Beware Gastric Bypass with stapeling!

pugluvnrn · Nov 11, 2003

When I first became a nurse one of the older nurses I considered a mentor died from that surgery,and I was crushed, thougth the surgery was so bad, etc.

But you know, she had a ton of other health problems ( one small issue was she had a pacemaker and some serious cardiac issues)

She was also diabetic-She didn't last long after the surgery.

One of our aides just had the surgery and she is doing great and LOOKS great-she is young without any health problems. EXCEPT now she's pregnant only 6 months after the surgery, I don't think her MD is super happy about that.

Anyway, I guess it is like many other surgeries-does benefit outweigh the risk.

iliel · Nov 11, 2003

My Dad is having this SX done soon....He is Diabetic (adult onset), had a heart attack a year and a half ago, has Luekemia and suffered from TTP which caused his spleen to be removed...oh, and he has Hep C from years of blood transfusions.

All of his Dr's feel this is a good SX for him....he is 5'7'' and weights around 350.

To thoes who think he should just jump on a treadmill....no, it's not that easy. He gained the majority of his weight while suffering from TTP.

At this point in his life he needs to do something. It's amazing that he's lived this long, if he dosn't do something he will die. He wants to be proactive about it and not wait around to die and I say he's right. If he dies is this SX, then I know he died trying to do something about his health. Sooner or later the Leukemia or Hep C will kill him.

Kaylesh · Nov 11, 2003

Hiya all.. just have to add my two cents to the debate. :-)

I'm a now 41 year old RN who had OPEN roux-n-y gastric bypass in Oct 98... So it has been quite a few years for me..

I am only 5ft 2 and weighed just about 21 stone (300 lbs or 120 KG or so :-) ) depending on what country your in..

For me it was the best thing i ever did.. I lost most of my weight in the first 8 months to a year.. and yes i have had some regain because my stomach has stretched a bit. I've never ever been on supplement nutrition of any kind..other than the earlier part after surgery..

I got to a low of about 154 and now run 180ish..thats in pounds btw :-).. I can now eat some things i shouldn't so have to be careful and should get more exercise ..

I'd go through the surgery again in a minute.. Course i researched all i could at the time and I knew the surgeon that did my surgery.(knew his rep etc). as he was a consultant surgeon at the hospital i worked in at the time..so that does help

I think that the surgery has gotten a bad rap from lots of folks..

Each surgery has its own inherent risks.. but then again so does being morbidly obese.

I think you have to go into the surgery for the right reasons.. and not because you don't feel pretty enough.. etc..

I didn't have ANY co morbities from my obesity other being quite SOB going up stairs and having swollen legs etc.. I knew if i hadn't done something when i did. then i was a ticking time bomb and that a co morbidity would hit sooner or later..

Not trying t flame or put anyone elses opinions down..

Just voicing mine :-)

Kaylesh

mistersleepy · Nov 11, 2003

A good friend had this done about a year ago, she is an RN, about 5'10" and weighed nearly 400lbs. She also has a clotting disorder and was on 27mg of coumadin qd just to keep her INR at 1.5-2. I was very opposed to the surgery but she had researched it and felt it was worth it for her.

She now is about 140lbs, looks and feels great, and only takes a fraction of the coumadin.

While it isn't a surgery I would consider, it sure worked for her.

PennyLane, RN · Nov 11, 2003

I did a report on this for school. Doctors and hospitals are putting a lot of pressure on insurance companies to lower the requirements for patients to receive the surgery, because they have dollar signs in their eyes. I know it is a life-saver for many people, but it really should be used as a last resort for morbidly obese people. These patients need a lot of follow up nursing and rehab care, and some places are building surgical suites just for this surgery. With the nursing "shortage" being what it is already, if less obese people start having the surgery b/c the insurance companies are ok'ing it, it can only exacerbate the already existing "shortage". (In quotes due to what many others have said re: there only being a shortage of nurses willing to work in hospitals).

LoisJean · Nov 12, 2003

My husband had the Roux n Y (open) 2 years ago. I have lived with this man for a long time...he was not, is not a lazy sort. Todd seems to be the one with the compassion and insight here...you're going to be a very good nurse, Todd. I like your perspective.

At last count, I think, the number of bariatric surgeries performed yearly in this country is over 28,000. Our government tells us that obesity is becoming an epidemic. Fat is everywhere. We are fat, our children are fat, our dogs are fat. But someday fat will be faddish...to be fat will be to be different, radical, rebellious- a kind of middle finger thing pointed at society's good little dobees.

Lots of people don't like fat. Fat people don't like fat; thin people don't like fat.

I don't mind fat...except when it becomes a killer and when the person threatened with death is so overwhelmed with depression and self loathing and fear that he/she is paralyzed from the Spirit to the Brain and is absolutely powerless to facilitate any change for the better on their own. Exercise bike? Pleeze! Then of course, there is the stigma attached to the morbidly obese by those who look pretty good and seem so well put together...especially those pretty people in the medical/nursing community, who imply: 'Well, just get a grip...' What arrogance.

My husband is alive because of his decision to have this surgery. He made this decision with me, his doctor, his psychologist and with a lot of support from people who experienced their own successful recoveries. Bariatric surgery is designed to be a tool for those who have nothing left of their own devices by which to fashion a release from their malady. It is not nor ever was meant to be the 'cure'. A proper bariatric treatment not only has a pre-surgical requirement but includes lifetime post surgical support.

I fear in our zest and zeal to create a 'standardized norm' for social Homosapiens, we will manage to kill off our creation quicker than we can create it. I foresee bariatric surgical suites on every street corner...in one door out the other...while the Corporate Greedies rake in the dough with no thought what so ever about what it means to be a human being...why else would a hospital attempt to create a place for bariatric patients when the required beds won't fit through the doors? I can only imagine what problems using the standard issue hospital toilets will be.

For those who are morbidly-(have any of you looked up that word-morbidly?) obese and who are scared out of their minds, (altho they would never tell you that), I say there is one sure cure for obesity and that is death. For some, like my husband, it came down to that choice.

Peace,

LoisJean

Imagemakerx2 · Nov 12, 2003

Gastric bypass surgery saved my life. 3 years ago I was 110 lbs overweight, my BP was 205/106. Walking down the hall would make me out of breath to the point that I could not carry on a conversation. Exercise - don't think so. Wanted to but the air hunger was awful. Yes there are many things that could go wrong, and the ones that you see show up in the hospital but for every one that does go wrong, how many lifes have been enriched. I had tried for years to lose weight, really tried. Nothing worked. This has, and I am truely enjoying life now. Needed to say something positive. Advise is to check out the doctors, their morbidity rates and mortality rates, and talk to other patients. It's not for everyone you have to be mentally ready and do what they tell you. I hope this has helped see the positive side. :cool:

cannoli · Nov 12, 2003

So that's the answer to obesity, instead of eating less and moving more have surgery? Morbidly obese people can and do lose weight, Richard Simmons for one. I know it's not easy.

Some people may have glandular problems etc. but most people are obese in the first place because of overeating and lack of exercise. And no, I'm not skinny.

bellehill, RN · Nov 12, 2003

Of course there are patients who do very well with gastric bypass surgery and this is the only option for them. There are also patients who do poorly and unfortunately as nurses those are the patients we see the most. It is true that everyone cannot diet and exercise to lose weight; however, I wonder if doctors push this surgery on people because they see the dollar signs. Not everyone has the ability to do research like many of the posters on this thread, it seems like those are the patients who usually do the worst.

I am very glad so many posters have had a positive experience with gastric bypass surgery. I don't know anyone personally who has had it, just going on professional experience.

pugluvnrn · Nov 12, 2003

Originally posted by LoisJean
[Lots of people don't like fat. Fat people don't like fat; thin people don't like fat.
I don't mind fat...except when it becomes a killer and when the person threatened with death is so overwhelmed with depression and self loathing and fear that he/she is paralyzed from the Spirit to the Brain and is absolutely powerless to facilitate any change for the better on their own.
AMEN Lois Jean! Loved your post, and I am so glad your husband is doing well.
I have had my own struggles with weight- they are so miniscule compared to others I am embarrassed to post them here but they affected my life immensely. I gained about 15 pounds in the course of my marriage( 6 years) and my husband ( yes, he's fit) was merciless about it. He actually told me one time when we were riding bikes that I was so fat I was squeezing the air out of my tires. I joined Lindora ( I was 5'2, 144 pounds at that time) and lost 22 pounds. The major thing her was that I WAS working out! I was doing Spin class 3 times a week and lifting weights. Once I changed my eating habits ( yes, it was the evil carbs) the weight came off....slowly but it was HARD! I still struggle but have maintained most of my weight loss. And I excercise!
I totally agree with your comment about people not liking fat. .. I was really disappointed when my husband commented after a work party about how heavier the people I worked with were versus the people he worked with. Now besides racism and ageism we have to deal with ....weightism. I personally hate it ( and I am in counselling with my insensitive husband!)

Tesslynn · Nov 12, 2003

Todd SPN

It really burns me up when people have no idea what they are talking about come up with stupid suggestions like: "Why doesn't he just exercise" People should be ashamed of themselves for thinking and putting in writing any comments about weight loss being easy. Anyone that thinks someone is "taking the easy way out is an idiot" Do not listen to people that have not had the surgery, go online to bariatric treatment centers and get correct information. I had the surgery a year and a half ago, after years of dieting, exercising and facing the looks everyday by so called compassionate co-workers that believed if I wanted to do something about my weight I could. The surgery is dangerous the recovery is long but, I now have a life.

Katnip, RN · Nov 12, 2003

Our hospital does a lot of gastric bypasses. I mean, a lot.

I used to think, well why don't they stick to a diet and do some exercise? But after talking with so many of our patients, since we get a lot of them in IMC--due to sleep apnea--I realize how complex obesity is.

It's part emotional, part physical. A severely obese person's stomach often stretches to the point where they just never feel full. If you don't get that full feeling, it really is hard to stop eating when your full, like so many diets tell you.

When you weigh 300-400 pounds, how easy is it to exercise? Even worse, how easy is it to try to exercise in public, or even go to a store and buy a video without feeling like everyone is staring and thinking nasty thoughts, even though most people aren't. The feeling of inferiorty and the stigma goes back a long way.

Yes, gastric bypass is high-risk. Many surgeries are. But for some people, this is their last hope, and for many it can end up saving their lives. Every patient I've met who has had the surgery has been well informed about the risks vs. benefits. Our bariatric docs make sure of that.

I just hope it doesn't turn out to be one of those surgeries that every doctor takes it up, whether they're good at it or not, just to make big bucks. That's when it becomes really dangerous.