5 years post-op?

Hello everybody, My PCP asked me a question the other day that I didn't have an answer for. His question was, Is there any documentation available that shows how successful this surgery continues to be 5 years post-op? He was concerned that if the percentages were low(success wise) that it wouldn't be worth going through the surgery. Now, keep in mind...this guy is a percentage freak. He is in the medical field of course and he is very thin to boot. I felt frustrated because I didn't have an answer and I thought I had done my research. This has not changed my mind..and I hope it doesn't change yours...I was just wondering if any of you have this info. Thanks and have a super day! Virginia

Virginia, You may want to post this on the main message board to see if someone knows? I'd be interested in knowing what you find out. Lori 384/293/170

Hi Lori, Thanks for the idea of putting this post on the main message board. I just did it. I hope maybe somone out there is 5 years post-op to lend their expertise. Virginia

I'm not post op but I did research on that because my husband wanted to know. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15819376 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15802056 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15479938 These might help. I read over them when I was trying to find out the success rate after 10 yrs. My husband was concerned because you rarely hear from wls patients after the first few years. Please let me know what you find out, I'd like to know myself. Thanks, Jamie

Hi Jamie, I posted this post on the main message board. a few people responded so you might want to check it out. I guess the consences is that the surgery is what you make it. There are post-ops that have done fabulous and there are some who gained back..I guess that's true of any diet right?? I do know someone who is 4 years out and has only gained back 5 lbs after she met goal..but that's just one person. Thanks Virginia

Try this for your PCP - New England Journal of Medicine... NEJM.... if he hasn't heard of this journal... get a new PCP FAST!!!!! Bariatric Surgery Effective for Long-Term Weight Loss Clinical Question: How effective is bariatric surgery in the long term? Setting: Population-based Study Design: Nonrandomized controlled trial Allocation: Unconcealed Synopsis: According to the results of a recent meta-analysis, bariatric surgery successfully treats many of the comorbid conditions associated with obesity. However, most of the studies were of less than two years' duration (Buchwald H, et al. Bariatric surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA October 13, 2004;292:1724-37). In the current study, Swedish researchers invited patients to undergo bariatric surgery. Of 8,966 patients who met age and weight-for-height criteria, 4,047 eventually underwent surgery at one of 25 centers. The decision to have surgery was made by the patient after consultation with a surgeon; patients choosing not to have surgery became part of a control pool. The type of surgery was determined by the physicians at the center. At the time of surgery, each patient was matched with a patient from the control pool based on age, obesity, comorbidities, and other clinical factors. Patients were then followed for up to 10 years. Thus, this was not a randomized trial. The operative mortality rate was 0.25 percent and the rate of serious surgical complications was 13 percent. Weight loss peaked after one year in the surgery group (38 percent for gastric bypass, 27 percent for vertical banded gastroplasty, and 21 percent for banding). Weight loss at two years was an average of 23 percent for the surgery groups compared with a 0.1 percent weight gain in the control group. After 10 years, weight loss was less dramatic (25, 16, and 13 percent for the three different procedures), but still better than the 1.6 percent gain in the control group. At two and 10 years, surgical patients were significantly more likely than control patients to have recovered from diabetes (36 versus 13 percent), hypertension (19 versus 11 percent), and hypertriglyceridemia (46 versus 24 percent). There was no difference at two or 10 years in the rate of recovery from elevated total cholesterol. The most important outcome, however, was all-cause mortality. The authors did not give these results because the study is continuing under the supervision of a data-monitoring committee, which suggests that there are no important differences among the groups so far. Bottom Line: Bariatric surgery helps patients lose weight and reverse diabetes, hypertension, and some hyperlipidemias. It is still unknown whether it affects all-cause mortality. (Level of Evidence: 2c) MARK EBELL, M.D., M.S. Study Reference: Sjostrom L, et al. Lifestyle, diabetes, and cardiovascular risk factors 10 years after bariatric surgery. N Engl J Med December 23, 2004;351:2683-93. Used with permission from Ebell M. Bariatric surgery effective for wt loss and DM, HTN at 10 yrs. Accessed online January 25, 2005, at: http://www.InfoPOEMs.com.