Likelihood of complications?

bluebags wrote:

I don't know if the original author is still interested in her post but if you are then it really is a case of all surgeries big and small have complications fortunately most people do get through with no complications but no-one can rule out anything.  I think the going statistic is 1 in 1000 have major complications but there are of course more minor ones and they would be more common but generally don't stop usual recovery.  If you are in good health then i would think that you will only be in hospital for the usual 2 or 3 days and back to study in 2 weeks but only if you are studying something where there is no lifting not veterinary science or the likes.  I think most people find going back to work tiring but being young you should be OK.

I also looked at band but was put off by the after recovery complication rate concerning the eating of many kinds of foods that is what attracted me to this surgery that all foods can be consumed with comfort maybe not in the beginning but long term life is pretty normal just smaller amounts this had great appeal.  Success is there for all who are willing to sacrifice this is still a method of dieting it is not easy but not impossible either good luck in coming to your decision.

Yes I'm still here and I have decided I'm going to get the surgery, just have to wait until March. Also I study law, I just won't take my textbooks in for a while :)

I don't know if the original author is still interested in her post but if you are then it really is a case of all surgeries big and small have complications fortunately most people do get through with no complications but no-one can rule out anything.  I think the going statistic is 1 in 1000 have major complications but there are of course more minor ones and they would be more common but generally don't stop usual recovery.  If you are in good health then i would think that you will only be in hospital for the usual 2 or 3 days and back to study in 2 weeks but only if you are studying something where there is no lifting not veterinary science or the likes.  I think most people find going back to work tiring but being young you should be OK.

I also looked at band but was put off by the after recovery complication rate concerning the eating of many kinds of foods that is what attracted me to this surgery that all foods can be consumed with comfort maybe not in the beginning but long term life is pretty normal just smaller amounts this had great appeal.  Success is there for all who are willing to sacrifice this is still a method of dieting it is not easy but not impossible either good luck in coming to your decision.

Im in my 20s and im 3wks post surgery.  I have a 3yr old and was very worried about complications.  I worried what would happen to my daughter if something happens to me.  But I also realised if I didn't do something, I probably wouldn't be around as long as I would want for her anyway. I also knew it was the right thing because I, like you, didnt have any medical issues yet and thought being young, id recover quicker.

its not an easy surgery, its not easy after but so far its been worthwhile.  Ive recovered well. I spent 4 nights in hospital.  I could've left earlier but I wanted the chance to feel ok before my daughter saw me. Im watching the weight fall off and despite a weight stall this week, ive already lost 13kgs. Previously I tried for 8mths to loose weight and I lost a kg that whole time!

Everyone is nervous about the surgery, and the day I went in I cried and they had to give me sedatives to settle me down, but its normal to be nervous and scaried. 
I believe if it feels right, then go for it.

The younger you are, the faster the weight seems to come off and the better you bounce back after surgery.  As a general rule.

DCW you have your whole life ahead of you, and if you can afford this surgery now then I say you should take the opportunity while you are young and can enjoy a full and happy life ASAP. I am 44 and just sleeved, I remember how horrible my self esteem was and my mood swings and depression, I remember how crap I felt not being able to buy clothes off the rack cos they only went to a size 16 and if I was lucky an 18. I didn't go out socialising cos I was always the fat chick, I hated flying cos the seats are so small. I was sick and tired of people assuming I couldn't do certain things cos I was overweight. I have wasted so much of my life yoyoing and trying every fad diet there is only to lose a maybe 5 kg and put it straight back on. The fact was that I needed to take this kind of drastic action so that I physically COULD NOT EAT the bag loads of food I shoveled in everyday.
Complications happen it's true but there are soooooo many positive outcomes that they outweigh the troubles some people have, do your homework on the doctors, see who has the patients with the most problems from the surgery or look at the patients who have nothing but praise for their surgeons- my doc was Justin Greenslade at Greenslopes- he has a fantastic history of success, his  receptionist Brenda is fantastic and a fountain of information- I wouldn't say Dr Greenslade has the biggest personality but he made me feel relaxed and comfortable while being very straight forward and professional. Go and see 2 or 3 doctors before you decide and make sure you have all the info YOU need to make the choice that's good for you.

Yeah, I do really want to get a handle on my weight while I'm young while my body is ready to bounce back a bit easier and all that stuff and I'm prepared to do all the hard work, I just also am worried about complications causing me to be in hospital for longer than 3-5 days. I'm a uni student as well so I kind of need to recover within the "normal" time frame heh. I think I also just spent too long on the complications side of this forum as well aha. I feel like I'm ready to get everything sorted so that I can get this surgery, but I'm also terrified of the potential complications.

hmmmm statistics…. they are a scientific number aren't they? They used to tell us that my Grandmother only had an 80% of recovery due to her age when she was ill… my response to those Drs for at least 6 different illnesses was … "well, she's the reason that there is a 20% chance of recovery statistically". We can and should be aware of complications, but we also need to get real about the statistics for long term complications if we DON'T do something about our weight ….  :) Yes, with surgery there is a chance that you might be one of the unlucky ones who has major complications. But if you do nothing - then there is a 95 - 100% likelihood that you'll develop problems like heart disease and diabetes. This was why I went through with my sleeve. I hadn't developed any major complications due to obesity … but I couldn't do up the buckles on my Mary Janes, travel was a nightmare trying to fit into those little airline seats, my feet wouldn't let me enjoy a long walk or allow me to spend a day on my feet for anything without resulting in major pain - and I was tired all the time! The medical response from the GP for all of those ailments = lose weight. After 20 years of trying, the GS surgery was my best option. I have no regrets a year and a half out. Life is much improved.  All the best in your decision making process. People often refer to this as a journey… and it is. Those successful long tremors seem to be mindful and vigilant. I'm taking a leaf out of their books ;)
   (here endeth the sermon … sorry about the rambling)

I've had the band (got that sucker ripped out after 12 months of hell), sleeve, emergency bypass and bypass revision.  I wouldn't recommend the band at all as their advertising of it is all BS - you can eat anything you want, just in smaller portions and chew well.  I can tell you right now, you won't be able to eat a salad after banding because if the lettuce is soft, it gets stuck and then you do this weird choking thing like a cat trying to get a furball up and the only way to get it up is to skoll some coke and instant vomit it out.  You learn to have fresh cans of cool drink with you as well as plastic bags for whenever things get stuck and you can't get it up!

As for it failing, yes it can.  Either surgery error (I ended up having an emergency bypass after my failed sleeve, plus a bypass revision but that's another story) or you not ensuring you are taking the right steps continually to have effective weight loss.

The first 3-4 months is easy, you are not hungry and weight drops off with no effort.  Then the stalls kick in and things get harder and you get hungrier - so that's when you need to work with your dietitian & surgeon, even a psychologist to make sure you are continually making good choices with your lifestyle.  It's at that stage some people think they now need the bypass not realising the exact same thing will re-occur plus there are MANY downsides to the bypass so I would never recommend it.  So do your research and make sure you make the right decisions for YOU!  And most of all - never compare yourself to anyone else, this is your journey, your body and it will react it's own way.  Just look after you :-)

Hi DCW,
I'm hearing what you are saying, this is a decision only you can make! And it is a very big decision!
 This forum, has been absolutely fantastic for me, I live on my own now , since my husband died, I have only told a couple of my friends about my plans,
 I have my 1st app with my surgeon July 3rd and have my trusty ol list of questions for him to answer, I will then decide if this surgery is definitely for me.
Whenever I get really stressed, out comes the chocolates. I want to see a psychologist that deals in obesity weight/loss/sleeve surgery, as I will still have my grief loneliness and stresses that lead me to my comfort eating. 
I have been lurking round this site for ages, reading up on everything.
By what I have read on here, seems the benefits far outweigh the negatives, but I can certainly understand, your concerns, we all have them, at 20, or 40 or even 55!
BTW, I had 1/2 my bowel removed 18 months ago, because of bowel cancer, and managing quite well, so I reckon, I can survive with only about 25%of my stomach!
Ciao for now,
Elly

Hey dcw,

I totally get where you are coming from.  I'm 43 and I still wish there was some longer term data on the procedure.  I think the best I've seen is about 7 or 8 year sleeved people doing well.  However, I have heard that even though the procedure hasn't been used for weight loss for that long, it has been used to treat stomach cancer and someone told me soldiers who had suffered war injuries (this is only anecdotal though).

My view is that I am already feeling the lack of mobility and know there is evidence of spinal disc deterioration in my x-rays which is related to obesity. I have a fatty liver and sleep apnea... If that's me now, I wonder where I'll be in 5 or 10 years time.  So many people on here are saying "best thing I ever did!" and "I love my sleeve" and "Life is good!" and I want a chance at that.  Anyway, it's only a decision you can make yourself, but maybe you should see a psych who specialises in weight loss surgery patients...?

Best wishes :)

So I've just recently started researching the sleeve, I thought I had decided on the lap band as I had only ever researched that and I've done it for a few years but it doesn't really seem worth it to me any more and I think I want the permanency of the sleeve. 

But, I'm really scared about complications. I'm a 20 year old girl and I weigh 170kgs so I keep going back and forth in my head like, do I want to risk the complications of surgery or do I want to risk dying of obesity at the age of 25 or 30? I feel confused about it but I do think the surgery is the right decision for me. But in theory at my age and I've never had any health issues (aside from being fat, obviously. But I also mean like diabetes and blood clots I haven't had any of that) and I feel like I would take care of myself afterwards so, in theory, I should be alright? I don't know, help! haha.