Weight Loss Surgery: Is It Safe?

The need for plastic surgery following weight loss surgery is very real. We are left with sometimes massive amounts of hanging skin that often must be removed for health and mobility reasons, not just cosmetic reasons. This requires a procedure known as body contouring.

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A recent study * has highlighted the important of being nutritionally healthy before having plastic surgery, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Patients who are nutritionally deficient have a more difficult time with wound healing and their immune system response. Patients and surgeons alike overlook this important factor.

When approaching follow up surgery after weight loss surgery, be sure to eat extra amounts of protein in excess of the 60 grams of protein that we would normally eat. Protein promotes cell regeneration and healing. Also have your blood levels checked to be sure that your blood is rich in iron.

I attended a conference this week during which Dr. Robin Blackstone from Scottsdale, AZ spoke about weight loss surgery. She mentioned the many myths that are still prevalent about weight loss surgery, especially regarding the safety of the procedures.

My surgery was in January 2000, wow 11 years ago. It is hard to believe. But I remember my fear regarding the surgery and if I would survive. My husband shared that fear. He was as terrified as I was. But in 2000, far less was known about the safety of the surgery, and its long term effects.

My surgery was the RNY gastric bypass. Many people ask me why I had that surgery rather than the lap band procedure. The reason is very simple. When I had my surgery, the lap band was not approved in the United States. The lap band But the lap band was not approved by the FDA until June 2001, 18 months after my surgery. Was being performed in many European countries and was common in Australia.

But I do want to share with you the safety of the gastric bypass, compared to other surgeries.

Here are the mortality rates for common surgeries:
· .11% Gastric bypass surgery
· .52% Gall bladder surgery
· .93% Hip replacement surgery
· 3.3% heart bypass surgery

Gastric bypass surgery is much safer than all of those listed above, and lap band surgery is even safer.

There was a report in the Oct. 13, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) stating that the mortality rate of weight loss surgery was .5%. It was an extensive study of 22,000 patients. You can see that the surgery has gotten even safer in the seven years since the study was published.

It is good to be concerned when you are considering weight loss surgery. We have all heard of people who have died following surgery. But remember that weight loss surgery has gotten safer and safer over the years. The figures above are much better than when I But if you have your surgery performed at a Center of Excellence, depending upon your relative health going into surgery, you should be OK. There is a risk with any surgery. But it is important to have current facts when making the evaluation whether to have surgery or not.

I would love to hear your comments on this, if you are considering surgery. I would also love to hear from those who have had surgery and if they were frightened, and if so how they coped with that fear.

“You aren't really serious about having surgery to lose weight are you? You can't be serious. Oh please rethink this. You know I love you just the way you are!” I remember so well the conversations my husband Frank and I had nearly 13 years ago when I was first considering having weight loss surgery. Do you remember your conversations?

We were both so frightened. Yet we were frightened about the same things but in slightly different ways. I was frightened that I might not survive the surgery, as was he. But I know that almost all of you reading this have been frightened about the Same thing. Weight loss surgery is serious business. But I knew that after the surgery I would never be the same. And Frank knew that also.

Would “we” be able to survive? We were good together. I was happier than I had ever been. But I was gambling “us” for the sake of myself, yet it was something I needed to do.

And I did change. I didn’t see it right away, but I did. Others saw it and commented on it, but I still didn’t see it. I became much more outgoing and confident. When you change that drastically on the outside, you can’t help but change on the inside. And the best part is that “we” survived and flourished. We recently celebrated our 15 year anniversary.

But not all “we’s” survive. The change that some undergo is not always positive and the relationship originally is not always good. There is a common saying, “Weight loss surgery makes good marriages better and bad marriages worse.”

Feel free to share how your relationships have turned out.