[DiamondSmiles]

by Julie Ryan Evans
cafemom

September 19, 2013

Childhood obesity is a problem, no doubt, but, there has got to be a better way than subjecting toddlers to weight loss surgery. Unfortunately, that's happening as young as the age of 2 now, and it's heartbreaking and outrageous that it is.

A boy in Saudi Arabia has become the world's youngest weight loss surgery patient. According to news.com.au, the boy had a body mass index of 44.1 before the surgery, putting him well over the healthy range of 18.5 to 24.9. Doctors say he wasn't suffering from any, "hereditary or genetic causes of obesity," but his weight was causing other physical problems such as sleep apnea.

Cleary something needed to be done, and his parents reportedly tried two attempts at dieting. One at 14 months, according to the New York Post, resulted in a 17-pound weight gain, but it's not known whether they stuck to the diet after that. When the boy hit 72 pounds, his family and doctors decided surgery was the answer.

It did work. He was followed for two years after the surgery, and doctors reported that his BMI went down to 24. So that's great, but the extreme method -- which comes with its own risks, (both known and unknown), -- is just disturbing.

He was just 2 --that's before many children learn to talk, or skip, or even use the potty. Did they just give up on teaching him how to eat healthy and exercise? I'm sure they thought they were doing it to help him lead a healthy life, but they simply could not have exhausted all the means do so naturally by the time he was 2.

Sadly, he's not the first toddler to undergo the surgery either. There are reports of a 5 year old boy from Saudi Arabia and a 4year old from India who have also undergone the surgery. I fear we're going to see more and more cases, too.

In a report in the International Journal of Surgery Case Reports, doctors wrote:

"The results suggest that LSG, (laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy), can be a safe and effective alternative for weight control in morbidly obese children even of less than 3 years of age. However, more studies and long-term follow up is essential for monitoring the growth and development of children subjected to LSG."

Really? "A safe and effective alternative?!" Are we really going to allow parents to take the easy way and put their children at risk by putting them under the knife instead of trying to instill healthy habits? We simply can't give up that early.

[slapchoppa]

that's incredibly sad for that child and the fact that he's not the first child to have that surgery? heartbreaking. clearly they weren't sticking to the healthy eating.. stop allowing your child to eat junk, take him to the park and run around with him.

[Feirefiz]

2 yo ?! Saudi Arabia ?!
Why not hack off the hands that feed him?

[banana dick]

heartbreaking.

[DiamondSmiles]

I remember that big baby, Archie, from England, a few years ago.

His mother had back injuries and couldn't lift him at one point. I wonder how he is doing.

Well, it was more than a few years ago. This is the first I heard about the third nipple.

Archie Thompson

Momo Syndrome and the Six Stone Baby

A remarkable story of a young child who by the age of two weighed six stone and was unable to walk. Momo Syndrome is a condition so rare that it is believed only three other people in the world suffer from it. One in Italy and 2 in Brazil.

When Archie Thompson was born, in June 2002, he weighed a perfectly normal 8 lbs., 4 oz., but by 15 months he weighed 4 stone and by the age of two that had risen to 6 stone. This has had a profound effect on his health causing breathing difficulties and already one heart attack. It was feared that Archie may not live for more than another year.

His father Nigel Thompson was concerned and, in desperation, called in social services for help. The first they did was investigare Sarah for overfeeding Archie. With this discounted, he was admitted to the local hospital where doctors would monitor his eating and were surprised that he ate perfectly normally for his age and continued to gain weight at an alarming rate.

In an attempt to understand the condition and the prognosis for the boy, Sarah Thompson, Archie's mother, who lives in East Sussex with her husband Nigel and two other children, Millie, 4, and Robyn, 11, travelled to São Paulo in Brazil to meet Danielli Furton a girl of 17 who is also believed to suffer from Momo Syndrome.

Sarah met up with the girl, her mother and doctor to compare notes. Momo syndrome was first observed by doctors in São Paulo in 1993.

Momo stands for macrosomia, a combination of three conditions: obesity, (excess weight), macrocephaly, (large head), and ocular,(of the eyes). Archie had a further abnormality, he also sported a third nipple.

Despite having been extremely nervous about the meeting Sarah was relieved to discover that Danielli did indeed appear to have exactly the same condition as Archie. Danielli was overweight and had misshapen legs, but she was 17 years old and bright and cheerful despite her condition.

Sarah spent a little time with the family to see how Danielli coped and was very encouraged. She returned home, to England, satisfied that even with his baby giantism, little Archie could have a future.

Doctors and the medical profession still do not fully understand how Momo Syndrome works but, now, will be able to watch Archie develop and learn from this very rare condition that only affects 1 in 100 million ....

Archie was bigger than the baby in, "Honey I Blew Up the Baby".

The best I could find so far, as of 2009, Archie was 6 and very much alive. His mother was doing a column for Dr. Phil. She had an e-mail address at that time. Perhaps, I will see if it's still good. Here is her letter:

March 11, 2009, 8:08 pm PDT

Quote From: archiesmum

My child Archie was featured on several programmes, discovery health, TLC. channel 5 in the UK .. yes we are british, now here in states finally after i went to brazil , he was diagnosed with MOMO syndrome,, not OVER EATING.. he is life limited, he has a normal diet . he is now 6 , doctors said he wouldnt live past 2 what these mums have to do if they think something is wrong is push push push till you get where you are satisfied. below are several links

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOMO_syndrome

Confirmed Cases

Archie Thompson was born in 2002 in Icklesham, England and weighed 8 lb 4 oz (3740 g). By 15 months, his weight had increased to 4 stone (56 lb; 25 kg) and by 24 months, it was up to 6 stone (84 pounds; 38 kg). The condition placed a large strain on his heart and lungs. The Thompson family were featured in a documentary for Five first shown on 3 October 2004.

Danielli Furton, from São Paulo, Brazil, is one of the oldest surviving sufferers of MOMO syndrome. At age 17, she was featured in the Archie Thompson documentary as his mother traveled to visit her. Furton attended school as normal, though her physical and mental conditions prevented her from progressing as well as the other students.

Three other cases have been diagnosed, one in Italy, a second in Brazil.

http://www.mymultiplesclerosis.co.uk...ethompson.html

if i can give any one any advise plz contact me at.. pudgentazz@hotmail.com

[rapeWhistle]

Hilarious.

[DiamondSmiles]

Meanwhile in China:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...-year-old.html

23 August 2010

A 10 month old Chinese baby has been nicknamed the, 'Michelin baby,' after growing to 20 kilograms, the equivalent weight of a 6 year old, Chinese media has reported.

The boy, Lei Lei, is in hospital in Yiyang, in southern China's Hunan province, undergoing tests to find out whether there is a medical cause behind his weight gain.

I cannot find any updates on either child.

[Darkest Angel]

Weight loss surgery is so extreme. People die under anesthesia on the table all the time. And many people die of post op complications after surgery as well. I would not subject my child to this.

[DiamondSmiles]

Originally Posted by Darkest Angel ↗

Weight loss surgery is so extreme. People die under anesthesia on the table all the time. And many people die of post op complications after surgery as well. I would not subject my child to this.

Don't they measure the anesthesia depending on your body weight?

If, say, it's based on an adult at a certain weight, whose organs are fully grown and developed, it could kill a baby at the same weight.

[Pyramid_Head]

I was shocked it wasn't in my country of the USA.