LB surgery for my unhappy tean daughter?

[amom 0]

Wasa, according to the people my daughter has talked with, it is used for many teens that just need that boost to get started. You are right though it does need to be changed after 6 months. I was just saying this could be a alternative to banding. The cost is also significantly less then the band.

[ConSafo 0]

I have to agree with what rob and audury(i'm pretty sure it was you two...lol) said.

However, I know I'm only 2/3 years older than your daughter, but I really believe that under 18 is a little too young.

I mean, there's no way I would have been ready for this at 16.

Heck, I never even thought about it until a few months ago when my father mentioned it to me(he had a gastric bypass at 30)

I mean, I think most kids are looking at this as an easy way out

Like, get the surgery, loose a bunch of weight over night(which is not the case) and magically it will completly change their life.

I'm not saying that it isen't something that should be looked into though.

I would really have to suggest finding someone that your daughter can talk to, because it helps alot.

And, I'm not sure how much she's tried dieting or whatnot(i've been on too many too count)

I know something my mom did to try to encourage my weightloss was to reward me with things I wanted. So, I mean, say if she looses 20lbs she can get something she's wanted. I know for me it was piercings(which my mother hates) but if I worked towards it, she let me get it, even though she didn't like it.

I'm just saying this because, I really think that surgery should be the last string. I know for me though, that this is what's it's going to have to be.

However, all that being said. If in a year or so she still really wants it, and hasen't been able to loose weight, I say go for it. Why wait till long term medical effects take thier tole.

[babygrl1234 6]

I am sorry reqgoddess but I have to disagree with you on the genetics. I cannot believe genetics does not play a part when I spent my entire high school career playing sports year round, spent my summers outside and still ended up fat and the most exercise my then best friend had was lifting the forkfull of mac and cheese to her mouth and was skinny as a bean pole. She must have been eating a good 4000 calories daily and never gained weight. She never exercised, ever. Genetics can be overcome with diet and exercise but they do play some part in how hard you have to work for it.

[green 6]

Audrey, Robgob, Jetlag, and babyg all speak the truth in my opinion. The girl has reached her full growth and she is carrying far too much weight. Both of her parents are big people and this indicates that this is not an issue of baby fat. We all know that sending the poor kid off into a cycle of yo-yo dieting isn't going to work and is just going to mess up her metabolism as well as ensure that she feels like even more of a loser each and every time that her attempts fail. As I had advised in my earlier post, have her see a dietitian, have her practice healthy eating habits for the following 6 months and then get the poor kid banded. Even amongst us there is still far too much of this puritanical attitude that the fatty must be punished. Obesity is a medical issue, not a moral one.

[anonemouse 1]

I am sorry reqgoddess but I have to disagree with you on the genetics. I cannot believe genetics does not play a part when I spent my entire high school career playing sports year round, spent my summers outside and still ended up fat and the most exercise my then best friend had was lifting the forkfull of mac and cheese to her mouth and was skinny as a bean pole. She must have been eating a good 4000 calories daily and never gained weight. She never exercised, ever. Genetics can be overcome with diet and exercise but they do play some part in how hard you have to work for it.

I have to agree with this. Take my brother's fiance for example. The girl's about the same height as I am, eats every couple of hourse (usually junk), and weighs maybe 110 pounds. She eats thousands of calories per day, way more than I do, yet is literally half my weight.

Another example is my college roommate. I lived with that girl for four years. She literally ate Pasta almost every single day, sometimes for every meal (other than Breakfast, when she ate a sugary Cereal like Lucky Charms). She loved cheese bread and would frequently make it to eat with her Pasta meals. She was also incredibly inactive. She gained a little bit of weight over the four years, but not more than 20 or so pounds. And how did she take it off? She did yoga for about 20 minutes a day and the weight melted off like butter.

Genetics really is the key, I believe, to a lot of peoples' weight. Some people can be couch potatos, eating thousands and thousands of calories from junk food, and not gain a single pount. Or if they do gain, it's very easy for them to lose weight. Other people watch what they eat, are very active, and are still fat. Now, I'm not saying that genetics is the entire problem for everyone. But it does determine if you are predisposed to obesity. It determines how easily you gain weight and how difficult it is to lose it.

[reqgoddess 0]

Ok...reggoddess i can appreciate your point of view but i do not agree. Being a fat teenager (19) and knowing some...its not something most people grow out of...read the stats. Something along the lines of 90% of teens that are obese become obese adults. (i don't know the stat right now but ive heard it a million times before). On top of that genetics is not a guess, its pretty much an accepted theory (along with other factors, it explains obesity in some). I am a health science student, i have university classes in health and wellness, nutrition, physical activity, metabolism etc...i KNOW all there is to know, people literally tell me that i shouldnt be as fat as i am..theyre like, you are in better shape than me it doesnt make sense (not kidding ive been told that) and i weighed 320 at 5'11''.

Also, why are you banded...you basically have the attitude of a non-bander preaching to a bander ex: ''Small McDonald's fries instead of a large McDonald's fries is NOT the answer!!! Having a cup of ice cream instead of 2 cups of ice cream is NOT the answer. DROP the BAD foods and replace them with GOOD foods.'' WTF is this...honestly....i wont even go there.

First of all, I never said you "grow out of it". Quite the opposite. The longer one waits, the harder it is . Look, no offense, but at 19, although you may be extremely intelligent, you are too young to be fully "life smart" yet (the proof is your statement of "I know all there is to know"). Heck, you haven't even graduated college. However, I know you hate hearing that, because I did too. I, too, felt that way at 19, ( actually i think I felt that way as early as 16 (lol)) so I understand. Warning: when you are 25, you will look back and realize just how much you didn't know. But that is part of life that we all experience. You have NO concept what it is like when you turn 30 then 35 then 40, etc and each time you realize the changes and just how ignorant you were at the age before. (needless to say you will realize all the things that didn't hurt (like knees) in the age before (lol)).

No one is saying that the "fat gene" doesn't count. But we use it too much. With exercise and diet and the metabolism of a teenager you can overcome the "fat Gene". And yes, it looks great on paper, and like EVERYTHING in life worth obtaining, it takes work. I have been banded because I am 45. I allowed myself, for all kinds of "reasons" get fat. I yo-yo'd for years. I destroyed my metabolism, which at 45 is nothing like a teenagers' to begin with. Are you going to tell me, honestly, that in your teens, you ate healthy, and exercised? I mean, you had less calories in then you burned? Come on, we are talking about a kid here, who has the time and energy to do it, (but maybe not the stamina, because of years of bad habit eating which I am not saying is her fault, but only she can correct it). Not someone who has to go out to work each day, take care of a couple of kids, dogs, cats, (maybe even a goldfish), a house, who has lot's of things to get done in a day with no time to do them, let alone time to work out, a boss on your back and maybe a husband that is a non supportive idiot. In addition, even THAT is an excuse, because our priorities should be better so that taking care of ourselves IS important. Exercise IS taking care of ourselves. I am not saying this with disdain, but with love. Sometimes, it isn't the easy thing to say, doesn't mean it isn't correct. Teenagers fall into that mode of "the social life" is the most important thing. They will sit on computers; cell phones; ipods for hours but not have "time" to exercise. I have a teenager and I have to constantly try to get her to eat properly, stay away from soda (in which EVERY ingredient is BAD for you), etc. Luckily, thus far, she is thin, BUT she complains that she is getting a belly. Well, at 13 and now 14 she decided she no longer likes the good stuff she used to eat and at school is eating lots of carbs ( chicken patty; fries) and no real Protein (protein wrapped in deep fried bread crumbs doesn't really count does it?) She is NOT 8, (like my little one) where I can control what she eats even when she is away from me. At 14, they are a bit more independent, but she already isn't liking the results. I tell her, only she can change it. I make the healthy food, she eats good at dinner, but the rest of the day it is a horror. When she stays after school, for school work or band; she buys soda out of the machine (which thankfully is being pulled out of the school this summer).

Here's the deal, banded or not: Losing more then 10 lbs is a lifestyle change. It is an important one. My sister, who has never been overweight, at 49 runs 3 miles a day , and works out in the evening. She eats no more then 1500 calories a day. YES, she watches what she eats and it is WORK!@!! Even thin people who want to stay thin HAVE to do it. If a bony-malony like her has to watch what she eats and exercise, what makes us think that we don't have to?

All those things you want to avoid..i have some. All un-necessary. Had I thought better of myself and put more emphasis on me, could have all been avoided. I DO NOT MEAN become an egotistical SOB. There is a happy medium. I suffered from depression due to some things that happened to me as a child, and my ego was certainly not what it should have been. At late 20's - early 30's it all came down on me like a ton of bricks. I was smart enough to know better, but like you said, it is all easy on paper. Real life happens, and some handle it better then others. I made mistakes due to my lack of self esteem and tried to protect my kids but by doing that i let myself go, but should have tried harder to take care of me, ( again a happy medium) because in the long run, a happier mom is better for the kids. Again, easier said then done. With bad knees and hips going bad, having had 2 herniated discs; exercise wasn't an easy option, although now that i have lost some, it is MUCH easier then before.

I can tell you that I was banded for many reasons having to do with health issues, so that i would be here for my kids because they are not ready to be here without me. Anyway, i kinda like life, and in this case it (the band) probably saved it.

As a 19 year old person, you may have been banded, for your own personal reasons. But you cannot even fully understand the impact on your life for the future because the part of your brain that handles "long term planning-cause and effect" doesn't fully mature until about 25. So you THINK you do, but medically you are shooting dice. I hope it is the best thing you've done and that it turns out 100% happy (and in this case it probably will) but as a person whose body is still growing INSIDE, I don't think it is sound advice for all teenagers. I think it should be an exception; absolute last choice. Especially for early and mid teens. If they think they have stress now, oh PLEASE!!! I know it seems real to them, but that is why they need to get help to handle that, because this is one of the least stressful times in your life. i know it sounds cliché' but I wish i was back in high school and college. Being a "grown up" isn't easy. Exercise now before the knees and hips and back all go south. Right now, they have some of the stamina. Get the help NOW, mental and physical and it will last a lifetime. It is an IMPORTANT investment in the future, one of the most important they will ever make.

Being banded isn't easy. Living with the band is something I wish i didn't have to do to achieve my goals, but by waiting too long, it is the best way out. But teenagers have their whole lives ahead of them. The clock is NOT ticking as fast even though it may seem it. Good and healthy lifestyle changes will benefit more. Remember, if you don't get healthy upstairs too, they you can gain back all the weight that you lost . I know a lady who had a gastric by-pass and has gained back 50 of the lbs she lost. And remember , they don't even absorb everything like we do, but she is the one to bring all the cakes and donuts and Cookies into the office each Friday.

Anyway, i did not intend to come across condescending or mean. I nag because I love and want to help. I was hoping some could benefit from experience and such, (but the nagging part is a left-over from being a mom :-). We are all here to learn, and embrace and hopefully help someone else. I WOULD NEVER want to hurt anyone nor would I intentionally be mean or try to hurt any one. Although I know that because you cannot hear me say the words that i write, you can't know that. Many times the written word comes across cold, but that doesn't mean they are meant to be that way and i swear in this case they are NOT meant to harm or hurt.

[reqgoddess 0]

Laurend,

Sorry, but ...no. Very FEW people in this world can be a couch potatoe and eat thousands of calories and NOT get fat ..eventually. What you find out about most people is that when they aren't around you they are working out, dieting, etc. There are a few lucky sould in this world that have a very fast/high metabolism, but very few. The most of thin people work at it. My dad was 6 ft tall, weighed 180 lbs his whole life, but he never ate too much. he would purposely move away from the food. Not have that doughnut, etc. And again, of course, the gene has something to do with it, but not all. What the gene does is help you to have a pre-disposition towards obesity. IT DOES NOT seal your destiny!!!! Some people have to work harder then others. And it is NOT jus the calories, it is the content of the calories and the combination of the enzimes with the Vitamins you eat. It takes work. It takes learning A BUNCH of stuff. It takes discipline, dedication, etc. But man, who is better equipped to do that then a teenager? Who has the drive the energy more then a teenager. They live half thier teenage life with going all day and very little sleep and can get up the next morning and do it again. At 45, if I stay up to 1 am reading then i feel it the next day as if I was out on a drinking binge.

yes, i wish I had the support i do now to have had the time it is taking to learn all this and the stamina of youth to have stayed the course of implementing it. But I didn't. But a teenager whose mom is asking these questions does. She has parents who want to be there for her so she can take the time and learn this and be able to take the time to implement.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

First of all, I never said you "grow out of it". Quite the opposite. The longer one waits, the harder it is . Look, no offense, but at 19, although you may be extremely intelligent, you are too young to be fully "life smart" yet (the proof is your statement of "I know all there is to know"). Heck, you haven't even graduated college. However, I know you hate hearing that, because I did too. I, too, felt that way at 19, ( actually i think I felt that way as early as 16 (lol)) so I understand. Warning: when you are 25, you will look back and realize just how much you didn't know. But that is part of life that we all experience. You have NO concept what it is like when you turn 30 then 35 then 40, etc and each time you realize the changes and just how ignorant you were at the age before. (needless to say you will realize all the things that didn't hurt (like knees) in the age before (lol)).

No one is saying that the "fat gene" doesn't count. But we use it too much. With exercise and diet and the metabolism of a teenager you can overcome the "fat Gene". And yes, it looks great on paper, and like EVERYTHING in life worth obtaining, it takes work. I have been banded because I am 45. I allowed myself, for all kinds of "reasons" get fat. I yo-yo'd for years. I destroyed my metabolism, which at 45 is nothing like a teenagers' to begin with. Are you going to tell me, honestly, that in your teens, you ate healthy, and exercised? I mean, you had less calories in then you burned? Come on, we are talking about a kid here, who has the time and energy to do it, (but maybe not the stamina, because of years of bad habit eating which I am not saying is her fault, but only she can correct it). Not someone who has to go out to work each day, take care of a couple of kids, dogs, cats, (maybe even a goldfish), a house, who has lot's of things to get done in a day with no time to do them, let alone time to work out, a boss on your back and maybe a husband that is a non supportive idiot. In addition, even THAT is an excuse, because our priorities should be better so that taking care of ourselves IS important. Exercise IS taking care of ourselves. I am not saying this with disdain, but with love. Sometimes, it isn't the easy thing to say, doesn't mean it isn't correct. Teenagers fall into that mode of "the social life" is the most important thing. They will sit on computers; cell phones; ipods for hours but not have "time" to exercise. I have a teenager and I have to constantly try to get her to eat properly, stay away from soda (in which EVERY ingredient is BAD for you), etc. Luckily, thus far, she is thin, BUT she complains that she is getting a belly. Well, at 13 and now 14 she decided she no longer likes the good stuff she used to eat and at school is eating lots of carbs ( chicken patty; fries) and no real Protein (protein wrapped in deep fried bread crumbs doesn't really count does it?) She is NOT 8, (like my little one) where I can control what she eats even when she is away from me. At 14, they are a bit more independent, but she already isn't liking the results. I tell her, only she can change it. I make the healthy food, she eats good at dinner, but the rest of the day it is a horror. When she stays after school, for school work or band; she buys soda out of the machine (which thankfully is being pulled out of the school this summer).

Here's the deal, banded or not: Losing more then 10 lbs is a lifestyle change. It is an important one. My sister, who has never been overweight, at 49 runs 3 miles a day , and works out in the evening. She eats no more then 1500 calories a day. YES, she watches what she eats and it is WORK!@!! Even thin people who want to stay thin HAVE to do it. If a bony-malony like her has to watch what she eats and exercise, what makes us think that we don't have to?

All those things you want to avoid..i have some. All un-necessary. Had I thought better of myself and put more emphasis on me, could have all been avoided. I DO NOT MEAN become an egotistical SOB. There is a happy medium. I suffered from depression due to some things that happened to me as a child, and my ego was certainly not what it should have been. At late 20's - early 30's it all came down on me like a ton of bricks. I was smart enough to know better, but like you said, it is all easy on paper. Real life happens, and some handle it better then others. I made mistakes due to my lack of self esteem and tried to protect my kids but by doing that i let myself go, but should have tried harder to take care of me, ( again a happy medium) because in the long run, a happier mom is better for the kids. Again, easier said then done. With bad knees and hips going bad, having had 2 herniated discs; exercise wasn't an easy option, although now that i have lost some, it is MUCH easier then before.

I can tell you that I was banded for many reasons having to do with health issues, so that i would be here for my kids because they are not ready to be here without me. Anyway, i kinda like life, and in this case it (the band) probably saved it.

As a 19 year old person, you may have been banded, for your own personal reasons. But you cannot even fully understand the impact on your life for the future because the part of your brain that handles "long term planning-cause and effect" doesn't fully mature until about 25. So you THINK you do, but medically you are shooting dice. I hope it is the best thing you've done and that it turns out 100% happy (and in this case it probably will) but as a person whose body is still growing INSIDE, I don't think it is sound advice for all teenagers. I think it should be an exception; absolute last choice. Especially for early and mid teens. If they think they have stress now, oh PLEASE!!! I know it seems real to them, but that is why they need to get help to handle that, because this is one of the least stressful times in your life. i know it sounds cliché' but I wish i was back in high school and college. Being a "grown up" isn't easy. Exercise now before the knees and hips and back all go south. Right now, they have some of the stamina. Get the help NOW, mental and physical and it will last a lifetime. It is an IMPORTANT investment in the future, one of the most important they will ever make.

Being banded isn't easy. Living with the band is something I wish i didn't have to do to achieve my goals, but by waiting too long, it is the best way out. But teenagers have their whole lives ahead of them. The clock is NOT ticking as fast even though it may seem it. Good and healthy lifestyle changes will benefit more. Remember, if you don't get healthy upstairs too, they you can gain back all the weight that you lost . I know a lady who had a gastric by-pass and has gained back 50 of the lbs she lost. And remember , they don't even absorb everything like we do, but she is the one to bring all the cakes and donuts and Cookies into the office each Friday.

Anyway, i did not intend to come across condescending or mean. I nag because I love and want to help. I was hoping some could benefit from experience and such, (but the nagging part is a left-over from being a mom :-). We are all here to learn, and embrace and hopefully help someone else. I WOULD NEVER want to hurt anyone nor would I intentionally be mean or try to hurt any one. Although I know that because you cannot hear me say the words that i write, you can't know that. Many times the written word comes across cold, but that doesn't mean they are meant to be that way and i swear in this case they are NOT meant to harm or hurt.

That's not fair. You can't discount everything someone writes because of age. Sometimes younger folks have it together quite well. I believe the person you are writing to does have it together, she merely disagrees with you. As I do.

Destroying your metabolism? Not possible. It is quite literally impossible to have a destroyed metabolism and live through it. It's another dieting myth. Yes, it is harder to lose weight at 45 vs. 19 for many people but that isn't due to a destroyed metabolism. Having a band does not change your metabolism, it changes the quantity of food you eat. If what you say is true, a band would do you no good whatsoever because you could eat 12 calories a day and still gain weight.

If people could just lose weight and get healthy on their own, people like you and me wouldn't need a band. For WHATEVER reason, (call it anything you wish, no self esteem, lazy behaviors, no will power, chemical imbalances, biological issues, physical problems...) it doesn't happen. Sometimes people need help and these issues are just as real for teens as they are we old folks at the ripe old age of 45. To say someone should just try harder because while they have the same exact problem as you and I, they are younger so they need to suffer through it the way the rest of us did is just simply morally wrong and unfair.

We should want better for younger people, we should want them to learn from our mistakes, not their own. Not when it can be prevented.

It is NO easier for a 15 year old to lose weight when they have the SAME problems as you and I as it is for you and I.

I sincerely believe you called this one wrong on several levels.

[reqgoddess 0]

wasabubblebutt, and all,

You are correct. A "destroyed" metabolism isn't a good description. I believe it is that you can slow your metabolism way down by bad dieting habits over the years. Eating certain foods and no exercise and your metabolism will be slower then a person who eats good food and exercises. Most of us on this forum probably have slowed our metabolism down to a crawl before the band. The minute you "diet" your metabolism crawls because most of he time your body thinks it is in starvation mode. And I was NOT discounting what she said just because she was 19. But to say "I know it all" is a common example of a 19 year old point of view, and the fact that certain parts of the brain do not mature until 25 (like the part that says 'look before you leap because you may not like where you land') is a fact (at least in the latest 'discoveries')). So, age does have to do with perspective on things and giving advice. I do not believe that the person is unintelligent or anything like that. You know, what you said is true, IF a 15 year old is going through what we are...but that could NEVER be the case because we are NOT 15. And she is NOT 45. I didn't have this done at certain ages because i was not 'ready". You have to exhaust all avenues first. surgery is and should always be a LAST choice. (although i am NOT promoting "dieting" but a change of lifestyle). She would have to have a change of life style AFTER the band anyway, or she will just get fat again or not lose much to begin with). All i am saying is that in the teenage years, IF she made the other changes , truly made the other changes, she probably would not need the band, because having bad habits for 10 years is not as bad as having them for 30 or 45 years in some folks cases. Most of us have found the dedication after the band, because it helped us with discipline (pre-op diet even started this) and we learned nutritional information (some in classes pre-op and from this forum, and in general as we have become more dedicated). Yes, the feeling full helped, but it is alot easier to keep to 300 calories until dinner then it was before the band because i eat better food to fill that void (yes the void is smaller). But, I could eat ice cream at lunch instead of my fat free yogurt that is 60 cal. i could eat that snickers instead of the fat free pudding that is 100 cals for snack. But again, we are not 15. When I needed to lose at 15, and even 20, 25, whenever i felt i had gained, i would have discipline and ate less and worked out more. At one time, I had a gym for he weekend and a gym for during the week. I got fat when I stopped watching what I ate, stopped working out and got a sit down job, and all the self esteem issues were smothering me all at once. I should have taken care of those self esteem issue FIRST, when young, and paid attention more to me so that as i got older and life didn't go my way, I could have handled it better. I believe, and I truly do, that a teens self esteem needs to come from within FIRST, then deal with the body issues. I got the band, because I dealt with the "me" first. Or I wouldn't have been successful, thus far.

I realize that each of us is unique and do not have the exact same issues as all bodies are unique. Some heal quicker, some heal slower etc. But the one thing that is most common is the lumping of age groups. As a rule, 15 year olds will lose easier then 25 year olds. 15 year olds will run rings around 35 year olds. easy? no. easier? yes. The band is good, but surgery isn't. I don't believe, and this is just MY belief, that at 15, such a young age, not even really out of puberty yet, body changing so dramatically still, one could explore all avenues honestly and wholeheartedly and still come up with surgery as the only answer.

Would you let your child get lasix surgery done at 15 (IF you could get a doctor to perform it at that age)knowing her eyes haven't fully developed/grown? Why should her stomach be so different? Because we are sensitive to it? Because we made mistakes as youths (and it wasn't NOT getting the surgery) so why should she? I will shut up now,, (I know you are saying (finally lol)) and will not reply no matter what (lol).

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

wasabubblebutt, and all,

You are correct. A "destroyed" metabolism isn't a good description. I believe it is that you can slow your metabolism way down by bad dieting habits over the years.

You can slow it down just as easily as you can speed it up. Exercise is a great way to speed up your metabolism. The concept that dieting ruins a metabolism is a myth. As one ages your metabolism will slow down to some degree but hard work will speed it up.

RG... if your metabolism really is that bad from dieting, how is a band going to help? All a band does is force you to eat quantities of food that normal people eat. What does metabolism have to do with that?

Our whole lives people have filled our heads with complete nonsense such as destroying your metabolism, starvation mode, you have to eat more when you are sick because you need more calories, if you don't eat you won't have energy (fat IS stored energy), etc. If we want to overcome being fat we need to learn the facts about diet and exercise, metabolism, starvation mode is what 10lb African children experience when they are 3 years old. THAT is starvation mode. Nobody has yet to prove there IS such a thing as starvation mode when we diet. It's another dieting myth.

Eating certain foods and no exercise and your metabolism will be slower then a person who eats good food and exercises. Most of us on this forum probably have slowed our metabolism down to a crawl before the band. The minute you "diet" your metabolism crawls because most of he time your body thinks it is in starvation mode.

Myth myth myth. If your metabolism slows down to a crawl, what good will a band do? All it does is limit your food to a normal person's daily portion. Exercise and increase your metabolism.

And I was NOT discounting what she said just because she was 19. But to say "I know it all" is a common example of a 19 year old point of view,

But she did not come off as a "know it all" attitude. She disagreed with you. I disagree with you too and I'm 45. She is speaking from experience, not attitude.

IF a 15 year old is going through what we are...but that could NEVER be the case because we are NOT 15. And she is NOT 45. I didn't have this done at certain ages because i was not 'ready".

You didn't have it done at 15 because the band didn't exist then, there was virtually nothing to consider. One does not need to meet an age requirement to be morbidly obese. One does not need to meet an age requirement to understand what morbid obesity feels like.

In this country we have SO darned much to learn. ALL of us have a great deal to learn regarding dieting myths, causes of morbid obesity and no, eating is not a cause, it is a symptom. Behaviors, physiological issues and morbid obesity, the works.

I guess my question for you is this, just how fat does this young women have to be before it's okay for her to get treatment for a medical condition? How many organs have to have damage before we can safely say she really doesn't want to be fat?

You have to exhaust all avenues first. surgery is and should always be a LAST choice.

I don't think anyone is arguing that point. I think the points we are arguing are contained within this post as well as previous including biological reasons for MO. Such as the fat gene you claim you don't believe in.

Do you honestly think a teenager wants to be fat? Don't you think they would do anything in the world to be thin? Don't you think they want it as much as you do?

I don't want them to pay their fat dues, I don't want them to suffer, I don't want them to diet to the point that they feel more worthless and hopeless than they already do. THEY have it MUCH harder than you and me, let's not forget that. Their age alone is much more difficult as a teen than at 45. Peer pressure, social pressures, school requirements. Does anyone force you to run around in front of everyone in an embarrassing gym suit for 2 miles? No? Then you don't have to experience that horror, teens do. How about changing clothes in front of cheerleaders in a locker room? Would YOU feel comfortable doing that? Don't you think diet and exercise have already been tried and failed for a teen just like an old person?

Teens don't want to be fat anymore than we do. MO is a medical condition that deserves treatment and our society just has to start changing with the level of science. It wasn't all that long ago that people were saying your words about mental illness. Just deal with it, try everything, use will power, be a better person. It doesn't work with them and it doesn't work with us. If we were talking a 10lb overweight cheerleader, I'd agree with you 100%. But we aren't. We are talking about an MO teen, big huge mega difference.

(although i am NOT promoting "dieting" but a change of lifestyle). She would have to have a change of life style AFTER the band anyway, or she will just get fat again or not lose much to begin with).

So why did you get a band? Why not just change your lifestyle and you could have saved many thousands of dollars to you or your insurance company. Personally, I couldn't do it. So why didn't you? You have to change it anyway with or without a band. We have established that a destroyed metabolism is a myth. So why not just do it without a band. All it takes is a lifestyle change, eating better foods, and perhaps a good shrink. So why didn't you just do that? These issues are simply not easier because one is a teen, they are the same or perhaps harder in some cases.

But, I could eat ice cream at lunch instead of my fat free yogurt that is 60 cal. i could eat that snickers instead of the fat free pudding that is 100 cals for snack.< /div>

Again, so why didn't you do this without a band? It's just a lifestyle change. There is nothing biological to this, right? So why didn't YOU do what you expect a child to do?

(I know you are saying (finally lol)) and will not reply no matter what (lol).

Noooooooo, that's the easy way out. LOL You have made claims here and we are attempting to converse. Why would you leave? We are all adults, let's talk this thing out, at least until I win. :girl_hug:

[anonemouse 1]

Reggodess, I agree with you to a certain extent. I don't think that surgery should be the first option. If a teen was 30 or 40 pounds overweight, I think your solution would be best. But a severely or morbidly obese teen isn't any more likely to lose the weight and keep it off than you or I are. It isn't magically easier for them to lose that weight. Two hundred pounds overweight is two hundred pounds overweight, regardless if the person is 15 or 45.

[musicalmomma 1]

I'm in the middle here...between RG and WABB...

While I think treatment for MO should be JUST as available to a teen as it is to an adult, I also agree with RG that few teens are emotionally ready to life after WLS. I feel that the parent of the teen also needs to take responsibility, should the teen have WLS, and agree to make darn sure they get to their therapy/support group of choice on a regular basis. Heck, many of us adults aren't mature enough to follow the band rules...to expect this from impulsive teenagers is a little niave I feel. I feel the mature teen, who is ready for WLS, is the exception, not the rule. Sure, there are teens that are beyond their years in wisdom and stability and therefore they can handle it...but honestly, take a GOOD hard look at teens today...most of them can't handle brushing their teeth every morning and handing in a homework assignment on time...how are the supposed to be expected to track calories, follow pouch rules, make the most of therapy/support groups, stay clear from junk food (which I understand goes down REAL smooth). I feel if a teen is NOT ready to face up to these changes, it's best to wait until they are. Why set them up to fail at WLS...what would be their options then? How big of a failure would they feel like then? My 18 year old, 280 lbs, 5'8, probably COULD handle the band. If she wanted it, I would support her and help her find the psychological support she needed as well. She can't only because of the meds she takes for JRA are not pouch friendly...but if by some miracle she could, I feel she's mature enough to handle it. Other 18 year olds I know, that can't even roll out of bed before noon on Saturday, I'd say..."wait til you grow up". This is a big step, that most of us didn't take lightly and I feel MOST parents wouldn't take lightly for their teen.

[ConSafo 0]

Reggoddes, I am quite astouned by the position your taking.

Haven't even finished college?

For one thing, half way through it is better than alot of people, and secondly, I'd like to think that someone with the wisdom that you preach you have, would understand there's more to being inteligent, not just if you've graduated college.

You mention that you got the band for medical reasons.... Quite a few medical conditions out there are brought on, or increased by obiesty. So why wait till your 30 or 40 for these to set in?

I think most everyone on here can agree, the band is not the answer to everything. It will not magically make those donuts 30cals each. But what it will do is aid you on the road to weight loss. Because, lets face it's, it's an addiction, and a damn hard one at that.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

I'm in the middle here...between RG and WABB...

While I think treatment for MO should be JUST as available to a teen as it is to an adult, I also agree with RG that few teens are emotionally ready to life after WLS. I feel that the parent of the teen also needs to take responsibility, should the teen have WLS, and agree to make darn sure they get to their therapy/support group of choice on a regular basis. Heck, many of us adults aren't mature enough to follow the band rules...to expect this from impulsive teenagers is a little niave I feel. I feel the mature teen, who is ready for WLS, is the exception, not the rule. Sure, there are teens that are beyond their years in wisdom and stability and therefore they can handle it...but honestly, take a GOOD hard look at teens today...most of them can't handle brushing their teeth every morning and handing in a homework assignment on time...how are the supposed to be expected to track calories, follow pouch rules, make the most of therapy/support groups, stay clear from junk food (which I understand goes down REAL smooth). I feel if a teen is NOT ready to face up to these changes, it's best to wait until they are. Why set them up to fail at WLS...what would be their options then? How big of a failure would they feel like then? My 18 year old, 280 lbs, 5'8, probably COULD handle the band. If she wanted it, I would support her and help her find the psychological support she needed as well. She can't only because of the meds she takes for JRA are not pouch friendly...but if by some miracle she could, I feel she's mature enough to handle it. Other 18 year olds I know, that can't even roll out of bed before noon on Saturday, I'd say..."wait til you grow up". This is a big step, that most of us didn't take lightly and I feel MOST parents wouldn't take lightly for their teen.

I don't know, MM. I can't stop going back to the thought of... are teens more capable of handling the diet required for diabetes? How about insulin injections twice daily? That is a good possibility with MO.

I have to trust that if Mom is researching this for her child, she knows her child. We don't but I would hope Mom does.

It makes me crazy to think of any kid suffering and especially when there is a potentially great tool to avoid the diet and drugs that go with so many diseases that follow MO.

BTW, one of the reasons that NSAIDs were out for bandsters is because they thought it might cause erosion. They have finally ruled that out, they are back to not knowing why it happens. The issue with pouches and NSAIDs is that the drugs cannot break down in the pouch, they HAVE to pass through the stoma before they break down.

Lots of docs are okay with Motrin, etc., if they are liquid and chased w/8oz of Water. But JRA... that's rough. Lots of drugs and they don't all come in liquid.< /p>

Is she on Enbrel or anything injectable? Is that a possibility? Anything other than MTX anyway. :girl_hug:

[musicalmomma 1]

...I have to trust that if Mom is researching this for her child, she knows her child. We don't but I would hope Mom does.

But JRA... that's rough. Lots of drugs and they don't all come in liquid.

Is she on Enbrel or anything injectable? Is that a possibility? Anything other than MTX anyway.

Yep, I agree about the parents knowing the child best...that's why if the parent feels they are ready, and the teen wants it, I say go for it...why wait until you have a laundry list of MO complications. I just think if there are any doubts as to the readiness of the teen, there should be some more therapy and time given before taking that step.

Yep, she's on Enbrel now. Was taken off NSAIDS and Methotrexate (sp?) about a year ago because she was doing so well. Then she had a serious flare up. Refused to go to the doc, thinking it would pass with Advil. Ended up back on Enbrel. She's doing VERY well on Enbrel and Advil now. WOW, If she could take advil with the band, I would SO like to talk to her about it when we get together this summer. She is SUCH a bright girl! I know I'm bragging here...but she went to a Technical High School, with 458 students in her graduation class. She graduated 2006 Valedictorian and with an LPN. She is now an LPN and in school for RN. The Federal Goverment has given her seed money to pay her entire tuition. So she goes to school free (except for books and admin fee's). She is in the top 2% in the nation at her level of study. She placed first in clinical testing, so she gets to begin clinical next year. There is a HUGE waiting list for clinical and you get in based on your test scores. She willl go before people who are a year or more ahead of her in their studies, because of her high test scores. I'm sorry to drone on about my wonderful daughter...I don't take any credit for it, because I was the class clown in school! I'm just saying...I KNOW she has a wonderful head on her shoulders and as such I would completely support and cheer her on should she want to get the band.

NSAID's are ok...good news!!!!