WLS on 12 year old - weigh in

I always check the news every morning and came across this article. Weigh in on how you feel about a 12 year old having WLS? She had the VSG procedure.

http://usat.ly/1f9G0n4

It depends on the situation.  Has this 12 year old tried absolutely everything?  While I don't negate the validity of the need on someone so young, I do still believe that wls should be treated as a last resort.  I also would caution on the procedure they got.  The VSG would probably be the safest since there is no metabolic change to require nutritional maintenance as heavily as the RNY or DS would go.  There are any adulte that don't have the maturity to keep themselves healthy.  I wouldn't expect much more on the brevity of necessity from a 12 year old, and it's not their fault -- they're only 12.  For that reason, though, I would not suggest a RNY or DS for them that young.

That poor girl has a serious medical problem with a damaged hypothalamus and as a result, her body is failing to signal satiety and she is suffering from uncontrolled weight gain. I think in her case this was absolutely the right decision. I read she was originally set for RNY, but her liver configuration did not allow it, so she got a sleeve instead. Thank you for linking the article. I am really hoping she does well. 

Jen

I also watched this.  In a "normal" situation where the 12 year old just needed education and loving family to help them lose weight, I would object to surgery.

  However, this girl had been of normal weight for her age until something happened to cause her to be very obese.  Her face looked like a basketball, it was so round.  I truly felt for her!  Yes, she needed intervention or she would have ultimately died from being so overweight and it's complications.

You could see the pain on her face and I am grateful her parents took the measure they did.  I did wonder though what type of surgery she had as I had missed that.