting excess weight. It's also the form of WLS with the best long-term results for treating or preventing co-morbs like diabetes and high cholesterol.

The DS is harder to get in Canada than the RNY, but you owe it to yourself to at least research it before you have any kind of WLS.

The DS is not available in Ontario covered by OHIP according to my surgeon. The Sleeve is but i would prefer the RNY from what i discussed with the surgeon.

As a long timer and support group leader, I can tell you that many people are indeed successes but there are also many, many who struggle.  I've seen people of all types and all levels of success/failure.  

The definition of "success" however includes people who have regain.  Remember that the rate that the centres usually say is 50-70-% of excess weight off. It does NOT mean necessarily getting of all your excess weight off either.  

This is a hard journey. I'm 7.5 years out and it's often day to day.  It's our heads that are the problem, not our bodies.  Don't count on the fact that "moderation" will be easy.  I currently stand at 13 lbs over my goal and it's far more difficult to keep it off.  It's damn hard work. 

Dawn

Thank you for your reply,  I am not expecting this to be easy, like i said it is all in the mindset, it is not a magical fix.  I am confident that I will be successful and hope that others who take this life altering surgery consider the long term commitment and work it will take, i know i have.

Statistics can be very subjective...I had my surgery almost 5 years ago in Duluth, MN because at that time Thunder Bay did not have any type of a bariatric program....I would caution you to take the full belief of one RNY nurse fro one program.

Being that this procedure and program is so  new...being that basically it hasn't had a real long term run to evaluate actual success/failure rates.

 I don;t know if the MInistry of Health publishes success rates..I mean how would they get that informaiton..I haven't seen my bariatric surgeon since I left the clinic almost 5 years ago and as I stated that was in the USA

That being said there are many, many individuals, that never return to the clinic where their surgery took place and many especially from North Western Ontario do not have a bariatric facility that does follow-up..therefore I would "assume" that definitive statstics would be hard to find/determine.

I like to consider myself a success...although I gained back 17 lbs in 5 years...I allowed from that from the very beginning, just as I set a goal of what I wanted to achieve, I also set a MAXIMUM goal of what I would allow myself to re-gain

It becomes a lifelong journey and every day I remind myself that I was 123lbs heavier 5 years ago~!....sure i have stumbled and on occasion still stumble...but I pick myself up, brush myself off and make tomorrow a better more successful day...there is no way I want to wear a size 20+ item of clothing EVER again~!