Home>Things to Be Aware of Before Gastric Bypass Surgery
13% of Men Over 62 Died Within One Year After Surgery
That fact should grab your attention. There is a much better way. Have you tried to conquer your food addiction before considering surgery? Are you aware that this surgery might kill you? The doctors won’t discuss all of these things that we are about to disclose to you. They will not tell you that 13% of men and 6% of women over 62 who have the surgery are dead within a year.
A study by researchers at the University of Washington found that 1 in 50 people die within one month of having gastric bypass surgery, and that figure jumps nearly fivefold if the surgeon is inexperienced.
Flum led a previous study of 60,000 obese patients, including 3,000 who had the procedure. In that study, one in 50 patients died within 30 days of the surgery. Compared to obese patients who didn’t have the surgery, patients who survived the surgery had better long-term survival. After 15 years, 88.2 percent of patients undergoing surgery were still alive, compared to 83.7 percent of other obese patients.
In a different study among patients 65 to 74, almost 13 percent of men and roughly 6 percent of women died. Among those aged 75 and older, half of the men and 40 percent of the women died.
Things to Be Aware of Before Gastric Bypass Surgery
After the surgery, the stomach pouch cannot digest all foods, like simple carbs (sugar) and sometimes artificial sweeteners; those foods get “dumped,” causing nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, cramping, diarrhea, and weakness. This is called dumping syndrome, and it is ubiquitous.
Your body will absorb fewer nutrients, which in turn makes your hair fall out. This is normal after any surgery, and it’s ubiquitous with weight-loss surgery. Malnutrition is seen because the body is not absorbing the nutrients it needs after this type of surgery.
15.3% of the patients who had a gastric bypass procedure had long-term complications.
Serious side effects include bleeding, infection, blood clots in the legs, heart, lungs, and death.
Other long-term effects include bowel obstruction, nausea or vomiting, the development of gallstones or hernias, low blood sugar, also known as hypoglycemia, which can have deadly consequences.
Patients may also fail to lose enough weight, which is closely related to the alterations made in diet and exercise habits.
Low Blood Sugar a Potential Complication After Weight-Loss Surgery
From the article:
- Confusion
- Rapid heart rate
- Lightheadedness
- Nightmares
- Excessive hunger
- Headaches in the morning
- Shaking
- Sweating
- Nightmares
and Risk of Death
“Dumping Syndrome”
Shantiraj Hospital Pvt Ltd – Posts | Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Shantiraj-Hospital-Pvt-Ltd-596143687067365/posts (accessed December 01, 2018).
Deaths within a Year of Surgery
At the same time, other research has uncovered a higher-than-expected risk of death following surgery for obesity, even among younger patients.
In a study of more than 16,000 subjects, more than 5 percent of men and nearly 3 percent of women aged 35 to 44 were dead within a year of the surgery.
Slightly higher rates were found in patients 45 to 54, and among patients 65 to 74, almost 13 percent of men and roughly 6 percent of women died. Among those aged 75 and older, half of the men and 40 percent of the women died.
MLA
“Shantiraj Hospital Pvt Ltd – Posts | Facebook.” Insert Name of Site in Italics. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2018.
Serious side Effects – Malnutrition & Infection
This surgery is bristling with possible complications that include:
Bone loss
Liver failure
Immune system damage
Death
The problem is the surgery is an anatomic fix for a psychological problem,” says Dr. Lisa Medvetz, a bariatric surgeon and weight-loss specialist who practices in Pennsylvania.
Marsha Holloway Howell Story
Complications after her weight loss surgery;
Pain and vomiting, and it never stopped
Ulcers
Breaking from calcium deficiency that leads to pulling all of her teeth.
The complications were caused by vomiting, ulcers, and “malabsorption” of nutrients caused by the surgery.
Years later, a tummy tuck operation had caused complications in a C-section delivery. She had an open wound for three months after birth. She lost her job, then her house and then attempted suicide.
Eau Claire from Wisconsin, 2009 Gastric Bypass Surgery
The weight loss never stopped because her metabolism went into high gear permanently.
Her gallbladder was removed – a recognized complication.
The site of the gallbladder operation ruptured, requiring more surgery.
Her small intestines collapsed into her large intestines – an intussusception, requiring another surgery.
She had hernias; another recognized long-term complication,
She had a perforated ulcer, requiring emergency surgery.
She also had Sporadic ileus – when the bowls stop working, causing stool impaction.
Osteoporosis caused by calcium deficiency— she has broken her ankle eight times since the surgery.
She’s had fifteen operations since the bariatric surgery.
Gastric Bypass Failures
Other studies show that nearly 50% of patients who had gastric banding were considered failures five or more years after surgery.
Nausea is a common issue within the first few months following bariatric surgery
Here is a story of addiction at its finest. A person who used to be my friend who still acts like an addict but is no longer using has had this surgery. One thing people must look at first is their food addiction and how it plays a role. This particular woman was a heroin addict, and so severe at one point lived under a bridge. So kudos to her for getting her life back together and overcoming the addiction of that type but acting in ways that still scream I am an addict is not okay—Years later.
She has been clean for over ten years and still goes to the brainwashing meetings several times a week. Her addiction led to another addiction. You know the ones where they define you as an addict and nothing more than an addict — the ones that say if you do not come to meetings, you will use and die, repeatedly; hence the brainwashing. They minimize you as a human being and put this label on your head as if you are not allowed to be anything but an addict. So I can say this can help the beginning of being cured of the addiction but does not fare well later in life. You do not have to be defined by this habit. And no, it is not a disease. That was only created so the medical industry can put their hands in the insurance pot, and the medical aspect of recovery can be part of the system. Putting a needle in your arm is not a disease. It is a choice. At first, at least.
So this woman who did such a fine job getting off of heroin and back into a stable work, career, school, and life was a food addict in a big way. No pun intended. I am not sure, but I would put her at approximately 325 lbs. This type of addiction is far more prevalent in the world than any drug addiction and just as deadly. It is killing us in massive numbers. This type of addiction is much different than a heroin addiction but still an obsession.
The food industry and big business have spent billions of dollars over the years brainwashing the masses. It goes back to the beginning of television days. Our parents were brought up to believe so many things that are flat out not true. The industry has put chemicals in the foods that cause addiction and then pummeled it into us that it was okay and good to eat these foods into our brains from morning to night.
We cannot fault anyone for food addiction as of right now. The information age has just begun. We are only starting the fight back against Monsanto and the big-pharma sickness for-profit industry. The information we have now was not available until recently. Our parents did not have access to any of this. Some people who are not computer savvy are still in the dark ages when it comes to toxic pesticides and the poisoning of the masses.
From the day we were born, we were told: “Milk does a body good.” Our parents were probably told this from the day they were born too. Big Agriculture spent millions pummeling this nonsense into our brains. Milk is a cancer causer. Milk depletes calcium. Milk is toxic to the human body. Do you know what casein is? It is a carcinogen, and it is in milk. Where is this advertisement I ask?
So, in a day of massive brainwashing and chemicals purposely put in food to target our neurochemistry to cause addiction, we end up with obesity accepted as a reasonable way to be. No campaigns are going on about food addiction, and recovery are there? No, of course not. Big business wants you to eat toxic foods, get sick so big pharma can poison you while trying to fix you. The sicker we are, the better the GDP.
Did you read the side effects of the medications for diabetes? Did you know one is weight gain and it fuels the cycle of the disease? Did you know it is an inflammation-based disease and sugar causes inflammation and also feeds the fire? Curing diabetes is as simple as getting out of the sugar addiction cycle, but it is in no way easily done. The addiction is powerful by design.
They make us believe eating these sugary products are okay when they are, in fact, toxic to our bodies. They know they are addictive and will cause disease, but that is part of the plan. Get them sick, make a ton of money and try to cure them, and make even more money. Your sugar/food addiction is a big profit business, and it was designed to be that way a very long time ago.
So back to Sue. She was wrapped up in this business and brainwashing cycle of bad food. She thought it was okay to eat these things even when I gently brought it to her attention about the harmful side effects of eating this way. She asked questions and seemed to have a real interest in getting healthier at one point. It probably all sounded good to her, but it is not easy to break such an addiction. Once we spoke about the fact that exercise is only about 5-10% of the weight loss picture, she had changed her attitude in a big way. She was going to cycle the weight off and not change her eating. Now suddenly I was a skinny person giving fat person advice. She refused to believe me. She lacked common sense along with an addiction that put her in great denial.
So I know what you are thinking. Someone who could overcome a heroin addiction could overcome food addiction, right? Wrong. She was so far into denial that she had no clue she had a food addiction. The queen of overcoming addiction, the person who spoke at meetings, the one who tried to help other addicts to overcome their addictions would be able to see and overcome a food addiction right? Wrong again.
We are brainwashed to the point where we become so addicted we almost do not have a choice but to be this way. The cycle needs to end. This is not a conspiracy theory. These are facts. The Fraudulent Drug Administration and every other government entity have been paid off to keep this vicious cycle going. How are many billions of dollars spent on lobbying by big-pharma, big agriculture, and big business over the year to fuel this cycle? I won’t even attempt to add it up.
Here is one question to ponder. Do you think the government wants people who are on Medicare living to be 110 years old while paying all of their medical bills?
What can we do to break free? We can start by getting the toxins, sugars, and processed foods out of our bodies and lives. We can begin to demanding organic foods in stores and restaurants. We can start by eating to prevent disease and cure disease. We can begin looking at holistic approaches to cure what ails us and get out of the sickness for profit cycle they want us to be in.
Read about the microbiome and how an unhealthy gut leads to so many diseases. What are the causes of leaking gut? Processed foods, sugar and toxic pesticides, vaccines, and more.
November 2012 Issue
Post-Op Bariatric Surgery
Learn How to Identify Red Flags and Triage Nutritional Deficiencies
By Margaret M. Furtado, MS, RD, LDN
Today’s Dietitian
Vol. 14 No. 11 P. 50
Suggested CDR Learning Codes: 2000, 2090, 3000, 3005, 3100, 5000, 5125, 5370, 5390; Level 2
Take this course and earn 2 CEUs on our Continuing Education Learning Library
Thiamin-Vitamin B1 also called thiamine or thiamine. Bariatric surgery can exacerbate or increase the risk of thiamin deficiency and lead to a severe and chronic form is known as beriberi.[5]There are two main types in adults: wet beriberi, and dry beriberi.[1] Wet beriberi affects the cardiovascular system resulting in a fast heart rate, shortness of breath, and leg swelling. Dry beriberi affects the nervous system resulting in numbness of the hands and feet, confusion, trouble moving the legs, and pain.[1] A form with loss of appetite and constipation may also occur. Another type, acute beriberi, is found mostly in babies and presents with loss of appetite, vomiting, lactic acidosis, changes in heart rate, and enlargement of the heart.[6]
Vitamin B12
Like other B vitamins, vitamin B12 plays an integral role in metabolism and helps manufacture red blood cells and maintain the central nervous system.10
Gastric bypass patients don’t fully digest or absorb vitamin B12 which puts them at high risk of deficiency.
In mild deficiency, a person may feel tired and have a reduced number of red blood cells (anemia).[1] In moderate deficiency, there may be inflammation of the tongue and the beginning of neurological problems including abnormal sensations such as pins and needles, while severe deficiency may include reduced heart function and greater neurological problems.[1] Neurological problems may include changes in reflexes, poor muscle function, memory problems, decreased taste, and in extreme cases psychosis.[1] Sometimes temporary infertility may also occur.[1][5] In young children, symptoms include poor growth, poor development, and difficulties with movement.[2] Without early treatment, some of the changes may be permanent.[6]
Folic Acid
The gastric sleeve BPD procedures may result in a higher risk of folate deficiency. The study by Gehrer showed that 22% of gastric sleeve patients were low in folic acid postsurgery.
Loss of appetite and weight loss can occur. Additional signs are a weakness, sore tongue, headaches, heart palpitations, irritability, and behavioral disorders. In adults, anemia(macrocytic, megaloblastic anemia) can be a sign of advanced folate deficiency.
Women with folate deficiency who become pregnant are more likely to give birth to low birth weight premature infants, and infants with neural tube defects. In infants and children, folate deficiency can lead to failure to thrive or slow growth rate, diarrhea, oral ulcers, megaloblastic anemia, neurological deterioration. Microcephaly, irritability, developmental delay, seizures, blindness, and cerebellar ataxia can also be observed.[4]
Causes
Iron
Research suggests these procedures can lead to iron malabsorption in women of childbearing years due to menstruation.
Untreated iron deficiency can lead to iron deficiency anemia, a common type of anemia. Anemia is a condition characterized by inadequate red blood cells (erythrocytes) or hemoglobin. Iron deficiency anemia occurs when the body lacks sufficient amounts of iron, resulting in reduced production of the protein hemoglobin. Hemoglobin binds to oxygen, thus enabling red blood cells to supply oxygenated blood throughout the body. Children, pre-menopausal women (women of child-bearing age) and people with a poor diet are most susceptible to the disease. Most cases of iron deficiency anemia are mild, but if not treated can cause problems like fast or irregular heartbeat, complications during pregnancy, and delayed growth in infants and children.[3]
Calcium and Vitamin D
Calcium and vitamin D deficiency may be prevalent before and exacerbated after bariatric surgery due to lower gastric acidity, particularly among gastric bypass patients. Since vitamin D is dependent on a low pH environment in the stomach for optimal absorption, it’s imperative to test patients’ vitamin D levels pre- and post-op so they can be treated quickly and avoid developing metabolic bone disease, hypertension, and diabetes. The following are additional facts about calcium and vitamin D:
• Vitamin D facilitates calcium absorption in an acidic environment.
• Low vitamin D levels are associated with a decrease in dietary calcium absorption.10
• Parathyroid hormone is considered a better calcium measure than serum calcium. An elevated level suggests suboptimal calcium adherence and/or absorption.32
• In patients with severe obesity, there’s an increased prevalence of vitamin D deficiency.32
• Given the low-acidic environment in gastric bypass patients, the absorption of calcium carbonate is poor.
• Calcium citrate is better absorbed than calcium carbonate even among non-bariatric surgery patients, regardless of whether they had an empty stomach or a meal.33 Since calcium citrate doesn’t depend on a low pH or acidic environment in the stomach for optimal absorption and calcium carbonate does, the latter isn’t as well absorbed after bariatric surgery. In addition, many bariatric surgery patients take acid blockers for three to six months after their procedure to help lower the risk of ulcers, further decreasing the acidity in the stomach or pouch in gastric bypass patients.
Vitamins A, E, and K and Zinc
Fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, E, and K haven’t been extensively studied in the context of bariatric procedures, but research suggests there’s a risk of deficiencies among patients who have undergone BPD with and without duodenal switch.
Among patients who underwent BPD with or without duodenal switch, researchers found a decrease in intestinal dietary fat absorption related to the delay in the mixing of gastric and pancreatic enzymes with bile in the final 50 to 100 cm of ileum. BPD was shown to decrease fat absorption by as much as 72%.34
Zinc is a mineral that helps maintain the immune system and is associated with cell division, cell growth, wound healing, and carbohydrate metabolism. A zinc deficiency also may exacerbate hair loss, which is common within the first six months after bariatric surgery. Hair loss is most commonly associated with telogen influvium, triggered by rapid weight loss and the stress of surgery on the body. Dietitians should be cautious about recommending additional mineral supplementation during this stage, as this is what’s called “shedding” and has no association with nutritional needs in the uncomplicated post-op patient. Furthermore, patients who are zinc deficient may experience a metallic taste in their mouths and hair loss on the arms, legs, and groin area.
Research has shown that BPD and gastric bypass patients are more likely to be at risk of zinc deficiency. However, one study found that 34% of gastric sleeve patients experienced a deficiency postsurgery.13
Overcoming Postsurgery Challenges
Nausea, which is associated with dehydration, a common issue within the first few months following bariatric surgery
Because vomiting may become an issue after bariatric surgery due to nausea, dehydration, or postoperative medications, it should be treated immediately, especially in light of potential deleterious effects of an untreated thiamin deficiency.10 Chronic vomiting is a red flag that requires further investigation. I
Sialorrhea, or excessive salivation, may be perceived as vomiting, but it could be related to eating too quickly, too much at once, or dry foods.
— Margaret M. Furtado, MS, RD, LDN, is a bariatric nutrition specialist at the University of Maryland Medical Center. She’s the author of several peer-reviewed scientific journal articles, patient-centered books on bariatric surgery and nutrition, and was a co-author of the 2008 American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery bariatric nutrition guidelines.
Calculating Weight-Loss Goals
Other studies show that nearly 50% of patients who had gastric banding were considered failures five or more years after surgery. A failure was defined as poor weight loss
Here is just a story that is not related, that I felt like typing today.
X-friend lost a lot of weight after her surgery that I did not support but did not verbalize. We are no longer friends today. I should have known better than to pursue a friendship after a few times of being disrespected, but I finally figured it out. My first hint was when I was up on a ladder working my but off to finish a room by the end of the day in my house reno when the phone rang. It was from X. She wanted to go out to eat. I explained to her it would take me entirely some time to get ready. I did not want to stop what I was doing, but diner invitations did not come often. I explained to her I had to put all of my tools away, clean my drywall pan and knives, shower and clean up construction things, then I would call to let her know I was ready. She agreed.
I did all that whole procedure, and at about 5 o’clock, maybe almost 2 hours of prep time later, I called, and she “changed her mind!” What!? Yes, my first clue. So I went to the mall and then went out to eat all by myself. I could have finished that project and been happily free the next day. Now I had to complete everything the next day and do the clean up a second time.
A little while goes by, and I had put that horrible thing that was done to me aside. Said X friend now wants to go out to the diner for Christmas dinner. Since I would be all alone on Christmas, which is so incredibly depressing to me, I was thrilled that I would have something to do, and the Diner was open until four. You see this coming, right? Well, I didn’t.
Late Christmas Eve I get a text saying “I am going to be too tired tomorrow after work to go out to dinner!”
First of all, I ask you, how was I still planning to go out with someone after the ladder incident, and who the hell on this planet knows they are too tired tomorrow!? But this is what obesity and mental illness combined does to a person, both of which can be cured by diet.
You probably think the story is over since, of course, I would have nothing to do with this person again, but it is not. I was traveling and asked X to water my plants and run my pool filter while she was here while I was away for the week. My house was still under renovation.
Keep in mind while you read what I am about to say, I have guns throughout my house that are not secure. They are in places that it is ok if adults are present, one would think. I have never had a child in my house, not even once; I had just bought a $5,000.00 furniture set that had not been sat on yet, the house was still under construction, and there were some trip hazards. I had thousands of dollars of camera gear just lying around the house. There was nothing major to really worry about for an adult to stay over one night that you trust to be careful and not steal from you.
She behind my back brought a van full of kids to my house and had a pool party. Addict behavior at it’s finest. Then she lied about it when confronted. When I arrived home from the trip, the neighbor told me that they were moving. She wanted to see if I still wanted to buy their shed that I loved. She said she had come by and knocked even though she had heard and seen the kids playing in the pool all day. She said she did not mean to bother me while I was having a party and apologized for knocking that day that I did not answer. I told her I was arriving from the airport and had been gone for a week, and no one had permission to have children at my home. It was to be one person and one person only.
The pool party went on all day long, she said. She pointed out that the only visual they have of my yard is a beeline view straight to my pool, but she also mentioned there has never been a peep in our wilderness of the sound of children. The sound had echoed throughout the neighborhood all day long; she went on to say. She was not complaining, she said, but she thought I should know. She said there was a van in my driveway. I went and checked some video footage on my house, and to my surprise, what did I see? You guessed it one more time! A pool party.
I went next door to discuss the shed, but of course, the topic was my pool party. Two couples lived in the house and were packing for the move, and all four of them told me about the all day long pool party and all of the children’s noise. Again, not complaining, just advising.
As if this violation of my home, trust, and myself were not bad enough, she lied through her teeth and said it was only two children, her niece and nephew, and it was only for ten minutes. They were testing out their new life jackets. Ok, so now she believes I am an idiot on top of it. I was infuriated that they were there with guns in my house. She said, “it was ok; the children’s father was a big gun advocate and had taught them about guns.” This made me feel so much better!! The seven or so year old was well versed in guns while at my house! So this magazine was created because I knew I would be going into an ager stage after the significant loss of my closest person on earth. I am in the anger stage, and I type this to you because it will come out here.
