Getting Lap Band Surgery
kirdyq
Posts: 165 Member
My sister just texted and said that she had a consult with a bariatric surgeon who told her she needed to get lap band surgery because all of her health problems are due to her being morbidly obese. She's been having major sinus infections and can't seem to get well. The doc also told her she wouldn't be able to get pregnant unless she loses weight.
I am worried about it/her. I'm not sure exactly how much my sis weighs, but she is a big girl. The thing is that she does not really watch what she eats nor does she exercise. At all. I suppose I feel like now that she has been told this by a surgeon, there is no way that she'll try to get healthy without having a surgery. She tells me that I don't know what it's like to battle weight issues all the time, and she is right there. I don't. I'm 5'8 and am about 130-135. But, I just feel like surgery is such an invasive way to deal with it, and it is not like she has even made an honest effort any time in the recent past to try to keep herself healthy. Back in her college days she used to do CrossFit all the time, and she looked fine then. She ate right and exercised. She has had a ton of stress since college, and has kind of let herself go.
I don't know. I guess I'm just worried about her and I thought people here might understand.
I am worried about it/her. I'm not sure exactly how much my sis weighs, but she is a big girl. The thing is that she does not really watch what she eats nor does she exercise. At all. I suppose I feel like now that she has been told this by a surgeon, there is no way that she'll try to get healthy without having a surgery. She tells me that I don't know what it's like to battle weight issues all the time, and she is right there. I don't. I'm 5'8 and am about 130-135. But, I just feel like surgery is such an invasive way to deal with it, and it is not like she has even made an honest effort any time in the recent past to try to keep herself healthy. Back in her college days she used to do CrossFit all the time, and she looked fine then. She ate right and exercised. She has had a ton of stress since college, and has kind of let herself go.
I don't know. I guess I'm just worried about her and I thought people here might understand.
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Replies
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Is she planning to pay for it herself or have insurance pay for it? If it's insurance, she'll have to go through all kinds of testing - both medical and psychiatric. She'll probably have to do a six month weight loss program somewhere before insurance will pay for surgery. The psychiatrist I had to go to was pretty tough. So is the dietician.
Before I had the lap band surgery I didn't watch what I ate either or exercise. I still struggle with the exercise part but the desire to eat is pretty much gone. I've been successful in losing weight so far. I physically cannot overeat at this point so that stops me from eating a lot of stuff. By the time I eat my daily protein requirement and veggies there's not much room for anything else.0 -
My sister just texted and said that she had a consult with a bariatric surgeon who told her she needed to get lap band surgery because all of her health problems are due to her being morbidly obese.
Good lord, this is what health care has come to. It actually cracks me up that I'm staring at a Bariatric Surgery banner ad at the top of this screen as I type this.
Look, it's none of my business, but since you posted this I would say do everything you can to get your sister not to go down this road. I usually can't stand the derision that is dumped onto different people's ideas on losing weight, but this is one way I find abhorrent. I apologize in advance to those that have had successful bariatric surgery but it seems awfully risky to me. There really is no upside here. No surgeon is going to be able to come in and scoop out her problems or negative attitude towards weight loss. They'll still be there when the anesthesia wears off.
I don't have the stats with me, but I can tell you that many many people have had gastric bypass and then ended up right where they started after one year.0 -
I had lap band surgery two years ago and I'm happy to share my experience. Keep in mind that everyone is different, though, and surgery may not be the best route for your sister.
I tried many diets over the years, including severe calorie restriction, weight watchers, and Meridia. They all worked to a point, but eventually the weight always came back plus more. Eventually I realized my overeating had little to do with my love of good food. I still love good food. I'm a pretty good cook and I love going to good restaurants. I've never been a junk food junkie. My overeating was directly related to depression. I was on antidepressants for years, but was still unable to control the emotional overeating. Finally, I started to understand that I needed to learn new coping mechanisms to deal with stress, depression, life, that didn't involve food. I've been working with a therapist who specializes in eating disorders for over two years now, and I've made great progress.
NONE of this is thanks to my bariatric surgeon. He's a nice guy, but he's a surgeon, not a therapist. The reason I decided to go with the surgery...well, several reasons, and they're complicated. I had tried and failed so many times before, I didn't think I could face failing again. I was terrified of trying and failing, and my weight kept going up. I was fortunate not to have any other health issues, largely because of my active lifestyle and the fact that I never ate much junk (and genetics), but I knew it was just a matter of time before the weight would catch up to me. When I finally sat down and face reality I was about 120 lbs overweight and the thought of losing all that with no help was just so daunting I wanted to give up completely. If not for my kids, I might have ended it all at that point. How in the world do you lose 120 lbs???? It was just too much...I couldn't face it. My husband is a physician and read up on the medical literature, and weight loss surgery has a great success rate. Yes, people can and do re-gain weight after surgery. Everyone knows someone who has. But a meta analysis of the literature shows that *statistically* it's more successful than any other method of weight loss.
I decided on the lap band vs gastric bypass or sleeve or the other methods because it's the least invasive and can be reversed. My band is pretty loose these days, so I can *almost* eat like "normal." The other surgeries can cause malabsorption issues and you can't drink alcohol or sweets, and I wasn't about to give up any one type of food (or wine!). For six months to a year leading up to the surgery, I had to undergo a whole battery of tests (cardiac ultrasound, endoscopy, blood work, sleep study...can't remember what else) to make sure I was healthy enough to take the surgery. I was also required to lose a certain amount of weight (10% of my weight I think...can't remember now) to prove that I could make healthy choices. I also had a fitness test, treadmill stress test...can't remember what else. Anyway, my point is, you can't decide one day to have the surgery and then go and do it the following week. They put you through so much, that you have plenty of time to think it through and educate yourself before you actually go through with it.
Finally, and MOST IMPORTANT, I would not have had the success I've had if not for my therapist and a LOT of hard work on my mental and emotional relationship to food. I'm happy to say I've been off antidepressants since last summer and I "manage" my depression with exercise.
I still want to lose a lot more weight, but I can honestly say that I've reached my "goal" of having a healthy relationship with food and I'm no longer terrified of failing.
That's my story.
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I had lap band surgery two years ago and I'm happy to share my experience. Keep in mind that everyone is different, though, and surgery may not be the best route for your sister.
I tried many diets over the years, including severe calorie restriction, weight watchers, and Meridia. They all worked to a point, but eventually the weight always came back plus more. Eventually I realized my overeating had little to do with my love of good food. I still love good food. I'm a pretty good cook and I love going to good restaurants. I've never been a junk food junkie. My overeating was directly related to depression. I was on antidepressants for years, but was still unable to control the emotional overeating. Finally, I started to understand that I needed to learn new coping mechanisms to deal with stress, depression, life, that didn't involve food. I've been working with a therapist who specializes in eating disorders for over two years now, and I've made great progress.
NONE of this is thanks to my bariatric surgeon. He's a nice guy, but he's a surgeon, not a therapist. The reason I decided to go with the surgery...well, several reasons, and they're complicated. I had tried and failed so many times before, I didn't think I could face failing again. I was terrified of trying and failing, and my weight kept going up. I was fortunate not to have any other health issues, largely because of my active lifestyle and the fact that I never ate much junk (and genetics), but I knew it was just a matter of time before the weight would catch up to me. When I finally sat down and face reality I was about 120 lbs overweight and the thought of losing all that with no help was just so daunting I wanted to give up completely. If not for my kids, I might have ended it all at that point. How in the world do you lose 120 lbs???? It was just too much...I couldn't face it. My husband is a physician and read up on the medical literature, and weight loss surgery has a great success rate. Yes, people can and do re-gain weight after surgery. Everyone knows someone who has. But a meta analysis of the literature shows that *statistically* it's more successful than any other method of weight loss.
I decided on the lap band vs gastric bypass or sleeve or the other methods because it's the least invasive and can be reversed. My band is pretty loose these days, so I can *almost* eat like "normal." The other surgeries can cause malabsorption issues and you can't drink alcohol or sweets, and I wasn't about to give up any one type of food (or wine!). For six months to a year leading up to the surgery, I had to undergo a whole battery of tests (cardiac ultrasound, endoscopy, blood work, sleep study...can't remember what else) to make sure I was healthy enough to take the surgery. I was also required to lose a certain amount of weight (10% of my weight I think...can't remember now) to prove that I could make healthy choices. I also had a fitness test, treadmill stress test...can't remember what else. Anyway, my point is, you can't decide one day to have the surgery and then go and do it the following week. They put you through so much, that you have plenty of time to think it through and educate yourself before you actually go through with it.
Finally, and MOST IMPORTANT, I would not have had the success I've had if not for my therapist and a LOT of hard work on my mental and emotional relationship to food. I'm happy to say I've been off antidepressants since last summer and I "manage" my depression with exercise.
I still want to lose a lot more weight, but I can honestly say that I've reached my "goal" of having a healthy relationship with food and I'm no longer terrified of failing.
That's my story.
Thanks for sharing. That was really informative and gave me a different perspective. I'm very happy for your success.0 -
I had lap band surgery two years ago and I'm happy to share my experience. Keep in mind that everyone is different, though, and surgery may not be the best route for your sister.
I tried many diets over the years, including severe calorie restriction, weight watchers, and Meridia. They all worked to a point, but eventually the weight always came back plus more. Eventually I realized my overeating had little to do with my love of good food. I still love good food. I'm a pretty good cook and I love going to good restaurants. I've never been a junk food junkie. My overeating was directly related to depression. I was on antidepressants for years, but was still unable to control the emotional overeating. Finally, I started to understand that I needed to learn new coping mechanisms to deal with stress, depression, life, that didn't involve food. I've been working with a therapist who specializes in eating disorders for over two years now, and I've made great progress.
NONE of this is thanks to my bariatric surgeon. He's a nice guy, but he's a surgeon, not a therapist. The reason I decided to go with the surgery...well, several reasons, and they're complicated. I had tried and failed so many times before, I didn't think I could face failing again. I was terrified of trying and failing, and my weight kept going up. I was fortunate not to have any other health issues, largely because of my active lifestyle and the fact that I never ate much junk (and genetics), but I knew it was just a matter of time before the weight would catch up to me. When I finally sat down and face reality I was about 120 lbs overweight and the thought of losing all that with no help was just so daunting I wanted to give up completely. If not for my kids, I might have ended it all at that point. How in the world do you lose 120 lbs???? It was just too much...I couldn't face it. My husband is a physician and read up on the medical literature, and weight loss surgery has a great success rate. Yes, people can and do re-gain weight after surgery. Everyone knows someone who has. But a meta analysis of the literature shows that *statistically* it's more successful than any other method of weight loss.
I decided on the lap band vs gastric bypass or sleeve or the other methods because it's the least invasive and can be reversed. My band is pretty loose these days, so I can *almost* eat like "normal." The other surgeries can cause malabsorption issues and you can't drink alcohol or sweets, and I wasn't about to give up any one type of food (or wine!). For six months to a year leading up to the surgery, I had to undergo a whole battery of tests (cardiac ultrasound, endoscopy, blood work, sleep study...can't remember what else) to make sure I was healthy enough to take the surgery. I was also required to lose a certain amount of weight (10% of my weight I think...can't remember now) to prove that I could make healthy choices. I also had a fitness test, treadmill stress test...can't remember what else. Anyway, my point is, you can't decide one day to have the surgery and then go and do it the following week. They put you through so much, that you have plenty of time to think it through and educate yourself before you actually go through with it.
Finally, and MOST IMPORTANT, I would not have had the success I've had if not for my therapist and a LOT of hard work on my mental and emotional relationship to food. I'm happy to say I've been off antidepressants since last summer and I "manage" my depression with exercise.
I still want to lose a lot more weight, but I can honestly say that I've reached my "goal" of having a healthy relationship with food and I'm no longer terrified of failing.
That's my story.
Thanks for sharing. That was really informative and gave me a different perspective. I'm very happy for your success.
cheers and thanks0 -
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Poster said : "Good lord, this is what health care has come to. It actually cracks me up that I'm staring at a Bariatric Surgery banner ad at the top of this screen as I type this. "
I must agree with this! I do believe that one day in the future medical people will be looking at this and shaking their heads at our stupidity. It causes more complications than it fixes IMHO. I think medically induced anorexia/bulimia is a medical travesty!0 -
An aunt of mine had it done. She didn't change the habits that caused her to gain it in the first place. Three years after, the 120 lbs is back plus 30 more. It's incredibly sad. She's now considering the HGC shots... I wish there was something I could say or do to help her but the few times I tried, it was met with complete resistance. I love her but its not enough.
You have my empathy, OP.0 -
The bottom line is that it won't success if she's not willing to make changes. It's not a magic solution, she WILL gain the weight back if she doesn't learn how to eat properly... and once she learns, she might as well lose the weight the 'hard' way and save herself the $$.0
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^^^ Truth ^^^The bottom line is that it won't success if she's not willing to make changes. It's not a magic solution, she WILL gain the weight back if she doesn't learn how to eat properly... and once she learns, she might as well lose the weight the 'hard' way and save herself the $$.0 -
I had a gastric band surgery many years ago.
Well, it did not help.
It started off great in the beginning. Just as I was promissed. I ate very little, but felt completly full and happy.
15 kg melted away like nothing.
Then something happened. Whatever it was, instead of losing weight i was only vomitting.
Everybody is different, sure, but gastric band surgery will make you vomit.
One too big piece of meat, not completly and very small bitten, will stick there and going nowhere.
On the other side, whatever passed the band, i am not able to get out anymore.
Which is very inconvenient, if you eat something bad or you are sick with gastroenteritis and have the worst nausea, but are unable to vomit.
At the end, the gastric band has been opened completly, as I was not able to eat anything anymore.
Well, althought it is open now, every now and then, a piece gets stuck, and just three days ago I found myself vomiting like a cat with a bad hairball, unable to get it out.
Luckely we were at home, and my husband already knows, what is going on.
Imagine this happens in a restaurant.
And you can not just stop eating.
It hurts, is HAS to come out.
I could slap myself in the face still now after all those years that I did it, i.e my doctor got me convinced that it is the best.
If you habe any further questions, please feel free to send me a PN or also ask open. Nothing to hide. Just experience.0 -
The bottom line is that it's her life not yours. Give her your support.0
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I had a gastric band surgery many years ago.
Well, it did not help.
It started off great in the beginning. Just as I was promissed. I ate very little, but felt completly full and happy.
15 kg melted away like nothing.
Then something happened. Whatever it was, instead of losing weight i was only vomitting.
Everybody is different, sure, but gastric band surgery will make you vomit.
One too big piece of meat, not completly and very small bitten, will stick there and going nowhere.
On the other side, whatever passed the band, i am not able to get out anymore.
Which is very inconvenient, if you eat something bad or you are sick with gastroenteritis and have the worst nausea, but are unable to vomit.
At the end, the gastric band has been opened completly, as I was not able to eat anything anymore.
Well, althought it is open now, every now and then, a piece gets stuck, and just three days ago I found myself vomiting like a cat with a bad hairball, unable to get it out.
Luckely we were at home, and my husband already knows, what is going on.
Imagine this happens in a restaurant.
And you can not just stop eating.
It hurts, is HAS to come out.
I could slap myself in the face still now after all those years that I did it, i.e my doctor got me convinced that it is the best.
If you habe any further questions, please feel free to send me a PN or also ask open. Nothing to hide. Just experience.
There is absolutely no reason to be so miserable. If your band causes you that much distress, have it removed.0 -
Thanks! It is nice to hear a positive story about this. And good to hear negatives as well.
I definitely want to support my sister so that she can lead a healthier lifestyle. Unfortunately, I just feel that we live in a day and age where doctors are quick to do surgery and prescribe medicines when possibly other natural methods could be utilized to reach the same end. I see a little bit of that in this doctor's suggestion to my sister, simply because she has not yet made the effort to eat healthy and exercise before having the idea implanted into her head that surgery is really the best route for her. The doctor told her she'd have a hard time losing 120 pounds on her own.
So thank you all again!0 -
Well, my sister had her surgery this week. She actually had something called gastric sleeve surgery, so she has had a good portion of her stomach removed and taken out. It is not reversible.
I am praying all goes well for her. The thought of this still terrifies me.0
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