Re: long term complications--as we age

[Guest guest]

Dear List Members:

I can tell you...... being 66 years old, with a

failed VBG, arthritis, diabetes, sciatica etc. that I

am pretty determined to have this done. I have two

abdominal hernias as well, so I HAVE to have surgery.

No choice there, soooooo I began investigating online

(thank God for my computer)d!! and discovered there

*IS* a choice!! I was not too happy about having a

RNY as a revision, but I knew I had to do something.

I am experiencing a lot of pain in my stomach and have

a sneaking suspicion that it is ulcerated. Now. the

problem as we grow older is the quality of life. At

the rate I am going, I will be unable to stand or walk

due to the back pain and sciatica and I for one, do

not CHOOSE to live the rest of my life in a

wheel-chair if I don't have to .

My mother is still living... age 86, my grandmother

lived to be 96 and my aunts and uncles on my father's

side are all in their 80s, so I think I have a good

geneological chance of living a long life. And I want

it to be as normal as it can and that can't happen

without this surgery. I firmly believe that!! So, I

will educate myself to the best of my ability and

follow my doctor's orders and PRAY. Guess I am one

who doesn't have to worry too much about what it will

be 40 or 50 years down the road!! LOL

Thank you list members for sharing all the good and

the bad (even some of the ugly) I am learning so much

here.

Lovingly,

Caroline

--- dwkteach@... wrote:

> My understanding is this.  We don't necessarily know

> the long term (as we get

> elderly) health consequences of wls as we get older.

>  However, that is why we

> have our blood work done routinely (every 9 months

> to a year) for the rest of

> our lives.  In the case of the BPD/DS, the stomach

> portion cannot be reversed

> (and there is no need to because it is a normal

> functioning stomach which

> eventually gets to " light normal volumne).  However,

> the intestinal portion

> can be totally (or partially) reversed.  The

> important thing is that any

> problems that would necessitate it being reversed be

> caught early.  The

> problems must be caught early so that the person is

> not in such bad shape

> they could not survive the surgery.  That is why we

> have the routine blood

> work done, so that problems are caught early enough

> to treat while the

> treatment won't kill us.  I believe that any

> problems that come from aging

> and having had this surgery can be effectively

> treated.   

>

> The reality is we will spend the rest of our lives

> treating our obesity.

>  However, after having had wls,  we most often can

> treat it much more

> effectively.  I would spend much more time and

> energy treating my high blood

> pressure and foot problems as well as any other

> health problems my obesity

> would have caused than I will treating my obesity as

> a wls patient.   Also we

> can treat it without having to carry around an extra

> 100+ pounds 24/7 for all

> of those years.  We do not get to go on with our

> lives as a person who never

> had obesity.  We must treat our disease forever.

>

> Dawn

> Dr. HEss, Bowling Green, OH

> BPD/DS

> 4/27/00

> 267 to 165

> size 22 to size 10

> no more high blood pressure, sore feet, or dieting!

>  

>

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