Question:
Help me, please! How can I stop myself from losing so much weight?
I know this is not a question that is normally seen on this website, but I am at the end of my rope and scared. I was hoping that someone here might have an answer, or maybe a suggestion. I am just a little over 11 months out on a distal roux en y gastric bypass and I have lost over 260 pounds thus far. I can not begin to describe how horrid I feel. I am exhausted all the time. I am in pain beyond belief. I eat worse now than I did before the surgery, just in an attempt to quell the weight loss, since I have doctors and other such people telling me that I am losing far too fast. When I say eating worse, I eat high calorie things, just to keep from losing 10 pounds in a week. My hair is falling out. My nails are brittle, to the point that they break down the center. My skin peels off in pieces, and is quite dry. I get chest pain often, and I have been told that this might be due to a lack of sodium. In short, I am afraid that if I can't slow down the loss and start getting more healthy, that I may end up causing irrepairable damage to something vital, if not something worse. I can not currently see a doctor, due to the fact that we lost our insurance when my husband left the Navy. We will be getting insurance again, once he gets in the Army, but I don't think this can wait that long. Basically, in a nutshell, I am asking for advice on how to slow down this loss. I started out at 498 and I am now down to 233. I last weighted myself on Friday, and I weighed 239 then. That is just a prime example of what I am speaking of. How can I stop this, before I end up in the hospital, or worse? Please, any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance. — Lisa S. (posted on July 18, 2004)
July 18, 2004
Im FAR from an expert... The good thing about your situation is you have
ALOT left to loose before your weight is 'normal' another good thing is you
are getting closer to where MOST people do slow down and stop loosing..
hopefully that will happen. I can hear the fear in your voice.. The first
thing I would try to do is see if you can get some sort of Medicaid - since
you are without insurance and NEED medical help now... I would hope you
are still taking ALL your vitamins... also try and start eating better.. In
our support group we have a couple of people that are close to goal and
needed to slow the weight down; the nutritionist suggested eating the same
things they had been post BUT higher calorie.. Such as whole milk instead
of skim; nuts, etc. I know this isnt much.. I hope things get better for
you..
— star .
July 18, 2004
What do you mean by distal? How are your nourishing yourself? What is your
vitamin and protein supplementation regimen like? You've lost about 260#
in less than a year and while I have seen it done in a healthy manner, I'm
a little concerned that you're trying to "nourish" with junk food
to stop the wt loss. So, you'd be getting calories, but empty ones and
thusly exchanging muscle and bone weight for fatty weight. Can you make
your program a little clearer, pehaps?
— vitalady
July 18, 2004
I hate to beat a dead horse but until you get to see a doctor I would try
adding more protein shakes and eat more fat but do it in a healthy manner.
Eat Peanut butter, avacodo and cook with olive oil. Eating more fat should
help with your skin. I would not wait too much longer to seek medical
attention do you think your surgeon would work out a payment plan if he
knew what was going on. I understand not wanting to see an MD without
insurance but your health is more important than avoiding debt.
— davesband1
July 18, 2004
You still have a way to go before you are at 'normal' weight so i wouldnt
be to concerned about still losing weight. However, I would be worried
about what you are eating. Sure you need calories, but you should focus on
getting them in a healthier way. Im not sure why you would want to stop
your weight loss at this point. As far as the chest pains i have gone
through the same thing, and found out that i was lacking on protein and
thats why i was having horrible chest pains. I added more protein (mostly
seafood) and they stopped. Your hair and nails need protein to grow so i
think protein is the key. I cant do supplements so i chose to get this by
food. The skin peeling could be because your not getting enough non
caffiene beverages. HOw about vitamins? Are you taking any? They are very
helpful in maintaining energy and your overall health. Im not trying to
preach but you need to do everything your doctor told you to do. I am 10
months post op starting stats 260, Im 5'1 and now weigh 115. I am not
losing much now but i am adding more weight training to fill in some muscle
which i lost from poor diet in the beginning. This is a learning process we
all make mistakes,but we are human and can fix them. I wish you well and
hope you can get this under control...god bless Amy
— cinamoni
July 18, 2004
I don't think the rate at which you are losing is uncommone or even
unhealthy. What you need to do is MORE protein, MORE vitamins and MUCH more
healthful food choices. Eating junk is exactly the wrong thing to do. Get
thee to a doctor and a nutritionist. You need to take care of yourself!
— SarahC
July 18, 2004
Lisa,
Is there a medical school in your area? They will see you if you are
having financial problems such that you cannot see another physician. Are
you working or interested in working? Your state rehabilitation commission
can assist you. They are motivated to get people working and to keep them
working and they will very often pay for medical care if it's necessary in
order for you to be healthy enough to keep your job or to get a job.
Start looking into local resources that can assist you. Contact your local
United Way or a church or medical facility and explain your predicament.
Keep calling until you get the help you need.
My best to you.
— [Deactivated Member]
July 18, 2004
Lisa: Your husband should be able to get COBRA while between jobs to cover
your health problems. Isn't the fast losing the reason for the surgery? I
really think with your original weight you are not losing too fast. You
should see your surgeon or call him to discuss your fears with him. He
should be able to set your mind at ease...Good luck, judy
— juju524
July 18, 2004
You sound like you may be lacking vitamins or something. Call around to
family planning and ask if they know where you can go for low cost medical
care. They may even take you. Call and ask if they run blood work. My aunt
was having sort of the same symptoms and it turned out she was anemic and
was lacking b12. Your hair falling out is normal after this surgery. In our
support group people who have tried zinc 2 x s a day say it works. I would
also try taking b12. You want to get blood work done. because if you are
anemic or ??? it can affect your heart or kidney's. No use killing yourself
to save a few bucks. Also call the hospital because sometimes they run
clinics where they will run 50 blood test for like $50.00. It is normally
in conjunction with cholessteral screening but if it gets the job done do
it.
— Rebecca K.
July 18, 2004
Lisa...you sound scared and that's important to me. As with all the other
posters before me, I believe you need to be sure to get in more protein,
fluids and vitamins. Call your local hospital and ask to speak with the
dietician or the nutritionist. Let him/her know all the facts, as to when
your surgery was done, your pre-op height and weight and your current
weight. Tell him/her about your skin peeling, nails thinning, loss of
hair, loss of energy, etc. Dieticians will most times see you (at least
here where I live) or talk to you without having to fill out a billing
form. I still talk to my dietician whenever I have problems. Secondly,
and probably should be done before checking with the dietician, call the
local hospital and ask to speak with their social worker. Explain your
situation to the social worker...all of it from not having insurance thru
all your current symptoms and your weight loss, everything I said before.
The social worker can give you resources to use in finding someone to take
care of you and give you advice. If you talk to the social worker first,
ask him/her about talking with the dietician/nutritionist at the hospital.
One other option is to go to your local health department or call them.
They also may be able to treat you or give you resources to use to find
your solution. Good luck and God bless. Hope this helps even a little.
— Katherine F.
July 18, 2004
I do not mean to scare you. First off you HAD DISTAL.. you MALABSORP alot.
I had Proximal. I once ate food that I guess was too greasy and it went
right through me. You need to eat Better proteins, Drink water. Plain good
water and lots of it. And take vitamins and workout.
I have seensome in almost the same position as oyu except she started out
at the weight you are now. Why she had Distal I will never know. But lets
say Heart failure is not pretty. Why have you not seen a dr yet?
— Sabrina H_NC
July 19, 2004
Long and short of it? We can't help you much with such a serious medical
issue. You sound seriously mal-nourished (not saying you're eating too few
calories, just that you're not getting the right nutrients.) and I'm sure
you're suffering from some kind of deficiency. PAIN is not normal. YOU
MUST SEE A DOCTOR (preferrably the surgeon who did your surgery)
IMMEDIATELY. Insurance or not, YOUR HEALTH COMES FIRST. You can work out
payemnts with the Dr. if you have to. SO, GET ON THE PHONE AND GET TO THE
DR.
— LMCLILLY
July 19, 2004
First of all, wow, the advice on here is scary! Get your eating advice
from your doc. What boggles my mind are the people here saying that 260
lbs in a year is okay! It is not. Anything more than 52 lbs lost in a
year is unhealthy. You are definitely losing muscle mass if you are losing
at upwards of 10 lbs a week. I strongly urge you to add in protein drinks
to save your muscle.
Of course, we had the surgery so we lose more. But at what price? I am 1
year out. Have lost about 125. My doc is upset it isn't more. Meanwhile
I am so anemic I may need a blood transfusion. WTF?
I am at my wits end. Finally my dad said that mayube I should take a
break. I am the opposite of you. I don't lose weight without exercising,
even with my RNY. My body has been starving for a year and now I am
paying the price.
— mrsmyranow
July 19, 2004
Lisa,
I had some trouble with losing too fast also. I was tired all of the time
and my hair was falling out A LOT! The only difference that I know of was
that I was getting dizzy and passing out a lot. The dr. finally determined
that it was due to a low potassium level. So, that might be something to
look into. It is a very serious problem though, that can cause your heart
to stop if it gets too low. Hope you get better soon!
India
— India1
July 19, 2004
First I went from 313 to 196 or so in 6 months, did loose some muscle mass
but its normal to loose over 52 pounds in a year after WLS. The original
poster should definetely contact their surgeon. It appears they still arent
to goal, so they arent underweight yet unless they are well over 6 foot
tall. Not many females are. You need more than a couple weight numbers,
because things vary so much day to day. what you ate, when you last went to
the bathroom, time of day etc. I congragulate her on the loss. Given the
huge change friends no doubt are commenting fearing you will disappear,
blowing away in the wind. Underweight is actually pretty rare. Eating junk
food attempting to stall your loss may be leaving you lacking in necessary
nutrients. You need bloodwork NOW. In the meantime up your vitamins, iron,
and see your surgeon its money well spent!
— bob-haller
July 19, 2004
Just FYI-- I meant it is not healthy to lose more than 52 lbs in a year.
But we had WLS so of course we will lose more. Some people lost 52 lbs in
2 mos.
— mrsmyranow
July 19, 2004
Go to the hospital ER, if you have low blood or low potassuim they will
admit you, and treat you, you can pay them back though a payment plan,
hospitals cannot turn you away, they will bill you which you will have to
pay back, but atleast you'll be seen by a doctor and get your much needed
test done, then you'll be seen by a Social Worker who will see if you can
recieved medicaid until you get insurance.... don't be ashame you want to
live and be healthy . That's what I did when I lost my job..... I paid the
bill when I recieved it in the mail but I least I saw a lot of concern
doctors who treated me very well, and a follow up doctor who continued to
treat me..... Good luck
— Rebe W.
July 19, 2004
Was the doctor you saw a civilian one? If so, your follow up visits should
be a part of the surgery, it doesn't matter if you have insurance now or
not. Even if you don't it would be worth it to pay for an office visit.
If you can't return to that doctor, I would suggest finding another in the
area, calling and seeing if they will accept you in consult. You will have
to pay out of pocket, but that sure is a heck of a lot cheaper than paying
with your health. Personally I don't see how eating high calorie stuff is
helping you, unless it is also high in nutrients. As someone else said,
you do seem to describe some serious malnutrition issues, and you need to
get seen immediately by a physician before you cause irreversible damage to
your body. Good luck, Shannon
— M. Me
July 19, 2004
Lisa, your profile ended right before your surgery. I went there first to
see what and how often you are eating, if you are taking vitamins, etc, etc
and nothing there. You need to keep it updated so that we can provide you
with our best advice. That said, there are some good responses here. I
think that because you have been overweight your entire life, to lose so
much so quickly is a scary thing for you. You are still obese, so I
wouldn't be so concerned at this point about the fast loss. There are cases
of very fast loss out there. Depending on your height, when you get down to
size 12/10/8 and are still losing fast, then I would be concerned. Most of
us start slowing down and then stop either just short of goal or we go
below goal but not too badly, eventually gaining some of it back around
year 2. I would go back to your surgeon or if you no longer live in the
area, call the surgeon and ask his advice. Even though he can't examine
you over the phone, he should be able to give you some advice to take to
(like testing) or a referral to a surgeon in your area. You do need to
have your blood drawn. There may be a medical reason why you are so
exhausted. What you can start doing in the meantime is to stop eating high
cal junk and start eating good protein every few hours (meats, dairy,
cheeses, nuts),and use the full fat stuff (milk, cheeses, dressings, oils).
That should help with the skin,. Start if you are not, upping your vitamins
(2 multivitamins a day, 1500-2000 mg of calcium, zinc, B-12, iron) and
drink a ton of water. That may help with the exhaustion. Hang in there,
but be sure to take action to take care of yourself. You've done so well,
but take charge of your care.
— Cindy R.
July 19, 2004
My sister called me to tell me about this letter and sent it to my home
e-mail. Before I read the letter I told my sister that Lisa has protein
malnutrition. She has had a severe weight loss (anything more than 10% in
6 months is considered severe) and this puts you at high risk for
malnutrition. It does not matter if the weight loss was intentional or
not. You aren't just losing fat - (especially if you do not get muscle
building exercise) - you are losing muscle and your internal organs (the
protein in your body). I also knew immediately that you had much of your
small intestine by-passed - that's why you lose so fast - you are not
absorbing most of the nutrients you take into your mouth - they are going
out the toilet. That means the protein, carbs, and fat go into toilet and
are not used for energy or rebuilding tissue (you are always breaking down
and rebuilding tissue - in your case you are just breaking it down -
including your internal organs - like your heart, liver, kidneys, etc).
You will die if you do not reverse this. You are also not absorbing
vitamins or minerals - they are used in ALL metabolic reactions in your
body - including those that turn protein, carbs, and fat into energy. They
also prevent deficiency diseases. You are probably deficient in most
vitmins except A, D, E, and K - that is because they are stored in the fat
and the liver - however, you probably don't have much of those left either.
Also, many of the minerals (potassium, phosphorus, magnesium) may be
'normal' in your blood on a laboratory test, but this does not mean you
don't have a deficiency. Those minerals are primarily in your cells and
you can't measure whats in cells. I don't doubt you do have a dificiency
in potassium (and all the other minerals) as some of the respondents
suggest. About the protein malnutrition - the protein is going into the
toilet, your body (muscles/organs) is breaking down to supply some of the
needed amino acids (protein is made of amino acids) to your blood to be
used for more important purposes that muscles. A protein deficiency causes
skin to slough off. It causes hair to fall out. You do need to get to a
doctor and get to one fast. You probably need nutrition support - if not
now - you will soon. This is where you are fed through a tube into your GI
tract or thru a vein in your neck (which goes to heart). You should first
try taking nutritional supplements by mouth (instead of water) - these
would be things like Ensure, etc. Probably you should choose a diabetic
formula so you (hopefully) don't get dumping as bad. I can't think of any
diabetic formulas at the moment. You should try various types because some
will be tolerated more than others. Some have 1 cal per milliliter [ml],
some have 1.5 cal/ml and some have 2.0 cal/ml. The "two-cal"
would be better but is more "concentrated" so it might not be
tolerated very well. You just have to try. Call the RDs at your local
hospital to see if you can get some samples. If you can't get enough by
mouth to stop your loss, then you probably won't be successful with a tube
into your GI tract - you don't have enough functioning intestine to absorb
it anyway. So, this means the only 0ther alternative is TPN (total
parenteral nutrition). Total means "all your needs" cal,pro,
fat, vits, etc], parenteral means "outside of the GI tract" [into
blood steam]. This is where you get glucose, amino acids, and
triglycerides fed directly into your blood stream along with vitamins and
minerals. This is a highly specialized procedure and has it's own set of
complications. (Check out the Oley Foundation webside - use search
engine). You should go to a gastroenterologist (GI physicin)- I would
choose a GI now - they usually have some/or better experience with it. I
would say something about many surgeons experience with nutrition support
but I don't will refrain. Lisa, I'm am not trying to scare you, but this
is serious and you must do something NOW. You will be in my prayers. Beth
Egan, MS, RD, LDN (I have a master's degree in nutrition, I am a registered
dietitian, and I am a licensed dietitian). I also teach nutrition to
graduate students.
— Beth E.
July 19, 2004
http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/postopplanner.phtml<P>
BEFORE people panic that this lady is loosing too fast, lets look at the
numbers. I ran them on our weight loss planner. Knowing her start weight of
498, and 11 months later she is 233. Not knowing her height I used 6 feet
tall, which is pretty big for a female. I used her desiring to loose 80% of
what she is overweight by, which is about average for many here. The planer
says she is right on target and should weigh 232. Now I lost faster than
she did. So no one should panic:( Everyone go run the numbers yourself,
they are whats EXPECTED after WLS. Her goal weight is 169, and if as I
expect she is less than 6 foot tall although loosing well she is likely a
little behind loss wise. People seeing such a drastic change panic afraid
we will blow away in the wind or something. <P> If she was feeling
fine I would coingragulate her on her loss. But she admits to feeling bad.
So she should definetely see her PCP and get her labs done. But loss wise
she is on target and a lucky super morbid, since many dont do this well. I
added extra canla oil to my diet, because of constipation and severe dry
skin. That extra oil helped tremendously. But dO SEE A PCP or your original
surgeon. The chest pains and other symptoms concern me greatly. I dONT want
to see anyone else end up on the memorial page.
— bob-haller
July 19, 2004
I'm sorry, I don't agree. That is a 53% weight loss. It is way beyond a
severe weight loss. It may be "on target" but where did those
numbers come from?. Just like the "nutritional needs" of bypass
patients, they are basically pulled out of the dark. They are a
crap-shoot. There isn't much scientific (peer-reviewed) literature out
there regarding much of anything about bypass patients. Four years ago, my
graduate students performed a thorough search of the scientific literature
regarding bypass patients, complications - both short and long term - their
nutritional needs, etc. Maybe there was enough to fill half a page (this
is written in correct citation form so was about 6 or 7 articles). You
trust your life to 6 or 7 scientific publications on this? Of course, the
number will increase everyday as more and more patients have bypass
surgery.
Let me say something about the prescribed protein intake for many byass
patients - I have seen anywhere from 60-80 gms per day. Healthy people
need abut 0.8 gm/Kg. Adjusted weights (derived from a formula)are often
used with obese but studies don't really support the use of adjusted
weights. That's the amount IF YOU ABSORB IT. Let me say that again- IF
YOU ABSORB IT. Bypass patients are not absorbing it - although what they
absorb depends on how far the intestine they were cut (all of you should
know how much of your small intestine was bypassed - memorize it- for
future hospitalizations - it helps those caring for you figure out all the
possible nutritional deficiencies you have).
I mentioned Lisa's case to my husband, who is board certified in
nutrition support, has had over 20 years experience in nutrition support,
and 95% of his practice is devoted to nutition support (TPN), and his
comment was "she's gonna die". Of course, he meant it she
continues as is. He sees a lot of the what I call "bariatric patients
gone bad". Recently, he had a woman who was blind because of a
vitamin A deficiency as a direct result of her bypass. This is unheard of
in westernized countries. It is frankly almost unbelievable. But it is
true. This surgery is serious and the poor outcomes that sometimes result
are serious and can be fatal. When I worked as a hospital dietitian, I
worked in the ICU's. I had a lot of patients who were there because of
bypass surgery - that is what prompted my initial searching in the
treatment of them - it wasn't in the texts at the time and we didn't know
how to provide proper and appropriate nutrition support.
By the way, yes she could have an essential fatty acid deficiency -
adding canola is a good choice - very good call. Hope she can absorb it.
If not, there are peer-reviewed, scientific studies that show that
fatty-acid deficiencies can be reversed by rubbing the oil on the body.
Fatty acid deficiencies are never seen in the normal population - they were
first described in TPN patients who did not have triglycerides (fatty acids
+ glycerol) to their TPN solutions [they only got glucose (dextrose) and
amino acids. Now we know better. Unfortunately, fatty acid deficiencies
are going to be seen again - now in the bypass population.
In addition to the amount lost, her height doesn't matter - it is the
percent lost in a certain amount of time {usually looked at in 1,3, and 6
month increments.).
I do understand the factors that lead people to consider and have bypass
surgery. I have struggled with my weight all my life (why did I become a
dietitian?). I think bypass (actually, I mean bariatric surgery in
general) should be a treatment offered to the morbidly obese. I just don't
think that many people that go into it really realize the poor outcomes
that result. I'm sure some of the possibilities are reviewed with the
patient in the process of 'informed consent' but I still don't think people
"get it" - it doesn't sink in - it won't happen to me. I hope
all patients have good outcomes, they are able to afford the plastic
surgery to deal with the skin, and they live long and happy lives. Some
people will never follow doctors orders and they are fine and some will
follow all instructions to a T and have complications. However, you can
increase your chances of life-long good health by making sure you always
get enough protein, you take your supplements (no one really knows how much
you need), make healthy food choices, get some exercise (and quit smoking
too!). Please take care of yourselves, you are the only one of you there
is.
— Beth E.
July 19, 2004
I was a lightweight at 255 and lost 100# in a year so it doesn'seem like
your weight loss is that drastic. I do think you're not eating properly and
you didnt mention vitamins. You can't just have the surgery and not do
nutritional follow up...vitamins, protein, etc... and expect to feel
wonderful. This surgery is only a tool.
— Connie M.
July 19, 2004
Beth, I am a the board moderator, am 3 years out in 3 days,
:( and have hung out here going on 4 years. You are wrong about the 50%
weight loss at 11 months being bad, thats normal. I myself lost it all
(100%) in about 6 months. Now THAT was FAST! You need to do some research
on expected outcomes results after bariatric surgery. By 2 years the
average loss is 75% to 80%, and this person is right on track loss wise.
Its normally 35% in 3 months, thats in all the literature! The lucky ones
loose 100% You claim height doesnt matter:( But height determines the
starting BMI. Heck a 300 pound 5 foot tall person has a lot higher BMI than
a 300 pound 6 footer. The start BMI determines how overweight the person is
and how much they need to loose. As to the person who became blind from
missing vitamins. Why didnt they get their regular bloodwork? Such a
deficency would of certinally been obvious. Were they even taking their
vitamins? No offense to anyone and espically the original poster, but WLS
can get a bad reputation when people dont follow the rules, get their
bloodwork and aftercare. Sounds like you see patients like that. But bad
things can and do happen. But you have to remember few of us posties were
healthy before surgery. Obviously you dont believe in surgery, and honestly
I wish it wasnt necessary! Your profile says your sister is very ill how is
she doing? The sad fact is less than a couple percent of MOs are able to
loose a 100 pounds or more and keep it off 5 years or more thru diet and
exercise. MY PCP has never ever had a single patient keep the weight off on
a diet! WLS is the only choice for many, and I am very happy I had it
done!<P> Honestly you need to do some research, it will help you be
better informed while helping your patients. Theres that book by barb
thompson, and if you want the pure medical stuff drop me a e mail and I
will direct you to hat you need!
— bob-haller
July 19, 2004
Lisa, I don't think your rate of weight loss is as important as the fact
that you are obviously not well nourished if you're showing these physical
symptoms. You need to get a set of labs first of all to show where you're
levels are out of whack. Then you need to set up an aggressive program of
vitamins (DRY so you'll absorb them) and protein supplements. Since you're
distal, you need to work harder than the average RNYer to stay well
nourished and well supplemented. Check the vitalady website
(www.vitalady.com) for what vitamins you should be taking at what doses.
She's distal as well so you can get amounts for a distal RNY. IMO, the
weight loss will slow down on it's own, but you need to get your health
issues addressed ASAP. It certainly sounds like you're not getting enough
protein and vites.
— mom2jtx3
July 20, 2004
Bob, I'm glad you are a board moderator - what is the training required for
that? I am not wrong about the weight loss being severe - look in any
clinical nutrition text used in a college or university or any
peer-reviewed nutrition periodical. Again, those numbers from the weight
loss planner may also be "correct" - because that is what is
happening (sorry, I have not looked at the literature in the last 18
months) but that does not mean they are healthy or safe. I meant height
is not important when looking at percent weight loss; indeed it is used for
determining BMI - we were not speaking of BMI. I can't answer your
questions about the blind patient - as I pointed out - some people will
follow orders - which I meant is they take their vitamiins, protein
supplements, and get regular follow up and will have a poor outcome (and
many will have a good outcome) and some will do nothing - no vits, no pro,
no follow-up - and do great (and some won't). I am trying to say - all
those who want to undertake this surgery should be careful and understand
all the complications that can occur - the research should be of medical
journals (periodicals). They should also read websites such as this. Also
remember, that peer-reviewed articles report observations along with the
conclusions of the researchers as to the meaning and that people who are
more closely involved with the topic (such as someone who is actually going
thru the experience) tend to be more emotionally involved. Our psyches
tend to make us believe what we are doing is right to save our egos. You
are right, my husband and I see all the "bariatric surgeries gone
bad" so I realize we are biased and don't see a large portion of the
population. That small percent of the bypass population (2 or 3%?) that
does have short-term complications is enough to make both of us hope that
people are very cautious when thinking about this surgery. No, I believe
in the surgery if patient is properly assessed and is a good candidate and
truly has made a sustained, concerted effort to lose weight or keep it off.
From my days in the hospital ICU's, when I saw the "form letter"
with the same medical history for all the bypass patients, I know this is
not true. It is not a perfect world and not all doctors are out to help
us. I supported my sister's decision to have the surgery - she researched
carefully (altho I don't think she looked at medical periodcials). I think
surgery is indicated in many people and I hope for the best possible
outcomes for them - physically, mentally, spiritually- for them. I know
what being obese can do to you - in 1972, my BMI was 42 {I just calculated
for first time). It is now 28 - up from 23 - (stress eating) since
January.
Thank you for asking about my sister, I have always meant to get back
online here and thank all those who prayed for her - that is probably the
only explanation she is alive. No one in the ICU expected her to live and
they were preparing us {her husband and myself) for that. When my husband
came to the ICU and looked at her chart, he let out a huge sigh - the rest
of the chart review, he was making "tsking" sounds. He expected
her to die (that was actually my first realization how bad it really was).
All the doctors and allied health professionals were VERY surprised when
she was discharged one month later. Even after she improved a bit and it
looked like she might not die after all, they predicted she would be in ICU
for 5 months. She is now home, still weak, unable to work. They do not
think she will be able to work for awhile. She is getting better - she was
able to begin some exercise to help her get her strength. I can't speak
for her anymore than that. I love my sister and wished she did not have
this surgery but I respect her decision and will support her in it and help
her in any way I can. Thanks for the offer of the "pure medical
stuff" - since I've been involved in other things for the last 2
years, your are right, I haven't read all the new literature (which still
doesn't change the fact that 58 or 53% weight loss or whatever it was) is
considered severe. Anyway, I hope you consider this the dropped e-mail.
Bob, I appreciate your caring, you can tell that you do - one way I can
tell is that you are involved as a moderator. I don't want to debate this
back and forth, I really don't have the time to type these lengthly
e-mails. I wish everyone the best. However, even if I do check back on
this site (haven't since I posted the prayer request until Lisa's letter
cause my sister called me about it), I will choose not to answer. Not
because I do not have a rebuttal but because I truly don't have the time.
Also, I heard from a Lisa today on my personal e-mail. I don't know if it
is the Lisa who posted the question. I hope she has the courage to tell
all you readers what she told me. Again, thanks and also I do wish you'd
give me those citations for the current peer-reviewed periodicals on the
topic. I'll check out that book by Barb Thompson, my sister probably has
it. Take care and the best of health and happiness to you. Beth Egan
— Beth E.
July 20, 2004
53% weight loss at 11 months may be severe, but its NORMAL for a postie! In
no way do I want to discourage anyone from posting here. On the other hand
theres nothing alarming about her loss. Its normal and expected after the
RNY! I too am concerned for her safety. NOT from the loss, but lack of labs
and eating junk trying to stall the loss is bad.Thats endangering her
health and perhaps her life. She really MUST get to a doctor NOW! I have a
friend Wanda Smart who is one of those whos surgery went bad. Its terrible
when it occurs, but thankfully its pretty rare. I will check with my
surgeon but the info you need is on the ASBS website. Sadly bad things
happen to good people but we must follow the rules that were explained to
us BEFORE surgery. I am e mailing Michelle Curran asking her to comment
here too.
<P> No doubt the poster is ill, but she needs a doctor to get her
squared away as well as support like were trying to give her. <P>You
asked about training for this volunteer job. Caring dedication to helping
others, and my surgeons comment about ME, I really studied all this and Dr
Philip Schauer a world leader in bariatric surgery has remarked publically
as well as privately I have a minor degree in it:) Not expert am I but not
a slouch either.
— bob-haller
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