Is wls possible with heart disease?

Hi, I am asking on behalf of my mother. She is in her 60's and has been in the 180 - 190's range for many years. She too has done many yo yo diets and lost 50lbs on weigh****chers, and nutra system, but gained it all back and more. She has many many ailments, that is all directly related to her weight. She has type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and had angioplasty and later a triple bypass, about 10 yrs ago, and sleep apnea. Also suffers from joint and back pain, and also had laser eye surgery on both eyes for cateracts.

Would a weight loss surgeon even consider her as a candidate due to her heart surgeries? She is on meds, doesn't manage her diabetes very well, but say her heart will only continue to block up in time. This could help prolong her life if it is possible. I am very concerned for her. I don't want to bring up the subject with her, if it isn't possible, so I thought I would ask first.

thanks

Maybe yes, maybe no.  Surgeon's do a host of tests to any patient prior to wt loss surgery.  She should discuss her heart issues with the surgeon BEFORE she begins testing, so the surgeon can correctly review her testing data.  It basically depends on her personal testing results and whether the surgeon is willing to do surgery.  Dave

 The answer to your question is yes, but she would be sent to a cardiologist for a full workup ahead of time for a determination.  My brother had pretty severe cardiac disease, and his Duodenal Switch dramatically improved his cardiac function and cured his diabetes.

That being said, am I reading it correctly that you say your mom weighs between 180 and 190 pounds?  If so, she is probably not heavy enough to qualify for WLS.  The criteria is a BMI over 40, or a BMI over 35 with co-morbidities.  She definitely has the co-morbidities, but would have to be relatively short to give her a BMI of >35 with that weight.

 I forgot to mention that. Yes, she is only 5'2, and all her weight is centered on the top half, and has a BMI of 35. She could be more, than that, but the last time, she said she was in the 190's.

I have all of the above, double bypass and 7 stents..read my profile

 I will definitely check it out.

Thanks

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Im   also a living testament to  horrible degenaritve diseases  being  seemingly  CURED after WLS .

PLEASE DO  look into it for Ur precious Mom  .. she Deserves it !  And Ure being so KIND  and GOOD       big hugs! 

She is the poster child for the kind of person who needs WLS. Her comorbidities qualify her with a BMI of 35. She would need a cardiac clearance.

I had a bad heart attack in July waiting for surgery. Went to the cath lab as an emergency. Both cardiologists think I am ready for surgery now. Most surgeons would want to wait 3 months to a year after an MI. So I wait. At least the cardiac rehab is really good training that will help get me through the surgery and beyond. You do not want to be in that position.

Of concern is what you mean by not handling her diabetes well. If you mean she isn'****ching what she eats and does, that could be a red flag for compliance with what she needs to do diet and exercise wise before and after surgery. If it means it is not well controlled desite her band her doctors best efforts, that is something else again. You have to get rid of the trigger foods. Completely out of the house.

Given your wait times up there, it wouldn't hurt to at least get on the list for surgery. She can always change her mind. If her kidneys have been affected by the diabetes that can be an even worse risk than the heart. She has to get the blood sugars under control.

Check out a book by Caldwell B Esselstyn, M.D. You can read pages on Amazon. A Cleveland Clinic surgeon, he had the Clinic cardiologists refer the patients they could no longer help, (some sent home to die) and put them on a plant based diet to lower their cholesterol. People sho should have been dead 20 years ago are still going strong. They became heart disease proof. They had their arteries improve. I used to review his charts. If nothing else it will give you a good education on heart disease and a lot of great recipes.