Gastreointestinal bypass..
Melanie Whaley
surgery. I am seriously considering it and seeking as much info as
possible.
Barbara Hirsch
I don't and I don't recommend it, except in the most severe cases,
however, I do know where you can get good information, and links to
support groups so that you can speak with other people who have had
the exact same procedure you are contemplating.
The page is run by Olwen Williams, a woman from New Zealand who lost
around half her body weight with weight loss surgery. The URL is:
http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~olwen/ocwlnkws.htm
Happy reading!
Barbara Hirsch, Publisher
OBESITY MEDS AND RESEARCH NEWS
April issue: Is there a diet drug conspiracy?
http://www.obesity-news.com/
SheilaD1
I have seen several wonderful results. Of course it is only for people who are
about 100 pounds overweight.
Are there many problems?
-Sheila
Barbara Hirsch
Oh dear Sheila,
If you have to ask that question, you have A LOT of reading to do.
I had around 90 pounds to lose, and my insurance company was MORE than
willing to pay for a bypass operation. Even though I wasn't 100 pounds
overweight, at 5' tall my BMI was 41. Even under the most conservative
of guidelines, anyone with a BMI of 40 or more qualifies.
My recommendation is that you go to Olwen's site, and start reading
up.
If you think your obesity problem is severe enough to risk staple line
rupturing, vitamin malabsorption, a lifestyle that includes eating
only a few ounces of food a day, and a host of surgery related
complications, then perhaps this is the solution for you.
Barbara
Hakaku
Melanie Whaley <mwh...@enteract.com> wrote:
> Does anyone in this group have any personal experience with G. bypass
> surgery. I am seriously considering it and seeking as much info as
> possible.
Below is some basic information about weight loss surgery. Just so you know,
there are different procedures performed - There's the (proximal or distal)
Roux-en Y gastric bypass (referred to as the RNY) , the vertical banded
gastroplasty (referred to as the VBG), the Swedish Adjustable Gastric
Banding (SAGB) and the gastric band (both are often referred to as lap bands
because they are done laparascopically). There's the distal gastric bypass
w/ duodenal switch, the proximal gastric bypass w/ duodenal switch. Some
RNY's have silastic bands to keep the pouch from stretching. Some are
horizontal instead of vertical and don't call for a band.
Mailing lists are available for people who have had or are interested in
having weight loss surgery (WLS). If you go to
http://www.onelist.com/group/OSSG you will find a mailing list called OSSG
(Obesity Surgery Support Group). It is the "mother" of all weight loss
surgery mailing lists. It has over 2,000 members and about 50 "sister" lists
- smaller lists based on location, type of surgery, etc. OSSG produces a lot
of mail but also has an incredible amount of information and support.
Members of OSSG have access to it's files (which contain WLS information) so
it's worth checking it out if interested... some people have problems with
the amount of mail that OSSG produces so once a member, if this causes you
problems, you can always look in the member files and find the "off-shoot"
lists available and see if one of the smaller lists would suit you better.
(If you don't want to go this route just to find the lists available, just
ask me and I will give you a list)
Also, here are some weight loss surgery links you might want to check out.
http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/ - Association for Morbid Obesity
Support. As of right now (May 1st at 11:20am) there are 10,138 members who
have had or are interested in having weight loss surgery. The website
contains personal profiles, before & after pictures, surgery stories,
surgeon and insurance info, etc.
http://www.shedweight.com/
Bariatric Surgery at Montefiore (NYC) Medical Center
http://www.gastricbypass.com/
Alvarado Center for Surgical Weight Control
http://www.cstobesity.com/ (Dr Fobi's site)
Center For Surgical Treatment of Obesity
http://www.obesitysurg.com/
Center of Surgical Control of Obesity
http://www.overweight-solution.com/obesity_homepage.html
Center for Surgical Treatment of Morbid Obesity
http://www.obesitysurgery.org.uk/
Weight Loss Surgery in the UK
http://www.drbaltasar.com/
Dr Baltasar - Located in Spain
http://www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9612/htm/gastric.htm
Mayo Clinic
http://www.obesitysurgeryattrhmc.com/
The Surgical Weight Loss Center
http://clos.net/
The Mini Gastric Bypass
http://www.drchampion.com/
Dr Champion
http://www.pacificsurgery.com/
Pacific Institute of Surgery for Obesity
http://www.drthin.com/
Dr. Thin
http://www.mssm.edu/misc/general.html
The Mount Sinai Medical Center (Surgeon info)
http://www.weightlosssurgery.com/
Cherryhill Centers for Surgical Weight Loss
http://www.drlirio.com/
Oscar C. Lirio, MD (surgeon info)
http://www.midwestsurgical.com/
Midwest Surgical Specialist
http://utsurg.med.uth.tmc.edu/digestive/index.shtml
Texas Virtual Clinic
http://www.stomachstapling.com/
Atlantic Surgical Associates
http://surgilite.hypermart.net/
Surgilite
http://www.beatobesity.com/
Weight For Life
http://www.surgeryforobesity.com/
Obesity Surgery - Center For Severe Obesity
http://www.obesitywellness.org/ "George's Angels Website" - for people who
have surgery by Dr. George Cowan - and you can contact him through this
site.
http://www.weightmgt.com/
Weight Management Center
http://www.bariatric.com/
Bariatric Treatment Centers
http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/surgery/stomach/index.htm
Vanderbilt Center for Weight Loss Surgery
http://www.valleysurgical.com/
Valley Surgical Specialists of Central California
http://bariatric.docshop.net/
Bariatric Surgery Resource
http://www.oregoncenter.com/
The Oregon Center For Bariatric Surgery
http://www.obesity-chicago.com/
Weight for Life
http://www.sabariatric.com/
Surgery for Morbid Obesity
http://www.gstmed.com/
Bariatric Surgery
http://www.bariatricsurgery.com/
Dr. Mark Jaroch - Bariatric Surgery
http://www.drseay.com/
James E. Seay, M.D.
http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/nutrit/pubs/gastsurg.htm
Gastric Surgery for Severe Obesity (NIH site)
http://www.endowsec.com/pated/edtgs22.htm
Gastric Bypass Diet
http://www.drcapella.com/
Dr Capella
http://www.obesity-surgery.net/
Dr John W. Baker
I hope this was of some help to you. If you need anything or just want to
chat, feel free to write me. For those interested in weight loss surgery, be
sure and do your research and find out information for yourself. Make
educated decisions and if you have any serious doubts, don't go ahead with
the surgery. You must make sure this is something you need and want. And
please, don't take one bad experience as the end all be all on this topic.
I'm sure there will be those very quick to tell you they know of someone who
had the op done and had severe complications, gained all their weight back,
or even died. But then... I know someone who went in for a routine filling
and because of complications afterwards, had half their jaw removed. Doesn't
mean having a filling is seriously dangerous and you shouldn't have it done
if it is desperately needed. Procedures have changed A LOT in the past
ten/twenty years. I have met hundreds of people who not only have not had a
bad experience, but they actually refer to this operation as a miracle (for
them). It wasn't a cure, but it helped them have a normal life. Yes, there
are risks of complications, just as there are from any operation. You cannot
have this operation and think you will be able to pig out or binge. There are
basic things you will find out along the way that you must follow. The
surgery does *not* guarantee weight loss down to an "ideal" weight. It is no
guarantee that you will never have to worry abut weight again. This is no
cure! But if you do decide it is what you want, you won't be alone. There
are over two thousand people alone on OSSG and several hundred on the other
lists combined. No one will claim to know it all. We can only offer support
and suggestions, but at the end of the day, it comes down to you, and if you
have it done, then it comes down to you and your surgeon.
All the best and remember, if you need anything, just ask. I will more than
happy to help you find what you are looking for or just lend an ear.
Hakaku
PS....
You can reach me at this addy by simply replying
OR
You can reach me at home on (remove all the spaces) Hakaku @ cheerful . com
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Barbara Hirsch
wrote:
>Below is some basic information about weight loss surgery. Just so you know,
>there are different procedures performed
I don't have any heartburn with any of the information that Hakaku
provided in her original post.
However, the guidelines are not "100 pounds" as someone mentioned
previously, they are BMI related -- 40 for uncomplicated obesity, 35
for obesity with comorbidities, such as diabetes, heart disease or
hypertension. So if you are small a BMI of 41 could be a mere 90
pounds, as in my case, or it could be 150 pounds or more if you are
very tall.
There have been great strides made in the surgery, especially in the
size of the incision. Many procedures can even be performed with a
laporascope. There are many different procedures, some of which are
much less invasive. But, if you have one of the less invasive types of
weight loss surgery (WLS), you will not lose as much weight. By
invasive I mean how much internal resectioning is done, and not the
size of the external incision.
Regardless of the type of surgery, your life style will be forever
altered, and it is important to know what to expect. If you do decide
to "pig out" you can get very sick, or even worse rupture your staple
lines (if you have a procedure that uses staples). If you have one of
the pouch or banding procedures, you can stretch your pouch. The
vertical band procedure, which was just approved by the FDA is
supposed to avoid this problem. The band is adjustable and so your
pouch can be made smaller, but they have been known to slide off.
There are also other complications.
In my opinion no one should have any type of weight loss surgery
before failing at least once using every reasonable medical option
first.
Since most people in this NG know me, I failed to mention in my last
post that I HAVE kept my weight off for 2 1/2 years now. I became a
medical writer as a result of my obesity problem.
I know much more about medical weight loss than I do about surgery,
but I do keep up with the latest surgical procedures even though I
don't write about it.
Any kind of surgery should be a last resort, since no surgeon can tell
you for sure what your individual results will be.
Barbara
Cyberia
objective posts of Hakaku and Barbara give cause for thought and
even though I know too well the depression and loss of self
esteem that being obese brings I would like to hear some of
the "horror stories" associated with these types of procedures.
I know that when I'm crouched over a toilet purging disgusting
volumes of food (with such ferocity my nose bleeds) that I often
feel tempted to think of courting this type of "solution" but I
know that something far greater drives me to do what I do and
that this needs to be conquered first.
First time posting here, so thanks for the "food for thought"
-at least by consuming this type of "food" I have a chance to
beat the demon cause God knows I'm tired of it beating me down
Cyberia .
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