considering Lap Band Surgery need Advice??

Yourgoingtodothis

I do think this is your own decision but personally I would not go for surgery. I have 4 relatives who have had weight loss surgery and everyone one of them is so unhappy! They had complications 2 who became very ill and are on medication for the rest of their lives. 3 of them are slimmer now but are really unhappy as it has left loose skin and in the future they will probably have more surgery. To me surgery is not an option I would not put myself or my family through it I am currently recovering at home after having hernia surgery 8 weeks ago with complications afterwards and I was so ill!

The answer is I have finally realised after years of yo-yo dieting myself is to address the issues why we are overweight for me it is emotional eating. Food tastes good and satisfies my emotions when life gets to tough at times. I had to take a long hard look at myself and see the real health complications that go with being overweight I have a few of those already! To be honest and this is what is keeping me going this time is I realised if I don't do something about my weight I am seriously asking for trouble why would we put ourselves through that?

This is my 5th week tracking everything and trying to move more it is not going to be easy but this time I owe it to myself to be happy & healthy. You do too and if you would like to add me as a friend we could support each other on the way.

Good Luck!

JoelleAnn78

everyone ends up fatter then before when they do weight surgery cause their willpower is so weak they just go bk to eating sugary food only they cheat like they will eat a dozen donuts bit by bit or make them into a smoothie. I use to work at a hospital and they would go to support group and just be pulling pizza slices like out of their purses to eat

This is just ignorant. I am still 202 pounds lighter than I was four years ago when I had my surgery. And, I haven't eaten a single donut in 4 years. I am certain, you are joking... right?

DeeBrownBaker

I lost 70 on my own before having my Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, i kept counting my calories and exercising and was yo-yoing 10 lbs in 3 years so that is when I decided to do the Sleeve after not being able to lose anymore on my own, but like some people say, it is just a tool. U gotta work ur tool. U gotta continue to watch ur calorie intake and up your protein and exercise. I did it for health reasons, my dad had two strokes and a heart attack and he was obese. My mom died at the age of 58 and she was obese. I wanted to see my son grow up and see my grandchildren so i did it and now i no longer have high blood pressure and am off all meds. My best friend decided to do it after I did and now she is diabetic free. I researched for a year about all the surgeries and the less evasive one to me was the sleeve, you don't get mal absorption, my hair didn't fall out at all, i can eat whatever I want just very little (so that lady that said "she wouldn't want not to eat whatever she wanted for the rest of her life" is not true with every individual). I have no regrets. I have joined my friend in selling affordable WLS at Bariatric Solutions Group if you want to take a look. It is a life changing decision and you have to be mentally prepared for it. I thank my surgeon every time i see him for saving my life. I couldn't feel better.

This!! I had VSG in December 2012... best thing I've ever done... no more high blood pressure, my AC1 is normal... I am a new woman!! My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner!!

Since your ticker says you've lost 8 pounds (a pound a month since December) is that correct? Could you let us know how you consider that loss has resulted in BP and AC1 changes. I'm not being a smartbutt, I am truly interested in the impact of this surgery on biomarkers.

Personally, not for/against surgery in general - I think it's a very specific choice best left to the inidividual and their doctor. I am concerned, given the risks, that it is a choice made sometimes without taking them fully into consideration or based on social/promotional pressures.

my ticker is inaccurate... It doesn't change for some reason... *shrug*... Before surgery I weighed 304.5... I now I weigh 249.4
I don't know how to answer your question, but I am no longer on blood pressure meds or pre-diabetic ... all I know is I am healthier than I was a year ago...

recoveryjunky

Like people have said, do research and see what is best for you. A family member is looking at doing WLS and I went to an info meeting ran by a surgeon. He went over the kinds of surgery. He told us about lap band and it has the most complications and they go by the "1/3,1/3,1/3" rule. 1/3 lose a lot of weight, 1/3 lose a little weight, 1/3 lose no weight. The surgeon told us that he hates doing this surgery and he always tries to talk people out of it.

If it were me, I wouldn't do it but it's all up to you and what you feel comfortable with Good luck with your decision!

pajouey79

Personally, not for/against surgery in general - I think it's a very specific choice best left to the inidividual and their doctor. I am concerned, given the risks, that it is a choice made sometimes without taking them fully into consideration or based on social/promotional pressures.
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^This. I have a very close friend who just decided to try and get the lap band and is now going through the paperwork and the pre-operation rigamarole that they have you do. She asked me if i had ever considered it and I told her that I really could not at this point because I know in my heart I had not tried hard enough on actual dieting. Totally a personal choice and they have the different surgeries because they are not one size fits all.

Jday56

I had the lap band surgery almost 3 years ago. It is not a quick fix. It will not take away your cravings. And it depends on how much your band is filled on how much you can eat. Mine is filled to max capacity and I still struggle. I have lost 75 pounds, but need to lose about 60 more. Sometimes if I cannot eat I know that Ice cream will go down better so I eat that. Not a good choice. I have worked out and made other life style choices that helped me lose the weight. If I eat something that gets stuck it is very painful and I am miserable. You just have to be mentally prepared. How much do you need to lose?

Jday56

I had the Iap band surgery almost 3 years ago. I haven't had the dumping, but I sometimes have a hard time with food going down. I also have a hernia. I think I got my hernia from the dry heaves I get when food gets stuck. I feel for you. I lost 75 pounds, but only 30 after the surgery. I started working out a lot and having small meals during the day. My problem is that when I am really hungry even if I have good food for me I eat the first few bites really fast and forget I have the lap band. Then I have serious pain and my food gets stuck. I think I need to treat my food addiction first. The doctors really didn't address the food addiction. I thought once I had the lap band I thought I wouldn't be hungry and I wouldn't want to eat. I hope you Mom and sister get better. How do you do with food? Do you have any food issues or do you really watch things since you have watched them go through so much?

notenoughspeed

This is a lifelong change, to look at how you treat your body, and what you decide to give it. If you lost it once, you can do it again, but you can't just stop what you did to lose the weight. Maintaining a healthy weight is also something that requires daily monitoring of what you eat. I say, just get motivated to change your life and make that change forever. I encourage you to not get the surgery if you can avoid it.

allweatherheather

I am a fat person myself, and know many other large people who have had WLS of various types (though i have not). Although the lap band initially sounded less scary than the RNY gastric bypass, 4/4 of the people I know who had a lap band had to have it removed because of complications with the device--either with device erosion or with their body's reaction (adhesions and similar).

here's a news story that shows results from a follow-up study that is much less anecdotal but discusses similar findings:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/lap-band-surgery-half-patients-complications/story?id=13187452

I personally don't think 50/50 odds are good enough. Consider how you lost and why you regained--maybe you have other issues that should be addressed, or you need to shift to thinking about doing a "forever" lifestyle change instead of a "weight loss diet"? I am not hear to lose weight per se, but to gain awareness and be accountable to myself. That might be less exciting than weight loss, but I hope it will be more effective in my real goals (long term wellness and fitness).

trevebyn

Having a lap band doesn't mean that you don't have to take supplements for the rest of our life. It does mean that you still have to weigh and measure everything and keep a very close count of the calories. For some people it is very successful but for many of us its still a daily struggle and we don't lose the amount of weight we would like. There is also a high risk of needing future surgery due to complications like band slippage or erosion, or even the port flipping. it may also mean that you are unable to eat things like steak, oysters, mussels, or anything else that is difficult to chew until its almost liquid. It is your decision but do make sure you do all your research first and be prepared for everyone thinking that they have the right to comment on your weight, for ever. Good luck.

dctobin

Anybody know where to get a fill in Toronto...a doctor? A nurse?