Lisa Marie Presley Died of Complications of Weight Loss Surgery

Any Abdominal Operation Can Cause Bowel Obstruction

An autopsy showed that Lisa Marie Presley died of a blockage of her small bowel by scar tissue caused by her weight loss surgery. This is a problem that I know much more about than I want to. Since my major abdominal surgery for lymphoma in 1990, I have had repeated partial intestinal blockages that occur about every 6 months. Any abdominal or pelvic surgery can lead to this complication. Given my personal experience, I can tell you this. If I ever have abdominal surgery again, it will be because there is no way out.

These episodes are extremely painful. It is like the pain of any other blockage of a tube in the body. A person who has a gall stone or kidney stone has discomfort that builds to a peak as the muscle in the tube contracts to try to advance the stone. The bowel does the same thing. The pain builds up in about a minute and then it eases off for a minute or two. It is extremely uncomfortable.

If the bowel is severely or completely obstructed, the treatment is to put a hard plastic tube through the nose and into the stomach so that the intestine can be “deflated” so that it can recover and regain function. Severe partial obstructions may require the same treatment. After having dozens of episodes, I can recognize the early signs of obstruction. If I don’t eat or drink anything for 6-12 hours, I almost always recover and avoid going in the hospital. If the obstruction is really complete, and draining the intestine through the plastic tube doesn’t work, the only alternative is more surgery to remove the blockage. But that is not a great option, because that is how the scar formed and the bowel blocked in the first place.

The best answer is prevention. Don’t have surgery unless there is no other way out. If you have had the surgery, and you have repeated partial blockages, you must be very careful about what you eat. I can’t eat foods like apples and carrots raw. Everything that I eat needs to be very soft so that it can get through the blockage. Even corn on the cob is a problem.

The good news is this. You don’t need weight loss surgery to lose weight. Many more people are too heavy in America today because they don’t eat real food. They eat highly processed foods and fast foods that combine sugar, fat, salt, and carbs in combinations that are so delicious they are really addictive. You may cut these foods in half for a month or six weeks, but for someone like me, it is as hard to cut my processed foot intake in half as it is for an alcoholic to cut his beer in half. It simply cannot happen for most people. Big food companies know about this. They use this fact to get us to buy more of their products. To lose weight and keep it off, you must change what you eat: lean meat, eggs, seafood, fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, and nuts. You don’t have to be perfect. One meal a week you can eat whatever you want if you eat real food the rest of the week. You can enjoy the birthday party, the football game tailgate, or the wedding reception along with everyone else. You can expect to lose a pound or two a month. It is really not that hard. You don’t have to be hungry. You can eat plenty of food.

I will make this rash statement. Eating real whole foods is the easiest and most reliable way to lose weight permanently. I know of several patients who gained weight back after abdominal weight-loss surgery. They continued to eat processed food that is high in calories. Ozempic and Wegovy are very expensive. The cash price for Wegovy is $1500 a month. I can’t afford that. Most people can’t. When you stop taking the drug, you gain the weight back if you don’t change what you eat. Eating addictive foods has made us fat. Kicking the habit is the easiest, most permanent way out.

I have lost over 60 pounds and kept it off. Dr. David Kessler lost 70 pounds and kept it off. Four of my patients lost over 100 pounds just by eating real food. Lisa Marie Presley was just 54 years old when she died, and she had everything going for her. Her death was entirely preventable. If you struggle with your weight, try eating real food before you have surgery and the risk of these horrible complications that can take your health, comfort, and even your life.