Thanks for bringing this information into the light. WLS was suggested or "offered" to me in the past, though I'm a data-lover so went looking for facts. The lack of study at 5 to 10 years post-op kept me grounded and astounded. I've lost a few friends and my favorite aunt who all died within about 3 years of WLS (ages ranging from 42 to 63). So heartbreaking. Their loved-ones still believed the surgery added years to their lives. And here I am - fat and 70 - still healthy and gratefully playing with my grandkids.
A dear friend from childhood had gastric sleeve surgery nearly 10 years ago and ended up in 'group three.' She was only 33 years old and left behind a small child. I have not seen any real discussion of the serious risks of these surgeries, and as you point out there are truly serious risks, including malnutrition, dehydration, malabsorption. To this day I don't think most people who knew my friend blame the surgery for her death, but I do. Her profile on the gastric sleeve dot com forum is still there and I go back once in a while to read through her posts. The forum's tagline: 'the groundwork of all happiness is health.' Ugh.
My comments are always along the same line, which is just the written equivalent of the “praise hand emoji” to everything you write — always so good. Reading the other comments here, I also thought a link to this FB group is a great complement to this post for those who are eager to hear more people spread the message: ”Saying ‘No!’ to WLS!” (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1635933999771684). I am not on Facebook anymore but found it incredibly helpful to immerse myself in the posts there when I was. (Ragen, I assume you are in or already know about this group, and I think Deb Burgard is an admin along with Marilynn Wann, if my memory serves me.)
It is (at least, as recently as last year when I still used FB) very well-moderated by fat liberation activists who share a lot of similar messages to what Ragen shares here and also contains a wealth of firsthand accounts from those who have had the surgery and regret it (and their loved ones, including, sadly, those who have lost loved ones to complications from the surgery), along with a lot of helpful suggestions for pushing back when recommended the surgery.
It also welcomes people who are considering the surgery without shame, since the desire to lessen weight stigma is very valid, though as noted in this newsletter Group 2 and 3 are voices that need to be heard and those voices are amplified in the group.
I literally just got out of a conversation a few minutes ago with someone considering WLS! His doctor told them that it would "add years to his life." I asked him if his doctor explained all the risks to him, and how it would alter his life forever, and of course, she hadn't. I am excited to share this with him.
I also worked with someone who underwent gastric bypass a decade ago. She regained all the weight within 5 years, and she is in constant pain, unable to eat many foods. She can't afford the long list of supplements that are required from this type of surgery (no one explained that she would need to take supplements for the REST OF HER LIFE) so she is malnourished. She says it's the biggest regret of her life.
My dear sister-in-law had weight-loss surgery when it was very new, back in 1979. She was about 35 then. I don't know how much exactly she weighed going into the surgery but she had always been fat, at least from her teenage years onward. She lost an enormous amount of weight and got down to 140 lbs (she's 5'8"). That lasted for maybe six months, and then her weight began to rise again. And rose, and rose, and rose, until she was back at her starting size, and then rose some more until, ten years out, she was larger than she had been before the surgery. (Again, I don't know what her weight was or is, so I don't know if she actually weighed more 10 years after the surgery than she did before getting it, but she was larger and wearing larger clothes.)
But of course, as Ragen says, her digestive system never returned to normal. She still has to eat extremely small portions, and there are various foods she cannot tolerate, and she developed Type 2 diabetes about 15 years ago. Would she have become diabetic anyway without the surgery? Who knows? But her quality of life definitely was diminished by the surgery, and the best one can say is that even if it did not contribute to her diabetes, she got NO measurable benefit from it and is left with enforced disordered eating for her lifetime.
Thank you for setting up this discussion and for all your work. I have been trying to get a fix on the long terms outcomes of WLS for a few years, ever since it was suggested to me as a treatment for Barrett esophagus. Now I understand why there is so little useful information out there.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m married to and deeply in love with a fat person who keeps getting WLS pushed on him. In a twist, he has a twin brother who did have WLS and I do believe he’s had a huge loss in his quality of life.
I genuinely appreciate the important work you are doing!
I had roux n y gastric bypass in 2004. My teeth are falling out, I have chronic anemia, and I have fibromyalgia. If asked if I would do it again I often say yes. I felt more attractive. I was more active. Of course I faced much less weight stigma. I look back now and am sure that I felt better and was more active because I was perceived as more attractive and therefore more worthy.I have since gained back a large portion of the weight and lost it again and gained and am losing it again. Do I think any of this is healthy or a good idea for anyone, of course I don't. If large bodies were not stigmatized would my life have been different? I am most certain it would have been. If anyone were to ask me if they should have the surgery I would tell them they should not, but I would tell them this knowing that I would still do it again. This is how insidious weight stigma is!
Thanks for bringing this information into the light. WLS was suggested or "offered" to me in the past, though I'm a data-lover so went looking for facts. The lack of study at 5 to 10 years post-op kept me grounded and astounded. I've lost a few friends and my favorite aunt who all died within about 3 years of WLS (ages ranging from 42 to 63). So heartbreaking. Their loved-ones still believed the surgery added years to their lives. And here I am - fat and 70 - still healthy and gratefully playing with my grandkids.
A dear friend from childhood had gastric sleeve surgery nearly 10 years ago and ended up in 'group three.' She was only 33 years old and left behind a small child. I have not seen any real discussion of the serious risks of these surgeries, and as you point out there are truly serious risks, including malnutrition, dehydration, malabsorption. To this day I don't think most people who knew my friend blame the surgery for her death, but I do. Her profile on the gastric sleeve dot com forum is still there and I go back once in a while to read through her posts. The forum's tagline: 'the groundwork of all happiness is health.' Ugh.
My comments are always along the same line, which is just the written equivalent of the “praise hand emoji” to everything you write — always so good. Reading the other comments here, I also thought a link to this FB group is a great complement to this post for those who are eager to hear more people spread the message: ”Saying ‘No!’ to WLS!” (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1635933999771684). I am not on Facebook anymore but found it incredibly helpful to immerse myself in the posts there when I was. (Ragen, I assume you are in or already know about this group, and I think Deb Burgard is an admin along with Marilynn Wann, if my memory serves me.)
It is (at least, as recently as last year when I still used FB) very well-moderated by fat liberation activists who share a lot of similar messages to what Ragen shares here and also contains a wealth of firsthand accounts from those who have had the surgery and regret it (and their loved ones, including, sadly, those who have lost loved ones to complications from the surgery), along with a lot of helpful suggestions for pushing back when recommended the surgery.
It also welcomes people who are considering the surgery without shame, since the desire to lessen weight stigma is very valid, though as noted in this newsletter Group 2 and 3 are voices that need to be heard and those voices are amplified in the group.
I literally just got out of a conversation a few minutes ago with someone considering WLS! His doctor told them that it would "add years to his life." I asked him if his doctor explained all the risks to him, and how it would alter his life forever, and of course, she hadn't. I am excited to share this with him.
I also worked with someone who underwent gastric bypass a decade ago. She regained all the weight within 5 years, and she is in constant pain, unable to eat many foods. She can't afford the long list of supplements that are required from this type of surgery (no one explained that she would need to take supplements for the REST OF HER LIFE) so she is malnourished. She says it's the biggest regret of her life.
My dear sister-in-law had weight-loss surgery when it was very new, back in 1979. She was about 35 then. I don't know how much exactly she weighed going into the surgery but she had always been fat, at least from her teenage years onward. She lost an enormous amount of weight and got down to 140 lbs (she's 5'8"). That lasted for maybe six months, and then her weight began to rise again. And rose, and rose, and rose, until she was back at her starting size, and then rose some more until, ten years out, she was larger than she had been before the surgery. (Again, I don't know what her weight was or is, so I don't know if she actually weighed more 10 years after the surgery than she did before getting it, but she was larger and wearing larger clothes.)
But of course, as Ragen says, her digestive system never returned to normal. She still has to eat extremely small portions, and there are various foods she cannot tolerate, and she developed Type 2 diabetes about 15 years ago. Would she have become diabetic anyway without the surgery? Who knows? But her quality of life definitely was diminished by the surgery, and the best one can say is that even if it did not contribute to her diabetes, she got NO measurable benefit from it and is left with enforced disordered eating for her lifetime.
Thank you for setting up this discussion and for all your work. I have been trying to get a fix on the long terms outcomes of WLS for a few years, ever since it was suggested to me as a treatment for Barrett esophagus. Now I understand why there is so little useful information out there.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m married to and deeply in love with a fat person who keeps getting WLS pushed on him. In a twist, he has a twin brother who did have WLS and I do believe he’s had a huge loss in his quality of life.
I genuinely appreciate the important work you are doing!
I had roux n y gastric bypass in 2004. My teeth are falling out, I have chronic anemia, and I have fibromyalgia. If asked if I would do it again I often say yes. I felt more attractive. I was more active. Of course I faced much less weight stigma. I look back now and am sure that I felt better and was more active because I was perceived as more attractive and therefore more worthy.I have since gained back a large portion of the weight and lost it again and gained and am losing it again. Do I think any of this is healthy or a good idea for anyone, of course I don't. If large bodies were not stigmatized would my life have been different? I am most certain it would have been. If anyone were to ask me if they should have the surgery I would tell them they should not, but I would tell them this knowing that I would still do it again. This is how insidious weight stigma is!