If you live in the United States you know that the latest “cure” for obesity is Gastric Bypass Surgery. What most Americans don’t know is that researchers are now finding that Gastric Bypass Surgery is causing Neuropathy, otherwise known as nerve damage, in a large number of patients.
What first got me interested in this subject is that my mother in law, Bonnie, was recently hospitalized for severe pain in her hands and feet. This pain had been going on for about 4 months before complications from a spinal tap landed her in the hospital.
Doctors had been unable to determine exactly what was causing the severe pain and numbness in her hands and feet. She doesn’t have diabetes that would cause diabetic neuropathy or any other disease normally associated with neuropathy. Everyone was pretty much at a loss… until a physical therapist handed her the findings of a study done by a doctor at Cornell University.
This report titled Neuropathy and the Gastrointestinal System was written by Dr Russel L. Chin, and is dated 12/29/05. It explains the most common reasons for the gastrointestinal system to cause neuropathy. Pretty high up on the list was all of the different weight loss surgery’s being performed today.
Gastric Bypass Surgery, which is what my mother in-law had performed on her in 2004, was pretty high up on the list of things that could cause neuropathy. The report stated that out of 90 patients who had gastric bypass performed, 60 of those patients ended up with some sort of neuropathy…60!
The findings state in some cases the neuropathy is caused by malnutrition resulting from the patient not ensuring that they are eating correctly after the gastric bypass surgery. But in a large number of cases the patient’s stayed on top of their nutrition and made sure that they ate correctly…what is going on in those cases?
It seems that when the Gastric Bypass is performed a portion of the large intestine is removed. Doctors are now wondering if this portion of the large intestine absorbs some sort of trace minerals that they are unaware of and the lack of this mineral is what is causing the neuropathy.
So this must be a potential side effect that they warn you about right? Wrong. My mother in-law has suffered for over four months with this “mystery” neuropathy and no one ever suggested that this could be due to her gastric bypass surgery. Also she was never told prior to having the surgery performed that neuropathy is a risk.
So how do you cure neuropathy? You don’t. You deal with it and hope that it doesn’t get worse. Neuropathy can be very painful and there really aren’t that many drugs out there to treat nerve pain that will let you function normally and not feel messed up all the time.
Cymbalta is an antidepressant that was recently approved by the FDA to treat neuropathy. What patient’s are finding out the hard way with that, is it works for a couple of months and then loses it effectiveness. Once that happens and the patient tries to stop taking it, they are finding that there are severe Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms that you have to deal with. In some cases the patient finds it effective for about 2 months but then has to spend an additional 3 months slowly weening off of it.
It is pretty scary to think that each year about 172,000 patients are having gastric bypass surgery performed and unfortunately they are doing so without all the potential risk information being provided to them. The reason for this isn’t always devious, most times it is lack of knowledge on the part of the surgeon performing the procedure.
Hopefully this will be brought to light in the near future.
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I wouldn’t recommend it unless your life was in jeopardy somehow. I have seen the effect of the surgery 4 year after it happened. Keeping the nutrition balanced is key but if you vomit too much then you need to look into getting weekly vitamin shot from a nutritionist or doctor or side effect will occur. Quality of the food eaten is going to be the focus after surgery. No one has yet to link the bypass to all the side effects but studies are being done by the Mayo clinic that show promising results. No cure yet..
Is it worth it? Go ride a bike
I emailed Dr Chin to see if there’s anything he can think of for us to research.
This is an eye-opener of an article! Personally, I am pretty speechless and not a medical practitioner so I cannot really opine on this very subject. I just wanted to say that my friend’s mother-in-law too underwent lap band surgery from My Weight Loss Surgeon (myweightlosssurgeon.com/) but she is fortunate enough to have recuperated successfully.
Nevertheless, I am curious. Will you sue the clinic or punish the clinic in some way or another? Anyone with a conscience will affirm that these quacks deserve severe punishment.
I would like to share this information about Gastric Bypass Surgery from Julianne Kennedy’s report. It might be a big help to you. It consist of informations you want to know about Gastric Bypass Surgery and other weight problems. Her site is: http://www.weight-loss-surgery-secrets.com/controversial/free_wls_report.htm
thanks Maricar, is this your own site?
“The report stated that out of 90 patients who had gastric bypass performed, 60 of those patients ended up with some sort of neuropathy…60!”
I think you may have misread the article:
It seems several studies show a range of neurlogical complications from less than 1% up to 16% of bariatric patients, not 66%. The 60 out of 96 who had neuropathy is out of 96 patients who had complications, not who had bariatric surgery. That said, a 16% (or even 4%) complication rate is not insignificant, and it definitely should be a risk discussed prior to obtaining the surgery. I’m sorry to hear that your mother-in-law suffers from this ailment, and that it wasn’t discussed beforehand.
[...] it is suggested that patients utilize the Indicator Plaster Neuropad once a year as a way of detecting peripheral neuropathy. This 10 minute examination results in either a pink light when the nerve conduction is normal or a [...]
Oh my gosh. I think I might have this! Geez. I have been going from doctor to doctor to doctor to try and find out what is wrong with me! I had bypass over a year ago and my doctor did an EMG today. I had an MRI on my neck because I have degenerative disks at C6 and C7 and my doctor did two epidural steriod injections with no relief. In the past I have gotten relief with the injections. He sent me back to my pain management doctor (I see her for migraines and arthritis in my ankle). She did an EMG today and didn’t find any nerve damage, but I am in so much pain. Literally from the tip of my fingers in one hand, up my arm, shoulders across my neck and down the other arm to the tips of the fingers. My wrists, elbows, shoulders hurt all the time. I can’t lift my arms over my head, I can’t open doors, bottles of water, etc. Every day, it is getting worse. Its funny you mention cymbalta. I have been on cymbalta for a while and actually starting weaning myself off it about 3 months ago - switching from 60 mg, now down to 20 mg (gradually, with the help of my regular doc). I wonder if that has made the pain worse! When my doctor saw me today, the first thing she said is you look malnurished! Oh geez. This is scarey! I don’t know anything about neuropathy. I will do some research on the net, but if anyone has any advice, please tell me what you did to get better!
I had gbp in 2003 and last year I was diagnosed with neuropathy due to metabolic (specifically zinc) malobsorption post surgery. The first doctor I saw thought I had onset MS. After seeing a few more doctors and a second neurologist he recognized the condition. I also see a GI doctor who agrees with the neurologist. Prior to having the surgery I was not informed by the doctor that this could be a complication. I’ve always taken my vitamins as directed with the exception of additional zinc. Zinc levels are not commonly checked as B12, iron, thiamin and others are through a CBC blood test. If I had been forewarned I would have had the knowledge to have zinc checked periodically instead of after I started having neuropathy symptoms. As I have been researching this problem I don’t understand how the doctor that performed my surgery did not make me aware of this possibility. They stress iron, B12 and calcium deficiencies but not zinc? Perhaps because iron, B12 and calcium are “easier” to catch and improve on than zinc? I have also talked to others who had the surgery but had no clue that this could happen. Why are doctors leaving out this problem in their sales pitch? I would think this would be known information to them (doctoring 101). Has anyone contacted legal counsel?