Very very long-term side effects?

[ecip78824 20]

This is my first time posting an original thread, so please be gentle! I keep looking on the forums for a conversation discussing long-term issues with the sleeve. I'm not finding much beyond the first couple of years, which I kind of suspected since it's such a new procedure. I also tried looking for research articles discussing gastrectomy issues long term, but of course the only other reason they usually do a gastrectomy is for stomach cancer so those studies don't go beyond 5 years either since it is considered an accomplishment to make it 5 years in those cases.

To get to my point here, I have this fear about the surgery as it gets closer and more real. I initially was worried about the pain or something going wrong, but now my fear has shifted to something bigger. I just keep picturing myself as an old lady with young doctors around me telling me that I was butchered by some archaic procedure way back when. I feel like someday people will tell me that this was a mistake because of X, Y, or Z and that I'm going to be sick or die because I had my stomach removed before there was enough research to see the dangers. It's made me go a little crazy looking for those possible X/Y/Z reasons.

I don't mean to scare anyone else here, I guess I just want to hear what you all have heard from your doctors (I'm traveling out of state for my procedure so I haven't met my doctor yet and I feel a little silly calling the clinic to present my possibly irrational fear and ask for reassurance) or from your own research. Has anyone known (or known of) someone who had their stomach removed many years ago for other reasons? Are there reasons that this procedure may actually shorten our lives or put us at risk of other diseases/disorders?

I appreciate any feedback, but please be nice! I'm a little scared of being scolded for not doing enough research and I just want to make it clear that I have researched and researched and researched some more!

Thanks!

[notime 340]

You're right. I wasn't able to find anything on this when I was researching the sleeve either.

[endless80 697]

Oh lord, THANKS now that's one more thing I am thinking about 16 days before surgery. lol

[Indigo1991 1,612]

Agree re research but first thing to do is call the clinic, explain what u are thinking and ask your questions to get reassurance. Why is that silly? If u were having a hip replaced, u would ask the doc doing the op what the long term effects would be - so why not with ur sleeve?

This isn't an irrational fear, u are asking sensible questions about life changing surgery. Best place to start looking for answers is with the clinicians who are doing your surgery rather than hearing second hand what orhers docs say. If u r trusting a doc to do ur op, hopefully their answers will give u the reassurance.u need to go forward confidently.

The best any of us can do is work with the info we have. Dont beat yourself up about covering every single base - be as informed as u can be. I didnt know everything but I knew what I wanted to achieve and made sure the sleeve could deliver that at the very least.

My personal advice to any pre-sleevers is that once u gave decided to be sleeved, look hard at what happens first month post sleeve. Thats the time frame that catches most people out as they come to terms with their new life.

Good luck, hope u get the answers u need to join this very happy sleever on the "other" side :-))))

[Takingcontrol 467]

I understand what your saying, & ur right...there isn't a great deal of research yet. However, there is in gastric bypass & that's why we have the sleeve...cause they are trying to improve & reduce the risks. And...we KNOW our lives will be shortened & we will have complications if we do not change things & get to a healthy weight. At least that was my reasoning & I'm very glad I had the procedure.

[djbwilson 37]

Look at the rest of what would have been in your future..bad knees, diabetes, cardiac issues...big and small problems of being overweight, and rethink it..You are smart to take the steps to stop those things from happening!

[artymama 170]

I thought about that too! Except it wasn't till after my sleeve! Time will tell, huh? For me what's done is done and for now I am livin' it up!!

[nmck 68]

My doctors were up front about the lackof long term results with this surgery. They have a patient who is 10 years out from their first gastric sleeve and her results have been decent. But, I know the research is out there for the results of my morbid obesity and could imagine what problems I would have b/c my parents are having major troubles...hip replacements, severe arthiritis, high bloodpressure, and increasing immobility. Weighing those issues for me, it became an easy choice to pick the sleeve. I have 3 young children and a fit husband. We want an active and healthy lifestyle for our whole family and I was holding that back. In my mind, if I only bought mysellf 30 more years to live into my 60s in a healthy way, this surgery would be worth it as my children would be adults.

So, I think you should ask your doctor every question thatcomes into your mind. Then weigh yourpros and cons once you have the info you can get. Good luck with your decision!

[donamay 13]

From what I understand, this surgery was done as a first step in the duodenal switch (DS) WLS which has been done for some time now. I have a friend who is 11 years out from the DS. She is doing very well. What health problems she has had have in no way been related to her stomach.

[lsereno 2,525]

I still have these fears too. At over two years out and 17 months at goal. But I am happy with my decision and that's the most important thing. I simply could not lose the weight and I was worried it was going to kill me. So for me, having the surgery was the best way to improve my health.

Think about what your life will be without the surgery. If you do decide to have the surgery, set yourself up for health success by taking your Vitamins, choosing healthy foods, and adding exercise. And getting you fluids in every day. I still track my fluids using a whiteboard on my fridge door. I have my Vitamins in a pill case by my toothbrush. I walk with friends 4 days a week. And I plan my meals to get a balanced diet with around 65 grams of Protein every day.

Best wishes, no matter what you decide. Only you know what is best for you.

Lynda

[msvalentine81 5]

I have just been approved for my surgery and has a RN that was also my concern, besides the constant naysayers attempting to get me to second guess my decision. Oddly enough I had the same vision as you being a little old lady in the hospital with a room full of doctors...funny . You just have to read what research is available, try pub med. You know something else that calmed me, I actually watched the whole procedure on you tube. Good luck.

[ecip78824 20]

Thank you all for being so positive! I'm relieved to hear that I'm not the only one out there who worries about these things far off issues. Still, I know I want to continue forward because it's even scarier for me to picture my future without the surgery. I think about that scenario of being an old lady and having a young doctor tell me that my surgery was barbaric, but I'm not even sure that I'd live long enough to be an old lady without the surgery! So, it's definitely the lesser of two evils. I'm just hoping that once I have the surgery done and I start seeing the pounds come off that I'll stop worrying so much.

[DeezJeanz 1,065]

you know ecip, as every1 has said, ur fears are valid nd im sure we all will or have had them, both pre nd post op. I am preop hoop jumpn but look forward to it. U used the word barbaric nd i can c ur point but you know every surgery was a first nd until trial nd error and yrs gone by, all surgeries were new once w little to no research history. My moms first of 4 unsuccessful bck surgeries, God rest her soul, is prob now considered barbaric in comparison to how they do it now. Butchered wud be an understatement to describe her surgeries. What about the first heart transplant or the knee replacements? my point is that there are always better ways of doing things w less side affects but one never knows until the first step is taken. I hope that makes sense and eases ur mind a bit. We know that one improvement is that its done laproscopically nd we dont have to get cut from stem to sternum. So as i pray that mine will b a success, i also pray that Gods will be done and i feel that having this procedure done for me and my situation, is His will. I pray for u nd ur journey as i do for others. Good luck and lets pray that oneday there will b a better alternative for those to come behind us but in the meantime, lets try nd "rock the sleeve" as so many others say that they r doing. Take care nd God Bless u nd ur decision nd may He calm ur fears. Dee Dee:)