Hi, I'm considering bariatric surgery. I've been on a medication for decades and have ended up weighing 250 lbs at 5'3". I can't stop taking this medicine, and there are no alternatives. And as with everyone here, no weight loss or exercise plan has helped me lose weight and keep it off.

So...as a result of taking this med, I have metabolic syndrome. That means high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and obesity.

I've finally come to the conclusion that bariatric surgery might be my best solution.

Has anyone else conquered metabolic syndrome (or any of these symptoms) with bariatric surgery?

Thank you for your advice!

I'm watching a video given by a bariatric surgeon. Now I see that the surgery can get rid of things like high BP and heart disease. Good news!

My only question is that, as long as you don't regain the weight, will these symptoms come back?

If your high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high sugar levels were caused by your weight gain & food choices (the higher your weight the higher the levels rose) then yes, if you lose weight after the surgery, change your eating habits & maintain the loss & changes, the symptoms should not return to their previous high levels or will at least maintain at a lower, healthier point.

If these issues have a genetic predisposition (occur in your family & are not weight related), they will always be something you have to watch. E.g. type 1 diabetes is genetic which you can manage but can’t change but type 2 is caused by lifestyle choices like obesity which you can do something about.

After my surgery my cholesterol went from borderline high to the low end of the healthy range. My blood pressure was normal before surgery & now it’s low all the time. (Didn’t have sugar issues before but I know I have further reduced my risk for diabetes greatly.

But talk to your surgeon & doctor for the best information especially as your medication contributed to your weight gain.

What a relief. Since obesity runs in my family, I'm prepared to be very diligent about my lifestyle choices after the surgery. I don't want to end up life 2 family members and gain back the weight.

Glad your health is better now!

I am overweight because of my poor metabolism and heredity. I don't know if surgery would be good for you, but I'm sure if you consulted a doctor and came to the conclusion that it's a good solution, you'll be fine.

On 5/31/2022 at 10:03 PM, ChristopherPhelps said:

I am overweight because of my poor metabolism and heredity. I don't know if surgery would be good for you, but I'm sure if you consulted a doctor and came to the conclusion that it's a good solution, you'll be fine.

I am also concerned about being overweight, so I decided to learn more about this topic. I found an interesting article about childhood obesity https://artscolumbia.org/free-essays/childhood-obesity/ on a resource with free essay samples. Perhaps these materials will help prevent problems in the future.

Edited June 1, 20224 yr by ChristopherPhelps

I too had/have metabolic syndrome. I'm three weeks out from surgery and my blood pressure is back to normal range, my blood sugar is back to normal range, and I'm losing weight to get me out of the obese range. Cholesterol was lower as of my pre-surgery bloodwork but I'm also on Fenofibrate to reduce my triglycerides. I have repeat bloodwork in about four weeks to see if I can cut down on the Fenofibrate. But so far after surgery, I've come off my Metformin, Lisinopril, Propanalol, and now my hydrochlorithiazide (HCTZ), so I think surgery really will help with metabolic syndrome.

Surgery will fix all of that! It cures metabolic syndrome in 90% of patients for life! I had it and I’m off all meds!!

My endocrinologist actually recommended bariatric surgery in part because of my metabolic syndrome. He said he had many patients have success with surgery in reversing those health issues and getting off those medications. It’s one of several reasons I’m going through the process now.

I agree with others. If you have a family history of those conditions you may still have them despite losing weight but if they were brought on by obesity then losing weight should resolve them. My husband for instance has always been very fit and he still has high BP and ironically doesn’t even like salt. It’s weird but there is nothing he can do to get off the meds. And now for me post surgery my triglycerides are creeping up, but this runs in my family even in those with a healthy weight so I’m guessing it was going to happen regardless of my weight or surgery. So I guess the short answer is yes some of your issues should resolve but not necessarily all of them.

I had high cholesterol as a young person, walking 2 miles a day, weighing only 150 lbs, and eating very healthy. I have since almost doubled my weight, and will have gastric bypass surgery on july 18th. My doctor said that i may always have high cholesterol (and be on meds for it) even after i lose weight. But i'm hopeful to come off my blood pressure meds.