Weight Loss Surgery Forums

SURVEY SAYS
OH Members Share the Secrets of Their Successes and Trials!
By Lanie Arceneaux and Jesse Jayne Rutherford

?It saved my life.?
-OH member?s comment regarding WLS, Spring 2008

Last year, ObesityHelp.com conducted a member poll online to find out more about WLS patients? experiences. Hundreds of people responded to the survey to share the best, worst, and most surprising results from their surgeries. When we were through compiling the results, here?s what stood out in particular: weight-loss surgery is not a cure-all, it is not an easy way out, and it is a lot of work . . . but the respondents said they still considered it a success and would do it again in a heartbeat!

Here?s the scoop on the rest of their responses:

Most respondents were women who underwent a RNY gastric bypass surgery within the past four years. Over 95% of the respondents said they considered their surgery a success; more than half of all respondents called their surgery ?extremely successful.? Among the vast majority of respondents who felt their surgery was successful, the reason they feel their surgery was a success was in large part because their quality of life has increased. Respondents chose ?better health,? ?able to be more active,? ?better quality of life,? and ?feel better about myself,? most frequently, with a significant number also choosing ?take less medications.?

However, many respondents encountered complications. About 21% of the people surveyed said they had experienced iron deficiency, which was the most common type of nutritional deficiency indicated. Following gastric bypass surgery, most people reported experiencing side effects or complications. However, fewer than 5% of respondents indicated they experienced major problems with things like vomiting, weakness/tiredness, hernias, and nutritional deficiencies. Overall, 3% of the respondents reported their surgery to be unsuccessful with ?not enough weight loss? being the major contributing factor. After losing weight, several respondents also felt that ?extra skin? played a negative role in the surgery?s outcome.

In addition, respondents wrote that ?No matter what complications I?ve had, they still don?t compare to the ?complications? of being severely obese,? and ?Although I have had complications, I would have the surgery again in a heartbeat; but not just for the weight loss?more for the ability to change my life and my health.?

Thank you to all those who participated!

Lanie Arceneaux is a dietetic intern at the University of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee. She designed the survey and compiled the results for OH as part of her coursework.