concerned about a website

First topic message reminder :

http://s1.webstarts.com/ozobesitysurgery-info/index.html

ok - can someone look at the above web page? It is the story of an Australian lady who had WLS and has had terrible problems since. She did not get a sleeve but still reports that even though she couldn't eat much more than a saucer of food at a time she still has not lost much weight. Added to that all her complications she has had...

I am worried now.. I don't want to go through this sort of thing if it is not worth it. Do you think there are people out there that have this surgery and it hasn't worked for them???

Hi KandK,
Thought I would have my say too. I believe everyone has a story, and they way they tell it leaves a lasting impression. 30 yrs ago is a long time, and medicine has come a long way. Understandable she is bitter, but unfortunately thats how it worked out for her.

You have found this site we are on now and take note of whats happening in the NOW 2010, most people on her seem to be more than happy with their choice of the Sleeve. Yes the procedure has not been around as weightloss surgery that long, but so far results seem to be ok. Its no different from any other surgery you may have, there is a risk with all surgery even getting your tonsils removed can be fatal, but if we all thought of the bad things that can happen then nobody would ever get anything done.

Think of how medicine has saved millions of lives, and the other thing is do you ever wonder about how being Obese......... is a KILLLER!!!!!!!!! The diseases we can get through being obese are scary.............. in fact more scary that the Sleeve surgery, we are bound to die earlier than expected if we dont do something about our weight.

Now........... think positive, dont read crap that bitter people write about, you have made a desicion too improve your health and lifestyle................Go for it, life is one big gamble, but if you dont take that gamble you will be left exactly were you are.

Fill your day with reading positive posts, but also be realistic and know that there is the chance that maybe things dont go as plannned, we might have little hiccups along the way , but it doesnt mean it wasnt worth going through with the surgery to improve your life.

Boy did I write all that??????????????? LOL, Im having the sleeve done in 8 days and Im not scared and Im not being put off by nobody. I know its the best decision Ive ever made, and even having had the gastric band back in 2007 has not put me off trying something else, now that was a nightmare, I think they should be writing more on the dangers of the Band than other things.

Wishing you all the best,

Anna

vicki had what they called years ago stomach stappling from what i have been told is stomach is not removed my doc told me about it cause i asked was the sleeve the same .the
horizontal gastroplasty is what she said she had i have been told they stopped that because of the problems they had with it .she also stated they had narrowed her esophagus i havnt heard that before scary thought .

Thanks, you guys are great. I feel better already.
There does seem to be inaccurate information on her site in section about gastric sleeving (or at least info that contradicts what I have already learnt).
I think I will stop looking at her site before I am put off altogether!

I guess you are probably right in that WLS is a lot safer now than 30 years ago. She does make a point though that gastric sleeving is realtively new so longer term complications might still be unknown. Or is that wrong too. If it was being done on cancer patients - are there people who have safely had a sleeve for 30/40/50 plus years? Does anyone know?

Peazles wrote:

On that site, there's a page that describes several different forms of weight loss surgery - banding, sleeving, ds, etc.

When she was describing gastric sleeving, she stated that 90% of your stomach gets removed. She also wrote the other points I typed below about the sleeve. There's heaps of very incorrect info. on that site, so I wouldn't put much trust in it.

Hear Hear! Its no wonder people are so scared of it!

On that site, there's a page that describes several different forms of weight loss surgery - banding, sleeving, ds, etc.

When she was describing gastric sleeving, she stated that 90% of your stomach gets removed. She also wrote the other points I typed below about the sleeve. There's heaps of very incorrect info. on that site, so I wouldn't put much trust in it.

I think you and I are reading about 2 different women! The one I am reading about is dead. She had her op 30 years ago and died from malnutrition. She had the bypass.


The one I think you are talking about clearly has done no research on the sleeve. How's the page about throwing 90% in the bin....and the bit about it looking like a functional stomach. I guess this is her certified medical opinion:

Quote :

This part is likely only a couple of inches long! Does that look like a "fully functional stomach" to you?

Its no wonder people get turned off the operation if they read uneducated crap like she is sprouting.

Peazles wrote:

Sorry, I might not have written things well. She's also got a few pages on her site that describe different forms of surgery - banding, sleeving, ds, etc. What I wrote below was what she had to say about sleeving.
Poor thing, I think she's just had a bad run and trying to put people off any sort of surgery.

No it was ok, but I believe she had a bypass, a sleeve only takes 2/3rd of your stomach not 90% just posting that for clarification for those not done!

Sorry, I might not have written things well. She's also got a few pages on her site that describe different forms of surgery - banding, sleeving, ds, etc. What I wrote below was what she had to say about sleeving.
Poor thing, I think she's just had a bad run and trying to put people off any sort of surgery.

All very good points Peazles....


and also she had a bypass. Not a sleeve. 30 years ago the sleeve was for cancer paitents, and they only discovered the weight loss as an of side. It has only become commen as a WLS in the last 5 or so years.

Weight loss procedures have come a long way since that woman had her operation. I would also say that the site is mostly her opinion, and not medical fact. For example, she states (about sleeving):

1. This procedure removes 90 percent of your stomach and throws it in the garbage. It CANNOT be reversed!
That means that everything digested in the stomach including B12, protein, and fat will be undigested or poorly digested (not true)

2. Less food gets stuck, MAYBE, but because your stomach is about the size of a thumb, YOU CAN GET THINGS STUCK or have food NOT go down (scaremongering, and writing in capitals doesn't make things true =p)

3. They say there are no vitamin deficiencies with this procedure but "you do the math".

I would say that she has had a very bad run with her surgery (which, again, was done a very long time ago) and is now strongly opposed to any sort of weightloss surgery. I also think she hasn't really got her medical facts down pat.

Just do your research, make sure you have current information, and you'll be fine =)

Don't forget her operation was over 30 years ago and times have changed as doctors have become well trained and experienced in wls......

Also a DS is a different operation that the Gastric Sleeve. A lot of those stories are about people having a totally different operation than the sleeve.

Umm her surgeon has recently been in the news. She is a very rare case. I have only heard of 1 or 2 people having complications after the surgery. She is one of them.

http://s1.webstarts.com/ozobesitysurgery-info/index.html

ok - can someone look at the above web page? It is the story of an Australian lady who had WLS and has had terrible problems since. She did not get a sleeve but still reports that even though she couldn't eat much more than a saucer of food at a time she still has not lost much weight. Added to that all her complications she has had...

I am worried now.. I don't want to go through this sort of thing if it is not worth it. Do you think there are people out there that have this surgery and it hasn't worked for them???