Hi everyone

I am having my pre assessment tomorrow for my Gastric Sleeve surgery & I have so many questions. I've nearly pulled out twice as I've read that there are a lot of complications at my age (I am 68). Even the Liver shrinking is worrying me I never had to do that for my Gall bladder removal. I am so heavy my knees are suffering & I'm so self-conscious & miss out on doing things with my Grandchildren. I still work full time for the NHS but now even walking is difficult,

Any advice would be so good as I'm really worried right now.

worry is completely natural. talk to the doctor openly and honestly about your concerns, issues and fears. A good surgeon should have answers and make you more comfortable with your decision. You CAN do this. You CAN improve your life and have a new and exciting chapter. message me anytime

make a list of what you want from life. see how many of them surgery will help you achieve.

The liver shrinking diet that i was given is not as bad as I thought (Dr plans vary!) and am already doing it without an exact surgery date. I am not on liquids but low carb (keto) which is doable for the short term.

come here for support, ask questions or release your fears. we want tos we you live your best life!

Hi everyone
I am having my pre assessment tomorrow for my Gastric Sleeve surgery & I have so many questions. I've nearly pulled out twice as I've read that there are a lot of complications at my age (I am 68). Even the Liver shrinking is worrying me I never had to do that for my Gall bladder removal. I am so heavy my knees are suffering & I'm so self-conscious & miss out on doing things with my Grandchildren. I still work full time for the NHS but now even walking is difficult,
Any advice would be so good as I'm really worried right now.

Im 54...had my sleeve march 31,22..and ive lost 100 pds to todays date. Only problem after surgery was the gas..omg
Now my problem is i cant eat , i hate food..

30 minutes ago, KimA-GA said:

worry is completely natural. talk to the doctor openly and honestly about your concerns, issues and fears. A good surgeon should have answers and make you more comfortable with your decision. You CAN do this. You CAN improve your life and have a new and exciting chapter. message me anytime

make a list of what you want from life. see how many of them surgery will help you achieve.

The liver shrinking diet that i was given is not as bad as I thought (Dr plans vary!) and am already doing it without an exact surgery date. I am not on liquids but low carb (keto) which is doable for the short term.

come here for support, ask questions or release your fears. we want tos we you live your best life!

Thank you so much for getting back to me, I'm going ahead with surgery but need to know what to expect. I live alone so is that going to be ok & how much time do I need off work. I keep reading about 30 day & 90 day bleeds & that freaks me out. I hope I go through as some have.

Thank you again.

6 minutes ago, worried & apprehensive said:

Thank you so much for getting back to me, I'm going ahead with surgery but need to know what to expect. I live alone so is that going to be ok & how much time do I need off work. I keep reading about 30 day & 90 day bleeds & that freaks me out. I hope I go through as some have.

Thank you again.

make a list to ask the dr. each surgeon is different with their pre and post diets, time off work and other requirements.

complications do happen with any surgery from time to time, but from my research, gastric sleeve has a relatively low complication rates overall. if you can listen to the dr and follow the instructions you should do well.

I posted these recently in another thread, but here are some recent studies that investigated how safe bariatric surgery is for seniors:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11695-019-03718-6

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550728922001605

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ggi.12527

https://europepmc.org/article/med/30175564

The cliff's notes version is that the surgery is actually safer than staying obese. As others pointed out, complications can happen, but obesity is a lot more likely to kill you than the surgery. To be safe, make sure the bariatric center you are going to is ASMBS accredited and that your surgeon is an ASMBS Fellow. Ask about their experience with senior patients and about mortality risk for you based on any underlying health conditions you have. They can run a risk stratification and explain the specific risks to you.

I agree with the others, the risk of complications from the surgery are low (much lower than other surgeries). The only reason you individually may be at a higher risk is because of any pre existing health issues you may have but this is a conversation you should have with your surgeon. Don’t be afraid to ask for his stats on the age of their patients, success rate, complications, etc. There are many here who have successfully had surgery in their 60s & 70s.

The pre surgery diet has a couple of purposes including breaking some food dependencies, losing some weight & reducing the size of the liver. The difference between your gall surgery & your sleeve surgery is the surgeon has to move & navigate around the liver more to clearly & more easily access your tummy (it’s partially covered by the liver). Most of your gall is visible & is much easier to remove - more of a clip, a snip & suture. The more easily your surgeon can access your tummy, the easier the surgery.

You’ll be amazed at how much better you feel & more active you’ll be after you’ve lost weight.

All the best.

3 hours ago, Arabesque said:

I agree with the others, the risk of complications from the surgery are low (much lower than other surgeries). The only reason you individually may be at a higher risk is because of any pre existing health issues you may have but this is a conversation you should have with your surgeon. Don’t be afraid to ask for his stats on the age of their patients, success rate, complications, etc. There are many here who have successfully had surgery in their 60s & 70s.

The pre surgery diet has a couple of purposes including breaking some food dependencies, losing some weight & reducing the size of the liver. The difference between your gall surgery & your sleeve surgery is the surgeon has to move & navigate around the liver more to clearly & more easily access your tummy (it’s partially covered by the liver). Most of your gall is visible & is much easier to remove - more of a clip, a snip & suture. The more easily your surgeon can access your tummy, the easier the surgery.

You’ll be amazed at how much better you feel & more active you’ll be after you’ve lost weight.

All the best.

Thank you all so much for commenting, it really is more of a comfort than I expected it to be. I have my pre assessment today so the journey is starting for real now.

I hope its ok to keep you all up dated.

God bless.

Colleen

Hi Colleen, I had my surgery in the UK too, 9 months ago. The pre op diet is hard for the first 4 days for some but you know it has to be done to get the surgery. I would do it all again to feel this good at aged 63. I have never heard of 3 and 9 month bleeds. I asked my surgeon of the risks and he told me the plus and minus points I needed. I never asked any questions anywhere but here.

7 hours ago, summerseeker said:

Hi Colleen, I had my surgery in the UK too, 9 months ago. The pre op diet is hard for the first 4 days for some but you know it has to be done to get the surgery. I would do it all again to feel this good at aged 63. I have never heard of 3 and 9 month bleeds. I asked my surgeon of the risks and he told me the plus and minus points I needed. I never asked any questions anywhere but here.

I've had my pre assessment today & couldn't believe all I was told. I will have to Inject myself for two weeks before & after & wear surgical stockings for 4 weeks. I'm 68 & just feel it's too much for me. I definitely do not want to inject myself twice a day. Once my knee is better I will start to gently excerise & improve my diet & help myself that way. I've never heard of anyone having to inject themselves, my neice never had too. Its all too much. Sorry.

If you believe surgery is not a good fit, You are right (because you know you best). It’s a huge change in your diet that you must maintain for the rest of your life after a major surgery with a very mindful recovery process.

the idea of injections (i don’t have any conditions that require that) and compression socks don’t bother me like the liquid diets and recovery process… it’s a big, life altering commitment. but all that doesn’t scare me half as much as what being overweight is doing and will continue to do if i don’t shed a massive amount of weight ..

Best of luck trying to find a new way of eating and exercise that will give you the life you want to live! I hope you quickly find something effective for you.

On 08/31/2022 at 15:36, worried & apprehensive said:

I've had my pre assessment today & couldn't believe all I was told. I will have to Inject myself for two weeks before & after & wear surgical stockings for 4 weeks. I'm 68 & just feel it's too much for me. I definitely do not want to inject myself twice a day. Once my knee is better I will start to gently excerise & improve my diet & help myself that way. I've never heard of anyone having to inject themselves, my neice never had too. Its all too much. Sorry.

I had to do the blood thinners starting the day before surgery and for 14 days after, 2x a day. I was worried at first but it was not at all bad (small needle, subcutaneous only)

I have mobility issues from a car accident and think it’s because of my limitations (the length of time) to prevent blood clots. Do you have a family or friend close by that might be able to help you with those? I know my program had me watch a video about it which really helped put my mind at ease about that.

I firmly believe that you follow your instincts and talk over your concerns with your provider, but ultimately you need to make the best decision for you.

Best of luck!