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← Return to Expert answers: Alcohol use after bariatric surgery
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Expert answers: Alcohol use after bariatric surgery Mar 14 7:48am | By Ellen Bissonette, RN, CBN (@ecb)Comment receiving replies
My adult daughter had a roux-n-y in 2009 and within 6 months developed AUD. In Dec 2019 she developed pancreatitis, eventually leading to pancreatic cancer diagnosis in June 2021. She died 7 months later in Dec 2021 with complication from sepsis at 42 yrs of age. I have no doubt had she not gotten the gastric bypass surgery she would still be alive today. No health professionals ever counseled her to try to lose weight by addressing her eating habits, exercise, mental state, marriage problems and other stressors before strongly promoting the gastric bypass. She’d had 4 pregnancies from 2001-2008 and so that contributed to weight gain, besides a disabled vet husband and lots of stress. I am disgusted what healthcare has turned into
Replies to "My adult daughter had a roux-n-y in 2009 and within 6 months developed AUD. In Dec..."
First off, I am so sorry for your loss. I can only imagine the pain that she was in, and the pain you still experience. I'm unsure of whether or not it will bring any sort of comfort, but I am a nurse who worked as an insurance specialist for almost a decade. In order for her to have qualified for the surgery with her insurance company, she had to prove that she had a supervised weight loss program attempted for a period of 6 months, and received a clearance from a clinical psychologist. She may not have told you this, but no insurance company will cover the surgery without this step. As a gastric bypass patient who also had a significant struggle with alcohol, I can attest to the issue of underlying mental health pain that the person can often not even identify or describe. For me, it was undiagnosed ADHD/Autism. Back in the 80's and 90's it didn't exist only because our medical community didn't consider girls or that they would present differently with the disorder. They only worried about boys who couldn't sit still. In girls, very often they seem unsettled, unfocused, messy, forgetful, dramatic, emotional and tend to be 'love addicts'... always looking for love and acceptance, but struggling with relationships and friendships. The positive attributes: creative, empathetic, focused on justice/fairness. Typically really good caregivers either of children or animals. I'm not saying this is certainly what was going on, but I've found communities online and in person support groups where a very shockingly large number of the members are late-diagnosed women. And we all seem to have similar stories, and for many the surgery was the start of the cascade, but the problem wasn't something that could even be fixed because nobody knew what it was until 5-10 years ago.
I hope you can find peace.
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@dkpear
I am so sorry to hear about the death of your daughter at an early age.
You are correct that any weight reduction program, whether using medications or surgery should include discussions about weight history and other factors contributing to weight gain. Many programs require visits to psychiatry, nutritionist, classes on weight management before ever reaching the surgery decision.
Thanks for sharing your daughter's experience, it emphasis the need to select a quality program and risk involved in any surgery.