Question:
Concerned about possible long term health issues
— Jory M. (posted on April 9, 2004)
April 9, 2004
Different WLS will have different potential complications, both short and
long term. I had my lap RNY, 100cm bypassed October 2002. My surgeon
requires regular blood work, which I've complied with and all of my results
have been great. I take my supplements on a religious basis and follow his
other instructions for water, protein, etc. I love my new life. I am able
to participate in so much more because the physical barriers are gone -
turnstiles, seat belts (think amusement parks and airline seats), getting
tired quickly. Also the emotional barriers are gone for me - I'm not
ashamed to be seen in public anymore. It's a great question that you might
find an answer to in Barbara Thompson's book "Finding the Thin Person
Within" where she addresses potential complications. Good luck to you!
— Yolanda J.
April 9, 2004
Speaking for myself only, I believe I would have had more serious health
problems, long-term, had I remained morbidly obese instead of having WLS.
Before my WLS in May 2002, I had a BMI of 42, and was generally healthy
except for my morbid obesity. I would not describe myself as
"desperate" at the time I had surgery; rather, I would say that I
had resigned myself to being morbidly obese, and felt it was likely I would
continue to get bigger and bigger, less and less mobile, more and more
depressed, and less and less likely to live a long, healthy life. And I
saw no reason to wait until I was truly desperate, because I figured that
by then, I'd only be heavier, older, less healthy, and might not even have
insurance coverage available for the procedure anymore.<P>There are
certainly risks associated with weight loss surgery, some of which are
short-term (relating mostly to the surgical procedure itself) and some of
which are long-term (nutritional deficiencies and weight regain). Staying
in touch with other WLS patients, and participating in the support sites
such as this one, and the Yahoo Grads list, will help arm you with the
information and advice you need to help identify, avoid, and/or treat those
risks. There are no guarantees, though; only you can decide what your own
risk/benefits picture looks like.
— Suzy C.
April 9, 2004
Hello Jory,
I had a bypass 02/04/04 at Coastal Center for Obesity in Orange California.
I have a wonderful life, and I had the surgery to up my odds of being
healthy long term.I am doing quite well.
I have met many people who had the surgery to fix what was not right in
their lives. Well guess what.....the bad marriage is still bad, and all
life's not-so-goods are still the same.
So, best of luck.
Have a blessed day,
Loriann
— Loriann J.
April 9, 2004
Yes, this surgery has the potential for a lot of problems, but being 190
lbs. overweight like I used to be had the GUARANTEE of a lot of problems.
Research the different types of surgery, research your surgeons, and make
an informed decision. Learn about proper post-op supplementation and diet.
This site in invaluable for the kind of research you need to do. Some sick
post-ops are victims of a bad surgeon or just bad luck, but a lot simply
are not taking their vitamins and supplements like they should. Nobody is
going to be healthy after living for a year on milk, cream of wheat and one
Flintstones vitamin! There is a lot that you can do to ensure that you
come out of this the best you can. I had surgery 9/26/02 and lost ALL my
pre-op health issues along with 180 lbs. I'm normal-sized and healthy now
and could not be happier with my decision. Good luck!
— ediecat
April 9, 2004
Although I feel that I am more healthy than when I weighed 252 pounds 15
months ago, I deal with lower intestinal pain on a daily basis. I feel
that it is food related but don't know exactly how. It seems to happen no
matter what I eat or don't eat. I know that most people paint a rosey
picture, but you need to know that sometimes you will have some problems
that you didn't have before the surgery. Good luck!
— sherry H.
April 9, 2004
Hi Jory:
I am post op and having the same questions. This was borne as of a recent
discovery that if I lose my group health insurance, I will be basically
uninsurable on an individual level. There are obvious concerns regarding
malabsorptive illness that can result from GBP. I have seen references to
the early onset of osteoporosis but the studies I have fond are
inconclusive. I have read many posts about the potential for Raynaud's
syndrome. At this point, I am pushing the insurance companies that I have
contacted to provide the criteria for their denials to provide coverage to
post GBP patients. I for one would like to know just what the long term
conditions are they are considering as disqualifiers. Do they know
something we don't? If I find out, I will surely post.
As far as short term, it seems that most are happy with new found health
and resolution to some chronic obesity related or aggravated conditions.
Best of luck to you for a smooth surgery, gentle recovery and of course,
long term health.
Jackie
— Jackie O.
April 9, 2004
Surely osteoporosis is the biggest risk of long term (assuming the surgery
itself & recovery is fine). We need to address it aggressively,
regardless of surgery type or gender or age. Iron or pernicious anemia are
right in there behind it, but again, we can attack those aggressively and
preventatively. Someone is hooking Raynaud's to WLS? Interesting! I've
had it for at least 20 yrs, and have seen nothing to hook them together.
Fascinating topic. Perhaps the morbidly obese are more subject to any of
the auto immune disorders, but no one sees them until AFTER WLS? Do I
worry that I cannot nourish myself in a nursing home? OF course. On the
other hand, I don't believe my dad who is 86 NOW will be well nourished
without me there over his shoulder, EITHER. Will we have issues as WLS
people? Most certainly. Will we BE 86 and morbidly obese? Probably not.
But even if we make it to the 70's carrying around 100+ extra pounds, we
most certainly will have issues related to the obesity. The paradox is
always that we must either live with the disease OR live with the
treatment. Not having the disease is, unfortunately, not an option for
those of us here chatting together.
— vitalady
April 9, 2004
My health is much improved. I am off Blood pressure meds and off anti
inflamatorie for aches and pains. My cholesterol is waaaay down. I feel
great. My labs are actually better than preop as far as anemia, iron counts
etc. I ate more preop but it was lower quality. I think that my eating good
healthy foods will keep me healthy. (And supplements are needed to be taken
RELIGIOUSLY!)I would suggest getting a bone scan IE Dexa scan preop to see
how your bones are. Osteoporosis is a very real issue, as it is for non
WLS people. It is very high risk in thin white women who are post
menopausal. whether they have had surgery or not. I had a dexa scan post
op and it was really good, but my pcp wants one every year , ( she is a
smart cookie) you will need to keep up with your labs, etc. I can also say
I was scared half to death preop, worrying if I would be able to maintian
the right lifestyle post op, and if I would be able to handle giving up all
my favorite food ( I did not have to quit eating after all) I wish you lots
of luck in your decision making.
— **willow**
April 9, 2004
I do have some issues long term, and know people with issues long term.
For me, it's still a better trade off as my health and quality of life
pre-op was pretty bad. I think you should be at a point before surgery
that even if you end up w/ complications, you can still say you made the
right decision. I like how Michelle said you have to live with the cure.
That's the truth. Too many people think this is an "easy" fix.
For some it may be, but that's not gauranteed. There are trade off, but
for me, I can still say I made the right decision. I definitely wouldn't
have made it to 85 pre-op. I don't know if I will post-op, but my health
will be better than it would have been. I have noticed that if you do have
issues post-op, your satisfaction with the surgery is inversly preportional
to your state of mind pre-op. What I mean is, the more desperate you were
pre-op, the more likely you are to take complications in stride and still
feel satisfied with your decision.
— mom2jtx3
April 9, 2004
All I can say is long term I was headed for disaster with uncontrolled
diabetes I was already having neuropathy problems and was afraid of losing
my feet and a life in a wheel chair. But after 9 weeks post op I am off
all diabetes medicines, my cholesterol is down from 277 to 195 and my
triglcerides are down from 303 to 125 I figured I just added years to my
life. As far as other health issues down the road I will be relegious in
taking my vitamins, calicum and consuming protein. I will do everything
possible to have a healthy life. Good Luck to you, Nancy
— nefish
April 9, 2004
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I would rather live 20 years as
a normal-weighted person than 40 years as a miserable morbidly obese
person. I MAY have long-term health issues after WLS, but I was GUARANTEED
to have health issues as a MO person. I'll take my chances with the WLS.
— Angie M.
April 10, 2004
If you are relatively healthy when you have surgery the risks of
complications afterwords are much lower. I was a "lightweight",
as was my husband, when we each had surgery. If you don't have surgery
now, why wait until you gain another 50 lbs, or develop a problem that
makes surgery riskier? For me, the decision to have WLS took several
months of soul searching. It came down to: Do I want to live my life as a
morbidly obese person, accept it, and get fatter and fatter, or should I
have surgery and fix it now? The answer was clear. I wouldn't say I ever
felt "desparate", but made a rational decision after weighing the
pros and cons.
— koogy
April 10, 2004
Hi Jory. You're absolutely right to investigate the good the bad and the
ugly before doing something so serious. Anybody who'd undertake this
without doing so would be nuts (and be in the hands of a questionable
doctor!) The risks are there, but I think you'll find that the vast
majority of us are extremely grateful for what this surgery has done for
us. I made this decision like a mature, sensible person, based on all the
available info. and knowing the bad stories too. I was scared by the
stories of complications too, but had to temper that with my knowledge of
my pre-op health problems and future prospects. I was willing to accept the
risk because I knew that the benefits far outweighed the risk. Yes, this is
not a 100 percent foolproof plan, but what in life is? I feel terrible for
the people for whom this surgery didn't work, and also for the families who
have lost loved ones. I even resigned myself to the belief that I WOULD
have some kind of complication, and still the prospect was better than
living like I had been. Your health and happiness are a wonderful
blessing.For most of us, this surgery is not about just "getting
through the tough times" but a lifelong struggle with a lot of
emotional and behavioral ramifications. You have to make this decision by
weighing your present state of health and emotions and future prospects
against the risks. I wish you the best of luck in making your decision! If
you want to see a list of the positive things this surgery has done for me,
check out my profile. I'm now down 170 lbs.
— christied
April 10, 2004
Well, I had surgery at 67 years 8 months, and I had very little future at
that time. I have gone from 325 to 200 lbs and am now two years post op.
MY opinion is that a great many of us think we are going to slide right
down to goal weight and stay there. We read of folks doing just this and
figure that there was something wrong with those that didn't. I emphasize
that this is my MY opinion. Losing 50% of our excess weight is considered
a success; I have lost 75% and still am "overweight" on all the
charts. To hell with the charts. I am never going to be the 145 that I was
as a young woman and that is okay. My blood pressure is normal/low, which
is great for my heart, all my blood tests and dexascans are just fine and
there is no reason for them not to remain so. I am healthier NOW than I
have been in twenty years -- yes, I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and
Fibromyalgia, but I have learned how to live with them and what to do/take
to make my life as good as possible. Without the surgery and subsequent
weight loss I would be wheelchair bound if not bed bound right now and my
ever increasing blood pressure would be frightening. My PCP said I probably
had less than five years -- now I figure to be around for about twenty
more, aggrivating my kids and spoiling my grandchildren.
We all have fears going into this surgery, some are realistic and some are
not. In worrying about twenty years down the road, what are you doing
to/about your life today?
Read the Grad list -- there is one (at least) who is twenty years out and
maintaining. There are others with several years behind them. But we each
have to make our own decisions for our own reasons. My alternative, as I
said, was wheelchair, bed, and death within five years. It took me
fourteen months from initial researching to surgery and much fear and
confusion. I sent materials to my three girls and they talked it over among
themselves and finally told me that I either had the surgery or I was dead.
They were right. That doesn't mean I didn't have fears, but somewhere in
the last six or eight weeks before surgery, I somehow came to a place where
I knew this was the right step and accepted that whatever happened I was
doing the right thing. Keep in mind one thing: Nobody promised you
tomorrow. Nina in Maine
— [Deactivated Member]
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