Over 60 crowd

Has anyone over 60 had the VSG? I will make a decision soon between that and Roux en Y.  Insurance won't cover because my BMI is 38 and fortunately, I have no co-morbid conditions.  BUT I really need the surgery. 

Welcome Leane! I'm not quite 60 yet, but I'm 52 with several co-morbid conditions. BMI 37.7. I'm having the VSG done soon... within the next 2 months, I hope. Maybe some  of the other folks here can give you more information. Good Luck!  Shelly

I am not over 60, but I can give you some things to think about before choosing your surgery.  Gastric bypass has a 2.5% death rate, VSG has 1.5%.  There is not malabsorbtion issues with the VSG...and being over 60 I would think that this would be a major plus.  Through the different groups and boards that I have read, there is an aweful lot of RNYer's that end up with a lot of complications due to malabsorbtion.  Anemia, arthritis, bowel conditions are all know complications with the RNY, as your body cannot process nutrients it needs, the way it is meant to.  And although I have never seen any reports on this issue, my major concern is this.  I have worked with the elderly in the past.  It is a fact that as we age our need for medication increases.  Many seniors need medications for various conditions.  If you have the RNY, your body will not absorb the medications as it should...be it for arthritis, or alzheimers...are you going to have to take an enormous amount of medications to feel better?  Or perhaps get no relief from pain as you can no longer tolerate nsaids, which is an excellent anti-inflamatory medication...a highly used medication with seniors.  You will constantly need to be monitored, and as an aging person, this will, in my opinion more than likely happen. The sleeve is pretty much matainence free, as there are no malabsorption issues.  There are a lot of Pro's and cons to all the Surgery.  It seems to just make sense to me,. that those of us with a lower bmi would do better with the sleeve, but this is just my opinion.  Just keep researching  and you will find what is right for you.

I am 57 with numerous co-morbidities and my BMI was around 47.  I just had my surgery done on 2-22-08 and I feel great.  I chose this surgery because I was concerned about getting older any perhaps having other health issues and I did not want to deal with the mal absorption problems or issues with taking medications in the future. I already feel so much better and healthier and I am so happy I chose this surgery.

This question came up last night at the group meeting and my Dr said he just operated on a lady that was 75 and she's doing great. Hope it helps....  

Faufins! You don't look a day over fiddy....You really 75?  

You might be interested in reading the study referenced below. You can find it if you Google "sleeve gastrectomy" "older patients" (with the quotation marks around each phrase).

Good luck with your decision! 

THE BEST BARIATRIC OPERATION FOR OLDER PATIENTS: OUTCOME AFTER THE BAND, VERTICAL GASTRECTOMY, ROUX-EN-Y GASTRIC BYPASS, AND DUODENAL SWITCH

Crystine M. Lee, MD, Janos Taller, MD, John J. Feng, MD, FACS, Gregg H. Jossart, MD, FACS, Paul T. Cirangle, MD, FACS.

 Background: Age-related differences in outcome after bariatric surgery have not been well characterized. The laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy has been performed selectively in high-risk patients as a lower risk, staged duodenal switch and more recently as a single-stage operation for patients of lower body mass index. This study attempts to determine if a particular bariatric operation results in superior outcome for older patients.

Methods: A retrospective comparison of patients 50 years of age and over undergoing one of four different totally laparoscopic bariatric operations was performed (adjustable Lap-Band® placement, vertical gastrectomy, roux-en-Y gastric bypass, and biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch).

Results: Between February 2002 and February 2005, 197 (31%) primary bariatric laparoscopic operations were performed on patients over 50 years of age.

Laparoscopic vertical gastrectomy achieved weight loss at one year that was on par with that of roux-en-Y gastric bypass and duodenal switch (range 114-126 lbs), with a shorter average operative time (109 mins) and fewer complications (7.7%).

Conclusion: These data suggest that the best bariatric operation for older patients may be the laparoscopic VG because it achieves the greatest weight loss with the shortest operative time and the fewest complications.

Hi Leane,  I am currently 70, and hope to have the VSG this coming August, when I will be 71.   The decision as to which type of bariatric surgery is best is a personal one, and depends on many factors, some of which have been addressed above. If it were me, I would look over the postings in this forum of OH, as well as those of the roux en Y forum, or any other forum of interest.  This might give you an idea of the different problems and complications experienced by those participating in each surgery type, as well as the successes and, possibly, needs for surgical revisions. Good luck, Fred

Leane, you are a 'light-weight' and fortunately have no co-morbidities.  RNY, in my opinion, would be overkill.   I'll be 60 next month; had the VSG 19 months ago.  I am pleased with the outcome and am extremely relieved that I do not have to worry about deficiencies caused by malabsorption; or worry about not getting the total benefits of medications due to malabsorption.  I like the VSG 'cause your body continues to operate as it always did...nothing is rerouted... simply put you 'just have a smaller stomach', so you fill up with less food.   Wishing you all the best in whatever decision you make.

Good to see you posting again - hope you are doing well and recovering from your grief.