Question:
Anyone out there who is 5-10 years post op?

I had an appt. with my PCP yesterday, and discussed referral to surgeon (she reluctantly agreed), however..... She said to think long and hard about going under the knife, and that I need to contact individuals that are 5-10-20 years post op and check their complications/etc. ANYONE OUT THERE ? CAN YOU HELP ME? THANKS!!!!!    — Ola (posted on July 10, 2002)

July 10, 2002
I think you need to have your physician think long and hard about where you will be in 5, 10 or 20 years if you do NOT have this surgery...
   — John Rushton

July 10, 2002
Check out Michelle Curran's profile. She had hers in 1994 and her husband in 1995.
   — livnliter

July 10, 2002
The RNY (as we know it with full transection) did not exist 20 years ago. Therefore, we are kinda "guinea pigs." Fortunately, those who underwent the surgery as long ago as 5 years are doing phenomenal, and my hopes are high that this surgery will have lengthened my life rather than shortened it.
   — Terissa R.

July 10, 2002
I think your PCP is talking about more than just how much weight individuals have kept off, but their general health. I happen to know of two individuals who had the surgery for apx. 20 years and both of them seem healthy. One has regained her weight and the other also regained weight, though not much.
   — Lisa N M.

July 10, 2002
Like Terissa said, the surgery didn't exist 20 years ago. They were perfoming the 'stomach staple' back then and is very common for the body to reject those staples. Therefore there were many many cases of weight gain. Those cases have nothing to do with the surgery of today. There are no staples to be rejected. There are only a handful of long term post-ops that come to this board. You may want to talk with Michelle Curran by emailing her and getting information from her.
   — Cheri M.

July 11, 2002
Ola, don't let your PCP discourage you. Don't get me wrong surgery of ANY kind is a serious thing, but the decision of YOUR having surgery to prolong your life is a decision that you, and only you can make. As previously stated by the other "family members" here, I don't think WLS even existed 20 years ago. Some people, medical or otherwise are not open-minded. You might even consider looking for a new WLS friendly PCP. Gravitate toward the POSITIVE people in the world and on this website!! This is where you will find some answers (and in the ALmighty). BE POSITIVE and STAY FOCUSED!! Hope this helps~~Hadiyah~~
   — yourdivaness

July 12, 2002
You can also check Aniversary Dates and look at the profiles. There are lots of them 2 years out and some further than that. Good Luck.
   — Linda V.