WHY is everyone so against WLS?

[Bryn 3]

I can't really see how wls is any different from other elective surgeries or procedures people have.

if someone has a root canal or needs a filling, well isn't it their fault for not keeping up with their oral hygiene? how could they let their teeth get to this point? can they fix it on their own now w/o a surgeon's intervention?

the answer is no. same questions they ask you, are the same questions in the situation above (partly).

people choose to straighten their teeth, their hair, get a nose job, get fake nails, lip peircings, tattoos, etc. these things all have risks.

but if we don't take action with our health now, who's to say we may live long enough to see the little things people take for granted every day?

don't let it get you down, but let it be your motivation to keep going with your journey.

[lellow 1,713]

I am 5'4" and was 215lbs when I was banded and all I heard from everyone except my husband was how I didn't look big enough to be having surgery. It seemed almost like people were either insinuating that I was vain or lazy for wanting a lapband.

But now those same people see pictures of me pre-surgery and almost ALL of them say that they didn't realise in hindsight that I was that big. Funny what people get used to. Now I'm 125lbs, those pictures make them realise how much weight I actually had to lose. And they also now realise how much work I put in to lose that weight. Vain and/or lazy? Yeah, right!

Don't look at yourself from other people's eyes. That's my advice to you.

[Lady Lap Band 71]

It was the best thing I ever did for ME...I started at a BMI of 36 and now I am 24.9! I have not been at a normal weight since before I started having my children. I love the fact that I am at a healthy weight and can do things that I had a hard time doing before. People ask me all of the time how I have lost my weight and I still hesitate to tell them about WLS, I tell them I changed the way I eat and make healthier choices. I just choose not to tell them about the tool I have to help me. I looked into it for four years before I finally did it. I LOVE my band! Wish you the best!

This is EXACTLY what I do as well and I would suggest you do it too if your family is giving you a hard time. WLS is a very private matter you dont owe it to anyone to tell them

[annieM 2]

I was on the stretcher and the nurse told me, but you're not that big...

Now that I'm down 85lbs, I think OMG I was Huge! How could they not see it? I still have a little ways to go, that pesky last 10 lbs, but I wouldn't trade my band for anything.

[deedee72 4]

I wouldnt pay anyone's opinion any mind. You are doing this for you and not them. Ever heard the saying " opinions are like a**holes, everybody's got one" The ones that are commenting are probably the ones that havent had to endure a struggle with weight or ones that don't understand the band. Either way...forget them. If I lived my life like others wanted or acted on others opinions, I would be in a mess right now!! good luck to you!!

BTW...I live in Raleigh!!

[Cangel76 1]

I had a similar experinece to annieM. I had the lady who did the swallow test the day after surgery say to me, "but you don't look big enough for the lap band." How big do you have to be? I am 5' tall and 234lbs, I am carrying an extra me, should I carry to extra mes or wait until all of my vitals are all over the place. Right now I have good blood pressure, cholesterol is good, the only thing off is my hypothyroid (that won't change) and my PCOS, which will get better with weight loss. So in the end, I had to do this for me.

I was fat, I feel under the Morbidly Obese catagory. Funny story, even my doctor called me skinny. LOL I know I am not skinny but I am not like some who come up to this point when it is really late in their weight loss struggles. I am 34 and I have tried everything, this was what I needed to do for ME and my family.

I wish you the best of luck.

[jshivery 0]

I feel ya on this one. Honestly, I am about 5'9 and about 281. Every single person I tell, say, "oh you aren't big enough to have that surgery".....I'm like, seriously, let me strip for you so you can see just how huge my ass is.....My husband isnt happy with me having it either. I don't really care at this point though. I love him, but I love him enough that I know I have to do this for me. My oldest daughter, 14 knows, but my 7 year old daughter and 6 year old son, don't know. I wont' be telling them either. I just wish that at least my hubby would be more supportive. But hey, my aunt and cousin are supportive and will be here to help post op even if he wont, which I'm sure he will....

[racetrackweary 0]

I was 5'5" and 220 when my lapband journey began. I had tried every diet known to man! Some were successful but I could never keep the weight off. I also have a mom who is 5'2" and weighs 100 lbs soaking wet - she is very critical. That is why I knew I couldn't tell anyone about the surgery except my husband. It has been our secret for 3 years and it's been the best thing I've ever done in my life. There will always be "nay sayers" you do what is best for you. Believe me - you will not regret it. I had the nagging thoughts as I was being wheeled into surgery - "what if this doesn't work for me", "what if I fail again", "dang - I love food too much can I handle this" - I'm just glad that I quelched those thoughts down and went through with it.

Also - to those who say having the band is "the easy way". It's not. You have different issues to deal with and it is not a "miracle cure". BUT - it is a "jump start" to a brand new way of life!

[happygirl65 5]

According to my surgeon (who is a teacher of other LapBand Surgeons) the vast majority of patients who die after having lap band surgery are from heart related issues. They are required to include anyone who died within a certain time frame after having the surgery regardless of their other health problems or advanced stages of their various diseases.

Some of the people that are included in these (relatively small numbers) are people who already have heart disease...one was even on a transplant list....only one death occured on the table and that was because of some gross negligence on the part of the doctor doing the surgery....ONE....the rest died later within the reporting time period and most of them had advanced heart disease.

Every surgery does have it's risks but the risks of obesity (IMO) outweigh this surgery by far.

[ElfiePoo 109]

My surgeon said that if someone dies within 12 months of WLS, their death is attributed to the WLS...even if they were run over by a car! The mortality rate for band surgery is something like 1 in 2000...for bypass 1 in 250. Most people don't understand the difference so when they say "I read about someone who died", most likely that person was a bypass patient.

Since you're doing this for yourself and nobody else, I would just tell the naysayers, "Thanks but I've already done my research and this is what's best for me."

.

[lauragshsu 6]

No matter how big you are preop, friends and family (most likely) won't say "yeah, you are a tub-o-lard, go get surgery". I was 319 (and 5'9") when I had surgery, and still had people sayig I didn't look "that heavy". Now, 100lbs down, I always have people telling me how great I look and what a great desicion it was.

[Cocoabean 430]

In my opinion, we are not the healthiest group going in to surgery. Especially for the super obese. This fact alone puts us at a higher risk for complications.

I've seen on some documentaries about bariatrics that some surgeons will not operate on people with high BMIs because the risk of death during the op or immediately post-op is too high. The surgeon's feel the risk to benefit ratio is too high for them take on a case like that.

[bandedjen 0]

I think that there are a lot of people out there that see obesity as laziness and lack of will power. I think that plays into their opinions of WLS and they see it as the easy way out. My brother who can eat ANYTHING and still be great weight wise was against me having the surgery and I just had to do what I knew was right for me. Screw all those neysayers!

[bandedjen 0]

Oh...and it is one of the safest surgery's you can have!

[XBIGJIMX 0]

When I started telling everyone my plans to get banned I got alot of people telling me "THat such and such died and blah blah blah" My response was look at me I am one all you can eat buffet from a heart attack. I WILL die if i don't loose this weight" that usually shuts them up