Dr. Alvarez Gave the VSG to a 12 Year Old

[goodkel]

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2158126/Worlds-youngest-gastric-sleeve-patient-says-having-risky-weightloss-surgery-12-changed-life.html

The world's youngest gastric sleeve patient claims having risky weightloss surgery at 12 years old transformed her life.

Betsy Sanchez, from Coahuila in Mexico, is delighted to have slimmed down from 15 to ten stone since having 70 per cent of her stomach removed.

Having now taken up exercise for the first time, 14-year-old Betsy is no longer a target for cruel bullies who teased her about her size.

What do you think about it?

[kyal]

Why wait? If it works, does no harm and stops the torment then who are we to criticise?

I would be interested to see the long term results from this though. Will she regain, will she be on a viscous cycle of weight loss surgery? If she regains then what? Having a sleeve at this age doesn't leave a lot of options for later on.

Saying that at 12 years old if I could have had this done I would have.

[Deleted]

15 stone = 210 pounds to 10 stone = 140 pounds at 12 years old sounds like a lifesaving intervention to me.

I think I'm in favor of this type of judicious use of WLS in youngsters. It's a darned sight better than a crapband, and FAR better than having an already clearly needy patient wait another decade (with all the suffering thereto connected) to consider the ONLY treatment that works.

Imagine denying a juvenile cancer patient aggressive treatment. Kids with this degree of morbid obesity are in the same category IMNSHO.

I think I'd want to reserve the DS for older teenagers for many reasons, but the VSG seems like a very sensible intervention in cases like this one.

[larra]

I think going with a restrictive operation rather than a malabsorptive one was smart for a child who is probably still growing and definitely still developing. I hope this intervention happened before her metabolism was completely broken, as most of ours were, and that she will be able to sustain her excellent results.
And it was by far a better choice than lap band.

Larra

[So Blessed]

She looks happy and healthy. I think it was a good decision for her.

[angelcake]

I have to agree. Good for Dr Alvarez and her parents for allowing this.

Jun 13, 2012 11:38:16 GMT -5 So Blessed said:

She looks happy and healthy. I think it was a good decision for her.

[MontanaGirl]

i agree with everyone's above comments, very well put. great points:) i am just really happy for that child:) hopefully this will turn her health around for the long term.

[Michelle J]

I think the sleeve would be the best option for a young child with obesity issues. Good for her.

[MsVee]

Two things come to mind that the child needed some type of intervention. She seems healthy. I am concerned because I thought all weight loss surgeries required some type of vitamin supplementation. Will this impact her maturation or development in a negative way? Also the parents as well as the child have to take an active role in her weight loss. Also what kind of psychological evaluation do you give to a 12 year old who compulsively overeats and is being bullied?

MsVee

[nightowl]

This article is incorrect in saying she is the youngest ever VSG patient. Dina McB.'s son had one at age 10, if I recall correctly. Dr. Baltasar (?sp) wrote up a case study of it and it is in the published medical literature. That is just a case I know of, there could be others even younger, who knows. I hate when tabloids make absolute statements like that. I remember feeling this same way about another online tabloid article that was posted, that said the woman featured in it was the first person in Scotland to have the DS. Well, how do they know? It may have been the first covered by the NHS within Scotland (though it didn't even give that much nuance), but others could have traveled and self-paid for a DS earlier, we just might not know of those cases.

But, yes, I think I do support a sleeve for cases this young. If they are in need of more metabolic help later, I hope they can have access to the DS.

[nightowl]

Okay, I found the citation. "Sleeve Gastrectomy in a 10-year-old Child," by Dr. Aniceto Baltasar et al., in _Obesity Surgery_, 2008, 18: 733-736.
The full text can be gotten to from his website, drbaltasar.es/index_en.html

[goodkel]

I absolutely agree that is is perfectly appropriate for a morbidly obese child. I've been dog piled elsewhere because of it, so this is refreshing.
Why wait and make the child suffer any longer than necessary? Why wait until physical and emotional damage has been done?

It just seems cruel.

As for the vitamins, there are many children in the world with medical issues that require them to take prescriptions or worse for a lifetime in order to survive. What's wrong with doing the same for vitamins?

Why should a child be forced to suffer needlessly?

[Paula]

Of the surgery types, Im glad this was the one that was given to the child. I would have had a real problem had it been a DS given because its a heavy duty operation on a still growing child, but a restrictive procedure like the VSG seems like the least of all (not) evils out there.

I wish this was an option when I was coming up in the world. I suffered a hellish school years existence.

[Brandilynn]

Late to the party, but said child is also his neice.

[sewcrazycaren]

I bought Dr Alvarez's book and yep it was his neice! Her pictures are all over his website.

[Deleted]

IIRC, Rabkin did a DS on an 11 year old with Prader-Willi syndrome.

[Brandilynn]

Knowing how hungry and miserable I was, Prader-Wili kiddos break my heart. Did it change how insatiable the kiddo was, Diana, do you know?

[travelingmomoftwo]

I'm not opposed to it-I'd only hope she had extensive education and psychological support before and after it. Working with 12-year olds every day they have such a skewed sense of self and their future...

[fabfatgrl]

I have no problem doing this on an obese or mo teen. Why wait? I remember Dr. Baltasar in Spain did a VSG on a DS patient's child too.

I would probably not do a DS or RNY on one that age, though. VSG? Fine... and much better than a Lap-Band.

[nightowl]

Fab, that is the case I referred to above.

[rickydeeswitch]

Alvarez is such a hero to me. When my Sleeve started to fail, and I had no support from my surgeon, he talked me through it. A very giving man, who loves connecting with his pts! Glad he is making real life possible for kids, without them have to go through ten more years of abuse!