Do you know of anyone who died from his?

The last stat I read stated less than one half of 1% of wls patients die or have life threatning complications from wls.  Anecdotal evidence means little.  Do some research, check the facts and todays real stats.  Medically this is considered a safe procedure. 

My cousins wife died on the operating table from the RNY. It was due to the doctor knicking another organ while having the procedure done openly, not laprascopic.  My doctors office hasn't lost one patient since they have performed the surgery laprascopically.  I would say you are pretty safe.  If your scared, go to church.    :   )

One of the most difficult things for me in considering this surgery is the fact that my dad's mom died from complications of WLS. My grandmother. I never got to meet her, so this hasn't affected me a whole lot, but it's been a pain to get all my family on board with this as a result. This is the reason I was initially wanting to have Lap Band, but after lots of research on the RNY and my surgeon I honestly feel like RNY is the best option for me despite my grandmother's demise. I keep telling myself, too, that she had the procedure in the 1970's and medicine has come a very long way since then!

What has helped the most is knowing about my surgeon, his education and experience. He's only lost 1 patient, but said patient was extremely high risk for any surgery. He had a BMI in the 70's, he was more than 60 yrs old, and had a whole slew of comorbidities. I'm young, have relatively few health problems, no diabetes, history of clots, etc, so that makes me very confident in my surgeon's abilities.

The final thing I learned about my surgeon that completely put my fears to rest was in his personal bio on his website. It describes on there how he is a man of God and is even willing to pray with/over his patients before their surgery!

I also read in a book by bariatric surgeon Garth Davis that you are more likely to die from having a knee replacement than you are from having WLS!

Best of luck to you and hope your fears are calmed before your big day arrives.

You could always ask your surgeon for his specific stats.
My surgeon told me he has lost 2 patients in 8 years. One from a blood clot and one from pneumonia.

I personally know no one who died from the surgery nor -- to my knowledge -- do I even KNOW anyone ELSE who personally knows anyone who has died from it.  This surgery does not carry any higher risk of death than other common surgeries (hysterectomy, glalbladder removal, appendectomy, etc.).

I do, on the other, know (or knew) two people who died as a direct result of obesity related causes: one man who was about 350 pounds had a heart attack, and one woman who was probably about the same weight (I did not know her well enough to know exactly) died from a pulmonary embolism (they attributed the clot to her extremely sedentary lifestyle).

It is a serious surgery, so it is natural to be scared.

Lora

You can die from any surgery.  You're likely to die from the complications brought on by obesity--diabetes, high bp, cholesterol, limited mobility, etc.  Get educated. Attend some support groups. Observe OH for an extended period of time. My RNY was my first major surgery under general anesthetic.  I was really nervous for the last 2-3 days prior to surgery. But come surgery day, I was up early and ready.  BTW, my mom just died from complications of diabetes over the past 30 years. DAVE

Of all the people I know or know of who have had this surgery, I know of only one person who has died. That said, I even know some people who have had complications and are now alive, well and thinner happier people for it! The person I know who died refused to follow post-op instructions. She was shoveling in food within 3 weeks of surgery, vomiting and continuing to eat without regard for healing. After 2 revisions, on her 3rd she had heart failure and died. 

I know countless people who are absolute successes, myself included. We followed instructions, took things seriously and consider our long-term health above all else. If you're prepared for the committment that succeeding really takes, this surgery is far safer than continuing life obese. The co-morbidities that exist in the obese are far riskier than one day on the table. Good luck!

Yep, I do know someone who died from complications of WLS. It is tremendously sad, but also incredibly rare.

She passed away in August of 2008, I had my surgery in December of that year, four months later. Her own daughter has since had WLS, and is doing great.

I just try to remember that if God has decided it's my time, it's gonna be my time, whether I'm on the operating table or safe at home in my own bed. Probably silly I know, but keeping that in mind has helped me in a lot of situations.

Nerves are normal. If you're truly worried about it to the point that it's interferring with your functioning or is causing you to be obsessive, postpone your surgery until you're more sure. Just be aware that you will likely ALWAYS have some anxiety about going under the knife for any reason. It's just how we are wired.

Best of luck to you in your journey.=)

I know someone who did die right before. They were almost scheduled for the surgery and died from the obesity related complications. I'm scared too but in the end I know it will be well worth it. See my surgeon next week to schedule my surgery. Good luck on your journey.

I know how you feel.  I look at my beautiful 1 yr old daughter and wonder if I am making the right decision.  I wouldn't want her to lose her mother so young.  It may sound morbid, but I do plan on writing a letter to her just in case.

On the other hand, I think about my inability to keep up and play with her right now, the possibility of her learning my bad habits and the fact that I could die from an obesity-related health problem just as easily down the road. 

In the end, I'm choosing to try and change my life now so that I can be there for her until she has her own children.  And so she can enjoy her childhood with a happy, healthy mom.  :-)