Considering Getting The Surgery But So Many ???

[Krissy89 3]

Hi i'm 23 years old with a weight of 292 and a height of 5'3. I have always had an issue with my weight and well after having two kids I let myself go. I find it hard to stay motivated I get really lazy when it comes to working out I feel I need a partner. but sometimes no ones there. I use to work out with my bf and lost 7 pounds i'm one week but it stopped after my gallbladder surgery this past April. I want to lose weight just dint want to have to go through so many surgeries. I saw on you tube this woman that got an infection really bad and went through a series of surgeries. I'm just scared of surgery and terrified to have hanging skin... HELP!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK OR FEEL

[lawismylife 41]

There are always risks to surgery but that is not the majority of people. Please read the other posts and see how people feel about the surgery. If you'd rather be almost 300 lbs and let your fear take over your life, well it's your life. And frankly you'd be lucky to have the hanging skin instead of the weight.

[Krissy89 3]

Thank you

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,721]

Any surgery is uncomfortable. I had my tubes tied, breasts reduced, gallbladder removed. I mean you are cut and then you heal. I had more pain with my gallbladder removal then my other surgeries. Everyone is different and how they (heal).

You will hear on this forum the good and the bad things that can happen with the lap band and please note that all WLS can have complications. Do not be swayed by things you read. You need to research, discuss with your surgeon and do what is the right/best thing for you. You are the one who has to do the pre-ops and then live with the decision.

I chose the lap band for a couple of reasons. One, my insurance does not cover the sleeve. I also did not want my (insides to be cut). My surgeon and I discussed all things in regards to the band. It is merely a tool. Tools come with directions. I will not sit here and say nothing will ever happen to me and my band or anyone else. I cannot also sit here and say if you get the sleeve or bypass that you will not have any complications either. I am not a fortune teller. Things happen. Any surgery is risky.

I do not know your history nor do I know of your insurance or financial side. But I do know that you will hear many say on this forum to not get the band or reconsider. But you will also read posts from people who have had it and are successful.

Just keep an open mind. All the best in whatever you choose and decide to do.

[jen_1381 446]

People are always very quick to tell everyone about the bad. When all is good, people are happy and complain less. Keep that in mind as you do your research.

There are plenty of success stories. I'm living mine! A couple months ago I was 243 lbs. Today, just over 3 months later, I'm 204 and steadily headed down.

I do recommend really getting your brain "in check" before surgery, because success with the band not only depends on the food you chose, but you have to exercise. Find something you're comfortable with. I, myself, HATE the gym. I do not want to go work out with skinny people. I do, though, LOVE jogging and doing workouts with the Kinect (I'm currently doing the UFC Trainer and it's kicking my butt!!). You have to find your active niche or else you may really struggle.

[adorkbl 156]

I agree 100% with Jen. Make sure your brain is in check before surgery. I had my surgery 4 years ago and did extremely well initially. I lost 100 pounds. However, mentally I just wasn't ready. I hit my milestone and then let go. Granted I had some complications with my gallbladder, leaky port, port replacement surgery, and now hiatal hernia surgery. But my head was not in the game. The last few months since my recent issues with the hiatal hernia, I have gotten my head together and am doing quite well again.

I never expected to be going in for my 4th surgery in as many years. Prior to banding I never even had as much as a broken bone. But you know what... I am healthier that where I was. Even if I never lost another pound, I am 75 pounds lighter and that is nothing to sneeze at. I make healthier choices everyday and I feel better.

I am not even worried about hanging skin. I will cross that bridge when it comes. Clothes can hide some of that and the main thing is I will be healthier still!!

Even with my complications, I probably would still make the same decision. No surgery is perfect. No surgery is complication free. In the big picture, I am far better off than some.

Yes, be realistic. But don't not do it because you are scared. You can't move forward if you don't take a step. Good luck with your decision!!

[Sojourner 2,446]

All surgeries have associated risks, and WLS comes with their specific ones. Another consideration to keep in mind is that morbid obesity also comes with health risks if weight is not lost. I'm not trying to instill any fears, only to share the realities of obesity. I chose the lap band because it was minimally invasive and reversible if there was ever a need in the future. As one gets older, it is common for comorbidities to develop, and I had several serious weight related comorbidities which prompted me to move forward with my surgery.

Others have stressed, and I will too, the extreme importance of having accurate understanding of how the band works, and also having your mindset in the right place so you will be able to have a successful weight loss journey.

The band is a tool, which if used properly and consistently will allow for weight loss. It requires a daily commitment to maintaining diet compliance and an overall healthier life style which does include some form of exercise.

Having "your head in the right place" in part relates to understanding that you will need to change your relationship with food...that you will need to eat to live, and not live to eat. food can no longer be your response to stress, boredom, or to cope with other emotions.

Successful weight loss with the band also requires mindful eating, and awareness that you will have to make a lifelong commitment to Portion Control. Also understanding that many of the foods you had in the past may not be allowed on your diet...mostly the unhealthy empty calories of over processed junk foods which caused the pounds to add up.

However, on the positive side, you will eat healthier. Foods which are unhealthy may be eventually allowed in very limited quantities (ie a teaspoon of ice cream versus a scoop) if you don't have an addictive personality and are able to self impose limits.

Loosing weight means you will be healthier...Yes, I have had a few complications, but these pale in comparison to what I would face with a heart attack, stroke, debilitating arthritis, etc.

You need to do your research, and decide if you are able to make the changes in your lifestyle which are necessary for successful weight loss using the band. Your success, or the lack of success with weight loss will be within your own power to choose.

I also encourage you to ask questions, read past posts, and attend an information seminar to gather as much information to make an informed decision.

Best wishes as you "weigh" your options! Good luck with whatever you choose!

[GodsTyro 63]

It sounds to me like you are still contemplating getting the lapband. There is a book that I got from TrueResults that I suggest everyone who is either wanting to know more information, going thru with the lap band and needing to know what to expect as well as just contemplating it should read. It's called The Lap Band Solution (not sure if you can get it in stores or not though)

It was extremely helpful for me to make the decision to have it done and will be banded in October due to insurance hoops and whistles I have to jump thru.

Some of the things I do want to say though concerning the lap band is it's not a "miracle pill" - the amount you put in is the amount of results you will get. Almost all of my friends that have had this procedure and including my doctor have stated there are 3 commitments that are made for the doctor and their staff (basically making sure you are safe & healthy) as well as 3 commitments you have to make which come down to being willing to follow the rules when it comes to eating (as there will be a lot of food you cannot eat afterwards) but also exercising 30 minutes a day (or breaking it up to 200 minutes per week)

Being scared of surgery is something that I think everyone goes thru, and like others have said surgery doesn't come without risk, it is impossible to eliminate 100% of the risk when it comes to a major surgery and though the lap band is the least extensive out of all gastric surgeries, it is still surgery of the stomach. However, the statistics of death rates are no where close to what the statistics are in the other procedures. I know that many of our worries is "death" and because of this I want to post what I posted in another persons post (excerpt from the book concerning death)

From Lapband Solution - Excerpt on death:

"Any stomach operation for obestity is major surgery and carries with it the risks that would go with any complex operation. People have died form having operations for morbid obesity-it happens rarely with LAP-BAND placement, but we can never take away the risk completely. If you are older and if you already have certain diseases due to your obesity, or if you are otherwise unwell, you will be at greater risk.

Death associates with obestity surgery occur mostly because of heart attacks after the operaion, cloths passing to the lungs or infection due to the breakdown of some part of the stomach wall. The LAP-BAND has been shown to be very much safer than the stapling operations, but still death is possible. If we look at the figures for LAP BAND placement across the world there has been about one death for every 2000 to 3000 people who have the procedure. This is less than 1/10 of the risk of death associated with gastric bypass or biliopancreatic diversion. For a death to occur, multiple things have to have gone wrong and to have gone wrong in a particular sequence.

Firstly, it is extremely unlikely that anyone would die while under anesthesia. Our patients probably worry about this possibility the most and yet it almost never happens. Today, the knowledge base of anesthesia, the training and quality of our anesthestists and the prescence of sophisticated monitoring systems make having an anesthetic very much safer than 50 or even 10 years ago.

If someone did die after a LAP BAND procedure, a series of technical errors usually would have taken place. The surgeron would have to have made a mistake, not recognized what error occurred, not recognized that you were becoming unwell, not thought of the possible causes nor the investigations needed in response, and not treated the problem correctly. That is not just one error but a WHOLE SERIES OF ERRORS that all have to line up into one path.

Nevertheless, you must minimize this risk by ensuring that your surgeon is well trained, has extensive experience, publishes or can make available to you his or her outcome data and can show you a track record of being safe. The placement of the LAP BAND is very safe when done properly but its potential risks are higher when the surgeon is not well trained or proficient."

As you can see in the above there are MANY things that have to occur in a specific order for death to even take place if something were to go wrong - and though folks might think 1 out of every 2-3,000 is a lot, please remember the other statistics of the other surgeries which is 1 out of every 250 patients had died.

In the end, it is just important to realize getting the lap band is not an excuse to be lazy, and in all actuality if you are completely honest with your doctor they would probably reject you from getting the lap band if you were unwilling to do what they say (which includes working out 30 minutes a day)

Lastly extra skin isn't something to worry about because of your age if you have any at all it would probably be minimal. In addition to that, in case you did its important to know most insurances cover surgery after because it's considered reconstructive surgery

[Krissy89 3]

Thank you all for your input I appreciate it. I decided to get it but its just not going to be that easy for me thanks to my insurance.