There’s a recent video interview and slideshow video out about a girl name Betsy. A couple years ago, at the age of 12, Betsy had a gastric sleeve procedure done by Dr. Alvarez of Endobariatrics. Dr. Alvarez also happens to be Betsy’s uncle. This first video is the slideshow… showing Betsy as an obese child up until where she is currently, a very fit looking teen. It only takes a few minutes… take a look, I’ll be here when you’re done.
So what’d you think? Me, I have to quote Beth on this one (I found the video above initially on her site).
Torn.
For those of us who were obese as kids… we know the cruelty that other kids can inflict… both intentionally and not. In middle school I was called “porky portinga” by a few. And I can remember the mental anguish I put myself through over things like how tight the 8th grade school uniform was on me. And I wish I could say it’s something that the kids grow out of… but when it comes to how the obese are treated there’s way too many adults that are as bad, and worse.
So on the one hand, I can understand the desire to put a stop to that sort of thing in any way possible. And generally we can’t change others, so it can be easier to change ourselves. But then again, there’s noting truly easy about bariatric surgery. And the changes that it not only imposes on a person, but the ones it then also requires of the person in order to maintain a long term success… cripes, I know I wasn’t ready for something like that at 22… or 32… let alone 12.
Based on the video above, the later photos shown, I thought Betsy had to be in her late teens at this point and I was heartened to see she’d been able to keep things going so well for what seemed to be a number of years. Then I watched the video below… here, go check it out, again, it’s just a few minutes long.
In this one, we find out Betsy is now 14. She’s two years post-op. There’s no denying she’s doing great… but at the same time, she’s barely out of the honeymoon phase. So I’m very much back to being torn.
Now, Betsy may do very well long term. I’m not trying to say she can’t do this. But she also has an advantage over most folks, let alone most kids – her uncle is the one that did her surgery. She has someone that will (hopefully) be there for her for the long haul when it comes to continue support and education. I’m also more than a little curious about who paid for her procedure as I believe there are few, if any, insurance companies covering bariatric surgery for kids.
And it’s important to point out, she’s still barely a teen, and while I have no kids of my own… I’ve got plenty of friends who do and if my little glimpses are any indication… well, sure, the whole rebellious teen thing may get overplayed at times, but these sorts of things are always based on at least some bit of truth.
So yea. I’m torn.
Much in the same way I am torn on the lowering of BMI requirements for gastric banding surgeries. Is broadening the eligibility, be it through age or BMI, really help those who would now be considered on the fringes? The merits of helping people in these situations turn things around before they become much worse, before the “damage is done” so to speak (both mentally and physically) outweigh the risks of these folks not taking the procedures as serious, jeopardizing the long-term success?
I don’t have the answer… do you?
As a mom, I am completely NOT torn about this! If a 12 yr old has diabetes, heart disease or other obesity related diseases that are threatening their lives, then and ONLY then do I think that bariatric surgery should be an option.
I know this is being done more and more often. Right here in Atlanta, the children’s hospitals have a bariatric surgeon on staff. I understand the social stigmas that we all wish we could have avoided at these delicate ages. However, surgically altering a growing body can not be the best answer. It simply can’t be.
Yes, but do we know if she was suffering any co-morbidities? Not that I’m saying you should wait until they appear… but if they aren’t there, in a child that hasn’t even (possibly) reached puberty yet…? I don’t know.
Maybe part of it is, while I have heard mostly good things about Dr. Alvarez, I don’t know much about him… and the way these videos were presented, will it occurred to me they were essentially sales pitches. Long on feel good emotions, short on any actual medical substance or educational value.
I agree with you.
Even with co-morbidities, I don’t have a good feeling about bariatrics on children.
I left a lengthy response on MM’s page about this when she posted it earlier. I got into a debate with one woman who thought it was a GREAT idea. I respect her opinion. Although, I don’t believe she is POST-OP.
I was fat all my life as well. I grew up with the same stigmas. I won’t argue that it doesn’t suck. However, I do know that I am a better person for having endured all of that. You learn a lot about yourself when faced with any adversity. That being said, I don’t want this young girl to be made fun of at school.
My husband was FAT until he was 14. Then in one summer he grew 6 inches and dropped significant weight. He has remained a “normal” sized person for the rest of his life. As you stated, we have no idea what the size of her adult body at this point. I concede she most likely would have struggled with her weight.
I WORRY about the long term effects on US…let alone a GROWING child. I have many Bari friends and we all agree it is a TRADE off. Most of us lose our gall bladder and that’s the EASY complication. I am three years out and just had mine removed last summer. I suffered with it for MONTHS before it was taken out. I have friends with unexplained issues that given their medical history we would assume results from their choice to have WLS.
It’s also unethical of her uncle to operate on his own family. But I won’t get into that…this is my biggest issue with what her parents have taught her…and there is a lesson.
They taught her being FAT is bad. That there was something wrong with her. They perpetuated the ideals of our society where women’s bodies are concerned. So, what happens if she gains weight in a few years? What happens if she has children and is unable to take that extra weight off? I’ve lost 170 lbs but I am still a PLUS SIZE woman. My surgeon and I discussed this at length. I am not BUILT to be a size 6. (I have health issues that led me to seek out the surgery). So, at 225ish pounds, to the rest of the world I’m still fat. However, the fact that my parents taught me to LOVE and ACCEPT myself means I am OKAY with that. Will this young girl ever feel good about her body or will she always find her self worth through a number on a scales? AT this point I think she looks UNDERWEIGHT.
I do wish her all the success in the world. I’m glad it was just a sleeve and not a malabsorption procedure. I’m adamantly against WLS in children for a plethora of reasons. But that’s just how I feel…three years out.
As a mother, a former chubby kid, and a recent WLS patient myself, I am completely and utterly against this! To permanently alter a 12 year old little girl like this is mutiliation and I think that doctor needs to lose his license. This poor baby was still growing! Why did they teach her to hate herself so much that weight loss surgery was a viable option? I was chunky, too. I think most girls her age chunk up right before puberty really hits. And then you know what happens? They grow and lose the weight! Their bodies mature from little girl bodies into womanly bodies!
Once I got through junior high, my body developed and I got skinny! Why would they not give this girl a chance? Why screw her up at such a young age? I think this girl is going to need years of therapy as an adult. Quite frankly, though she may have been overweight, the before pictures of her do not look like she was morbidly obese and unable to move! I cannot believe parents would put their child through this!
I’m sorry, I’m somewhat rambling and I know I should probably do a better job of expressing my thoughts on this. I am just so completed shocked and utterly apalled that words are failing me…