Bariatric Brat

Dear BB,

I have had a consultation with a bariatric surgeon and am now in the 7 month nutrition/diet phase. I really think that bariatric surgery is what I want to do, but am a bit worried about long term negative effects. I am a healthy 44 year old woman who is about 99 lbs overweight. Is there a statistic of those who wish they had not had the surgery vs. those who have been successful? Also, is the Gastric Bypass for Dummies the best book to follow? Do you ever regret having the surgery because you miss sweets?

In 2004, doctors Christou, Sampalis, Liberman, Look, Auger, McLean, and MacLean conducted a study which tested the hypothesis that bariatric surgery reduces long-term mortality in morbidly obese patients. They used an observational study with two study groups, both which were qualified for weight loss surgery. The treatment group of 1,035 individuals included patients having undergone bariatric surgery at the McGill University Health Centre between 1986 and 2002. The control (non-surgical) group (5,746 patients) included age- and gender-matched severely obese patients who had not undergone weight loss surgery (identified from the Quebec provincial health insurance database.) Study participants with medical conditions (other then morbid obesity) at the start of the study were excluded. The study participants were then followed for a maximum of 5 years from inception.

The conclusion of this study shows that bariatric surgery significantly decreases overall mortality as well as the development of new health-related conditions in morbidly obese patients. The participants who had weight loss surgery had significant risk reductions for developing cardiovascular, cancer, endocrine, infectious, psychiatric, and mental disorders compared with controls. The mortality rate in the bariatric surgery group was 0.68% compared with 6.17% in the control group, which translates to a reduction in the relative risk of death by 89%.

Now, we all know that there is a tremendous difference between risk and regret. Even the most successful bariatric patients can have regret. Me? I only regret that I didn’t have my weight loss surgery sooner than I did. One of my recommended reads for anyone considering weight loss surgery is the Weight Loss Surgery Regrets Board at obesityhelp.com. It’s easy to get excited about bariatric surgery when you see successful patients - what you also need to do is talk to those who have either been unsuccessful with bariatric surgery or who have had other negative experiences.

IMHO, the best book to follow is the one your surgeon recommends. But in my travels, I recommend Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies and The Patient’s Guide to Weight Loss Surgery: Everything You Need To Know About Gastric Bypass and Bariatric Surgery, the latter I read before my gastric bypass. I am hoping that BB readers will post their favorite reads in the Comments section below.

Okay, no sugar-coating the truth here (pun intended) - I was a heavy-duty sweet eater before weight loss surgery. That is the primary reason I chose the gastric bypass. I knew that, with my personality, I would search out ways to get my sugar fix whilst defeating the LAP-BAND. I knew that I actually needed the surgery that would make me violently ill if I ingested too much sugar and/or fat. As I have stated before in this space, I love dumping. It keeps me honest. That being said, I have an occasional sweet - and I enjoy it. I can have a few M&Ms and be completely satisfied with the taste and texture, whereas in the old days, I would inhale the 2-pound bag faster than you could say “Jerry Springer” and not even taste it. These days, I can even have a candy dish in my office and it doesn’t bother me whatsoever (of course, I keep my pre-op picture near it, but I digress.) I once heard a post-op put it this way: it’s not as though you’ll never have chocolate cake again. You aren’t going to score the corner piece with the double-frosting and sugared roses, but you will have and even enjoy a small piece of, say, your daughter’s wedding cake.

Read everything about bariatric surgery that you can get your hands on, and question everything and everyone. Learn from the mistakes (and successes) of people who have made this journey before you. Life is too short for regrets of any kind.