It is a major surgery and there are definite risks involved... add to that the fact that people who have the surgery are morbidly obese and often have comorbidities that would interfere with ANY surgery.

But... in actual fact the current mortality and complications statistics of gastric bypass surgery are extremely low http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastric_bypass_surgery and in line with ANY surgical procedure ;)

There are tons of people that have weight loss surgery that have 0 complications. I have 3 in my family (my sis, my niece and me) and there are ton here on Daily Strength on the gastric bypass board... we also have bandsters, sleevers and gastric bypass post-ops

http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Gastric-Bypass-Surgery/support-group

If you are considering weight loss surgery I suggest you do your research. Talk to your team of medical professionals, understand the risks, lifestyle changes involved and speak with people who have had the different types of weight loss surgery procedures (there's many types)

Personally it was the BEST DECISION I ever made... pre-op I was on 8 medications for GERD, high blood pressure, sleep apnea (my father died at 67 of sleep apnea related heart failure) and the aches and pains of carrying around 150+ extra pounds. I couldn't walk the length of the mall without taking several breaks... that was just the physical stuff. Here's some of the emotional stuff http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/06/worst-things-about-being-fat.html (I'm sure some can relate.) I wasn't living. I was existing.

In June 2006 I had RNY Gastric Bypass (I was a self payer). I have had no complications. Off all medications. All comorbidities are resolved... no more sleep apneas, GERD, stellar BP. My labs are great. I exercise everyday, eat great food, can't say enough good things about it. Oh and I went from size 28 (some 30/32's) to size 4 (I'm a shortie 5'2") and have been maintaining my loss for almost 4 1/2 years now.

It's NOT the decision for everyone. It's not a quick fix... it was a head start, it evened the playing field, and resolved my health issues so exercise wasn't dangerous but it goes hand in hand with healthy eating, exercise and most importantly working on the head stuff (the whys of why we overeat) for life.

~Michelle "Shelly"
My weight loss journey: www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.com

Shelly, Glad all is well with you and your family.You must be truely blessed.I just have been on the side when the people come back so sick.I just hate seeing wonderful people suffering.It is not ment to be a slam against you Shelly,I just say please get a good surgeon and do your research and this is not an easy surgery.Mortalility rates are tainted and cause of death is rarely reported as gastric bypass surgery mostly comorbidities are listed.Just talk to a nurse on one of those units and see how many end up in ICU.

Not taken as a slam at all. It's good to explore all sides of an issue. Makes for an informed decision.

I agree. It is so sad when people have taken steps to get healthy and have complications or worse. It is definitely more of a risk to have surgeries as a obese person. One of my many comorbidities was gonna kill me eventually. They don't call it morbidly obese (I had a 54 BMI) for nothing... its a ticket to an early death. I weighed the possibilities, did the research, looked at the statistics, talked with post-ops, my primary care provider, my bariatric surgeon and my God and decided in my case the potential benefits far outweighed any risks.

~Michelle "Shelly"

Yes, I agree that people need to be very well aware of what can and does go wrong as I think weight loss surgery is being SOLD as the greatest weight loss treatment for the morbidly obese ever. Anything that is a big money "product" should be examined cautiously. Even if the mortality rates are low, it still means that some people die. Each person needs to be well informed to evaluate their own risks.

When I asked my doctor about weight loss surgery, he told me no, said "that's not for you" and explained why he thought that I was too high a risk for complications. That doc knew me for years... and it made a lot of sense as I had problems healing from other surgeries. Since then, I moved to a new town, got a new doc who insists that I "need" gastric bypass surgery.

That was in March. I'm down 52 pounds as of today and I'll tell you straight up, my number one motivating factor in losing weight is AVOIDANCE of weight loss surgery. I'm half afraid that since I'm on disability (for other reasons) that the doc could force me into getting surgery that I have valid reasons to be afraid of, surgery that I don't want. I'm also shopping for a new doctor.