Question:
Lap Band or Gastric/ Life expectancy

I was just wandering what the life expectancy is with the gastric bypass. If older patients have problems that would aid to their life expectancy. I know all the problems we have being obese will kill us, but I want to know how old do gastric bypass paitents live to be. Trying to decide which surgery to get. And what are some of the problems some of our older veterans are having.    — pugsley101 (posted on August 7, 2008)

August 6, 2008
I asked this question of my doctors. There's no hard data yet, because people haven't lived long enough who have had this. But, the thinking is that it's pretty much the same as for most people. You take care of yourself, you live longer. For us, that means making sure our vitamin levels stay good, and we eat well and exercise. Pretty much the same thing it means for most people, huh? My advice would be to ask questions and make your decision based on which procedure best fits your needs, and by this I mean take a long hard look at your eating habits. If you are a sweet eater and grazer (like me) you are probably better off with RNY or DS than Lapband. Good luck in your search for the right stuff for you!
   — Shirley D.

August 6, 2008
You should also check into the vertical sleeve gastrectomy. There is no malabsorbtion with the sleeve. With this they only remove some of your stomach, which restricts food intake. Everything else works normally. I would think with the sleeve, your life expectancy would be the same as a person that's never had WLS. Or at least I hope so...cause that's what I had! Good Luck!
   — AprilJM

August 6, 2008
I was going so suggest the VSG (Vertical sleeve) too. A lady on the VSG forum said her mom had this done due to ulcers 30 yrs ago. It wasn't done for weight loss, but she did go to a normal weight and stayed there. Anyway, this lady is now over 70 yrs old (not sure of the exact age) and is perfectly healthy except for some age related things like cataracts and stuff like that. This surgery has been done for years (or a variation of it) for cancer and ulcer patients for well over 30 yrs. It just recently started being done for weight loss. Check out the VSG forum at http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/VSG/a,messageboard/board_id,5463/ Basically the VSG is where they take out about 85% of your stomach. They leave it looking more like a banana because they remove the stretchy part of the stomach. The surgery is said to be easier to do than the bypass, but has the same great results as the bypass. It hasn't been done for 10 yrs as a weight loss surgery so it's still considered experimental. I lost over 100 % of my excess weight. I was at goal (my goal was to get into the normal bmi range) at 6 months post op and have since lost more. I went from wearing a size 22 pants and 3 x shirt to wear a size 4 pants (sometimes 2) and small shirt (sometimes xs). I love everything about it. There isn't any malabsorption and there isn't any foreign object in me. Oh, and the part of the stomach that they remove is the part that produces most of the ghrelin which is the hunger hormone. The first 6 months I have to make myself eat. You do start feeling some hunger after 6 months, but it's more like a reminder to eat, instead of that horrible, shaky, have to eat or I will pass out, sort of feeling. Now it's just a gentle reminder, if I haven't eating in a while.
   — Teresa V.

August 7, 2008
What you need to know is that keeping the weight will kill you. Getting the weight off will help you live longer, and with a better quality of life. If you have high blood pressure or diabetes it is imperative to get the weight off. Diabetics need the Gastric Bypass or sleeve to cure the diabetes. Nancy Carle, RN
   — nancycarle

August 7, 2008
GB is too new for long term studies...When I think back to the condition I was in 4.7 years ago...I cannot even imagine having to live another 5 years in that body with all my problems and pain. I would give up years of my life to have this healthier body I have now. I have had malnutrition issues...even when I was gaining weight! Oh yeah...talk about shocked! How does one gain weight AND starve??? If it can be done...I'll find the way and I sure did! Story of my life! Take your vitamins and supplements.....and malabsorption SERIOUSLY... You must learn more about your new anatomy (whichever surgery you have) than your doctor...Surgeons are not usually dieticians and many don't have the first clue what your after care should be...That's why they have teams set up....(The responsible ones) You surgeon is skilled in his surgery and complications that arise from experience. Sure some surgeons go the extra mile to learn all there is and some even stay on top of new info...But people are foolish to believe their surgeons know it all...Just as the doc that delivers a baby may have no clue how to raise a child...OR an onocologist might know all there is to know about Anemia, but not how to treat a GB patient and give you the WRONG iron that does no good. Your PCP usually has NO CLUES how to care for a person whose anatomy has been rearranged. You all need to learn what tests to have run and what they mean or at least what range they should be at and follow each test on a graph to see progression....and what vitamins to take that work well for people whose small intestines have been bypassed (*where normal people absorb many vitamins). Plus other vitamins such as Iron Salts need stomach acid to digest and RNYers have very little...We malabsorb fats and some vits NEED those fats to be absorbed...All of this is so very important...I learned this when nearly all of my vitamin levels were so low or completely deficient...and the symptoms began to affect my heart, brain, muscles and overall health. I ignored the symptoms and didn't take them seriously. We're all different...Some of us absorb better than others...My surgeon probably took a lot of my small intestines because I was severely MO... So I have a much harder time absorbing than some...We have NO trouble absorbing calories and sugar...So even you CAN gain weight and starve at the same time...This is something I knew, in the back of my mind, but my PCP was not running the right tests...She only ran basic tests...I now hand her a complete vitamin lab request...and she is more than happy to run them...That is when i found ALL my fat soluable vits in the WAAAY low , but normal range. I was anemic (Iron deficiency)...And my blood counts were so low...I had high platelets (clotty/sticky blood), Deformed blood cells... Magnesium deficiency and Low on Zinc, creatinin, and the doc said that I had the lowest bad cholesterol that she had seen...So I KNOW I malabsorb fat...Now that I know all about my vitamins and my issue absorbing them...I have increased my own life expectancy by KNOWLEDGE alone. I am my own health care advocate...I trust no doctor alone to spend the time to research me...So I do it. And It has paid off...I researched the Iron my doc prescribed me (WRONG KIND) and threw them away...Got on the Iron suitable for RNYers and in two months I was no longer anemic (Low iron still, but not anemic) The odds of getting better so fast are SOOOOOO slim, because docs are not taking the time to learn what works for us and are using text book cures for people with REGULAR anatomies...A woman I talked to a few months ago died because while on vacation her intestines became blocked and the hospital had no idea how her anatomy worked and by the time she was flown to a hospital with a bariatric unit, she died. I was sick with heart ache over that for weeks ...That could happen to any one of us. WLS is not all about losing weight and keeping it off...It's about health and longevity too. It's about paying attention to aches and pains and not ignoring symptoms that begin long after you've healed from the surgery and lost all your weight. It about staying on top of new and up to date data on labs and vitamins... I expect to live into my late 80's and two nearing 100's as my grandparents on both sides...(Three of them obese)
   — .Anita R.

August 7, 2008
I don't know what the answer to your question would be either, but I was going to suggest that you check out the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. It seems that some others have beat me to it. I WOULD strongly recommend that you do your OWN research, however and NOT rely on the information given to you from the boards. Many people on the boards are emotionally invested in their OWN procedure and have a bias AGAINST any other one. This INCLUDES the people from my OWN boards! I must say though, in their defense, that the folks at the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Boards are some of the nicest folks you will find and some of the most HELPFUL people as well. They are probably JUSTIFIED in their bias since the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy is the Simplest and Safest Weight Loss Surgical Option now commonly available! It is also one of the most effective! It is ALMOST nearly as effective as the Gastric Bypass WITHOUT all of the side effects! STATISTICALLY, it is nearly identically as effective as the Gastric Bypass in helping people lose the weight that they want to lose AND KEEP IT OFF! The PLUS side is that it is EASILY converted to the DUODENAL SWITCH, which is THE MOST POWERFUL Weight Loss Surgical option commonly available today. The Gastric Bypass is NOT. If I had to CHOSE between the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, ane the Gastric Bypass, the VSG would get my vote, Hands Down! It DID! I never even CONSIDERED it! I have lost 96 POUNDS in 5 MONTHS with the VSG. As you can see, I am a bit biased MYSELF. I have had absolutely NO problems with my surgery or my recovery. I have had the benefit of a CERTIFIED Nutritionist to help me MAXIMIZE my weight loss potential. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this to ANYONE who wants to have WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY. Most of all, I STRONGLY recommend that you do your OWN research! You can go to MY profile page ( http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/hubarlow/ )and look at the post called "Surgical Comparisons." Use it as a foundation for your OWN research, but DO your own research.
   — hubarlow

August 8, 2008
I am 65 years old and had an RNY in Oct.'07. Pre - op I was taking 14 pills a day, had many medical problems including Diabetes, Sleep Apnea, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, was depressed, and was unable to walk because of an accident. The extra weight was hindering my Physical therapy. My BMI was 48.5. I weighed 338 when I investigated WLS. By the time I had my work up and surgery I weighed 297. I now weigh 217 lbs. I have had very few problems since my surgery. I can walk now with a walker. I am much happier than I have ever been. I want to lose about 40 more lbs. I take NO medication, no longer have diabetes, sleep apnea, BP, or high cholesterol or depression. I had the RNY rather than the band because I am (was) a huge sweet eater. Eating aweets after RNY will probably give you the "Dumping Syndrome" and that was the deciding factor for me. Only God knows how long we will live but I think(hope) to live as old or older than my grandmothers (85 & 95) or somewhere in between. Only you can decide which surgery you want but please check with others who have both surgeries as well as your surgeon. Best of luck to you. Jane
   — NanaJane

August 9, 2008
I am 57 and had gastric bypass in August 2001. I feel younger than I ever did before my surgery. I did have to have a knee replaced due to damage done by years of severe obesity (I used to weigh 340) Now I still struggle with my weight, only now I struggle with 30 pounds, not 200. In addition my blood pressure is low, my sleep apnea is gone and I dont have hardly any arthritis pain, because I lead an active life style. I still have my blood checked I have NO MALABSORPTION! Few do after three or four years. Some who had a more radical bypass might, but not for regular RNY with no complications. THere are a small number that the new "plumbing" doesnt learn to absorb properly, but its statistically not many. Take your vitamins, exercise regularly, develop a positive attitude. While there are yet any statistics to prove it, I think our lifespans are probably about what they would have been, But our quality of life is so much better. ANd isnt that what really matters? LanaD gastric Bypass RNY, August 27, 2001 Lost 190 pounds; and have completed three marathons, 13 half marathons, climb mountains and snowshoe.
   — lanad