Question:
Has anyone read this article? http://www.size-acceptance.org/carnie_after_wls.html

There is one bit that claims the average life after gastric bypass is 15 years. How much truth is to this?    — HellyD (posted on June 9, 2002)

June 9, 2002
The author of that article is a major anti WLS person. You need to take what she says with a grain of salt. The fact is that at this point the newer surgeries have not been around long enough to have gathered long-term stats on life expectancy. (I do believe that there are some long term stats coming out of Europe where the surgery has been performed longer.) I know that other people have said that the life expectancy after WLS is extended by 15 years, not a flat 15 years. For me the bottom line was that my life was, for all intents and purposes, over. I was too heavy to do much of anything. I couldn't walk more than half a block because my hips and back hurt when I did and I was out of breath. I was working from home most of the time because it was such a chore to get showered and dressed and in to work. I almost never went anywhere or did anything fun cause it was just too much work. I am almost 4 weeks post-op and still having problems because of an ulcer, but I do know that this was the answer for me. Research, not just on this site, but elsewhere, and decide for yourself what your quality/quantity of life will be with and without the surgery. Only you can decide if it is right for you.
   — garw

June 9, 2002
Gar, thank you for your post. I am one year post op this month and at goal. My weight is 155 pounds. One year ago it was 321 lbs. and I was in poor health. I got my health back. While it is true that the stats are not in yet on the long term, I believe in my heart that I did not have another two years left at my 321 pounds, in the state of poor health that I was in. Most of my co-morbidities are gone today. Like any surgery, I healed. As a matter of fact, my liver, cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugars are all wonderful now. They weren't! I'm just thankful I didn't stroke out, the way my blood pressure was (even on medication at the time, not now) or have a heart attack. Thank GOD for this surgery and for those who have the strength and positive mental attitude to put themselves through this. Yes, it is life changing. Yes, some of us mourn foods that we used to eat. No, none of us should feel deprived or that we are "going hungry." Yes, most of us are in better health now than we were pre-op. Yes, some of us experience "head hunger." The surgery does not fix that. The surgery is a tool, we have to fix the head hunger. For myself, that means professional help, once a week.I am learning what my triggers are; when my triggers; how to "fill that empty hole" with other than food items. And by choice, to change my old way of eating, replacing it with a lifetime of healthier choices, on a daily basis. For some who by choice put the surgery down & remain obese, it too is a choice. The article was written from one viewpoint and one viewpoint only. Ask ten people to read it and get ten different viewpoints.
   — Barbara B.

June 9, 2002
You pose a very good question that all pre-ops must ask. I have carefully considered this aspect of WLS as well. I hope you will allow me to share my thoughts on the subject. But, of course, they are just my thoughts. We all have to find our own answers to these questions. I have discovered that after much "soul-searching," I have come to a lot of the same conclusions as a previous poster, Gar. The way I live today, well it's really not living. I am saddled with a lot of mental baggage that comes with my morbid obesity. I am 275 pounds, and today, yes, I can walk. But not very far & not without some pain. I cannot breath, and I sweat profusely, which is hard when you're a woman. Even with my excess 130 or so pounds, I admit it, I am still vain. How vain? I worry about the hair loss aspect of the surgery! And of course I am concerned about the long term effects of the surgery. But I am also extremely concerned about the long term health effects of my morbid obesity. I am fairly young (39) so I am not taking a bunch of medications to control blood pressure. Right now, my two main comorbs are diabetes II and stress incontinence. I only need to attend a family reunion to see what the future holds for me. I come from a long line of high blood pressure, stroke, heart attacks, & diabetes, and OBESITY!!! I am fooling myself if I think that I am special enough to escape the fate of serious health complications which will ultimately stem from my morbid obesity. This next part may sound a little sappy, but it is so true. It is from a movie, "Steel Magnolias" and Julia Roberts' line, when she chooses to have a child even though it may kill her. She says something like "I would rather have a short time of something wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special." I deserve to be happy. "Thinness" will not bring me happiness. But I will feel good about my body. One huge huge burden that I can release after the almost 30 years that I have carried it. And I will tell you, I have allowed my weight to be such a burden. It makes me sad. I sit here & think of all the years I have lost because I let my weight get in the way. I may die on the operating table. I may die in a car wreck going to the hospital. I may die 10 years after the surgery from some problem related to it. Who knows. But one thing is for certain. I will go to my grave knowing that I did everything I could do to have a good life. I will seek the medical help that is available to me and get this monkey of morbid obesity off my back. WLS is the tool I need to get rid of this weight and get on with my life. God Bless You & whatever decision you make...
   — Valerie B.

June 9, 2002
Hi. I went to Bariatric Wellness Center Before I decided to have this surgery(4/17/02). I received much of my information from a woman who runs the center and has also had the surgery done. She had her surgery done over 15years ago and she is still kicking. She looks absolutly wonderful and happens to be a doctor herself. She said when she had it done the techniques that were used were quite different then the ones they use now. She has maintained the weight now for almost 14 years.(except for 15 lbs.)I can tell you that who ever wrote that article is not as well informed as they think they are.
   — Jennifer F.

June 9, 2002
I read the article on the Size Acceptance Site. You must realize that this site promotes that obesity should be accepted by society. We do live in a world that values thin over fat. But having this surgery is a choice, I resent the fact that this site condemns people who wish to change themselves. I probably will never be thin but I will be more fit. Also when the author stated that the life expectancy of a bypass patient was only 15 years, where did she pull out those figures. I for one would expect that the Fda and all of the medical field would cry foul if this were to be true. Some people are very happy being a full xxxxxx plus, I for one am not. I am miserable and unhealthy. This article was hogwash.
   — marta B.

June 9, 2002
I had never read that before. And there doesn't seem to be much evidence to that, but boy did that scare me to death. I am only 22 years old, and just has LAP RNY last week. But, I guess to think to live 15 years of a thinner, healthier life is better than living it miserable and unhealhty, if it is true, but i highly doubt it is, otherwise, the FDA wouldn't approve it and thousands of people wouldn't be doing this, right??? maybe that is just my wishful thinking :)
   — Lezlie Y.

June 9, 2002
I just read the article and I remember reading it or one similar before by the same person. A lot of what she said is true. We do damage a system in our body by having the surgery and there are risks that go along with that. You can put excess stress on your kidneys by using too much caffine, (I think artificial sweetners) and an excess of protein. The liver also needs to work harder. But as far as the life expectancy estimate, it is just that her own uneducated estimate. There are no scientific facts that give us an average life expectancy rate. My advice... if you want the surgery and your life is in danger as it is and obesity makes you susceptable to many other diseases... it is only a matter of time, then go ahead and do it. Watch your diet and watch your labs. Keep up with your follow up and make sure that you have a healthy life.
   — Virginia N.