An article published in The New York Times a couple of days ago has gotten a lot of attention. It's all about how obesity surgery is associated with a very high risk of complications. This is a story that may be of interest to Type 2 diabetics who are overweight or obese and seeking ways to reduce their weight. On the one hand, it is true that weight reduction by any means, including surgery, will also reduce the risk of health complications for Type 2 diabetics. However, on the other hand, as this story emphasizes, surgery is no easy way to reach that goal. The Times reports that four of every ten weight reduction surgery patients experience complications within six months. Common complications include vomiting, diarrhea, hernia, infection, pneumonia and respiratory failure, reports The Times. If that's not off-putting enough for you, another problem is the leaking of gastric juices "caused by imperfect surgical connections" - also known as Not Being Sewn Up Tight Enough, I guess.
The article profiles Joanne Kayser of New Hampshire. Kayser weighed 320 pounds before undergoing weight reduction surgery in 2003. As a result of the weight loss that followed the surgery, she no longer needed to take diabetes medication. However, her incision was slow to heal and then became infected, so she could not exercise...leading her to stop losing weight. She also developed a hernia at the operation site. The question is: was it worth it?
This news comes from statistics gathered by the federal government - courtesy of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which is part of the Public Health Service.
