Weight-loss surgery can be a lifeline for obese people who can’t fight their food cravings, but the treatments have deadly consequences when they go wrong.
Last week it was revealed that Lisa Marie Presley’s death in January was the result of an injury she suffered several years earlier following bariatric surgery.
The umbrella term is used to describe procedures that shrink the stomach and reduce the calories a person needs to eat before feeling full.
Presley died of a blockage in her small intestine caused by a buildup of scar tissue that essentially prevented her body from absorbing nutrients or digesting food.
The nature of her death was shocking to many, but it is not entirely unique. About one in five weight loss surgery patients can expect potentially fatal complications.
Markita “Kiki” McIntyre, a Mississippi native and mother of three, went to Tijuana to have gastric sleeve surgery, but she didn’t come home
McIntyre [shown], a makeup artist, did her homework, spoke to the experts and asked the right questions for the procedure, according to her friend Francesca Moultrie. Moultrie initially planned to have the same surgery, but eventually changed his mind
Fatal complications of bariatric surgery are typically rare, with about one in 1,000 people dying after surgery each year.
But that risk increases significantly for a patient undergoing surgery in substandard clinics.
Markita “Kiki” McIntyre of Biloxi, Mississippi, died on an operating table in Tijuana in May 2021 while undergoing gastric sleeve surgery.
The 34-year-old mother of three was one of a growing number of victims of medical tourism, a phenomenon in which Americans travel abroad for medical procedures such as weight loss and plastic surgery, where they are a fraction of the cost.
Without any insurance to cushion the financial blow, bariatric surgery can cost up to $30,000 in the US, while the price in Mexico is much more achievable at $5,000 to $8,000.
Just a few years before Ms. McIntyre’s fateful trip to Mexico, Idaho native Justine Rodriguez had decided to undergo the same sleeve procedure in Tijuana as well.
With a weight of 387 pounds and a recent rejection letter for her health insurance coverage, Ms. Rodriguez was desperate. Like many Americans, she went to Mexico.
While she survived, she spent weeks in hospitals and nearly two years on feeding tubes, has epilepsy and seizures, is in constant pain, can’t eat most foods, and has to take more than a dozen pills a day. She also owes the University of Utah Health about a million dollars for saving her life.
She said in 2019 that the cheap surgery was not worth her health nor the pain the experience inflicted on her loved ones: “The problems I have now are not worth going to Mexico to have that surgery done.”
Bariatric surgery is an all-encompassing term for weight loss surgeries that work by altering the anatomy of the digestive tract in some way, such as removing about 80 percent of the stomach to leave a new, tube or “sleeve” shaped stomach.
The procedure, which severely limits the amount of food a person can take in before feeling full, is rightly known as a gastric sleeve.
Another common bariatric procedure is a gastric bypass involving a surgeon creates a small pouch at the top of the patient’s stomach and attaches part of the small intestine to it, limiting the amount of food they can eat and thus restricting calories.
The surgeries are considered the gold standard when it comes to weight loss surgery, with a success rate of up to 90 percent in helping people shed unhealthy pounds — and is even approved for use on children as young as 14.
Justine Rodriguez went to Tijuana in 2016 to have the same surgery as Ms. McIntyre – a gastric sleeve – but the surgery left her with a massive abscess in her abdomen. She needed a feeding tube for about two years and still struggles with epilepsy, a possible side effect of oxygen deprivation during surgery
But the surgeries can have tragic consequences, resulting in severe pain, abdominal abscesses, organ damage, or malnutrition if performed carelessly or by an unlicensed physician.
Improper technique can damage healthy blood vessels in the abdomen where the surgery is taking place, potentially causing serious bleeding. And doctors who incorrectly staple incisions can inadvertently cause leaks where the stomach is divided, leading to infection.
Bariatric surgeries are usually successful, which in this case means that the patient has been able to get rid of about 50 percent of the excess weight on their body.
Kelly Osbourne was one of those success stories, after admitting to undergoing a gastric sleeve procedure in 2018, which helped her lose 85 pounds. She is thrilled with the results and has said the surgery was “the best thing I’ve ever done.”
But if complications arise, the fallout can be deadly.
Mrs. McIntyre, a make-up artist, was attracted to Mexico however, due to the significant discount, she still did her homework leading up to signing up for the surgery to make sure she went to a safe clinic with qualified doctors.
What happened after Ms. McIntyre arrived in Mexico is somewhat of a mystery, according to her friend Francesca Moultrie, who initially planned to have the same surgery but eventually changed her mind.
Ms Moultrie was in regular contact with her friend and often checked in to make sure everything was going well. Moultrie said she “asked her how she was and she was fine.
Ms Moultrie said: ‘I had posted something on Facebook and she was laughing about it. I would speak to her after the surgery around 2 or 3 p.m.’
At 5pm Ms. Moultrie, after not hearing from her friend, received the terrible news from KiKi’s husband – she was unresponsive during the procedure and died on the table, an extremely rare occurrence in bariatric surgery.
It’s not clear what specifically turned out to be fatal about the surgery, but several negative events are possible.
Excessive bleeding during or after a procedure because the surgeon does not seal or close the blood vessels properly. The staple line can also leak, leading to a potentially deadly infection.
Ms. Rodriguez eventually required extensive medical care to repair the damage in Mexico, including several surgeries. Although she is doing better now, she is crushed by medical debt – about a million dollars
Ms. Rodriguez traveled to Tijuana with her mother in 2016 to undergo the procedure. Follow-up care was minimal, with her surgeon advising her to reach out via email with any complications or questions. But she didn’t even know what complications to watch out for.
About a week after surgery and back in Idaho, Ms. Rodriguez said her doctors found a massive abscess in her abdomen that required more than one surgery to fix.
Mrs. Rodriguez said“They had another surgery to try and clear it out, but they couldn’t because it was rock solid, like concrete.”
And these are not isolated incidents. The internet is full of horror stories of people having the surgery, both in the US and abroad. Some suffered from malnutrition due to an inability to keep food down, hair loss, weakened bones, buildup of scar tissue and gallbladder damage.
In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, a gastric sleeve patient nicknamed NI saw the weight drop as intended within the first month after surgery, but she soon developed problems eating and drinking, as well as extreme nausea that prevented her from taking in any food. owned for a week.
In the emergency department, she was hospitalized for malnutrition, potassium and magnesium deficiency, and dehydration. About a week later, the doctors had to remove her gallbladder. A second-week hospitalization showed a buildup of fluid at the surgery site, but NI said she received no treatment for it.
She said: ‘I’ve been home from the hospital for a week and a few days now and my body is still numb. It doesn’t bother me when I walk, but I only get night sweats on my legs at night. I’m scared and don’t know what’s going on.
“I’m scared and feel like if I don’t get this under control I could lose my life. Tried some soup today but only had to take 4 sips of it. I used to be able to eat a lot more. I can’t eat at all right now. Drink alone.’