Question:
What is the number one complication that people die from by having the RNY surgery.

Is it pulmonary embolism? That is what I am really afraid of and all people seem to talk about. But I am approved for surgery and will do it I am excited, but have these thoughts in the back of my mind. Please any input would be wonderful.. Happiness to all....MaryEllen    — Maryellen C. (posted on September 2, 2002)

September 1, 2002
Bloodclots are the biggest killer. The chance of these are directly related to hom ative you are after surgery. I got up and walked walked walked the day of surgery. Just because of my fear of bloodclots. With your lower BMI hopefully you will do lots of walking pre op to get in better physical shape which makes surgery and post op easier. I suggest you buy Barb Thompsons book, it covers stuff like this in detail...
   — bob-haller

September 1, 2002
Also, it is not "because" of having RNY surgery...it is any surgery. The biggest misconception is that WLS in general can kill you....It is our our bodies that can cause compications, not the surgery itself. You have the same risk factors in WLS as any other surgery.
   — Patricia R.

September 2, 2002
I had surgery 8/15 and my surgeon had us attend several classes and we discussed ways to mitigate risk. I was determined I was not going to be a statistic. They recommended slowing your eating down before the surgery and lose some weight on your own. That would cut down on the risk of fatty liver problems. They also recommended try some of the protein drinks for 2-3 days at a time to make sure you can really do what would be required of you after the surgery diet-wise. They also recommended the day of surgery, it was important to walk, walk, walk and to walk as much as possible every day following the surgery. The more movement you do mitigates the risk of a blood clot. In our last class they give us an incentive spirometer and recommended we do it 5 times daily the week before surgery and hourly while we were in the hospital and at least for a month following surgery. That mitigates the risk of pneumonia. I've tried to do that and I've had no problems thus far.
   — Cathy S.

September 2, 2002
I think that blood clots are the most common. I had my surgery a week ago and they used these things on my legs that pumped my legs in order to minimize that risk. I also got Heprin shots, which is a blood thinner, about every 6 hours. Then after surgery, you can minimize your risk by walking. I didn't think this would be possible, but at a week post-op, I am actually yearning to walk around!
   — sammygirlwpc