worries....

[2Flyguys 13]

there are some members who post threads about very valid worries...stomach erosion...band slips...surgery risk...etc....but then u get some post with members worried about scars...having to give up cake...occasionally throwing up...and i said occassionally...lol....come on!!!!!!!!! i myself was headed for 300 pounds...i welcomed a scar...or having to figure out what was going to agree with me...when i went to my surgeon's seminar there was a lady so over weight she could hardly raise her arm to ask a question...her question was about hurt burn...okay...ya who wants to have heart burn....but aaaaaa what about heart attacks???????? do u want one of those....of course look into this surgery....but some of the knit picking is ridiculous!!!!!

[Cleo's Mom 257]

So what's your point 2 Fly? That concerns about heartburn aren't legitimate? That only imminent death from heart attack is worth worrying about? Obviously everyone on these boards wants to lose weight and get healthy. Vomiting, heartburn, reflux and pain when eating is not the way to do it. No one should accept those conditions as part of the band experience. And for the people who post on here, their problems or concerns are legitimate and worrisome to them. They shouldn't be trivialized by you or anyone. Now, back to heartburn. Heartburn is a sign that stomach acid and/or food is entering the esophagus. The esophagus was not meant to handle this and over time this can causes cellular changes. This can lead to Barrett's esophagus which is a precancerous condition. My husband had GERD & heartburn for most of his life and developed Barrett's esophagus and then esophageal cancer. He died of it almost 4 years ago at age 56. So don't dismiss concerns about heartburn to me.

[2Flyguys 13]

this post was not intended for u personally and i did say there are some very valid concerns that people make...my point is why worry about a scar...when u have a 300 pound stomach sitting in front of u with stretch marks and cellulite on it...there r valid concerns...of course i had them myself...but then there is knit picking too...and that was my point cleosmom

[Nanook 2]

there are some members who post threads about very valid worries...stomach erosion...band slips...surgery risk...etc....but then u get some post with members worried about scars...having to give up cake...occasionally throwing up...and i said occassionally...lol....come on!!!!!!!!! i myself was headed for 300 pounds...i welcomed a scar...or having to figure out what was going to agree with me...when i went to my surgeon's seminar there was a lady so over weight she could hardly raise her arm to ask a question...her question was about hurt burn...okay...ya who wants to have heart burn....but aaaaaa what about heart attacks???????? do u want one of those....of course look into this surgery....but some of the knit picking is ridiculous!!!!!

Your post confuses me?? What's your point exactly, thanks Nancy.:grouphug:

[Cleo's Mom 257]

I did take it personally because I developed heartburn (and reflux) when I was overfilled. I knew that it was nothing to mess around with. My former doctor did not address it to my satisfaction, I got another opinion and changed doctors. I posted about my heartburn and reflux and my doctor's inexperience and got a lot of very good responses from people that I appreciated. I don't think anyone's concerns are nitpicking to them. Every problem can't be slippage, erosion or surgery risk. I've read many of your posts and they are not all about these area that you call valid worries. Your posts may seem trivial to others. So, don't be so quick to criticize others for what they perceive as important to them.

[elcee 3,341]

I can see both sides of this. I think when reading a message it is important to be able to understand the spirit in which that message is intended and the problem with electronic communication is that you can't. That's why there are so many problems with emails etc.

I understand perfectly what 2fly is trying to say. That its all a matter of perspective.To date as far as I am aware there is no perfect, easy, foolproof method of losing weight.(correct me if I'm wrong). Everything in life has a certain payoff.Whilst we would prefer to have no issues at all that surely something that is annoying but non life threatening is better than something that is life threatening.

But as I said I can see both sides. If you are the person that is having the problems then they are real and shouldn't be taken lightly.

I think the whole band thing is a big learning curve and I'm not talking from experience here as I am only being banded on 2 June.All os us going through this have to learn how to eat again. Learning and forming new habits is not something that happens overnight. It is a process that can be long and difficult. From what I have read on the boards getting it right can be difficult.

That is why this website is such a valuable tool. You have the support and knowledge of people that have already experienced what you are experiencing. Whether your problem is something "minor" or major someone else will have already been through it and remember a problem shared is a problem halved.

I certainly know a lot more about what to expect than I would have done without this site.

Edited May 15, 2009 by elcee
spelling

[Cleo's Mom 257]

I'm also sure that the 300 lb. woman who was at a weight loss seminar and thus taking the first step to getting healthy already knew about her heart attack risks. She just wanted to know about heartburn from this procedure (which is real, frequent and a medical problem). As for scars - yes, that is a cosmetic question, but for those who plan on wearing stomach revealing clothes, it is a concern. Who is anyone to say whether it is legitimate. And by the abundance of photos posted on this site, I would say a lot of people are concerned about apprearance. Shouldn't this be a forum where we can ask questions and seek help and those who want to offer it can reply and those who don't can just stay out of it?

[Nanook 2]

I agree Cleo's Mom it was the heartburn (GERD) that was the main reason my lap band was removed. GERD can be a tricky thing and you may not even know you have it or what damage it has done to your insides until they do an endoscopy. Hope yours is better, Nancy.:grouphug:

[jlray 0]

2FlyGuys, I agree with what you're saying. Sometimes people are just so whiny. I mean here you are, trying to remind people to be positive and realize that the benefits outweigh the risks, and people get mad!

Yes, people's concerns about heartburn and GERD can be valid. Maybe Cleo's Mom should've just educated the original poster on the seriousness of the concern. Because most of the other things that 2Fly listed really are just knitpicky things.

Scars.. ok, for someone who wants to wear stomach revealing clothing, can't you get what 2Fly is saying that the scars are much less of a barrier to that than the 100 pounds of FAT that was there before?

Generally, on the forums, it seems like lots of things will come up in discussion and we should try to adjust to each other's opinions instead of getting so bent outta shape. I'm sure 2FlyGuys didn't mean to offend anyone. Get the stick out, honestly.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

I think its imprudent to make fun of anyone's fears, no matter how unafraid WE may be of whatever it is. We're all different. Tolerance is always a good thing, especially on a board like this. If you don't belittle things, you don't run the risk of being misunderstood.

[TeganRheana 1]

I can understand what 2FlyGuys is saying however I do agree with RestlessMonkeys that things are easily misunderstood over the internet.

[Cleo's Mom 257]

Restless: Couldn't agree more. Why even start a thread like this if the point isn't to belittle what could be legitmate concerns of others? If they are at a weight loss seminar or already had the surgery, they've already made the committment. What concerns they have after that is legitimate to them. Who is anyone on these boards to say it isn't? What is knitpicking to one is important to someone else.

[JENNIFER7375 3]

I think the post was a good one. I think when I see people say they're worried about scars or that they're too scared of needles to get fills it seems a bit whiny. None of us like throwing up or the getting fills. And I've got a surgeon that dosent believe in lidocaine. And yes there are people that have true severe problems from the band. I'm a nurse and I've seem 1st hand how terrible severe reflux can be. But for people that are worrying about scars and needle pokes. For those that the band truly works for those things are a relatively small price to pay . Would I rather have scars than be heavy. Heck yes . Would I rather have occasional vomiting & heartburn or look the way i do now and feel better about myself. Again hell yes.

[Cleo's Mom 257]

To extrapolate the original post further - I guess it would be nitpicking for a woman diagnosed with potentially life-threatening breast cancer to be worried about Hair loss when she starts chemo. I mean what's a little hair when your life is on the line? And yet the medical community recognizes that this is a big concern to women. And it addresses it. And being a breast cancer patient, I know of what I speak. I would NEVER judge anyone who posts about ANY concern on this forum. To them, it is important or they wouldn't have posted it.

[jlray 0]

Cleo's Mom, I think we get that you are in total disagreement with 2FlyGuys. How many posts have you made in opposition? 3? 4? Can we just stop beating this horse? I'm pretty sure it's dead.