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What do you think of this? Have you had it or have you thought about having it?
I used to work at a pulmonary ( lung) practice. What I didn’t realize when I started there was that a sizable percentage of our new patients ( I estimated 15%, maybe higher) were bariatric patients who had to be cleared by various specialists as part of the presurgical process.
I spoke to and saw these people before and in followup visits. I saw patients as young as 15! I honestly feel this is a type of mutilation but I myself have never been obese, oet alone morbidly obese so I don’t know how I would feel if I was.
It is an outrageously expensive surgery, and covered by most insurance.
talk to me!
List of Bariatric Surgery side effects compiled by Paul Ernsberger and Sandy Szwarc?
?adhesions and polyps, massive scar tissue, advanced aging, anemia, arthritis, blackouts/fainting, bloating, body secretions (odor like rotten meat), bowel/fecal impaction, cancer (of the stomach, esophagus, pancreas, and bowel), chest pain from vomiting, circulation impairment, cold intolerance, constipation, depression, diarrhea, digestive impairment due to heavy mucus, digestive irregularities, diverticulitis, drainage problems at incision, early onset of diabetes, early onset of hypertension, electrolyte imbalance, erosion of tooth enamel, excessive dry skin, excessive stomach acid, esophageal contractions, esophageal erosion and scarring, feeling ill, gallbladder distress, gynecological complications, hair loss, hemorrhoids, hernia, hormone imbalances, impaired mobility, infection from leakage into body cavities (peritonitis), infertility, intestinal atrophy, intestinal gas, involuntary anorexia, irregular body fat distribution (lumpy body), iron deficiency, kidney impairment and failure, liver impairment and failure, loss of energy, loss of muscle control, loss of skin integrity, low hemoglobin, lowered immunity and increased susceptibility to illnesses, malfunction of the pituitary gland, muscle cramps, nausea, neural tube defects in your children, neurological impairment (nerve and brain damage), osteoporosis, pancreas impairment, pain along the left side, pain on digestion, pain on evacuation, peeling of fingernails, potassium loss, pulmonary embolus, putrid breath and stomach odor, rectal bleeding, shrinking of intestines, stomach pain, sleep irregularities, suicidal thoughts, thyroid malfunction, urinary tract infection, vitamin and mineral deficiency, vitamin and mineral malabsorption, violent hiccups that persist daily, vomiting from blockage, vomiting from drinking too fast, vomiting from eating too fast, vomiting from eating too much (more than 2 ounces)? and best of all ? weight regain.
One woman told us when she was checkng out that she was afraid to go anywhere because she had constant diarrhea. This was shared while she was also getting all gleeful about losing 70 lbs in 2 months.
I work on a surgical unit where we have a lot of bariatric surgery patients. Before surgery they have to go through a 6 month long process to determine if surgery is right for them. They have to do a very calorie-restricted diet pre-op, so they’ve usually already lost weight before the procedure. They usually have a normal recovery post-op, but its usually a disaster if they develop complications. I’ve seen bariatric patients come back to our unit for uncontrollable vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, etc. Many have to have feeding tubes placed. One woman’s physician pretty much signed off on her because he didn’t know what to do anymore with her nausea and inability to eat. I’ve seen a few people who had the surgery 10 years ago and are severely malnourished and skeletal with multiple health problems. Then again I know others that do just fine.
One thing I’ve noticed that seems to go across the board for all patients is stalling of weight loss. All patients lose some, many patients lose a lot of weight, but often when I see them a few months after surgery they’ll talk about how the weight isn’t really coming off anymore. A few end up severely underweight, but most stall at overweight or still obese.
I don’t judge anyone for getting this surgery. After gaining some weight in ED recovery and feeling how uncomfortable it is to carry 20 extra pounds, I can’t imagine carrying an extra 100. The idea of a quick fix is very alluring, it just makes me sad when I see these people with shitty and sometimes life-threatening complications.
Many “quick fixes” in life turn out to be disappointments, often creating more work long-term. I think this surgery fits that category. Unfortunately, I think doctors really take advantage of people’s emotional vulnerability with this procedure.
I know three people who had it. 2 died young. There was also substance abuse but one was my aunt and the doctor did say the surgery and subsequent malnutrition it caused contributed to her death. She died of liver failure at 53. The other is her sister and she is not in good health either though she has lived clean. She is trying to take very good care of herself now.
I have never seen someone get the surgery and then proceed to lose weight and look good and healthy.
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