Question:
How long can a person expect to live after a rny?

I have heard all of these scary reports that people usually only live about 15 years after surgery! I don't want to make the mistake of taking this risk to improve my life only to drastically shorten it. I'm only 23!    — kristynush (posted on May 14, 2003)


May 14, 2003
I do not have any scientific evidence of this but I think that is bunk. All I really know is--if that is the case then this is the best 15 years of my adult life. Without the surgery I would still be living hell day in day out so so what if you live longer without the surgery.--Quality counts!!!
   — Tammy P.

May 14, 2003
Well I have heard it can ADD up to 15 years on your life, but not that you will only live 15 more years.
   — Saxbyd

May 14, 2003
Hmmm, I've never seen such a study, though this rumor (or ones like it) surface from time to time. What *is* well-documented are studies linking morbid obesity (and even just plain obesity) with increased health problems, including a reduced life span because of obesity. *Those* kinds of studies, you can find with a simple web search (and they're reported in the media all the time!).
   — Suzy C.

May 14, 2003
I think this is the most asked question when considering this surgery. Just wanted to let you know that my sister had a precursor of the RNY (and hers was a much more invasive procedure) in 1975, and is still going strong (that's 28 years post-op). Medical science has progressed light years since then, and the RNY is truly a life-SAVING procedure for many of us. As long as you are vigilant about taking your vitamins and changing your eating habits, at one-year post-op, you'll be eating a normal 1,200 calories per day. So go ahead and read the horror stories, but take note of the fact that most of the complications are caused by people not doing what they're told after surgery, rather than as a result of the surgery itself. Best of luck to you!
   — momstah

May 14, 2003
That myth has been perpetuated by certain fat acceptance people who are anti-WLS. It's a flat-out lie.
   — Leslie F.

May 14, 2003
Until you die...sorry... ; )
   — msmaryk

May 14, 2003
Hon dont beleive everything you hear or read, some like to assume the worst and this is sad because wls has giving us a whole new meaning to life "a healthy life" we could die tomorrow, whats in store is whats gonna happen and the only one who decides that is GOD! I plan on living a long healthy life!!
   — Deanna Wise

May 14, 2003
I saw a similar study and was shocked when I read the same line. If yours is the same report and you read all of it including the footnotes, you will find that their study only goes back 15 years. The Longest Post-Ops they studied were 15 years. This proceedure has a long history but not a long track record for research. You have to remember the accepted solution to obesity was to Push Away or take pills. No-one (not even doctors) considered this surgery as an option. This proceedure has only come into its own during the last 5-7 years. Even more so in the past 3-4 years. But to be save..... If you are not sure... Don't do it.
   — Ron T.

May 14, 2003
Our doctor has actually told us that once you have an RNY and lose your excess weight, your life span will go back to normal.
   — [Deactivated Member]

May 14, 2003
Let me put it like this....If this surgery causes me to only live another 15 years, I'll be really freakin' surprised...I've never felt this good or healthy before in my life!
   — thekatinthehat

May 14, 2003
I'll live way longer than I would of weighing over 300 pounds :)
   — mom2jtx3

May 14, 2003
Unless they get hit by a bus probably a very long time;-)
   — Audrey W.

May 14, 2003
My dad had a WLS in 1962. They took out most of his stomach and part of his intestine.They have improved surgeries greatly since then. He has maintained his weight loss. He is 78 now .He has some health problems that aren't related to WLS. Meanness and old age.
   — Autumn

May 14, 2003
To quote your own words from your profile: "I have suffered enough over the last 20 years." If the quality of the next 15 years (assuming that is all you would live after WLS) were 100 times better than what you've suffered with for the last 20 - wouldn't it be better than living another 20 or 30 just as miserable or more so? Did that make sense?
   — [Deactivated Member]




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