Question:
Gastric bypass surgery patients only add three years to life expectance??!!
Granted, I know if I have a choice to die today or live three more years, I would choose to live three more years. But there's some study saying that Post-Op Gastric bypass patients only add three years to their life. I'm really looking forward to being a looser (although, not looking forward to the hardships to come with it), but I really hope that I'm not going through all of this for a lousy three additional years. What is your take on this study? — tinky471 (posted on August 31, 2003)
August 30, 2003
Maybe if you don't have any co-morbidities. After WLS diabetes, high blood
pressure, sleep apnea, degenerative joint disease, and others go away or
atleast become much better. So add up all the years that you gain by being
cured of all the co-morbidities.
<p> Take Care, Be Well, Be Happy!
— John T.
August 30, 2003
Those three years come at the end of your life, so who knows what shape you
will be in at that time. I've often thought about those additional years
and have wondered what good are they to me, or what am I going to do with
those additional years if I'm 97 years old. So if anyone knows a trick
where I have have those years right now, let me know.
— barbara A.
August 30, 2003
There's a difference between existing in life and truly LIVING LIFE!! Just
think how unhealthy you would be if you continue to stay MO throughout the
rest of your life. Would you prefer to live for thirty more years as a
morbidly obese individual or 33 years as a much healthier and hopefully
happier you! Best of luck in your journey!
Denise/ 280/177/280 Open RNY 3/30/03
— denisel
August 30, 2003
I am with Denise. I don't care if I live 3 years longer. I am not so sure
that's what people think about when considering the surgery either. My
issue is and continues to be quality of life. I was pretty much wheelchair
bound and a burden to those around me. I was miserable. I am 4.5 months
out, down 70lbs and I can WALK!!! I am happier, I have better self esteem,
I am off alot of medications, my blood pressure isn't through the roof. I
actually had an enjoyable vacation this year and I will have a better life.
— M B.
August 30, 2003
How many years I have left is of no concern to me! What matters to me is
how I will feel! I'd rather live a year in a healthy body, feeling good
about myself, than live 20 years as a fat, miserable, aching person. No
matter how long I live, I know this surgery was the best thing I could ever
do for myself!!!
— Kelly B.
August 30, 2003
Like the others have said it's much less how long you live but it't the
quality of life you gain after WLS. For me the more profiles I read of SMO
people the more I realized I was getting close to being wheelchair and home
bound and that is not a life I could life live - not from being fat.
Truthfully I would rather be dead than have someone do EVERYTHING for me.
So I made a decision to ensure I would not end up in that situation from
being fat. It could happen for some other reason that I could not control
but this one I could control by choosing surgery. I know I will have way
more than 3 extra years of quality life and that's all that matters. I
have done much more in 7 months than I was able to do in the last 3-4
years!
— zoedogcbr
August 31, 2003
You cannot concentrate on the "3 more years" issue. No one alive
is even promised tomorrow. I had this surgery so I could improve quality
of life TODAY! I had problems with my legs, couldn't walk without a lot of
pain, constant asthma/allergy problem that affected breathing well and high
blood pressure. I'm happy to report that the surgery has alleviated all
problems. TODAY, I can walk without pain. TODAY, I can breath easier.
TODAY my blood pressure is normal (or even on the low side). While
pragmatically, you can plan for the future, you have to live in the hear
and now--that's what this has done for me.
— Cathy S.
August 31, 2003
OK... so if I die today I'll be "cheated" out of one year!! But
you know, the last 2years of my life have been perhaps the best ever thanks
to my WLS. Not-a-one-of-us has a "guarantee" on a day...let alone
3years, but I KNOW WITHOUT A DOUBT my life would have been cut short due to
my comorbidities which are all but gone today!!
— Denise W.
August 31, 2003
None of us is promised even one more day even under ideal circumstances, so
with that in mind you have to decide what's best for the quality of life
you wish to maintain on a day-to-day basis. I had this surgery to improve
my quality of life NOW. I was having problems with my legs, pre-op,
couldn't walk without pain, high blood pressure, and breathing problems due
to asthma and allergies. Having the surgery has resolved all those issues
where they aren't a concern any more. The basic question is do you want to
continue living you life like you feel today or do you want to do something
about it? If you want to do something about it, your choices are to (1)
religiously diet for a long period of time until you achieve a weight loss,
or (2) have the surgery and change your lifestyle or (3) continue like you
are. Basically I chose the surgery because I didn't want to risk being a
burden at some point and time to my husband because I couldn't walk
well--and that would drastically affect our lifestyle. It's paid off
because I religiously followed my surgeon's advice and as of last week, I
had lost 165 lbs. since the surgery plus 41 more lbs since I first began
seeking insurance approval. Sure it's a risk, but life is full of risk
and you cannot live in fear that something might happen. You have to make
the best informed decision you can make for YOU and then go for it.
— Cathy S.
August 31, 2003
Just had to reply to this! First being "What is wrong with adding
another 3 years to your life" .... I know I would not consider them
lousy, nor did I object to having procedure (Lap RNY) and there have been
no hardships invoved in my case and countless others. Let me put it this
way...Life is a gamble. We don't don't know what the good Lord has in store
for us. Just as the previous members have stated....We would rather live
healthier lives whether it be a year or 20 years, because the years before
surgery were miserable & unhealthy. We were never promised x amount of
years had we not had this surgery. Only one person knows when our time is
up and it's completely out of our hands! For the ones, that have really
researched this procedure throughly and realize it "IS" and
"WILL" be life long, with eating/drinking/vits/exercise/support
groups will use this tool to be successful and happy! The main objective
for this surgery is "Health." I have read many that are 10-20 yrs
post op! If, by chance I have shortened my life due to this surgery, So Be
It! I'm living a healthier life in these last 6 1/2 months than I have for
years and find it was all worth it. There's so many other factors, that can
shorten your life like smoking/drinking/drugs. Studies show the same
results for these. People abuse their bodies daily doing the above and
don't think nothing of it. This surgery seems to be the scape goat for
those needy of it. Hogwash! Let those sit back and argue this study...I
have far to many important things to do such as 1)walk 3-5 miles daily
2)bike 5 miles daily 3)swimm 3 times weekly 4)
water aerobics 4-5 days a week 5)yard work added to all the other fun
things I can "Now" due. I have no time to ponder about studies
about the span of my life, because of this surgery. I have lived a lifetime
in the last 6 1/2 months and will live the rest of my life healthy and full
of energy. Going into this surgery for the right reasons and understanding
the lifelong changes and a positive attitude towards it is a must! I'm one
of the success stories as many others. I know and have read of others with
complications and have all those in my prayers/thoughts, but like I
said....Life Is A Gamble! By the way, can I have your 3 lousy years? lol
Good Luck! Lap RNY ..2/11/03..250/160/145
— Hazel S.
August 31, 2003
I think that the notion that we regain only three years is a huge fallacy.
You can't tell me that I would only get three years more if I weighed 150
instead of 423. In fact, you might want to try this. Go to this
website,http://www.deathclock.com/ It will ask you for your birthdate,
age, exercise level, BMI, and smoking status. (It has a BMI calculator
there so it is easy to use.) I suggest you put in all your pre op stats and
see what the questimate is for your life expectancy. Then do the same
thing with the same information but update the BMI for what yours will be
at your goal weight. Then have it calculate the life expectancy. I can
promise it will be more than a measly 3 years. This site is just for
curiosity and entertainment. No one has the ability to predict exactly
when they will die unless it is at their own hands. I think this idea that
we only gain three years after going through weight loss surgery and making
all the changes necessary for a healthy lifestyle is pure "urban
legend" or bunk meant to scare or discourage people. I am like you.
I was not looking forward to the hardships that come with post op life but
what I have discovered is a great wealth of satisfaction, health, and joy.
I will three years more like that over three years of being trapped in an
huge body that keeps me from having my best life possible. I wish you
well. Ann in TX
— Ann B.
August 31, 2003
I agree with all of the other posters, but there's another point I want to
make: One persistent problem with WLS is the difficulty in doing long-term
studies, period. No one really knows the long-term outcome of surgery,
because it's difficult to track patients for that long. It'd be even
harder to do a study that concludes WLS adds <x> years to your life;
it implies tracking at least TWO groups -- morbidly obese people who don't
have the surgery, and morbidly obese people who do. (It might even require
a third group, non-morbidly obese people.) And it implies tracking all of
the groups through enough deaths. Bottom line is, a conclusion that WLS
adds <x> years to your life sounds like it should be coming from a
vaster study than I believe has ever been attempted. I don't know the
specifics of the study you've mentioned, but my gut reaction is to discount
it for the reasons stated above.
— [Deactivated Member]
August 31, 2003
So, I guess this means that if I was going to live to 60 as an MO person,
I'll live to 63 thin? That's OK with me, because for those 20+ years
between now and then (I'm 42) I'll be healthy, active, happy, and get alot
more done in life than I would have 150 pounds ago. It's not just
quantity, it's quality, and my quality of life has improved 1000%
— mom2jtx3
August 31, 2003
Think of Big Pete. About 20 years of being homebound and very little
quality of life traded for 3 years of a totally awesome life that he could
do whatever he wanted. Which would you choose? With the heart condition
he had it was likely he did not have these 3 years left. WLS gave him an
opportunity to experience life like he never had before.
— zoedogcbr
August 31, 2003
Chris summed it up the best. Ok, I am 50 and as an MO I would have
probably made it to 60 with major health problems and very little quality
of life. I hope to make it to 80 now with 30 more years of quality life.
If I were only to live to be 53 I would rather have 3 more good years as
opposed to 3 of poor quality life. What is your choice? Personally, I
think that study is baloney. Carry 100 lbs on your back as most of us do
24 hrs a day 7 days a week and see what kind of health you have and how
much enjoyment of life you have. Try to ride in an amusement park ride
with your grandkids with two 50 lbs bags of potatoes in the seat with you.
Now, if you can manage to squeeze into the seat safely with your grandkids
and ride the roller coaster, now get up and carry those potatoes with you
down the stairs/ramp until you encounter another ride and go through the
same thing. Lots of fun, right? This sounds like some kind of negative PR
from the people who say "fat is good"....NAAFA? The choice is
yours but at as you age 3 additional Quality Years is a great choice and
not a lousy choice as you indicated. I hope you develop a better attitude
and you probably will as you become a looser. What kind of hardships do
you assume come with loosing weight? I have had no hardships compared to
the hardships of being Morbidly Obese.
— Mylou52
August 31, 2003
Well, that doesn't take into consideration how being non-obese can help you
in other situations. When I was 3 months post op I was in a serious car
accident. I was in Intensive Care and then had the opportunity to transfer
to a Rehabilitation Unit. I had to be interviewed and be able to do
intense therapy all day long. Before surgery, I could not have committed
to that and would have gone to a nursing unit where I would have been in a
bed for a month or more. Because I had lost 30 lbs and the pressure was
off my joints, I was able to go to the Rehabilitation Unit and leave the
hospital in 2 weeks. I was unable to walk unaided for 8 weeks but if I was
still MO it would have been months or perhaps I would have never recovered
from the trauma. I was a third year law student when the accident happened
and if I had been in the hospital any longer I would have blown my chance
for graduation and the job I had waiting for me after graduation. I've
since lost 40 more lbs and if I were to be in another accident or get sick,
I could be assured of a much faster recovery because of how much healthier
I am now. So statistics don't take these kinds of things into account.
Being thinner and healthier can help you in countless situations. A flat
number for life expectancy is misleading.
— susanje
August 31, 2003
Does the study state how many years being MO subtracts from our life and
add 3 to that? Please give us the source of this study. I want to read it
for myself.
— sissie S.
August 31, 2003
What study? Who did it? Where did you get these "facts"? I
think people sometimes pick things up around here and believe anything...
just because its written on this site doesn't mean its true.. I've seen
more than one LEGEND written here and carried on as if it were written in
stone somewhere... so.. please.. if you're going to talk about a
"study" .. CITE IT!
— Lisa C.
August 31, 2003
http://www.lef.org/news/disease/2002/10/31/eng-newsrx/eng-newsrx_093942_6228351458362378163.ew.html.
This is the url where I got this information about three years ms.
Confidential.
— tinky471
August 31, 2003
I would like to say although I appreciate your comments here and I DO want
to hear from all of you, if you can't disagree without being insulting, you
can keep your comments to yourself. Note the difference that the same
request was made by Lisa Confidential and the poster before her. Ladies
and gents, tell me who you think showed the most maturity/
Terri (not ashamed of anything therefore no need to be confidential).
— tinky471
August 31, 2003
Please note this quote from the bottom of the article: "More research
is needed, he stressed. The study is not a formal, randomized clinical
trial assessing longevity in groups of obese patients who are treated with
gastric bypass or who serve as controls, and the findings need to be
confirmed by long-term prospective studies that follow patients for years
and prove the benefit in life expectancy in real patients. "
<p>I truly believe that this surgery will add way more than just 3
years to my life. And if I die tomorrow, I know that it's because it's my
time to go. We simply can't stop fate. The fact is, as another poster
said, there has not been enough long-term study done on us as
post-ops.</p>
<p>As Chris stated earlier regarding Big Pete, about him living the
last 2-3 years of his life having the TIME of his life, I asked myself,
"If I knew I was going to die in 3 years, would I still have this
surgery?" And my answer to myself was "Yes, because I would want
it to be the best 3 years that I could possibly have."
— Moysa B.
August 31, 2003
Terri, I had heard the 3 years before so I wasn't surprised when you said
it. However, I chose not to focus on it. All I really care about it
quality of life. The reality is that in 20 years there will be a lot more
reliable data available because of the amount of people have WLS. So many
things factor in that it's impossible to say it's only 3 years etc. I
realize the study does but my feeling is that until the last 1-2 years
there just has not been enough long term documentation. Just know that you
will be so much healthier and will enjoy life so much more and don't sweat
the number of years. Most days I now feel like in my early 30's. My worst
day now I feel like 42, which is what age I am. Before surgery most
mornings I felt like about 75 and on a bad day about 90. Life was getting
so hard and difficult to move. The pain just really limited me.
— zoedogcbr
September 1, 2003
Dear Terri, Thanks for posting the url and the information. Obviously it
created a lot of interest. I couldn't bring up the web site, but it did
make reference to that article. For now that is enough for me. I will be
keeping my ears and eyes open for more information. I feel that 3 years is
way to short but who knows? I agree, we are not all the final word here,
and legends are bound to show up, but this place is a wealth of information
so that we can search out what we need to know. "Many advisors make
victory sure" (prov. 11:14) so we take the best and leave the rest.
— sissie S.
September 1, 2003
I'll take what I can get as far as extra years! I have to agree - this is
not the first time Lisa Confidential has made a biting comment that was
uncalled for. I hope none of you ever lets her get to you.
— Postop_nurse
September 1, 2003
I never really thought about how many more years I was going to get by
having wls. I though about how happy I was going to be when I can go out to
the park with my kids and husband and not sweat a bucket because of my
weight. If I only get 3 more years. That is fine with me. Because those
will be happy years not feeling sorry for myself years. That is how I have
to think about it. Because we could all die tomorrow. But today was a great
day. If that is to be.
— spring A.
September 1, 2003
Well, I figure, I don't know how long I will live anyway. If I were to
only live 6 more years and I now can have another 3, all the better. As
long as it is a better, more productive and more enjoyable life, then I
don't care if it is only 3 days longer or 3 years. God bless to all.
— Cindy P.
September 1, 2003
"A lousy three additional years"? What a stunning dismissal.
I'm afraid my take is something you *don't* want to hear.<P>Good luck
to you.
— Suzy C.
September 2, 2003
I don't want to hear about "only a lousy three years" :). I
guess I was just shocked when I read that. It truly didn't change my mind
(surgery date 12/11/2003). You guys have really put this into perspective.
And you're right. If I could have 3 more years of a productive and more
happy life, then BRING IT ON!! I love you guys, you all are just great :).
I guess since the approval, everything is becoming so real and all the bad
stuff is sticking out like a sore thumb (probably just the Devil). Just
keep talking to me, I'll be ok. Thank you all so much for your comments to
this and for those yet to come, I look forward to reading the response.
Terri :).
— tinky471
September 2, 2003
ok, here is my feeling. I don't really care if it has added or subtracted
years from my life to have my RNY. the reason is, I spent years of my life
obese and tired, aching joints, tendons & back. Not to mention an
aching heart because I was too overweight to enjoy life. My biggest regret
is spending so many years not living my life the way I wanted to because I
was embarrasses about my size and it was just tooo difficult to move all
that weight around. This is living, lighter, high energy, not depresses. If
I die tomrrow ( God I hope not) I am greatful for the time I have had that
I feel so much better.
— **willow**
September 5, 2003
I agree with Willow. If I could have had this surgery done 20 years ago,
I'm sure my life would have been much different and probably better. So if
I only get an additional 3 years, then at least I know I'll be happy with
them in this body rather than the one I used to have.
— Patty H.
September 6, 2003
I am one week away from being 4 months post op and all I have to tell you
that I have been very lucky as far as having any problems from this
surgery. I had LAP RNY on 5/13/03. I have lost a total of 78.5 pounds and
aside from occasional vomiting from being too full or eating too fast,
those are the only problems I have encountered. It is the best thing I have
ever done for myself. If you have confidence in your doctor and do what
they tell you that is half the battle. To me, the benefits far outweigh the
risks, but you must be prepared both physically and emotionally! Good luck
to you.
— Ceil G.
September 6, 2003
In my never to be humble opinion...even if wls doesnt increase my life
expectancy, it sure as heck will increase my QUALITY of life!
— kathy B.
September 6, 2003
I could not find that study, either, but I can tell you that I don't put
much stock in a single study. I really think John is absolutely correct in
adding on the years you would gain by not having diabetes, heart disease
and so forth, that would inevitably develop with morbid obesity.
— koogy
September 6, 2003
I have always heard it can add between 10-15 years to your life.....
BTW .....That "Death Clock" thing is just a joke it changes
everytime you use it....:) Only For Fun!
— Saxbyd
September 6, 2003
Here's a link to an article about a three-year study:
http://www.facs.org/2002clincon/press/prpope.html
And here's an article that suggests that overweight people live three years
less than "normal" folks, and that obese people live seven years
less:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/diet.fitness/01/06/obesity.mortality/index.html
(I have a hard time getting that one to show up on the screen; if you just
move the mouse around the blank screen and hit enter, it shows up
eventually!)
— Suzy C.
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