Anyone here have experience with patients with a history of gastric bypass surgery? I've noticed that they have chronic complications. I had one such patient the other day. He had to constantly eat to avoid malnutrition and he appeared malnourished.
He said that his weight ballooned after getting on psyche meds causing obesity related health problems, so then he got the gastric bypass.
It seems like Western medicine isn't particularly holistic. There must be a better way.
Realistically, a gastric bypass works so well not only by limiting intake, but by limiting absorption and, unless the patient is careful about supplementing the diet with vitamins, they will become malnourished. It is an operation specifically designed to induce malabsorption in the recipient. The literature refers to this.
That said, I'd like a little tuck taken in my tummy. I'm getting as big as a whale. Well, okay, a baby dolphin.
The aforementioned surgeon did bowel bypasses when they were in vogue, but they are rarely done now because in addition to malnutrition, the procedure had a tendency to cause liver failure. Even with procedure reversal, not a small number of people had to have transplants or even died.
One of the nurses, who cared for a lot of these patients, said, "Yeah, they pig out because they know they're gonna [defecate] it out in an hour or two." I said, "Just like an eating disorder" and she replied, "Exactly."
Fiona, from what I have heard, the majority of people who pass the physical tests are rejected on the basis of a psychiatric evaluation.
Discovery Health Channel did a show recently about a father and son who did bariatric surgery, and they interviewed a woman whose insurance company rejected her, and the nurse blamed the company. But the woman GAINED weight on the 1,000 calorie diet she was placed on so she would learn how to eat after surgery. Honey, it's 1,000 calories a DAY, not a MEAL, of which you might have 5 or 6 in a day.
I had gastric bypass in 1997 and would do it again in a heart beat. I am no longer on blood pressure medications and my back and legs do not hurt anymore from the excess weight.
Yes, I have to take B12 injections, and must take daily vitamins but thats about it. I do have problems if I eat too much or too fast, then it feels like I have to throw up. At the beginning I had to be very careful with that or I would throw up.
I tried everything and anything to loose weight prior to the surgery but nothing worked.... its not a cure all its a life change and you still have to exercise and you still have to watch what you eat. I had a friend on mine have it done and then ate nothing but junk and gained back all his weight.
The aforementioned surgeon did bowel bypasses when they were in vogue, but they are rarely done now because in addition to malnutrition, the procedure had a tendency to cause liver failure. Even with procedure reversal, not a small number of people had to have transplants or even died.
The roux etc is the most common procedure and is, indeed, a bypass resulting in malapsorption. I don't know to what you think I'm referring.
I have to agree, I think in a hospital setting, you are seeing the complications more so than the successes. I am a 3 yr post RNY pt. I had no complications, lost 187 lbs, am compliant with my vitamin regimen, the last hospitialization I had was the 2 days I was inpt with the surgery itself. My support group that I attend has some people with complication, but as a whole, most are successful with little to no complications.
As for the comments abt "easy way out", well electing major surgery, risking complications, and even death doesn't sound so easy now does it?
I have a friend who has been hospitalized a couple of times for malnutrition post bypass.
She has also developed an autoimmune disorder and has lost all of her hair. I don't know of any stats corelating autoimmune problems with gastric bypass. But, my friend says there are several women in her bypass support group who have developed autoimmune problems.
I'll admit it... I'm a chicken. I've thought about bypass and banding many times. And I still come up being a chicken. I'm also a big Foodie. I know without a doubt if I have this surgery, I'll be noncompliant.
I have 2 friends that have had it done. One is compliant and the other isn't. The one who isn't has been hospitalized for complications numerous times.
Weight Watchers worked well for me, but then I got lazy and gained back the 50# that I lost. But, now 20 of those 50 are gone. I'll stick with the old fashioned eat better and exercise more regimen.
Some people feel it is the easy way out, I don't and was not a decision I made lightly. It is a tool and should be remembered as such
A close friend of mine had a Roux en Y about 4 years ago. I suspect that the procedure may well have saved his life. He approaches it the way you Silverdragon - it is a tool that he has used.
This is a controversial topic. Because many of the people that undergoing these procedures have multiple comorbidities and because the techniques are fairly new the long term outcomes are not well understood.
Glad you are doing well post procedure Silverdragon. Obesity is a tough disease - it can be life threatening and there is usually not an abundant amount of understanding and sympathy out there.
i do think it is somewhat an easy way out, what about exercise and eating right
not dieting, that helped for a friend of mine, she lost over 100p in a little bit over a year
and all with a conservative approach.
nici
Nici, I totally disagree.
I am glad a conservative approach worked for your friend. Unfortunately it does not work for everybody.
Bariatric surgery is anything but easy. Essentially, one gets major surgery that induces diarrhea for the rest of one's life. For most patient's this is a last attempt to save their life.
Some posters on this thread have suggested that this is essentially a cosmetic procedure. This ain't true folks.
I'll admit it... I'm a chicken. I've thought about bypass and banding many times. And I still come up being a chicken. I'm also a big Foodie. I know without a doubt if I have this surgery, I'll be noncompliant.
I have 2 friends that have had it done. One is compliant and the other isn't. The one who isn't has been hospitalized for complications numerous times.
Weight Watchers worked well for me, but then I got lazy and gained back the 50# that I lost. But, now 20 of those 50 are gone. I'll stick with the old fashioned eat better and exercise more regimen.
i agree. i had thought about gastric several times, but i am having a lot of succes with just eating lean meats (fish, white meat chicken & etc) and vegetables and excercising a few times a week. i have actually lost 38lbs in just 32 days with my excercise/eating regimen. the reason i decided against gastric is because often times the rapid weight loss without the excercising causes hanging skin and then you have to go back under the knife for skin removal. plus, i felt that many of the people i know who have had it did just use it as a quick fix and all three gained their weight back. one is back over 400lbs. i feel that it has to be a life style change with or without the surgery, so if i can do it because of the surgery, why cant i do it without the surgery. i feel better and have much more energy. Biggest Loser gives me my motivation because all of the people up there are doing it with only diet and exercise. if they can do it, so can i!
But the woman GAINED weight on the 1,000 calorie diet she was placed on so she would learn how to eat after surgery. Honey, it's 1,000 calories a DAY, not a MEAL, of which you might have 5 or 6 in a day.
leslie :-D
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leslie