Now family does not want me to get the band!!!

[purple3797 5]

Hi everyone well I am almost done with all of the pre op stuff and my family is supportive..of course I feel nervous and I still worry about complications and failure and stuff like that..I am schedueld for an an upper endo tomorrow which of course there is ony a need for b/c of the operation..then my aunt who is an RN tells my father that is is a very high risk anytime you mess around with the stomacher and that she has seen some bad outcomes and also many failed bands. Now my parents are not so supportive and my wheels are turning about the safety of all of it! Help!!! I have finally left comfortable and now I am a mess all over again plus I have this test in the morning......I have to make up my minds one way or another and I am so afraid:frown: to make the wrong choice!

[spoiltmom 44]

Honestly there's a pre op nurse at my hospital that just had it done in June. She's doing awesome and she takes ALL the pre op Lap Band patients just so she can help ease any fears they have.

There are 3 employees that work for my surgeon that have had it done. Then I personally know 5 people who have had it done. They all told me it's the best decision they've ever made.

I asked my surgeon upfront if he's ever had a patient with problems and he said only 1 and her port flipped and that was it.

It is surgery and all surgeries carry risks but after researching everything I decided that the risk with the Lap Band surgery is minimal and I'm glad I did it. You have to do what you feel is right and not what your aunt or your parents want you to do.

[BetsyB 9]

How many bands has your aunt really seen? Unless she is working WITH bariatric patients, in an office where they come for aftercare, she really doesn't have any more basis for her opinion than the average Joe on the street.

I'm an RN, and have actually worked in a hospital where banding was the cash cow---and if I hadn't worked on that unit, I never would have seen the patients do more than walk in and out the door.

Your aunt is mistaken about the degree of risk. Like many, I suspect she is mixing up her bariatric surgeries. We hear lots of tales of horrific "banding" deaths; usually they are false, or attributable to Roux-en-Y. For some reason, people like to ascribe horrible bypass results to the band--they can't keep their stories straight.

Look, it is surgery. There are risks---like there are any time you have anesthesia.

But as surgeries go, it is relatively low risk. In terms of alteration to the stomach, which seems to be your aunt's concern, it's completely reversible.

I understand your apprehension; most of us experience a bit of anxiety and second-guessing. But please don't base your decision on uninformed opinions and misinformation. If you want real information, your doctor (or someone here) will provide it.

[Mommyto1 1]

You have to make the decision that is right for you. I was banded last Friday and I had no complications. I'm 34 years old and I figured that I needed to make some life changes if I wanted to see my son grow up. I've tried every diet and had minimal success and it was always short-term success.

There are failure rates with anything you do in life. I've gone into this with the attitude that I WILL NOT fail, I feel this is my chance to start new. I'm sure your family is just nervous because with any surgery comes risks.

Good luck!!

[purple3797 5]

I have researched and my doc is a good one but now Iam thinking about long term effects and problems such as erosion and slippage and things like that down the road. Are those things reversible and does the stomach heals if the band has to come out or does it cause permanent damage???

[BetsyB 9]

Permanent damage is very, very rare.

[Humming Bird 275]

Morbid Obesity has many more risks than lapband surgery.

[LapBandBobbi 8]

Ultimately, this is your decision. If you've done your research and feel comfortable with your decision then stick with it. Tell your Aunt she needs to do some more research before causing everyone to get upset and worried. I agree with Betsy's comments above.

[MLBL 2]

I also did my research very thoroughly and band and bypass both have risks. I went with the band because in the end, if something doesn't work or there is a problem, I can have it removed and my body will still be whole. I am sure your Aunt scared the crap out of your family and that was a selfish thing for her to do. Did she also tell them the many horrible, deadly complications of obesity? I'm guessing not.

[honk 780]

I am two months out and am doing great. FYI When I was 39 I had a minor stroke. The doctors could not say that it was caused by my weight but neither could they rule it out. 39!

Moving on. I really put off telling my family about the surgery mostly because I felt ashamed about my inability to keep weight off once I had lost it (Lost over 100 three times and gained it back); rather than fearing that they would not be supportive.

My middle sister told me that her college roommate had gotten the surgery and would put me in contact with her if I wanted to discuss it. This woman has over 20 years as an RN and is a head nurse at Maine Medical (which is argueably the best hospital in ME).

Unless you have underlying medical conditions that make the surgery dangerous (I had to postpone my surgery 5 months as my body disolved my bloodclot further.); long term being overweight is more of a health risk.

Wayyyyy before my ministroke I finally had to go the doctors because of horrible knee pain. The doctor said point blank the only thing that would help was loosing weight. So, I started swimming every day and lost 30 pounds. Though clearly this was'nt enough. Being severly overweight just makes everything a hassle. A hundred pounds ago I started bringing lunch to work so that I would not have to walk the 10 minutes to the cafe with my friends. How sad is that?

[Amanda1982 142]

I say sit down in a room by yourself no tv or radio. Weigh the pros and cons. If the cons outweigh the pros then so be it let it go...but if the pros out weight the cons, (pros being better health and more time with your family)make a decision to stop lsitening to other people. Its your family ofcourse they are concerned with your health..they love you. But this is your desicion to make. And we are here to support you!!

[ElfiePoo 109]

I would tell your aunt to update her knowledge. As with any type of surgery, there are risks but they are lower than those having gastric bypass. Results aren't in yet, but my doc believes that time will show the band has less risk than sleeve because it's not as invasive.

We are at high risk for early death and a number of medical complications already just because we're fat. The older we get, the fatter we're likely to get, making our risk for early death even greater.

Some of the medications we take to deal with diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. also put us at risk. I know a woman who's taken glucophage for 15 years and is now in need of a liver transplant because the glucophage destroyed her liver.

It is nice to have a supportive family, but please don't let them make your medical decisions for you because they don't have to live (or not) with the consequences.

.

[danide 0]

Hi everyone well I am almost done with all of the pre op stuff and my family is supportive..of course I feel nervous and I still worry about complications and failure and stuff like that..I am schedueld for an an upper endo tomorrow which of course there is ony a need for b/c of the operation..then my aunt who is an RN tells my father that is is a very high risk anytime you mess around with the stomacher and that she has seen some bad outcomes and also many failed bands. Now my parents are not so supportive and my wheels are turning about the safety of all of it! Help!!! I have finally left comfortable and now I am a mess all over again plus I have this test in the morning......I have to make up my minds one way or another and I am so afraid:frown: to make the wrong choice!

My family and boyfriend got nervous at the last minute too, kept questioning if I was sure I wanted to do this... I questioned myself sometimes too but I did it cause ultimately, either I get help with my weight by surgery and risk complications (which there are very minimal) or I risk health complications due to my weight...

You have to do what you feel is best for you. Just because your aunt is an RN doesn't mean she knows too much about the Lap Band Surgery. She probably only sees the people who have it that do have complications but in the larger spectrum, there are few complications but again, sure, there are risks to everything and it is a serious surgery.

Maybe you should speak with your surgeon and the surgical team further, and bring your parents with you so they better understand it.

And as far as failed bands.... the band generally doesn't fail, its the owner of the band that causes the band to fail.

[Nicole74 4]

My family was supportive but definitly didnt think I should of gotten the band..my sister is a personal trainer and health nut and she said I should take the $$ ( i was selfpay) and hire a personal trainer, nutrionist and psychologist instead of doing the surgery, my dad said he didnt think I would be able to handle it mentally and my mom was just scared something would happen to me. BUT I decided myself what was best for me and I just knew I didnt want to be obese for the rest of my life. I was healthy 35yr old but I was 300lbs and it would of just gone down hill eventually. I was very scared too and its normal to be nervous and worry if you are doing the right thing. so far its been a struggle at times but I NEVER regreted my decision. I was worried about the surgery too and long term effects but the surgery isnt bad and it was my very first surgery or hospital stay other than when my son was born. I still worry about band erosion or slippage or some other problem but I refuse to not get something because your scared of what probably will never happen and if it does you will deal with it when it does happen!! listen to others, respect their opinions but decide for YOU!

[samomom 19]

Morbid Obesity has many more risks than LAP-BAND® surgery.

YES!!!!!! Being obese will kill you.

Your family should either support you or shut up. This is your body and you have taken the major step to get healthy for the rest of your life. I have two kids, 7 and 10. I am 36 and I will be around for longer they they probably can stand me because I will not die of some fat related disease. The risk of dying fron surgery is so minimal I bet that it's not even on the charts. Yes, I read about a man here in Los Angeles who died from the band last year, but that was due to gross neglegence from the 1-800-GET-THIN factory here in Beverly Hills that keeps getting nailed by the CA Medical Board. They botched it so badly that he was dead in less than a week. That was tragic, but also done by a hack surgeon. If you have done your research, your doctor is sure to do the job right.

Get the band, get healthy and thin and then see what they have to say. Again, if they can't suport you then tell then to not say a word.