gastric bypass surgery

[Becca_]

Ok, I'm sitting at my dinningroom table, taking a break from housework, look out the window and notice my neighbor acrossed the street walking very slowly into the house. So I wonder what the heck is going on. Ever since she had this surgery I have thought something wasnt right. To me she walks like she hurts. My daughter said it's just me, she walks like she always did. I think she lost to much weight. She was never that small when in school! How can this be healthy? So finally she gets to the steps and she turns with her back to the door. I watch as her husband steadies her, she backs up the steps and she is using a walker! She's my age. I see no cast.

I know this is the big thing to do for getting skinny, I know a few people who have done it, and I dont think any of them look right. Seems they end up with health issues, I think they lose to much weight. I just dont think its a good thing. What do you think of this surgery?

 

[bubbatd]

I see it as the last resort for a morbidly obese person... but, after watching " The biggest loser " .that last guy who won sure showed it can be done other ways....

 

[Dixie]

Gastric bypass is basically where they take out 75 to 50% of your stomach depending on how grossly obese you are.

Ive done case studies where people with GBS have other complications such as stomach ulcers and gallbladder problems wich can cause your abdomen to hurt.

In rare cases, people who had GBS lost entirely too much weight to the point their health was at risk, and there are generally two options here

1. Go back and reconstruct the stomach or get one transplanted.
2. take medications designed to cause you to gain weight by slowing your metabolism.

Also- doctors who make their patients meet certain stringent criteria before becoming a GBS candidate have a very good reason to do so. This isnt for people who are now overweight and have a prior history of disordered eating and/ or eating disorders.

I think for someone to be eligible for GBS are:
1.) they are grossly obese (200 or more pounds over their ideal body weight)
2.) unable to excercise due to the current stress on the cardiovascular system (high heart rate, high blood pressure)
3.) unable to move without the aid of another person, or machine.
4.) the weight is actually posing an immediate health risk such as the weight of the fat on ones chest is crushing their ribs causing a significant decrease in lung capacity requiring the use of an oxygen tank to ensure oxygenation of the body.
5.) all other means and options to lose weight and to decrease the body mass index have been completely exhausted.

Meaning GBS is for the worst of the worst.

-Dixie

 

[Becca_]

I have heard that a person has to have a doctor say they qualify to have it done. I just look at some of these people who have had it and think they lose to much and end up with other issues. I went to school with this neighbor, she was a large girl in school. Now she's like a toothpick. She lost all this weight and from a distance she looks like a school girl, close up she looks hard, old. I know she was to heavy and it was affecting her blood pressure, she had to lose weight no question. I just dont see how this is really a good thing. Maybe because I havent seen the true sucess stories.

 

[Dixie]

This is a 63 y/o male being prepped for surgery. He is obviously 200+ lbs overwieght as his fat rolls are clarly overlapping his genitals, possibly making it difficult for urination and defecation. He would have likely had a foley catheter to help solve the urination problem.

This woman DOES NOT qualify for gastric bypass in my opinion. Yes she is grossly obese, but she can obviously stand and walk. Maybe standing and walking more often and eating less would be a much better cost-effective solution for her.

-dixie

 

[Boxer*Mom]

I watch a lot of these stories on TLC and Discovery Health. Almost all of them elimanate their health problems once they are down to a healthy weight. The thing is yeah you can only eat like an ounce at a time but you can do it all day, so there is a possibilty they don't lose all the weight they need to or gain some back after an initail couple of months or years. It is a very dangerous surgery, 1 out of 200 people die from complications during or after the procedure. But then again obesity and obesity related problems are the main killers also.

 

[joce]

Its a last resort thing. I know two people personally who have died from it. But there is a girl in my clinical that had it done and she has lost more than 250 lbs! She has a lot of problems though. Dumping syndrome can stick around a long time,she has palpatations all the time and GI problems the doctors don;t even know how to fix. to be carefull every time somethig feels off she goes to the doc. hse has stayed overnight at least ten times this semester. But if she wouldn't have gotten it she would have died by now. The kid a couple years ahed of me in school that died never even tried to diet. He never should have been able to have it done.

And you cna find a doc to perscribe anyhitng,you just need to shop around. I hear people getting it done for 100 lbs,never heard 200 as the starting point but that should be it.

 

[bubbatd]

It's shame that people reach that stage.... I see too many kids that should be put on the right track now....when I see an overweight person shopping with fat kids in tow , I shudder when I see what's in their cart. We did have a success story here... a reporter at the newspaper had a GBS a couple of years ago and gives up dates ... I think he's lost over 200 # ...but slowly .

 

[rottiegirl]

When you are 200 pounds over weight and it is life threatening, I think it should be done, because you are going to die if you do not. sad but true fact.

 

[Zoom]

I think that a person should attempt all non-surgical options for weight loss before trying to get qualified for GBS. And I mean there should be a documented file of serious weight loss attempts. I read a story about one lady who was fairly overweight but didn't qualify for GBS. Her solution wasn't to try to lose weight, it was to purposly gain MORE weight so she could meet the minimum criteria to be a GBS candidate. Now she wishes she had never had the surgery because it ruined her life. She can't really eat at all anymore and has a ton of other related health problems and it all stems back to this surgery.

 

[sparks19]

Well I guess in all honesty, their choices are have the surgery and complications and/or death. OR just know that you are going to die anyday. So what do they really have to lose? (no pun intended) It's like chemo for cancer patients. If they don't get the treatment they KNOW they are going to die but the treatment can cause severe health problems and sometimes still results in death but people do it because they have nothing else to lose. If it works great, if it doesn't work you die, if you don't have it done you die. I would take my chances with the surgery.

I do agree that it should be a last resort kinda thing.

 

[bubbatd]

I still feel the red flag is when you START to gain too much weight. Unless it's a medical problem , anyone can cut down ....it basically is a mental plus junk food thing. Some of my family just gain weight looking at food .... all have done a great job just being on top of it... ( especially one !) I've been very lucky with my Dad's metabulism ... I'm uncomfortable if I gain 5#s and can lose it in 2 days. Indiana tops the State as to over weight people.....their shopping carts show it !

 

[sparks19]

I still feel the red flag is when you START to gain too much weight. Unless it's a medical problem , anyone can cut down ....it basically is a mental plus junk food thing. Some of my family just gain weight looking at food .... all have done a great job just being on top of it... ( especially one !) I've been very lucky with my Dad's metabulism ... I'm uncomfortable if I gain 5#s and can lose it in 2 days. Indiana tops the State as to over weight people.....their shopping carts show it !

I agree that it is their own fault they are obese. They didn't have any restraint or just plain didn't care about themselves. It's a shame anyone gets to that point (unless it is a medical problem that is unpreventable) However, once they are at that point for some people it can be very dangerous for them to work out because of the strain on their heart and their joints. Not an excuse though because they shouldn't have gotten to that point in the first place.

They are adults and if they decide to take that kind of gamble with their lives let them.

 

[Debi]

I agree it's a last resort option only. I know someone that had the surgery, she lost all the weight...and now she can't eat without feeling terribly ill. so, she has new health issues. she also now suffers from severe depression. I guess even with careful screening, the end result varies. I'm sure there are many people that did well, and are alive today because of it.

 

[sparks19]

I agree it's a last resort option only. I know someone that had the surgery, she lost all the weight...and now she can't eat without feeling terribly ill. so, she has new health issues. she also now suffers from severe depression. I guess even with careful screening, the end result varies. I'm sure there are many people that did well, and are alive today because of it.

I know a girl who had it and she couldn't be happier. She had it just over a year ago. She is still heavy but is continuing to lose weight slowly.

 

[Zoom]

Indiana tops the State as to over weight people.....their shopping carts show it !

It is? Wow...I thought KC had that dubious honor. Eh, city vs. state I guess.

 

[Becca_]

The people here I've seen that have had it done were heavy but I wouldnt have thought they were a last resort. I know two of them never tried diets. I cant say my neighbor ever tried. I just know she had been having alot of blood pressure problems and I think heart problems due to her weight. She had to give up drinking and smoking.

I have a very heavy friend. She stayed with us for a few months years back when she couldnt afford her rent. She decided she wanted to go on a diet. For a long time she let me think she was trying hard to follow her diet. But what she was doing was sneaking in bags of chips and stuff like that. She couldnt do it, or wouldnt do it. No will power I guess.

 

[Dixie]

And dont forget thyroid problems that can cause a person to gain weight uncontrollably if not carefully monitored.

I was watching the Early Show this morning on CBS while getting dressed, they said that part of the reason that we have obese children is because their favorite cartoons are used as promotions for junk food. IVe noticed that Subway (which is my fave place) has never once in my memory attempted to market to kids.

But yet I drive by Wendys and there is a giant SpongeBob SquarePants sitting on the roof inviting kids to enjoy a greasy burger, fries, and chocolate malt.

Even Elmo is marketing junk food even after his friend the Cookie Monster has started to teach eating sweets on a rare occassion and learning to choose healthier foods when eating.

So what to do?? Go the same direction that Big Tobacco did. We KNOW fast food chains are marketing to kids directly by advertising on children's channels (I watched a McDonalds ad 4 times in the same hour on Nickelodeon one day). I think its time that Cartoons should start what I call a Smart Advertising Campaign. They must do spots on healthy eating like how good bananas taste and how full they make you feel. And teach kids to excercise more often. (This was MTVs "Verb" campaign some years ago.)

Maybe another option is to show rather boring prgramming during after school hours so that kids having nothing interesting to watch and thus they find something else to do. (Educational programs from 3:00pm-5:00pm) then after 5 they can start showing cartoons such as SpongeBob.

Also I think schools could do more to get kids active. When I was in Junior high PE consisted of sitting on the bleachers in the gym talking to friends, excercise was optional.

I think PE coaches should make it MANDATORY that students dress out and get active. Usually start off by having kids dress-out, stretch, run a few warm-up laps around the gym to get their HR up above 100. And have a game of basketball, volleyball, wiffleball, soccer, and end the session with some more laps and a cool-down stretch session and have the students change clothes again. And no "free-fridays" where 80% of the class sits on their butt. And maybe even have a fitness test at the end of each 9 weeks to see how studnets are improving. I think the 1st quarter should be to run 1 mile in 10 minutes, 100 sit-ups in 60 seconds, 60 push-ups in 60 seconds. Those with the greatest overall improvement get a higher grade for the class. And make each fitness test a little harder at each quarter.

A school in the next county requires this for ALL middle school students. I dont think its asking for too much.

But again I think it falls back on the parents to encourage their kids to go outside and get active and to eat healthier. Remember this is the first generation in 30 years where the kids were not healthier than their parents.

-Dixie

 

[bubbatd]

I know it's been a long time ago.... but twice a day in school, the teacher would open the windows ( even if was freezing ) and we stood and did jumping jacks etc. Since there were only one car families, everyone walked to school . No T.V.s or junk food then ....soft drinks only at special times. I can't think of one fat kid back then eeither.

 

[Renee750il]

I lost a very dear friend to gastric bypass surgery. She was 29. It was over three years ago, done at Vanderbilt University, and she died less than six months after the surgery . . . as she was being released from her seventh stay in the hospital.

Her husband is still devastated . . .