Gastric Bypass Surgery for kids

Weightloss surgery isn't just for adults anymore. The Journal of Pediatrics is now recommending that surgery should be an option for obese adolescents.

In the journal Pediatrics, Dr. Thomas H. Inge and colleagues outline the consensus reached by participants at a meeting of surgeons and pediatricians specializing in the treatment of overweight and obese children. The paper makes recommendations for evaluating and selecting suitable patients for surgery, the type of surgical treatment, and long-term follow-up monitoring.

Surgery May Benefit Severely Obese Teens

Now I have no problems with anyone who elects to have the surgery themselves, but I do question having it done at such an early age. This is a major surgery we are talking about. People in good health have died from this surgery, and I know people personally that have serious complications that resulted from having the surgery.

So my question is, should children be allowed to under go such an operation as this? In my opinion no. This is too young to have your life on the line.

I am gonna agree with you on this one. I have 3 kids and I would not allow any of them to do it...too risky. children should have a good diet and lots of excersise...however on the other side if you have a child who is MORBIDLY (sp??) obese then that might be something to look into because at that point their heart and health in general isin jepordy.

This is a drastic step and would only be used for adolescents who have tried all other ways of losing weight. There would be controlled selection and close monitoring.

The paper makes recommendations for evaluating and selecting suitable patients for surgery, the type of surgical treatment, and long-term follow-up monitoring.

It would only be undertaken in centres specially suited for this treatment. There would be strict criteria

To be considered for surgery, adolescents should be very severely obese (with a body mass index or BMI of 40 or greater), have attained a majority of skeletal maturity (13 years of age or older for girls and 15 or older for boys) and have obesity-related conditions "that might be remedied with durable weight loss,"

Having recently been in contact with someone I think would benefit from surgical intervention, I can see the value of this in extreme cases only. The whole life style of the young lady I have met (16 years old) is arranged around food. She would have no family support her to loose weight (her mother has benefited from her extra years of being able to eat to excess), she finds it difficult to engage in physical activities and seems not to realise the strain on her body of carrying so much extra weight. This young lady needs educating to a whole new lifestyle and a lot of help and support. I feel she would only succeed in losing at least some of her excess weight by being physically unable to eat so much, but would need help to choose foods of more benefit to her. Hopefully some weight loss would enable her to participate in some of the physical activities enjoyed by her peers.

I can understand other members of these boards not agreeing with the surgery. I assume that they, like me, are bringing up their children to live a different lifestyle from the girl I have described, and would intervene to prevent this from happening in their family.

The links are from the article already mentioned.

Oh
My
God !!!

What parent would allow a child to get into such a state as to need this ???

Its just ridiculous !!! What on earth is going on ?????

This was my reaction, too.

The child needs help, but my contact with her is fleeting (I may never see her again) and both her & her mum can see no problem with their lifestyle, so will not seek help.