Read in the information leaflet that 1 in 200 die during or shortly after this operation, this seems quiet a high number for me? Has anyone else read this? im asking this as i have my operation on 30th November and like everyone else im scared........ cant sleep, very tearful, and the fears are driving me mad...BUT yet i need this for ME mostly and then to see my children grow up ....... give me your comments and views thanks xx

I have never heard that statistic before. Talk to your surgeon. My surgeon has never had a death and has never had a leak. Less than 1% develop leaks from this surgery. The studies I have read about have had no deaths in 750 or more patients in the study. It sounds like you need to stop googling before you drive yourself insane. Call your surgeon and talk to them. All surgeries are scary, but a means to an end.

The weight loss center that I am going to has had one death over the years (well over 200 people). They talk about it openly and talk about the details too. They said that the person had a heart attack. They are not entirely sure, but they think it was a chemical imbalance. The Dr says that even if the odds are very good for patients, for that one in (fill in the blank) it is 100% dead.

The 1in200 is in the booklet that the hospital gave me.

I was told less that 1% also.

The weight loss center I had my operation at has only had 1 death and it also was a heart attack not from the surgery itself. I did do alot of research before operation and at the semenair I had to go to is where I made my final decision on which surgery I was going to have. The sleeve seemed to be the best choice for me because of less complications. Good luck with you surgery. I do love my sleeve!!!!

Was that number for VSG specifically, or WLS in general? VSG has a much, much smaller chance of complications at all than the other procedures where there's more cutting and re-routing.

Even with those surgeries, the deaths happen mainly in high-risk patients who would be taking a chance with ANY kind of surgery, not just for weight-loss.

There is always a slight chance of death with any surgical procedure but it's sooooooo small with VSG!

Read in the information leaflet that 1 in 200 die during or shortly after this operation, this seems quiet a high number for me? Has anyone else read this? im asking this as i have my operation on 30th November and like everyone else im scared........ cant sleep, very tearful, and the fears are driving me mad...BUT yet i need this for ME mostly and then to see my children grow up ....... give me your comments and views thanks xx

someone is trying to scare the poopoo out of you. . .honey this surgery was my 18th major surgery. All 17 others have been do or die surgeries as well. . . i'm living proof that i'm still here. . I'm out now almost 11 months, have lost 140 lbs and am living life great! I'll be here to see my daughter graduate college and get married! I can actually do things now that i only used to dream about. . . i'm livin life! Girl get your surgery! Do your thing so you can be there for the kiddos. . .if you don't will you be there for the kiddos? Think about that one. . good luck, dry those eyes and take your naps. . .gosh that is why your crying, hon your tired! btw, my doctor has done over 300 cases and hasn't lost one patient yet! His partner has never lost a patient in the 5 years he's been doing this surgery. .

someone is trying to scare the poopoo out of you. . .honey this surgery was my 18th major surgery. All 17 others have been do or die surgeries as well. . . i'm living proof that i'm still here. . I'm out now almost 11 months, have lost 140 lbs and am living life great! I'll be here to see my daughter graduate college and get married! I can actually do things now that i only used to dream about. . . i'm livin life! Girl get your surgery! Do your thing so you can be there for the kiddos. . .if you don't will you be there for the kiddos? Think about that one. . good luck, dry those eyes and take your naps. . .gosh that is why your crying, hon your tired! btw, my doctor has done over 300 cases and hasn't lost one patient yet! His partner has never lost a patient in the 5 years he's been doing this surgery. .

Thank-you so very much.................... u totally have put my mind at rest . After reading your message i, just burst into tears... this forum has totally put my mind at ease. ive never had an operation in my life b4, i never take tablets so, 4 me this really is a first....... and YES reading that in the booklet freaked me out. Ive waited to be thin and have a normal whatever that is life...i want to play and do things with my kids and my grandchildren etc...... plus go on holiday without asking for a an extra length seatbelt, go to an amusement park and not worry about the seats being too small the list is endless. Thank-you for all your advise please keep intouch.......wow what a woman xxxxx

Surgery here i come .......

Hi, 1 in 200 is 1/2 percent which really isn't high not that long ago it was 20% for wls.

Nancy

I was thinking i shouldn't open this thread and now i wish i didn't! I in 200 is high in my eyes. I'm not sure how many people have surgery a day who visit this site but going by those odds it means that probably every few months one of 'us' dies:o

I don't want to scare anyone reading this but i'm scared now. Someone has to be the 1 in that 200 number. Does anyone know if that is the official percentage or just a number they got from some survey?

I really want this surgery but having so long to think about it until my date isn't helping. I wish i'd been given a date a week away so i didn't have time to worry myself sick about it.

I don't want to ask my surgeon of his mortality rate, i think i'd rather not know.

are you sure that was not the by pass percentage. Because this is a rather safe surgery that is wjy it was used in the first step in the DS. Really you shouod not worry as long as you have a good surgen and follow there program you should be fine.

I was thinking i shouldn't open this thread and now i wish i didn't! I in 200 is high in my eyes. I'm not sure how many people have surgery a day who visit this site but going by those odds it means that probably every few months one of 'us' dies:o

I don't want to scare anyone reading this but i'm scared now. Someone has to be the 1 in that 200 number. Does anyone know if that is the official percentage or just a number they got from some survey?

I really want this surgery but having so long to think about it until my date isn't helping. I wish i'd been given a date a week away so i didn't have time to worry myself sick about it.

I don't want to ask my surgeon of his mortality rate, i think i'd rather not know.

Hi , I just want to say you remind me of myself a couple weeks ago, i was terrified of a leak and still am since I'm only 10 days out, i was sooooo scared i was ready to cancel my surg. but i did obviously go ahead with it, the odds seem right because 1 in 200 is 1/2 percent, but it also means you have a 199 out of 200 chance of being ok. I am not telling you what to do, that is a decision only you can make, i just wanted to let you know, your not alone with the fear factor and i also just wanted to flip the number so you could see the other side of the odds...good luck to you and let us know how you make out in your decision...

I think you have to keep in mind that WLS patients are generally pretty high risk. All of them are obese, many severely so, and most will have comorbidities like diabetes, heart disease, etc. So I think your average WLS pt would skew the statistics of ANY surgery because of all these issues.

Chiming in here... the statistic of "1 in 200" equals a very low percentage of 0.5%. I wonder how OLD that statistic is... if it is from even 2003, it is outdated. Procedrues get safer and safer.

To put that in perspective, 2009, 7,600 people the U.S. died from DENTAL SURGERY. All surgery is risky... you never know what is going to happen. Look at Andy Warhol, he died after an Appendectomy in one of the best hospitals in New York...

I do think it is important to be very cautious, and have every test they tell you to have, and follow doctor's instructions EXACTLY. No cheating. Obviously, the doctor and clinic or hospital you have the surgery at is also important.

While I don't expect to DIE from VSG surgery, it worries more more that what if my body can't adapt to the missing stomach, and what if my staples set off the metal detectors at the airport, or what if I got an ulcer later on... woudl there be enough stomach left for them to operate on? I worry more about stuff like that than directly dying.

I have also had a couple of very major surgeries that took weeks of recovery, and they didn't kill me, so I think this wone will be OK too.

If you don't feel ready, then put off the surgery. Mental preparedness is EVERYTHING!!!

Good luck to you.

....how many of us will die prematurely without the surgery? That is why this .5 percent is an acceptable risk...