Bariatric surgery and cancer

February 15, 2006

Does anyone know anyone or have any experience with cancer treatment

while recovering from bariatric surgery?

Thanks -

Randy

February 15, 2006

Does anyone know anyone or have any experience with cancer treatment

while recovering from bariatric surgery?

Thanks -

Randy

February 15, 2006

Hi Randy,

I have never heard of anyone ,and I would think if someone was under

going treatments for cancer they would not be a good canidate for

gastic-bypass untill the treatments were over. I could be wrong but

its just my 2 cents

Shell

>

> Does anyone know anyone or have any experience with cancer treatment

> while recovering from bariatric surgery?

>

> Thanks -

>

> Randy

>

February 15, 2006

Hi Randy,

I have never heard of anyone ,and I would think if someone was under

going treatments for cancer they would not be a good canidate for

gastic-bypass untill the treatments were over. I could be wrong but

its just my 2 cents

Shell

>

> Does anyone know anyone or have any experience with cancer treatment

> while recovering from bariatric surgery?

>

> Thanks -

>

> Randy

>

February 16, 2006

Hi Randy,

That is really such a shock when you hear the word cancer. I know because I went through it with my husband. He had a lump in the back of his leg in the hamstring area for years and his PCP never seemed worried about it. Then I noticed it was getting bigger so I told him to tell his PCP and he referred him to a surgeon. The surgeon looked at it and said it was fatty tissue but she would remove it and have it biopsied. When we went to get the stitches out the doctor said that there was some bad news. It was cancer. That was the last thing that we expected to hear. He was diagnosed with a malignant sarcoma and it was one of the worse kind that could potentially show up in any part of his body. He had to undergo all kinds of tests and lab work and then surgery. He had to undergo two surgeries and radiation treatment for 6 weeks. So far he has remained 3 years cancer free. So Good luck in everything and keep us posted on your progress. If you have a hard time getting your protein in GNC sells liquid protein. That will help a lot to keep your intake up to the right amount.

Ramona

February 16, 2006

Hi Randy,

That is really such a shock when you hear the word cancer. I know because I went through it with my husband. He had a lump in the back of his leg in the hamstring area for years and his PCP never seemed worried about it. Then I noticed it was getting bigger so I told him to tell his PCP and he referred him to a surgeon. The surgeon looked at it and said it was fatty tissue but she would remove it and have it biopsied. When we went to get the stitches out the doctor said that there was some bad news. It was cancer. That was the last thing that we expected to hear. He was diagnosed with a malignant sarcoma and it was one of the worse kind that could potentially show up in any part of his body. He had to undergo all kinds of tests and lab work and then surgery. He had to undergo two surgeries and radiation treatment for 6 weeks. So far he has remained 3 years cancer free. So Good luck in everything and keep us posted on your progress. If you have a hard time getting your protein in GNC sells liquid protein. That will help a lot to keep your intake up to the right amount.

Ramona

February 16, 2006

Thanks Shell - I guess I am the lucky winner. Dr. Umbach did my

surgery on February 2. When I filled out the pre-op questionnaire

about a week or ten days before surgery, I was feeling great. About

four days before surgery, I had what I thought were swollen glands

and a little trouble swallowing. I had checked " no " on the

questionnaire when they asked if we were having trouble swallowing,

so when I went in for my pre-op appointments with anethesia, etc., I

reported the swelling and the trouble swallowing. They saw no

problem, and went ahead with the surgery. I saw my primary care

physician on Feb. 7, and I called his attention to the fact that the

swelling on one side of my neck had not gone down, and I not only

had trouble swallowing, my voice was noticeably altered. He

immediately referred me to head and neck surgery for further

evaluation, and Dr. Concus put a scope through my nose down my

throat and told me I had a tumor at the base of my tongue and a

swollen mass of lymph nodes in my neck. My bariatric recovery has

been great, I got my staples out on the 14th, and today it was

confirmed that I have Stage 4 squamous-cell carcinoma, with

metastases to the lymph nodes in my neck. I will be undergoing

radiation, chemotherapy, and neck surgery at the same time I am

adjusting to post-bariatric life. Apparently, most patients

undergoing radiation and chemotherapy for this kind of cancer lose

from 30 to 70 pounds, which suggests a big loss of appetite, since

the chemo agents are not the kind that cause vomiting. It will be

interesting, to say the least, to see if I am one of the first-ever

bariatric patients trying to keep his weight UP! It will be a

challenge for me to get the nutrients I need to keep up my strength.

Since I will be unable to work for at least six months, I will try

to keep this group posted on my progress. Oh, yes, I have seen other

people post this kind of information: I was 313 pounds when I

entered the program, 281 pounds when I had my surgery, and today,

exactly two weeks out, I weigh 263.

I appreciate your input, information, and support.

Randy

> >

> > Does anyone know anyone or have any experience with cancer

treatment

> > while recovering from bariatric surgery?

> >

> > Thanks -

> >

> > Randy

> >

>

February 16, 2006