Hello everyone

**flyby** · 03-22-2017 02:03 PM

I am in process of getting the gastric sleeve surgery. My starting weight is 225, and I need to lose 80 pounds. I am afraid as I am sure all of you are. I have 2 friends that died from this surgery. One died 15 years after it because she was unable to absorb protein anymcanore. Her husband died too because he became an active drug and alcohol abuser as he had been previously. I do know that I have obesity related illness and chronic illness too, so if I do nothing, I will keep gaining and get more obesity related diseases. So I feel I have no choice because I do lose lots of weight, but I gain it back and then some. That has been my pattern all of my life, but managed to keep it capped when I could exercise. I have a chronic pain condition, fibromyalgia, and it kicks my butt and makes exercising, the fat burning kind, impossible for me, at least at this time.

**RehabNurse** · 03-22-2017 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by flyby

My starting weight is 225, and I need to lose 80 pounds. I am afraid as I am sure all of you are.

Welcome! My starting weight was also 225 pounds, However, unlike you, I was not afraid of the surgery. My biggest fear was developing obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

Originally Posted by flyby

I have 2 friends that died from this surgery. One died 15 years after it because she was unable to absorb protein anymcanore.

Perhaps your friend had a gastric bypass? Surgeons were not regularly performing sleeves as a stand-alone procedure 15+ years ago. Those of us who have had gastric sleeves do not malabsorb protein or other macronutrients because our intestines have not been bypassed.

I am sorry about your friend's demise. Nonetheless, less than one percent of those who have had the gastric sleeve suffer complications. That's less than one out of 100 people who have had the surgery. In other words, remaining obese is a bigger risk to your health. Cheers.

**kinipela24** · 03-22-2017 07:52 PM

Wow that comment scared the H out o me! Thank you to the other person who replied!

**Shirl** · 03-22-2017 08:54 PM

These are bullet points to what I imagine was a good discussion about the history of Sleeve Gastrectomy
https://web.duke.edu/surgery/endosur...ugust_2011.pdf

Here is a study on malabsorption results for two Bariatric surgeries of which neither is the Sleeve Gastrectomy. If you want to avoid malabsorption in the long term 10+ years down the road, you must take chewing your food properly seriously. Nutrition starts the moment we put food in our mouths, so it is important that you chose nutrient dense foods.
https://med.virginia.edu/ginutrition...le-June-04.pdf

Other reading guides to help you prepare:
- http://www.laparoscopic.md/sleeve/wh...sleeve-surgery
- http://www.laparoscopicconsultant.co...astrectomy.pdf
- https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/document.ashx?id=1948
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...0326142209.htm

**Christie13** · 03-22-2017 09:01 PM

I agree with what Rehab Nurse said. I can tell you the percentage of complication rates with sleeve are very low and much lower than the problems associated with obesity diseases. www.obesitycoverage.com has a lot of good information and can help eliminate some of your fears. I will be 20 weeks out tomorrow and have zero regrets.

**Lorna Doone** · 03-23-2017 07:06 PM

Dear if your friend died from WLS there was more to the story. I had a family friend tell me a similar story and it scared the crap out of me. They told me their brother died from gastric bypass. Come to find out their brother also was a closet drug addict and alcoholic. People tend to tell half the story hiding the worst parts and try to blame it on WLS when in fact there was more going on then meets the eye.