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Squishy to be honest, I've read all your comments below, and all the ones you aren't sure about.. how they are related.. they are most of them will be from lack of nutrition, malnutrition, malabsorption, vitamin deficiencies. Yes we are told about malabsorption, but what happens if you can't absorb what you need to, and like me or Paige have to take double, triple, and sometimes more of the same meds, and vitamins to get the same effect as most. And this is my case in point... most people go into this without any of this information. I would imagine if the surgery were a success it would not cause coma, blindness, or death.. to answer your obvious question. Blurred vision I have is caused by luetin deficiency, just another in the line of problems. Muscle pain, I have severe muscle and bone pain since surgery.. worse so than before. Teeth loss can come from severe reflux, and acid caused from chronic vomiting. Ulcers are caused by gastritis, and acid reflux. Hence the reason I guess they put everyone on PPI's after surgery. I guess I wasn't bargaining for the inferno I'm encountering! Feeding tubes and picc lines, are the result of too much weight loss, and nutritional deficiencies. It is not a surgical complication initially, but one that comes as a result of not being able to eat, and take in your nutrition etc, and become too thin. TPN is what most know it to be.. Constipation can be caused by dehydration, but for me it's a result of the surgery. Anyone wants an explanation just ask. Vertigo for me is caused by vitamin deficiencies, and lack of nutrition. And the list goes on... Thanks for taking the time to explore them. Janie

Dehydration I have found that I really have to force myself to drink constantly. I definitely was dehydrated at first.

Chronic Vomiting and Nausea, Ruptured Esophagus from vomiting, Thankfully I have not had this. I wonder if there is any research that would indicate which foods are most likely to cause this? I have also heard that this can happen when the hole from the pouch to the intestine is too small. I heard that they can do a balloon catheterization to stretch it if that is the cause. I am really grateful that I don't have to deal with this.

Stroke, Silent Stroke, Heart Attack I know I was at high risk of this before the surgery. Both my parents had strokes and my mom had a pacemaker. I have to believe that my risk is lower for stroke or heart attack without the additional weight and with the better eating habits that I have to follow as a result of the surgery.

Arrhythmia I don't what causes this (with out without the surgery)

Kidney stones, Kidney Failure I imagine that the risk of this following surgery increases if you have the dehydration problem. If you can avoid the dehydration, I would be surprised if the risk was any greater. Maybe there is something else, but I just don't know what it would be.

Liver Failure, Anemia, Deficiencies (B-12,potassium, iron,B-1, B-6, etc.) Weakness and Fatigue from Malnutrition These all seem related. They cautioned us about these before the surgery and spent a lot of time talking about the need to supplement these following the procedure.

Malnutrition, Malabsorbtion of supplements (calcium, minerals, nutrients from food) The bypass intentionally creates malabsorbtion and malnutrition, so I guess I knew this was going to happen (not probably, but definitely). More of a choice than a side-effect. I wonder if there is some point increase our supplements because I'm sure that everyone absorbs things differently.

Blurred Vision I don't know what about the surgery would cause this. I know that diabetes can cause vision problems, so had I not had the WLS, I probably would have ended up diabetic (Jane already was) so my chances of vision problems were probably as high before as they are now. Maybe?

Muscle and Bone Pain I definitely had muscle and bone pain due to the excess weight, so the risk of this one may be no greater than it would have been without the surgery.

Loss of Teeth, Bleeding Gums,Rotting Teeth Due to Vomiting Requiring Root Canals This one I really don't know about. I think the dehydration problem can cause some gum problems too.

Hypoglycemia This was definitely a very high risk with the excess weight. It seems that the surgery probably reduced the risk of this.

Headaches I am not sure why the risk of this would go up. Just don't know.

Blackouts/Seizures This would be terrifying! Any idea why the surgery could cause this?

Lactose Intolerant This one the warned us about, so I would not consider this so much a complication, rather, I would say this one was a choice that Jane and I made.

Injury to Spleen during surgery This one, along with many other accidents during surgery could result from any surgery, so it seems to fall into a little different category.

Coma, Paralysis/Blindness after coma I'm not sure if this would be the result of an accident during surgery. If so, it probably goes in the same category as the previous one. Can the outcome of a successful surgery still result in this?

Osteoporosis We were definitely warned that we would need to supplement calcium following the surgery. If we follow the requirements for supplementing, is our risk any higher than it would have been without the
surgery?

Burst Pouch That sounds like it could be pretty bad. Obviously this risk would not exist without the surgery. I wonder what the percentages are for this complication.

Lupus, Auto-Immune Disease I don't know anything about these. How does the surgery lead to these?

Looped Intestines I can see where this could happen if things went wrong in the surgery. Again, I wonder how common this is. Any idea the percentage of patients who experience this?

Misfired Stapler during surgery This would definitely fall into the category of surgical complication/mishap.

Ulcers Not sure how WLS would cause this. I thought I read that they were caused by a virus.

Pneumonia/Lung Problems I guess I would consider this a possible complication of any surgery. Probably no greater with WLS than any other surgery in which you are put out.

Arthritis I definitely had this before the surgery and it was aggravated by my weight. I don't see how WLS could make this worse or increase our risk. Any ideas?

Overall Pain I had a lot of pain before, and a lot less now. I suppose that malnutrition could cause pain. Scar tissue, etc. could also. All I can say is that for me, I have a lot less pain now.

Metabolic Bone Disease Not sure what this is.

Food Blocking Stoma Causing Severe Pain, Stoma Needing Stretched Repeatedly This seems like one of the worst complications I have heard about. It sounds like it might be the cause of a lot of the vomiting mentioned above.

Neuropathy I know that this is commom with diabetes, which is much more common with the excess weight than without it, so it seems that the risk of this would actually go down following WLS.

Beri Beri This would fall into the malnutrition category. This is caused by a lack of thiamine. From what I can find, it is a very rare side-effect, and can
be treated with supplemental thiamine.

Put on Feeding Tubes/PICC Lines I think this is another surgical complication.

Fibromyalgia This one seems hard to pin down. From what I have read, it can be genetic or even caused by depression.

Fistulas My brother had a fistula, but it was unrelated to WLS. I am not sure how WLS would cause this. Not saying it can't... I just don't know.

Atrophy of Muscles, Hair Loss I believe that this is mostly due to a protein deficiency. Making sure that you are getting enough protein may prevent this.

Hernias This is a risk following any surgery in which the abdomen is opened.

Blood Clots, Leaks These would go into the surgical complication category. I'm sure this risk is the same for any major surgery.

Peritonitis Would this go into the surgical complication category?

Heart Burn/Gerd/Acid Reflux I had these before the surgery and they have gone away now. I would think that the risk is higher for these before WLS. Just about everyone I know who is overweight has heart burn and/or acid reflux.

Bowel Obstructions I suppose that anytime they mess around with your intestines, this risk goes up. I wonder what percent of WLS patients have this complication compared to the general public.

Gallstones and Gallbladder Removal I'm told that gallstones are a common result of rapid weight loss. I have lost a lot or weight several times and had my gallbladder removed before my WLS.

Severe Depression, Anxiety I would be willing to bet that there are more overweight people who are depressed and anxious than there are people who have had successful WLS. A WLS that results in major complications could definitely lead to depression, though. Looking at the rate at which antidepressants are prescribed these days, I doubt that the chances of WLS patients developing depression is much if any greater than the general public. It would be interesting to see statistics.

Loss of Memory, Poor Concentration I don't remember what I was going to write about this one. LOL! But seriously... I have had issues with this for a while prior to surgery, but I definitely went through a period following surgery where this seemed to worsen. I think part of it is the anesthesia, part nutrition, and part is just because it is such a major life-change that I had a hard time thinking about anything else.

Constipation Maybe ties back to dehydration???

Opening Of Outer Incision-Needing Packing Until Healed From The Inside Out I would call this one a surgical complication. Similar risk to any other major surgery?

Insomnia/Sleep Disorders I'm not sure why WLS would cause this. I had some of this before the surgery. Seems a little better after. Maybe nutrition problems could cause this?

Unforced Anorexia and Bulimia Is this an extreme version of malnutrition and vomiting covered earlier?

Gas Yeah, I think we all have experienced this. Luckily there are products like the new Gas-X strips and Devrom to help with this.

Vertigo I'm not sure why WLS would cause this and how much greater the risk is than it would be for the general public.

Many End Up Becoming Invalids I might question the article's claim that "many" end up invalids. As a percentage of all WLS patients, I would guess that this is really small. Don't get me wrong, even one would be tragic, but I think that many of us with serious weight problems were facing the risk of becoming invalids before WLS. Actually, the risk is probably much higher with the excess weight, especially for the morbidly obese with comorbidities

and then there is death I honestly believe that I have extended my life as a result of WLS. An early death was a certainty for those of us who were morbidly obese. Of course, there is always the risk of death during a major surgery that must be considered.

So, again... I am not discounting anyone's complications. I know there are risks and that those who have complications are going through very difficult times. I just wanted to explore this topic a little further and offer my opinion on the article that you found.

For those considering WLS... You absolutely have to consider all of the possible outcomes, (both good and bad), of having the surgery and not having the surgery. There are people on this forum for whom the complications are a daily reality. There are also people on this forum whose lives are infinitely improved. WLS is not the easy way out. It is the biggest commitment to your health you will probably ever make. It is not a decision to be taken lightly.

That said, I still believe that it is the best decision I have ever made for my health. I hope I always feel that way. Time will tell.

-Mike-[/quote]