Sad subject

 

Greetings to all:

New to OH. One question, has anyone died after having WLS, that you know of. This question comes up when I tell my friends / family that I'm thinking about having WLS.

 

Regards: 88

You risk death with ANY surgery. Good example, the teenager who just died because of Wisdom Tooth surgery.

Best option, check your surgeon out thoroughly. Ask if he has had anyone die while under his/her care.

Mine has had ONE death in his practice (multiple surgeons)due to complications beyond his control after surgery but because it was within the 30 day window, it is considered related to WLS.

So while no, I personally do not know anyone, it does happen.

Liz

This is a strange quirk of how these statistics are collected. A person could die in a car wreck a week after surgery, but it would still end up in their 30 day mortality tables. Very strange.

When I was preop everyone knew OF someone who had died. I did have a second cousin who had pneumonia and didn't realize it nor did her anesthesiologist. She had complications due to this during surgery and didn't make it.

Like Southern Lady said, I made sure my surgeon had a low complication record and reassured my family that I had a very experienced surgeon and not to worry.

Otherwise I figured I was a heart attack waiting to happen. I would literally lie awake in bed at night terrified I'd have the big one in my sleep. WLS was a last resort.

Yes, but remember that many obese people are not healthy, which creates risk.
A recent post on my local forum re: a death:
http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/on/4480734/Family-sues-Ott awa-Hospital-after-woman-37-dies-following/

 I'm positive that people die from ALL surgery and WLS is no exception!

Someone on another board posted last week about a friend of his recently died from complications of a tummy tuck. I also don't personally know of anyone who has died but im sure it has happened. 

Before surgery that was HUGE concern for me also. I just couldn't bare the thought of leaving my 4 kids without a mom. I researched my doctor and asked alot of questions. I chose someone who had a zero fatality rate. Although, that didn't mean that I would not be the first. So when I decided to proceed with the surgery I prayed about it and went forward with it. I also, had to consider the fact that if I did not have the surgery that I could also die as a result of my super morbid obesity.

It's scary (especially when ppl choose to share death stories) but in the end of the day the choice is yours on whether or not it's worth the risk.

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Hi: Elizabeth. 
                     I have no concerns or worries, I'm 63, if the good Lord gives me 15 or 20 years more I'll be happy with that.  Obesity kills, surgery may kill, l'm going with the surgery. I have not had surgery yet, just waiting on the ins co. I have picked my surgeon, he is the head surgeon at The Cleveland Hospital In Florida, Dr, Rosenthal. I'm blessed I've found a great support term on OH, thanks you guys. 

Ready to go:  88 

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Yes. My friends first wife had a bypass. She originally lost alot of weight but then she started binge eating. She would make herself so sick that he would have to clean up after her. He took her to the e.r. a few times as well. She would never come clean that she was binging...I mean bake a cake and sit down to eat the WHOLE thing. So, naturally she would vomit and dump. She was a mess. They finally seperated for other issues as well.
One day he rec'd a phone call from her mother stating she was in the hospital and was on life support and since they were still married he had to give the ok to take her off machines.
This is by far the worse case I've ever heard. When he went back to see her in the hospital, she was just as large as she was when she first got the surgery. She did suffer from addiction of many kinds. She would trade one for another. In the end it was her carelessness that got to her. She did finally rupture her stomach and became septic.
I know, crazy isn't it.
She should never have been approved because of mental issues.
Not trying to scare you because she IS the exception. I don't know of people that have behaved as badly as she did and knowing the consequences of not taking care of herself.