considering Lap Band Surgery need Advice??

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  • Compudad
    Compudad Posts: 54 Member
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    You can lose weight with surgery but it won't fix your head. There is a reason that you over eat and can't control your food intake. Having gastric surgery won't fix that and can lead to major depression when you find that you can't eat for the all comfort/stress reasons that you turn to food.

    Invest the money in a good therapist and fix what is wrong instead of trying to mask the issue. If you can get your mind around eating small meals and doing without after surgery then you can do it before.

    No program that I have heard of is just offering the surgery alone. Mine is offered as a part of a larger program that involves therapy, nutritional counselling, support groups, exercise and regular contact with medical professionals.
  • Compudad
    Compudad Posts: 54 Member
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    I had the RNY Gastric Bypass surgery on December 5th of last year and have done very well with it.

    As part of the program I met with counselors, nutritionists and several other medical specialist doctors. The program looked at the big picture and not just the surgery part. The ongoing care and support from my team of medical professionals and support group members keeps me going in the right direction and helps validate the life decisions that I have made.

    Every skinny person out there seems to "know someone who has had the surgery and failed" My experience is that the people that I meet and interact with that have had the surgery are happier, healthier and wish they had done the surgery sooner.

    Peer reviewed medical studies show that the success rate is better than any other diet plan out there and that fewer than 20% have any complications.

    As part of the program, I have changed what I eat, exercise daily and make better food choices all with the added benefit and aid of having a digestive system that is not as efficient at processing every last calorie of food that I consume. I have no more diabetes problems, no high blood pressure issues and my cholesterol is under control. I live a more active lifestyle and feel great.

    Weight loss surgery is only successful for people who take advantage of all your particular program has to offer in an effort to change your body and mind. Without change to both, you will fail.

    20% complication rate is very high. 1 person in 5 has complications? Wow.

    Serious complication with hip replacement is 10 times lower and we still thought it was very high.

    I did not say that 20% had serious complications. Many have minor complications that require tweaking of diet or vitamins. The important thing is that the risk is lower than remaining morbidly obese.

    Well, this made me look it up:

    50% re-OP rates reported: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/lap-band-surgery-half-patients-complications/t/story?id=13187452
    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-21/obesity-lap-bands-may-cause-more-complications-than-weight-loss.html

    Late complication (serious) rate of 26%
    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-21/obesity-lap-bands-may-cause-more-complications-than-weight-loss.html

    Major complications range from 1% to 50% (possibly reduced to 8% due to procedure changes)
    http://www.bariatric-surgery-source.com/lap-band-problems-lap-band-complications.html

    So, no, it isn't just vitamins and diet.

    Congrats on your success but keep the info balanced.

    I never mentioned or advocated Lap Band surgery, i had the RNY Gastric Bypass.
  • MommaKit79
    MommaKit79 Posts: 852
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    As many of you have been through, I have lost weight over and over. I am considering Lap Band or Sleeve since I am well over 100lbs over and high BMI. I have lost and gained weight over and over but I am unsuccessful at keeping it off. I lost 50lb on MFP but I have gained 25 back. My insurance wont cover the surgery but I may pay out of pocket or a loan.

    Any suggestions?? I would like to loose it the right way without surgery but my health is declining and I cant seem to keep it off. thoughts??

    I haven't read anyone else's response but...If you do, take ALL the classes to go along with it and find out everything you can about it. I went to an information session with my Aunt for surgery last year and I suggest, if you do either, to do the Sleeve. Also, make sure you take the Therapy along with it too because it will help you with any underlying issues that you may (or may not) have as to any reason why you are overweight. I wish I could just have those classes myself.

    If you have health issues as to why you need surgery and seriously need that kind of help, I would do it...BUT, you have to make the commitment in your head that it is MAJOR and a serious lifestyle change.

    GOOD LUCK!!!
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    How does the 20 year success rate look, and how do people eat once they get to maintenance ?

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23807753 "Long-term follow-up evaluation of revisional gastric bypass after failed adjustable gastric banding." contains some lessons from history perhaps.

    Seems to me you need at least as much self control and intake regulation with WLS as you do with "just" dieting, in which case they should offer placebo WLS where you are anaesthetised and then told it's been done afterwards.
  • jess7386
    jess7386 Posts: 477 Member
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    OP - It sounds to me like you should work on your emotional eating issues rather than jump to surgical means. It sounds as if you understand why you've put on the weight, and what changes you need to make in order to reverse the trend. Perhaps your money would be better spent meeting with some sort of nutritional counselor in order to change your response to eating. All the WLS in the world won't help if you don't get to the root of your issues.
  • mhouston2011
    mhouston2011 Posts: 155
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    To each, his or her own. I had the Lap Band surgery and have been very happy with it. I still eat normally....and OMG I still have my hair!! I take normal, yes normal vitamins that everyone else in the world can also take. Two months ago I had all of my levels checked and remarkably, my vitamin/minerals levels are higher now than ever. My blood pressure is normal...blood sugar perfect...no medications daily.

    There will ALWAYS be people who have problems...from laser eye surgery..botox injections. There will ALWAYS be people who say that "you can do this without surgery if you try hard enough." Only YOU know if YOU need this in your life. It is merely a tool. I still eat. I just eat less. Because of the weight loss, I feel like exercising and get excited to see what my body can now accomplish. It is by far the "lazy" way out. That hits a nerve with me everytime I see or hear someone make that comment. The "lazy" way out is to do nothing about your weight problem.

    Sit down with your doctor. Investigate all the pros and cons. Do as much reserach as you can. I chose the Lap Band because it is reversible if problems arise. I'm not ignorant to the chance that I might have future problems. That is with any surgery you have..be it weight loss or even dental surgery. Do what makes you happy..as you are the one in the end who lives with it.
  • Compudad
    Compudad Posts: 54 Member
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    How does the 20 year success rate look, and how do people eat once they get to maintenance ?

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23807753 "Long-term follow-up evaluation of revisional gastric bypass after failed adjustable gastric banding." contains some lessons from history perhaps.

    Seems to me you need at least as much self control and intake regulation with WLS as you do with "just" dieting, in which case they should offer placebo WLS where you are anaesthetised and then told it's been done afterwards.

    The placebo would not do the same thing.

    The surgical part of my gastric bypass program works in two ways, first through restricting the amount of food that I can eat and second changing the amount of calories that I can absorb from the food that I eat.

    The program part of my Gastric bypass program coaches me to change my relationship with food, make better food choices and to build relationships with other WLS patients and medical professionals to support each other.

    Pretending that I had the surgery is not the same thing,
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    As many of you have been through, I have lost weight over and over. I am considering Lap Band or Sleeve since I am well over 100lbs over and high BMI. I have lost and gained weight over and over but I am unsuccessful at keeping it off. I lost 50lb on MFP but I have gained 25 back. My insurance wont cover the surgery but I may pay out of pocket or a loan.

    Any suggestions?? I would like to loose it the right way without surgery but my health is declining and I cant seem to keep it off. thoughts??
    I know a lot of people who have had WLS. 90% of them are as big as before the surgery.

    It won't do you any good in the long run if you can't get a grip on your eating and exercise habits.
  • JDY36
    JDY36 Posts: 17
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    I would consider your options very carefully. I did the lap band, not covered by insurance. It was costly $$$$! Initially I lost some weight, but had difficulty keeping some food down, which was gross and upsetting. A few adjustments helped, but you have to be very patient. Eventually I gained back the weight I lost, just got tired of eating "right' and went back to old habits. While exercising I noticed tenderness over the port site, that only got worse. So, once again I bit the financial bullet and had it removed, (it cost as much to have it out as it did to put in) fearing that the band had caused erosion to the stomach. Turns out it didn't happen, but I feel so much more "normal" without it. I am thrilled that I was lucky enough to find MFP which gives me more feedback about what I am eating. You can expect to still have to account for what you are eating, and at times you might be miserable. I don't recommend the band personally, but if you need WLS I would go for the sleeve. DS and RNY are pretty drastic. Find a good Bariatric program and make an educated decision. It is not a 'magic bullet' but truly is a tool to help you on your journey. Hope all that helps.
  • NYCNika
    NYCNika Posts: 611 Member
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    It will make you lose weight, but it won't stop you from eventually putting it back on if you are unwilling to completely change your lifestyle. But if you are willing to permanently adjust your lifestyle, you don't need the surgery.

    Your problem is with putting it back on. That means a problem with lifestyle. If you work on your lifestyle, the weight will take care of itself.

    Wouldn't you rather not take surgery risks and expense, not mess with your body in a major way, be able to eat like a normal human being, have occasional treats?

    I just have hard time wrapping my mind around the thought that being physically restricted in how much they are able to eat is the "only" or "best" solution for any adult, not mentally incapacitated human being.
  • temptech
    temptech Posts: 17 Member
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    I had great results with the sleeve surgery. I have not regained an ounce and so far, no side effects.
    It is not for everyone, because it does require a lifetime lifestyle change.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    You can lose weight with surgery but it won't fix your head. There is a reason that you over eat and can't control your food intake. Having gastric surgery won't fix that and can lead to major depression when you find that you can't eat for the all comfort/stress reasons that you turn to food.

    Invest the money in a good therapist and fix what is wrong instead of trying to mask the issue. If you can get your mind around eating small meals and doing without after surgery then you can do it before.

    No program that I have heard of is just offering the surgery alone. Mine is offered as a part of a larger program that involves therapy, nutritional counselling, support groups, exercise and regular contact with medical professionals.

    And if you had done all those things without the surgery you could have been exactly where you are now without having an invasive procedure with a lot of inherent risks done.
  • RAEQ127
    RAEQ127 Posts: 106 Member
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    You'll see 1000 people say how you can do it yourself, but you know deep down whether or not you need to have surgery. Like it was said earlier, it is a tool and not an end all be all. I myself have RNY in 2007. I never lost all my weight because I didn't know how to lose weight to begin with honestly. Sure I lost 30 lbs here or there, but it always came back plus 20. Now I am 5 years out and while my stomach is still smaller than normal, I don't have the benefits of absorption but I do still have dumping... just not when I should. It's still hard to eat protein, because it is so dense, but junk food and candy will always go down just fine. That's where I know so many people have a problem. If you need to lose 100 lbs you'll probably lose about 80. Then 5 years out you'll have gained about 10-20% of what you did lose. So point of the story is, you gotta know everything you need to know now.
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
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    When I first started on this path in April 2011, I actually met with a lap-band surgeon who wanted me to lose 90 pounds before he'd do the surgery. I was 376 pounds and a little mad because I felt like if I could have lost that kind of weight, I wouldn't be there seeing him about weight loss surgery.

    What ended up happening has surprised many. So far, I've lost about 130 pounds all on my own, without lap band or RNY. The more I lose, the harder it is, but the numbers are still going down.

    I've just learned the hard way that it is a lifestyle change - not just for the time you want to lose weight, but for after that as well. I had a panniculectomy on March 29 and the recovery was a bit more difficult than I expected it to be, and I ended up basically eating whatever I wanted while recovering (big can of worms story). I gained back 18 pounds. Lesson: when I get to goal weight, I can't forget everything I've learned along the way. I'll still have to have lean, healthy proteins. I'll still have to log the food I eat. I'll still have to drink my water. I now know if I just say, "OK - I'm at goal! I HAVE ARRIVED!" and quit doing all the things that got me here now and will get me to goal, then I'll just gain it all back.

    I suspect that that's what happens with a lot of people - they get to goal and go back to the way they used to eat or back to old habits, and the weight finds them again.

    I think the lap-band is a FABULOUS TOOL. It does not negate the need to eat more healthy, "high quality" foods like lean, healthy proteins, being conscious of carbs and fats, etc.

    My view is that if you have to learn to eat healthy regardless, then what's preventing me from just eating more healthy and losing the weight on my own? I'm not adverse to getting it - and in fact, I'm currently at about a 40 BMI. The doctor will do the lap-band down to a 35 BMI unless there are other health related things going on (like diabetes or high blood pressure, etc.) that might warrant a 30 BMI. So I have a window of opportunity to get it if for some reason something happens that I start gaining for no reason. (I also have made a deal with my therapist that if my weight does start significantly increasing to a certain point, then I will go ahead and get it done.)

    Just some things to think about....
  • MzTanya77
    MzTanya77 Posts: 79 Member
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    As many of you have been through, I have lost weight over and over. I am considering Lap Band or Sleeve since I am well over 100lbs over and high BMI. I have lost and gained weight over and over but I am unsuccessful at keeping it off. I lost 50lb on MFP but I have gained 25 back. My insurance wont cover the surgery but I may pay out of pocket or a loan.

    Any suggestions?? I would like to loose it the right way without surgery but my health is declining and I cant seem to keep it off. thoughts??

    When I started this weight loss journey in March of last year I was @ 245 lbs and am 5"2' well over 100 lbs over my ideal weight. Since that time I have lost 57 lbs and I couldn't be happier.

    You need to look at WHY you gain the weight back. Do you have unrealistic weight loss goals, do you properly account for everything you are eating, are you active?

    Before spending money on a risky surgery with no guarantee of success you should probably take a good hard look at what you have done in the past and see where you went wrong. Remember that weight loss is a marathon not a sprint, you didn't put it on quickly, don't expect a Biggest Loser kind of weight loss.

    This is excellent advice. WHY do you regain the weight? Weight loss surgery may fix the physical issue, but the psychological issue is still there and will remain unless you address it. My advice is work on the mind first, because wherever the mind goes, the body follows..........
  • pluckabee
    pluckabee Posts: 346 Member
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    Just as an addendum tot he point that 'only' 20% of people experience complications, complications can include death.
  • bren216
    bren216 Posts: 16
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    I considered it. In fact, it was the fact that I found myself considering the surgery that showed myself how seriously bad my health had become. I needed to take control of my situation.

    As I thought about it, I saw that I had two options:

    If I had the surgery, I would have to change my eating habits and exercise almost daily.
    If I did not have the surgery, I would have to change my eating habits and exercise almost daily.

    See where I'm going with this? Either way, I would have to follow through and change my habits.

    Since then, I have logged each bite that I ate on MFP. I've lost weight, walked a 5k, and enjoy doing normal, everyday stuff again. Every day, I go to sleep feeling good that I have done well that day (instead of kicking myself like I used to).

    So, think about this:

    If you do not have the surgery, you will have to change your eating habits and exercise almost daily.
    If you do have the surgery, you will have to change your eating habits and exercise almost daily.
  • action_figure
    action_figure Posts: 511 Member
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    I don't understand why you would do it. You have to diet anyway to lose the weight. It's not magic. I've lost 118 pounds since October 1, 2012 just calorie counting and working out. You can be active later on after you get enough weight off.
  • DeeBrownBaker
    DeeBrownBaker Posts: 145
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    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!!
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
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    If you have had trouble sticking to healthy decision making doing things "the right way"....what makes you think you will be able to stick to healthy decision making after surgery. I only ask because if you are unable to stick to healthy decision making after surgery, you will gain all of the weight back and probably some more.

    Stated a different way, surgery is not a cure for bad eating. Surgery is more of a band aid or head start. But surgery does not teach you how to eat properly.

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