Bariatric surgery not effective for older [veteran] males?
One of the things that pushed me over and really made me schedule the surgery was a special I watched that featured my doctor. He did VSG on a 60+ year old and he died after the 2nd month post op of a heart attack. Years of being obese took their toll on him and the surgery as Dr Schauer says in that article was, "Too little, too late..."
I am hoping to avoid that, and at 34 I wasn't getting any younger.
I am hoping to avoid that, and at 34 I wasn't getting any younger.
Pre Op: 415 SW: 390 Goal: 235 CW: 225
This one of the reason I went for my vsg my dad passed away at 57 only 2 years after retiring. He waited to long on starting to lose weight. Had 1 heart attach right after he retired at 55 which led to another major heat attack had a pace maker but the heart was to damaged and he passe away with congestive heart failure. My sister just passed about 2 months ago from a major heart attack all weight related. You will prolong your life 1 way or another.
Lost 5 pounds preop 
Try and remember the surgery is just part of the journey...it is following the nutrition guidelines...I can think of several people over 45 who had the RNY and gained it all back plus more!
Samantha is right...quality of life is very important....
So having the sleeve you now have the tool to follow better nutrition and improve life's quality...no need to focus too much on one's possible timeline...enjoy the journey
Samantha is right...quality of life is very important....
So having the sleeve you now have the tool to follow better nutrition and improve life's quality...no need to focus too much on one's possible timeline...enjoy the journey
GarnetGirl
I had surgery slightly before my 64th birthday....I read the article earlier today and decided so what....
I may NOT live longer, but I'll certainly live better....I can do so many more things now than I could before...my QUAILITY of life is dramatically improved.
I could have stayed morbidly obese and died whenever it will be or I could have had the surgery and had a much improved life and lived the same amount of time OR lived longer....I'm glad I had the surgery.
I'd rather have the better life for however long I have left.
I may NOT live longer, but I'll certainly live better....I can do so many more things now than I could before...my QUAILITY of life is dramatically improved.
I could have stayed morbidly obese and died whenever it will be or I could have had the surgery and had a much improved life and lived the same amount of time OR lived longer....I'm glad I had the surgery.
I'd rather have the better life for however long I have left.
I'm not sure I believe this study. The raw data showed that the mortality rate of the control group was about double that of the bariatric group..."At 6 years 6.8% of the bariatric surgery patients died, compared to 15.2% of the controls"
Only after they massaged the data(which I admittedly don't understand) do they conclude that there is no benefit.
One other thing, the control group had a BMI of 42 while the bariatric group started with 47.7. For a fair comparison shouldn't the control group have about the same BMI as the bariatric group? Surely the mortality rate of the control group would have been even higher if their avg BMI was 47.4 instead of 42 (unless obesity isn't as deadly as we have been led to believe).
I don't put much faith in these studies. For all we know it could have been funded by Jenny Craig. I'm sure there will be another study that comes along at some point that contradicts this study. They always do.
Only after they massaged the data(which I admittedly don't understand) do they conclude that there is no benefit.
One other thing, the control group had a BMI of 42 while the bariatric group started with 47.7. For a fair comparison shouldn't the control group have about the same BMI as the bariatric group? Surely the mortality rate of the control group would have been even higher if their avg BMI was 47.4 instead of 42 (unless obesity isn't as deadly as we have been led to believe).
I don't put much faith in these studies. For all we know it could have been funded by Jenny Craig. I'm sure there will be another study that comes along at some point that contradicts this study. They always do.
(deactivated member)
on 6/13/11 2:14 am, edited 6/13/11 2:15 am - Woodbridge, VA
on 6/13/11 2:14 am, edited 6/13/11 2:15 am - Woodbridge, VA
Wait, what?
Without the painstaking matching analysis, the researchers did see a lower death rate in the surgery group compared to a group of obese patients who didn't have surgery. But that could mean the patients who underwent surgery were healthier than the patients who didn't.
I haven't seen the actual study, just articles about the study, so LOTS of questions. What is their definition of "older?" Of the men who died in each group, what were the causes of death? BTW, male or not, and regardless of procedure type, that program has a HIGH early post-op death rate. If their surgery stats are that poor, I can't help but wonder what kind of follow-up information and support the patients are given (or lack thereof, more likely).
In the end, do ANY of us really go into this solely for the "survival benefit?" Any one of us could die in a car accident next week, and WLS would not have prevented it. No, we go into this for an improved quality of life, to get off of medications, to be able to MOVE more normally or painlessly, to be able to go up a flight of stairs without getting out of breath, and for a multitude of other reasons. Adding years to my life wasn't even on my list! If I'm going to only live 10 more years either way, I'd rather live those 10 years more actively, more able to participate in activities with my friends and family, and no longer relegated to the sidelines due to my size or weight-related health restrictions.
Without the painstaking matching analysis, the researchers did see a lower death rate in the surgery group compared to a group of obese patients who didn't have surgery. But that could mean the patients who underwent surgery were healthier than the patients who didn't.
I haven't seen the actual study, just articles about the study, so LOTS of questions. What is their definition of "older?" Of the men who died in each group, what were the causes of death? BTW, male or not, and regardless of procedure type, that program has a HIGH early post-op death rate. If their surgery stats are that poor, I can't help but wonder what kind of follow-up information and support the patients are given (or lack thereof, more likely).
In the end, do ANY of us really go into this solely for the "survival benefit?" Any one of us could die in a car accident next week, and WLS would not have prevented it. No, we go into this for an improved quality of life, to get off of medications, to be able to MOVE more normally or painlessly, to be able to go up a flight of stairs without getting out of breath, and for a multitude of other reasons. Adding years to my life wasn't even on my list! If I'm going to only live 10 more years either way, I'd rather live those 10 years more actively, more able to participate in activities with my friends and family, and no longer relegated to the sidelines due to my size or weight-related health restrictions.
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