From Dr. Alvarez, "Amazing "before and after" slideshow where Betsy, who had the gastric sleeve procedure at 12, shows her weight loss journey and results."

You bet I am torn about this.

I've met the surgeon who performed the surgery, several times... he's a lovely person with superb skill.  He's awfully cute as well.  (Of course I can't find the photo of us.)  BUT I DIGRESS.

However.  12 years old?  I can't get my 12 year old to shower on a predictable basis - how on EARTH would I get him to follow through with the long-term care and feeding of a bariatric surgery procedure?

Is it worth it to step in and thwart the long term effects of obesity at a very young age -- or are we screwing with an adolescents development?  

I am torn.  Very.

WHAT SAY YOU?

 

Well, if someone that young needs to have WLS, I think the sleeve is probably the best choice.

Whether or not someone that young should have WLS at all, I think it depends on a whole bunch of factors.  How overweight are they?  What health problems do they have due to obesity?  What things have they tried to lose weight?  How mature are they?  Are they likely to comply with post op directions?  Are they able to understand what it is they are committing to, for the rest of their lives?  How much support do they have from their parents?  Will parents make sure they have suitable meals and all the vitamins they need and all that stuff post op?

In most cases, I think 12 would be too young.  But maybe in some cases, it's necessary.

Agreed.

I have always thought it should be saved for those dying of obesity... but.... ?

I am ambivalent about whether 12 is too young, (for lots of 12 year olds it definitely is too young, for others, perhaps not)  but I would like for people to have access to the full range of WLS surgery options long before they are actually dying of obesity - ideally before there is permanent damage to joints / organs / metabolism etc.

Margo! Love the new pic!

Thank you! I love your avatar!

Yeah it's just so........."Me"! Lol.

I don't know the whole story, but 12 seems much too young to me. Has she even hit puberty yet?

I don't know a single 12 year old that can truly grasp the life long implications of this kind of body modification. A tattoo seems like a much better choice at this age (where is that darn sarcasm font?)

I reached puberty when I was 9, and let me tell you - puberty does not equal maturity ;)

At 12, if someone had written down the rules for me and if my parents had helped me out, I know I would have been a success story. Maybe this girl will turn out that way, too.

I'm torn as well. Depends on how big a threat her weight was to her health. I think it would be a case by case basis thing.

With the sleeve, at least MOST patients can get away with slacking on supplements, etc for a while (a few get deficient in iron or B12) but it's a huge lifestyle change for a 12 year old.

I guess I'd hate to see it done routinely but would rather that than the band in a case where intervention is seriously necessary. The odds of a band lasting 80-some years seem low to me.