Thinking About It...

[FaeryKiss 0]

Obesity runs in my family. My mother is morbidly obese. My father was morbidly obese before he died.

I have tried diet upon diet upon exercise program upon pill upon prescription (just getting finished with a round of Adipex-P). My blood pressure is borderline hypertension, but other than that I'm pretty healthy. My doctor attributes my current health to my age, 28.

I have a rather busy schedule. I work 40+ hours a week, I go to school almost full time (11 credit hours this semester), and I am a single mom. My knees hurt, my back hurts, I am always tired, and I have a difficult time keeping up with my 9-year-old who is also starting to gain weight. I feel like I'm fighting an uphill battle. My BMI fluctuates between 38 and 42.

After testing my thyroid and taking me off of Adipex-P because it made my blood pressure higher than it's ever been in my life, my internal medicine doctor mentioned that I might want to condiser seeing a bariatric specialist. The weight just won't come off!!! I don't eat horrible things. I get some exercise (as much as my busy schedule will allow), but still I can't lose the weight.

I don't like the idea of having part of my intestines removed, so traditional bariatric surgery is out for me. I did start reading about the Lap-Band procedure and I stumbled across this forum. I would appreciate any preliminary advice anyone has for the basis of their decision to get banded..... and I'd also like to hear from anyone who is borderline for morbid obesity. I'm on the fence as to whether or not to try another diet or to consult with a bariatric surgeon. Any suggestions/advice/thoughts?

Thanks!!!

~FK :girl_hug:

[RestlessMonkey 7]

While I don't feel comfortable trying to "sell you" on the band, I don't mind answering any specific questions you have, if I'm able. I can recommend a couple of books (I bought my copies from Amazon but they are probably available from a local bookseller) if you want.

[ashmarie 0]

RM, could you post the books? I'm interested.

Thanks!

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Ashmarie ... Sure! They are "Weight Loss Surgery with the Adjustable Gastric Band...Everything you need to know before and after surgery to lose weight successfully" (mouthful, huh?) by Robert W. Sewell MD and Linda Rohrbough and

"Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding" by Jessie Ahroni, PhD.

A friend also bought Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies and liked it a lot.

I found all 3 at Amazon.com but they are in print and so should likely be available at a local Barnes and Noble or Borders if you don't want to order them online. I found them very educational and informative, and both are easy to read.

[FaeryKiss 0]

RM,

Thanks for your quick response. I'm not really looking to be "sold" on the band..... I just want to look into it to find out if it's the best solution for me. I mean, surgery should be a last resort and I'm wondering if it's too drastic.

On the flip side of the coin, I don't want to wait until I'm having extreme health problems like unmanageable hypertension, diabetes, heart problems, and etc. I want to lose the weight now while I'm young and while I can avoid the aforementioned weight related health problems completely.

As I said before, I'm on the fence here...... I just want some input as to others reasoning for making the decision to get banded....

Thanks!!!

~FK

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Then I can tell you why I chose it for me...

I'm 53. I was a little chubby as a kid but not too bad. I am 5'5" and weighed 125 when I graduated from high school. Away at colllege the "freshman 15" on me was more "the freshman 50" I fought my weight constantly...up/down up/down. I weighed 290 in 1995 when I quit smoking. Now in 2008 I weighed in at 405. I have tried (and lost on) just about every diet known to man. I would ALWAYS lose interest/get bored/get tired of it and gain back plus more. I have even done 11 months of behavioral therapy. That actually helped me finally realize I needed more help than any diet or "lifestyle" change. It is NOT easy to face yourself and say I cannot do this alone. But for me, at least, it's honest. I have a life I want to live and at my age and weight it just wasn't feasible. I had run out of the luxury of time where I could tell myself "Well I'll "do Atkins" and lose it" or "I'll go back to Weight Watchers and this time I won't let myself get sick of weighing every bite I eat" or so on. Some have the gumption or wherewithal or good luck (or a combo of all 3 ) to lose on a diet and keep it off but the postitive statistics are staggeringly low.

When my internist told me on 7/3 that MY own good luckk was about to run out and judging from my blood work within 3 months I'd be diabetic and so on, that he was worried about my blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides, and that "it is all about to go to hell and once you start that downhill slide I'm afraid I won't be able to stop it"...I leaped at the band as a lifesaver. Frankly I had wanted it since 2001 when it first hit the USA but he wasn't on board with it back then. His comment was like opening the gate at a horserace...I was gone like a shot to find out if my insurance covered it, find a surgeon, and attend a seminar. I am grateful to have it. I have hope again. I know it is only a tool, but then that's all I wanted. It isn't a quick or easy fix; as you've said, surgery is drastic. I would've had to die fat (and no doubt I would have) if my only option had been bypass. BUt the band is win win in my book. I did have, a year or so ago, an epiphany because I had caught myself thinking the band was "cheating" and that I should lose weight "the hard way". That was just my lack of education speaking to me. If I needed a pacemaker for my heart, I would get it immediately. THis is a pacemaker for my stomach. It will save my life as surely as a pacemaker would.

I wanted to change my life. But at my weight I was unable to do it without help. 4-5 months of WW and I'd get so darn SICK of it....tired of being hungry, (and I was) tired of counting every cracker....same with any diet. With the band, if I watch what I eat and make healthy choices and get exercise, the weight will come off. How could I not grab that ring?

I knew myself. My therapy helped. I realized that I could have a healthier life, I just had to have the courage to go for it. Since I try to live bravely, it was a no brainer for me.

[Emilie1 3]

RM, it is ironic that you compare it to a pacemaker for your stomach, because my DH actually has one of those. He has sever gastroperisis due to being diabetic his whole life, so his gatro. Dr installed one to turn his stomach on so he can digest what he eats.

As far as my choice for the band I have had a bmi over 40 for five years. I always said that I was a very healthy fat person. Well in the last year my BP has been creeping up, and so has my sugar levels. I also know that I can loose the weight. But have watched about everyone of my siblings loose weight and turn around and gain it right back. I am getting the band to use as a tool. I don't have the co morbidities but know they are knocking on my door step. Good luck with your decision....it is not one to make lightly.

[FaeryKiss 0]

RM,

Thanks so much for sharing your story. I'm 5'8" and 267 lbs. I haven't weighed less than 200 lbs since my sophomore year in high school. I keep on yo-yo dieting... I lost some weight on Atkins only to get so sick of it, like you said, that I finally binged and gained all the weight back. I'm an upbeat, fun person, but I feel that my own body is limiting me and I also feel that I'm starting to project my poor self-esteem onto others in my daily life. I can't sit comfortably on an airplane..... I'm worried about my health. I quit smoking last October and I gained 30 lbs. I haven't been able to shake it. I keep wondering if I should just start up again (which one is worse?).

I just want to enjoy a quality of life for a long time.... I don't want to wait until I have type II diabetes or heart disease to start my weight loss journey.

Thanks so much!! Your comments regarding the pacemaker for your heart made me realize that maybe this is a tool that I need..... I think I'll register for an info session!

~FK

[lotzasunshine 2]

I am younger than you, and besides sleep apnea problems(which were discovered after surgery) I had no other health problems. I am morbidly obese, most definitely. but people with a BMI of 35 can qualify for the lapband. I didn't like the idea of myt insides being rearranged either, so I opted for Lapband. I was self pay and didn't have to fight with insurance companies. I really think that this is the best thing I have ever done for my body. I also tried for a long time to lose weight. i would lose up to 25 but it always came back, and then some. If you are looking at weight loss surgery then Lapband is the least invasive. i was pretty much healed within 2 weeks, but doing normal activities before that. I highly reccomend it! It is changing my life!

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Faerykiss I think a seminar is an excellent idea! I know you will investigate and do some soul searching and come up with the answer that is right for you. Best of luck to you, whichever you decide!

[FaeryKiss 0]

Thanks to everyone who has replied. Being overweight often makes me feel like I am in some kind of solitary confinement.... Trapped and Alone.

It is wonderful to realize that, while virtual, there are a ton of people who are in the same boat I am...

Thanks again.... and I'll keep you posted!!!

~FK

[9pdmnm5 0]

FaeryKiss:

Hello and welcome! I was never a fat kid and didn't struggle with my weight until about the age of 16 when I was diagnosed w/PCOS. I then went on to gain 60 lbs within 3 mths. It was horrible! Finally in College, I had enough. I started exercising/dieting rigorously. I was able to lose 40 of the 60. Not so bad and I was feeling good again. Then...about a yr. later I was diagnosed w/a thyroid problem. Grr...:rolleyes2: I eventually gained all of my weight back plus more. I am now the heaviest I've ever been and this is a last resort for me. I feel like I've tried almost every diet, I exercise like crazy. I run an avg. of 3-4 miles/3xwk. and I do cardio and weights the other 2 days. So...I am not lacking motivation in that department and the scale still doesn't budge. Its extremely frustrating! I too, thought perhaps any form of gastric surgery was too drastic. But, here I am and my surgery is one wk from today. I am scared silly but am comfortable with the decision I have made. So, that's my story in a nutshell. One other thing I should probably mention is obesity runs in my family big time. I've seen a lot of family members struggle and I want to get my weight under control while I'm still young enough to enjoy the rest of my life. Hope this is what you were looking for.:girl_hug:

My only advice to you is to research research. The site is extremely informative but can also scare you when you hear the negatives. I finally had to decide to take this journey on my own. I have not read any of the books mentioned above but the more information you can get your hands on the better off you will be. Best of luck to you! Let us know what you decide. Oh and one more thing, there is a great Dr. located in Scottsdale. If you are interested I can get her name for you.:girl_hug:

Edited September 22, 2008 by 9pdmnm5

[Jodi_620 37]

One of the biggest factors in my decision to get the surgery was my family history. My dad died of a heart attack at the age of 53. I didn't even know his parents as they both died within 6 mos of each other both at the age of 60 when I was just an infant, one from heart attack the other from stroke. All of his brothers died mainly of heart disease in their 50's as well. On my moms side, we have both normal weight and obese members all with a history of high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

While I didn't have any weight related health problems, I would be foolish to think that with my ballooning size and with my family background that at 39, I wasn't quickly heading in that direction. I had a BMI of 40.2 at surgery.

I would be lying if I said that health was the only reason. I was very miserable at 5'3" and 234 pounds. I hated the way I looked and felt.

Almost four months into this I am thrilled with the progress. It has worked wonderfully for me and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

However, it is not for everyone. You have to be able to watch what you eat and do your part to make it work. If you are able to eat right and exercise then the Lap Band could be for you. It really helps to control how much food you eat, you just have to be careful about how and what you eat and of course stay active. There are those that can not control their eating and do not know how to eat healthy and so the Lap Band does not work well for them.

It is a personal decision and as you do research you will figure out whether it is for you. I agree that attending a seminar is the best first step you can take.

Edited September 22, 2008 by Jodi_620

[FaeryKiss 0]

Thanks again for all who have written. I am going to call the bariatric center at a local hospital (it's a center of excellence which is required by my insurance company) and see if I can register for a seminar. I'm not sure that I'm ready to make this decision, but I do know that I have to do something. I want to be able to enjoy the rest of my life. I have a beautiful daughter and I only just turned 28 (last week). I have a great career. although I'm attending college to broaden it. I have so much going for me, but I don't want my weight to drag me down.

~FK :redface:

[FaeryKiss 0]

Question......

Does the band ever get removed? I mean, how does a person stop losing weight? I know this may seem like a stupid question, but that part of it just doesn't make sense.

Thanks again!

~FK