A 44-year-old mother of 3 in the UK died after a decade of malnutrition and severe weight loss following a gastric bypass operation, which reported she ‘starved to death,’ according to the Manchester Evening News.
According to the Evening News, The woman, Kimberly Wall, underwent the surgery, despite concerns from her family, after trying many other weight-loss strategies.
The woman’s mother told the news outlet, She was pleased with the initial weight loss but later said she regretted it, becoming more depressed and anxious over time.
Over the course of the 10 years, Kimberly — who also may have had an eating disorder, according to a hospital that treated her — had such difficulty eating that she lost 75% of her body weight, dropping to just only 70 pounds.
She was unable to walk and had to be hospitalized, which she had already been before.
She died a week after her last hospitalization from heart failure as a result of malnutrition, ruled by the coroner to be related to the bariatric surgery.
Bariatric surgery is normally safe and side effects are also typically temporary.
Bariatric surgeries include several procedures to help patients lose weight through various methods by reducing the size of the stomach or re-routing the digestive system.
According to Melissa Majumdar, who is a bariatric dietitian who works with patients on proper diet and nutrition before and after weight-loss surgery.
Said, Its risks are similar to those of other surgical procedures such as a hip replacement or gallbladder removal.
Majumdar told Insider, There might be cases of death, but there are cases of death with any type of surgery. She said, only less than 1% of bariatric surgery patients die from the procedure or related complications.
While there can be digestive complications of surgery such as vomiting, nausea, and trouble eating, Majumdar said, Those usually clear up after the first week post-surgery.
After surgery, patients undergo extensive follow-ups with their medical team to help mitigate any complications, including nutritional deficiencies, psychological issues, or digestive problems.
Typically, check-ins occur within a few weeks, six months, and a year after surgery but then continue well into the long-term.
Majumdar also said, What’s unique about bariatric surgeries is that patients should follow up with their care team for entire life.
