I know this is a rather serious operation, but after the healing takes place, and after the patient benefits greatly from no longer being obese, are there any long-term problems or complications resulting from this procedure? Like, when one is in their 70s, for example, does one’s stomach react in any way? Are the kidneys, liver, etc., negatively affected by having had this done, say, 20 or 30 years before, or, like many things, is there just not enough info at this time to tell?
The operation’s too new to have long-term data.
Actually, variants of stomach bypass have been around for decades, they just weren’t done in such large numbers.
Once you get past the danger of infection, leaks, etc. the short term - one to several years - side effects can include severe malnutrition and disrupted body chemistry. This is why it’s important that diet modification occur and supplements be taken for life after such drastic surgery. How big a risk this will be depends on just how much was done. If it’s a “lapband” around the stomach these consequences are less likely. If major portions of the intestine have been bypassed the risk goes up.
Long term, osteoporosis is a big worry. It’s not just a matter of eating calcium-rich foods, you have to absorb the calcium, too, and that might be a problem if your intestines have been shortened.
There are probably other potential problems, but remember that not everyone with this surgery will necessarially suffer any of them. We’re talking probabilities and statistitcs here, not certainties.
Maybe I’ll just go on a diet.
If you can get the job done through diet and exercise that is a better course than surgery. That’s why they suggest you make a serious effort at that method before trying surgery.