Question:
ARE YOU EVER FREE &CLEAR

OF HEALTH PROBLEMS AND COMPLICATIONS OR WILL IT LAST A LIFE TIME    — karen45 (posted on April 13, 2008)

April 13, 2008
Gee, that's kind of an open-ended question. It depends on the medical condition(s) a person has, I guess. Me personally, I would think that whatever you end up stuck with is definitely going to be a better situation than what you had. Obesity kills, right? That's one that a lot of us have a hard time accepting. But it's the truth.
   — Shirley D.

April 13, 2008
Karen, You got to tell us more about what problems yu have o are having. 4 Months ago I had High Bood pressure, igh Colestroal, Diabites for 25 years (Type II) and a shot thyroid. Today I have a A1C of 5.6, no dibaties signs, just th old damage that was done before my surgery, Blood pressure of 100/50 and a total colestroal of 95. I still take syntroid for the Thyroid, but all of the 15 other drugs are a thing of the past. I hd issues following surgery, but I would call them issues rather than complications. Complication are things that cause you to have to go back to surgery. We all have something that happens but all of us are diferent and things are different that happens following surgery. I would do it all over again in a heart beat. Yes, Ikne tht my diet would be life changing going forward for the rest of my life and that I would have to excersize to reach my goal and maintain it. At leat I can do that, where before nothing worked. Bst of success to you. Let us know more of what problems you are facng so we can better address you with a reply.
   — William (Bill) wmil

April 13, 2008
Let me preface this by saying that I am not a medical expert. I am just a weight loss patient. I was taking 70 to 80 units of insulin daily and 4 pills of glucovance 5/500 prior to having the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy performed on me on the first of March. In only 3 WEEKS I had to DROP all of my diabetes medications! It didn't happen all at once. I kept gradually reducing my dosage as needed until I was down to only ONE pill of glucovance. Finally at the end of 3 weeks my blood sugar had dropped down to 53 points on day! I HAD to stop taking ALL of my diabetes medications! My blood sugars after a meal are now running about 113/114 points which are a little high for NORMAL but are still in NORMAL range. With the advent of MORE weight loss, I should get closer to normal blood sugar levels. I also suffer from Fibro Myalgia, Arthritis, Migraines. Chronic Fatigue, Spastic Colon and Chronic Diarrhea. The Spastic Colon and Chronic Diarrhea have been resolved by the surgery. the Fibro Myalgia, Arthritis, Migraines and chronic Fatigue have all been improved to one degree or another by the surgery and the resultant weight loss. The Arthritis was relieved almost completely almost immediately. The Fibro Myalgia has not been fully resolved but has improved significantly. The same can be said for the Migraines. My Chronic Fatigue has GREATLY improved. I have MUCH more energy now than I did before. I have lost nearly 50 pounds in a month and a half (47-49 depending on which scale I use). My surgeon is looking forward to watching the improvements in health as I lose the weight. The Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy that I had is one of the safest weight loss procedures available with the least amount of complications post op. Basically all they do is take about 80-85% of your stomach away. They take the rest and turn it into a tube. Your tiny stomach allows you to loose the weight you need to lose without dealing with the complications of a foreign object causing an immune system response or slipping and causing damage as the LapBand could or causing you to be forced to take special supplements like the folks who have the Gastric Bypass and the Duodenal Switch often have to do. Many of these folks have to get their supplements from their doctors. If they run out or lose them on vacation or they are caught short on cash when they run out, they are STUCK. This is not an issue with the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. The biggest PROBLEM with the VSG is that many insurance companies won't PAY for it because they consider it to be an "Experimental" procedure. They forget that it has been done for YEARS in the US SUCCESSFULLY for OTHER reasons than weight loss. It has been used as a treatment for stomach Cancer and Ulcers and has been used as the first part of the Duodenal Switch here in the US for YEARS. There have also been many doctors in Europe and South and Central America that have been using the procedure successfully for quite some time. The weight loss and maintenance is comparable to that of the Gastric Bypass. It does not have the issues of Malabsorbtion of certain Vitamins, Minerals and Nutrients that the Gastric Bypass does though. Your intestinal tract remains intact except for the part of the stomach that has been removed. If you want to find out more about your options, I have done some research and posted it on my Profile page. You can find it at http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/hubarlow/ . As you can tell, I am somewhat of a prolific writer. There is a segment of my blog that I have written that deals with the major weight loss surgery options. It should be about halfway down the page. If not, you may need to look for it in the archives. Look in March. It may be the first or second article that you come across. It will give you an idea of what each surgical option is about with links giving more in dept explanations and some videos of the procedures. I will warn you in advance though, the procedures are done on living people. You get to watch them do an actual real live operation. If you do not have a strong stomach, DO NOT WATCH! Instead, minimize and LISTEN! The doctors talk about what they are doing and explain what is good and sometimes what is bad about each procedure. I hope this helps, Hugh
   — hubarlow

April 13, 2008
18 months and never had a complication -- i have some medical problems but they are not related to weight -- can you be more specific with your question roberta
   — RCassety

April 13, 2008
So as not to repeat all of my problems, I suggest reading my profile... I am 8 1/2 months out from open RNY and still suffering with blood clots and anemia/dizziness. I just had an emergency lap cholecystectomy on March 6 and Bell's palsy on March 17. I am beginning to wonder the same thing myself. I had NO, count them, NO health problems, other than obesity, before surgery and now I have had more problems in the last 8 1/2 months than I have had in my entire life and I'm 36 1/2 years old!!!!!! I have been told by people that it can take up to one full year until you feel completely normal again. I sure hope I am on the road to good health now because I've had my share. I've had blood clots, anemia, dehydration, cholecystitis, Bell's palsy... Like I said, for more details, read my profile.
   — ALafferty

April 13, 2008
Hi Karen, if we have problems prior to surgery, and had them a long time, why would you assume that they all disappear? We do damage to our bodies by being obese, and then we get older. My goal was to be medication free, and other than vitamins and calcium, I am mostly medication free (I take a few things occasionally), but as I age, I get more "stuff", and then I just deal with the "stuff" as it comes up. There are no guarantees in life, but one thing is for sure, we did damage to our bodies by being obese, so the consequences of those choices are also ours. Patricia P.
   — Patricia P

April 14, 2008
Completely depends on the problem. Weight loss surgery can help or cure some things. I was diet control Diabetic before surgery. My Diabetes is in remission. I have an A1C of 5.3 (low normal). I no longer have sleep apnea. I have cut my antidepressant by 2/3's. I take almost no PRN pain medicine for my arthritis but still take my maintenance med. I still need my Lasix for peripheral edema.
   — Donna O.

April 15, 2008
Having WLS doesn't make you superhuman... so you'll always have the same health risks as non-WLS people. Depending on the surgery you have, you may or may not have an increased risk of certain complications.... if you could be more specific, you'll get more specific answers. best wishes
   — mrsidknee