Hello

[GirlFriday]

Hello Mirabella - I am so glad you came here, and I appreciate the phone call today, too. I know that you have heard enough from me on the subject so I am going to let these lovely people help you out. I hope that you find the information that you need. Please review the section on vitamins and labs in forums. A lot of the questions that you had can be answered there.

You may call me anytime.

 

[DianaCox]

I understand your husband's concerns, but your daughter is an adult, and should have the right to chose which procedure is best for her. Now I hope she realizes that the DS is for LIFE - and she MUST be diligent for the rest of her life, no time off, to stay healthy - as that other person has sadly learned, bones are not replaceable or fixable after a certain point. Same with brains.

 

[Larra]

Welcome, Mirabella!
Your daughter is so very fortunate to have supportive parents who are trying to help her with this big decision. Yes, she is legally an adult and the final decision should be hers, but at that age most people still value their parents' input. I was a very, very independent teenager (in collage and living away from home before 17th birthday) but would have involved my parents in this process even so.
If your daughter has a bmi of 65 at such a young age, she almost certainly has some kind of metabolic issue(s) that are contributing to her being SMO (super morbidly obese) and hindering any efforts to lose weight and keep it off. She will need a surgery that provides the most metabolic change to get her out of this quandary, and that's the DS. I think the sleeve is helpful for some people, particularly those with no metabolic issues and not too much excess weight, but the unfortunate reality is that this doesn't describe your daughter.
I hope your daughter will come here herself, read up on the vitamin/supplement and protein needs she will have for the rest of her life, and become an active member of our group. There is only so much even the most loving and devoted parent or spouse or friend can do, she will need to take an active role in maintaining her own health post-op and there are people here who can and will offer the best information available anywhere. And hopefully someday in the not too distant future, she will be mentoring others and helping them along this path.

 

[Mirabella]

My daughter is still in high school, and we are concerned that she will have this surgery and not be able to handle the aftercare. That is the reason my husband was pushing for the sleeve.

We are sitting down tonight, as a family, to read some of the threads and come up with a list of questions. We really want what is best for her and if this DS is what is best, then we should do it. BUT, I believe that we ALL need to be educated about living with this.

I appreciate all of the information that you all have made available to us. I sincerely hope that you don't mind if we ask more questions.

 

[Larra]

We WANT you to ask questions! Ask questions of us, ask questions of your surgeon, make yourselves the best informed patient and family possible.

I can appreciate your concerns about someone so young managing the aftercare, and not every teenager can or will do it. Keep in mind, though that there are teenagers living with heart transplants and kidney transplants and insulin pumps and all sorts of medical interventions that require very strict life long aftercare nowadays. Of course their families help them until they are old enough and mature enough to manage for themselves, and of course you know your daughter and how responsible she is, all I'm saying is that she is by far and away not the only one her age with this type of responsibility. Keep in mind also that there is much more limited value (if any) in her having an operation that is easier to manage but not as effective.

 

[brooklyngirl]

Hi @Mirabella ! Bravo on you guys for doing research and coming to an informed decision. Many of the complications that people end up with are related to NOT doing what you're doing now to be informed about nutritional and vitamin needs. The surgical complications, well, those can happen with any surgery. If your daughter is the type to take things seriously and has the capacity to be diligent, then chances are, she'll be fine.

I had the DS at 35 (and actually my 2 year surgiversary will be August 5th!) and my body was in horrendous shape. I was "pre-diabetic", had SEVERE obstructive sleep apnea and AFib/SVT borderline hypertensive, and a host of arthritis in my knees, hips and back, which made it damned near impossible to get around and enjoy life. Please don't take this the wrong way, it's not meant as an insult, but my BMI when I had surgery at 35 was 66, it was WAY lower when I was 18. I was always overweight to obese, but if your daughter is that size now, she's I for a lifetime of serious medical issues if she doesn't do something to change it. I was all set to have gastric bypass when my surgeon called me on a Sunday night and said that he'd been thinking long and hard about it and that he'd be doing me a disservice if he didn't offer the DS. He knew that I'd never make it to a normal weight without it. It wasn't his specialty, but he trained under one of the best and would have another well known surgeon in the ER. He told me to do my research and give a former patient a call and come back to him with questions, so that's what I did, and I'm thankful for him every day because of it.

I believe some others asked already, but just to be sure, has she been a yoyo dieter? Has she lost and regained a bunch of times? Does she have binge eating issues? These may be relevant in the decision making process as well.

Best of luck to you both!

 

[unavidanueva]

@Mirabella, I don't have much to say that could possibly add to all the good advice these vets have already posted for you. I am pre-op, but please know that you are in the absolute right place to get the information you need. Read, read, read. Ask your questions. This is not a decision to be taken lightly, and I am so glad that the three of you are fully investigating everything together.

 

[newanatomy]

Welcome. It sounds like your daughter has a good surgeon who knew enough to recommend the DS. At a 65 BMI that sounds like her best shot at having a long healthy life. I wish I could have had my DS younger!