ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass and Lap Band® Forum - View Single Post

MiladyB · 04-13-2008, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RebeccaNV

First off, I had a liver transplant 23 yrs go (next month) so this topic is of great interest to me. I have been researching gastric bypass surgery and it's affect upon the liver for several months now. Ty to the OP for bring it's attention to the forum.

I have read real, actual MEDICAL reports on the subject. Yes, liver failure can occur as a result of gastric bypass surgery. I have not yet discovered the reason (I am guessing that it may be from rapid weightloss) but I will continue to research this. The link that I posted at the end of this message states that liver failure can result many years after gbs (I will be looking for further medical evidence to substanciate this).

Many obese ppl have liver disease (NASH, NAFLD, more commonly known as fatty liver disease) and not even be aware of it. It is even more prevalent amongst those who are obese and have type II diabetes (which I have). I have an annual ultrasound of my liver and fatty liver deposits showed up on the scan two years go but this was not reflected in my bloodwork (done every 8 weeks) until this past January. The high liver enzymes also coincided with elevated glucose numbers, which prompted my dr. to discontinue my oral meds and begin insulin therapy. This has resulted in a weight gain of 22lbs, hence why I am here researching gastric bypass sugery. My liver enzymes have come down a bit, as my glucose numbers have as well.

In conclusion, although the risk is minimal, liver failure can occur as a result of gastric bypass surgery. I am sure that your doctors have advised you all of the potential risks but keep in mind that he/she sees many other patients and things do get past them. My advice on this would be to have liver function tests perfomed an a yearly basis after gastric bypass surgery.

I wish that some posters here would research a topic before opening their perverbial big mouths.

OP, I am sorry for the loss of your mother. Liver failure is not a fun way to go. Do not let some of these somewhat biased posters bother you.

Gastric Bypass and Liver Failure

There are other reports out there..this happend to be the most "user friendly."

And, as a former newspaper reporter I think that you entitled your post wonderfully. It certainly got my attention!!!

Rebecca, thank you for this information. It actually goes along with the information my surgeon and pcp told me when my liver enzymes were elevated after surgery. Their explaination for the elevated liver enzymes was the fact that I probably went into surgery with fatty liver disease due to my obesity. Also the rapid weight loss and high protein diet that we are on can often elevate the liver enzymes. I have read many times that people on here have stated that their liver enzymes have been elevated early postop. I know mine were and have slowly come down over the past 2 years...again, I was told that this really isn't all that uncommon. My surgeon does check my liver profile yearly along with my pcp checking it yearly, so I have it checked every 6 months.

From research that I have done what I have found is that if a patient has nonalcoholic fatty liver disease rapid weight loss can make make things worse.

"there is evidence to suggest that rapid weight loss ( > 1.6 kg per week) achieved by following a rigid diet can lead to the development of inflammation and fibrosis. Although it is not entirely clear how rapid weight loss and worsening liver histology are linked, this phenomenon could result from the massive liberation of free fatty acids into the bloodstream during these drastic diets.[98] This issue has become an important concern in relation to some types of bariatric procedures, such as biliopancreatic diversion and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass."

But it has also been found that with weight loss fatty liver disease can also improve and gradual weight loss is often the treatment for fatty liver disease. It appears the risk is there without the surgery from the obesity and with the surgery. The surgery could make it better or it could make it worse.

I think what we should take from this post is that this is a serious operation. We owe it to ourselves to be totally aware of what could happen before we make a decision. It is a fact that things can go wrong, very wrong and we should never turn a blind eye to that possibility. We each have to make our own personal decision about what is best for us. We need to look at our quality of life before surgery and decide if it is worth the risk of surgery. For me the surgery was the best decision I could have ever made for myself. I had numerous co-morbidities that could have taken my life at any moment and I felt this was really the only way to save my life. Basicly I had to risk my life in order to save it. But we do have to make sure that we go into this with our eyes wide open.