Question:
Found the memorial page..

Eh! I just found the memorial page, and I have to admit it scared the piddle out of me! I feel so bad for those peoples family! That was an awful lot of people, Does anyone know what percentage it was, of people on this site? I REALLY wanna get this done, I know It would help me so much, but I need a little encouragment after that! ~Angie    — blank first name B. (posted on January 1, 2001)

January 1, 2001
Angie there is always the chance of death with any syrgery. There are 22,500 plus members on this site and 28 are liste on the memoril page. That is less than 1%. This is a decission we all must make on our own. I had open RNY in May 2000 and have lost 90 pounds. I am healthier now than I have been in years. I would do this again if it were needed. But the choice is yours. I hope I helped ease your worries. Donna WV
   — Donna A.

January 1, 2001
Angie, if you read everyone of the memorials, you will find that a lot of passed before their insurance approved them for the surgery. But this surgery is a personal choice you need to make on your own. Good luck with your decision.
   — Judy G.

January 1, 2001
I would like to start by saying that the risk of death is sooooo much higher with obesity then with surgery statistic wise. However it is a desision you must make yourself. My dr. once said its like this "You can take the risk of having the surgery and more likely than not live a wonderful life or you can stay the way you are and most likely not see your children grow up " So I dont know your situation but I had to do it. At 307 I wasnt living a very happy life.1-02-01
   — Heather K.

January 2, 2001
When I told my PCP that I was afraid of dying in surgery, he replied "you are dying now. The question is whether you want to continue with the diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, inability to walk very far, exercise, have no fun with life, or if you want to live what you have of left of life without diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, the ability to walk, exercise, and enjoy life." The fact is, everyone on the face of the earth is one day closer to dying simply by existing every single day. The quality of that existence is up to you. My surgery went beautifully, my recovery went terribly, I am now down 110 pounds, aiming for more, feel better than in years, am happier, am almost one year postop and FINALLY I can say yes, I would do it again.
   — Connie G.

January 2, 2001
Angie ... I'd be willing to bet the farm that most, if not all, of the post-op members of this site have felt the same way you do. It's hard to come smack up against people dying from something we want so badly. But, like everyone else who responded, before my surgery I was dying anyway, one mouthful/handful/bucketful/truckload at a time. I had Type II Diabetes, sleep apnea, arthritis, and couldn't tie my shoes or walk half a block without practically passing out. I was afraid I wouldn't see my sons grow up, and I wasn't much of a mother to them anyway, spending all my time "resting" or eating (had to save what little energy I had for the important stuff, after all). I figured the less than 1% chance I had of dying from the surgery was better odds than the practically 100% chance I had of dying from the morbid obesity. I had my open VBG on April 17, 2000, have to date lost 120 pounds, and feel fabulous. I would venture that most of those who died were either waiting for surgery, had some unforeseen complication, or had serious pre-existing medical problems that dramatically increased their risk factors. In spite of that -- and with the knowledge in mind that SOMEBODY has to be "the less than 1%", I chose to take my chances on life. Warm skinny thoughts always,
   — Cheryl Denomy