Long term consequences?

[FluffyChix 17,415]

ResearchWLS_MetabolicReset.pdf

Here's a pdf of research I compiled when looking into what an RNY - metabolic reset would do for me. I am a 7 year survivor of a stage IIIC high grade breast cancer with regional mets to 12 or 14 lymph nodes (can't recall exact #).

I have metaplasia cells in my esophagus, and duodenum, and inflammatory cells in my stomach lining.

There is a very small chance that I could develop ulcers or cancers in my remnant stomach and duodenum and there will be no easy way to keep track of the changes because an EGD no longer will work to visualize these areas without doing a surgical procedure through the abdomen. I STILL chose to do it.

I was only 222.4lbs at surgery. I still chose to do it because of the almost instant benefit it gives for cancer recurrence. The benefits of WLS extend a minimum of 12 years (metabolically speaking--that's what the latest studies show). But I've seen posters here and at other sites who have 15-20 years of benefits. That's good enough for me.

We are all only as good as our compliance with diet, lifestyle, and Vitamin regimen details. But even so, you may still have issues with Iron deficiency, B1 or even B12. Some have Vit D issues and others have folic acid issues. They happen. Sh*t happens.

Some lose their teeth. My mom never had surgery and had upper and lower full dentures by 35. What a kick in the teeth. If this surgery can help reduce my cancer (all cause cancer that is obesity driven) by 38% mean average, you can pull every one of my frickin frackin toofies tomorrow and I wouldn't care. LOL. Throw me some dentures mama and let me get on with my life. LOL.

So the point is...we humans are so smart, we're capable of scrounging up research to support our individual biases, perspectives, beliefs, and desires. It's a well-documented psychological bent.

Hope you decide to do your surgery. Congrats on your loss thus far!

Welcome to the boards. We brainy science geeks round these parts!

Edited March 21, 2018 by FluffyChix

[Sosewsue61 3,185]

You had the band, lost weight, no fill, gained it back, sooo my conclusion would be that you will likely continue to gain and even if you lose some weight the traditional way, keeping it off will be the main issue all of us battled before surgeries, plus you already have dental issues that aren't going to go away regardless. Becoming diabetic will ruin teeth as well, plus internal organs and blood vessels....you are headed to become diabetic at 300#s.

If you need dental work in the future you will find a way to get the money somehow. With weight loss many people get promoted or find better paying jobs, or have energy for a second seasonal job just for special income.

[CyclicalLoser 155]

FluffyChix and Sosewsue61 - I'm not looking to attempt to (Again) lose the weight without some sort of assistance. When I was in my 20's, I went from 263 to 163 entirely on my own. I was the poster child for the Subway diet. I went there 7 days a week, ate the exact same thing. Ate under 1000 cals a day, and burned almost 1000 a day (According to the calorie counts on the gym equipment). But as with all of my "successes" I gained it back quite quickly. Mistake? Maybe it was because I didn't incorporate heavy lifting. More likely, I did not have the support with discussion boards and blogs and so forth like this. I have always seemed to have a problem with the maintaining weight phase.

I work in a highly scientific field, so being impartial and rigorously examining all paths and possibilities has essentially been ingrained in me for the last 15 years. It is because of this that I go to the nth degree down the pro's and con's path. Although bias is verboten within my field, I admit to myself that I am biased towards getting the surgery. Because of that, I think I spend more time trying to counter my bias examining potential.

My intent for this post is that the two issues I mentioned are often not mentioned in "standard" (less academia) literature or discussed as a side effect during information seminars. It was a completely new angle for me to study, but I wanted to get some empirical evidence from my own population, since I am not satisfied with the conclusions made by the researchers thus far. As Creekimp13 mentioned, while informative, these studies (for the most part) concentrate only on WLS patients, and not the double blind "gold standard" of research. Granted, I am positive it is difficult to track WLS candidates that did not get WLS, but I would think such data would exist in simply brilliant record keeping such as the Framingham Nurses study.

I agree, my path, without significant intervention, is ultimately diabetes and then cardiovascular death. Grandfather died of 2 strokes and a heart attack at 57. Father had a quintuple bypass in his 50's. Other grandfather died of a heart attack. (Granted grandfathers smoked like a chimney and were both alcoholics). Diabetes runs in my family, and thus far with an a1c of 4.9, I'm doing quite well, but I know that it is inevitable, and frankly it is the #1 motivator for me to get the surgery. Fix the root cause (obesity) and dozens (if not hundreds) of other related complications disappear or are mitigated by a great deal

Sadly, I agree that dental work is in my future for sure, and if one wants something enough, they will make it happen by working extra jobs or lifestyle modifications (conserve money). I suppose my biggest concern is that the extraordinary cost that is inevitable, will be a recurrent expense (Due to the WLS-induced decreased longevity). That being said, I wholeheartedly admit this involves a lot of speculation and future prediction, something that I believe no one is skilled at other than the Lord.

Thank you both for your honest and candid opinions, I am all ears, believe me. FluffyChix, thank you very much for sharing your resources, later today I intend to go through it.

Edited March 21, 2018 by CyclicalLoser
better word choice LOL

[FluffyChix 17,415]

I totally get where you're coming from! And I also get your need for anecdotal evidence based long-term results from us--the target population.

I was and am totally the same way!

The reason I asked my initial question was because when I first started my journey I began asking questions from the perspective that I was trying to support my argument with myself: that I could do this on my own and that these surgeries were far too risky.

Then it changed and became me asking questions to try to support me having a balloon or lapband procedure (minimally invasive and reversible).

Then it finally changed to getting down to the nitty gritty of the rewards/risk assessment for the surgery I actually needed (at least an RNY if not a full DS).

So lol, what I'm inelegantly trying to explain was with each sequence my questions and even word arrangements were slightly different and actually were posed in a way to lead into getting the responses I wanted that would justify my current position. LOL.

See what I mean?

And sooo now, for the dental stuff...if it gets bad enough, there's a dental school here that I would go to--but hopefully it won't. But having said that, I'd still have gone through with my RNY just to have that 38% reduction in cancer recurrence even at the risk of losing all my toofies. (Also a reduction in cardiac complications from chemo and a familial pattern of CHD and CHD deaths.)

I hope you will stick around and post a lot and ask a lot of questions too! I do personally heart science geekery!!!

Edited March 21, 2018 by FluffyChix

[Apple203 1,314]

One other procedure to consider is an endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty. Not sure if you get the benefit of ghrelin reduction with it. I had the laproscopic sleeve surgery a week ago and recovery has been easier than I would ever have expected. Best wishes to you, whatever you chose.