trying to help a friend... long

A friend of mine... her daughter is 19 years old and about 80lbs overweight. Back in May she delivered twins and after delivery she pretty much suffered from a heart attack and died. They were able to save her, she spent many days in the ICU and eventually had a pacemaker put in. She did gain 100+lbs from the pregnancy and lost a great deal of the weight when she delivered... but she still has alot more to lose. She is having a real tough time with it... she has been doing weigh****chers but cannot seem to stick with it. She is an emotional eater... she will eat because she is upset and then after she eats she will beat herself up because she couldn't control herself. I had suggested that maybe she see a nutrionist and maybe her doctor to get her on a medically supervised diet. Because she has to shed this weight because her heart is not getting better... if its bad now being 19 yrs old... it won't be any better when she is 30. This is what the doctors have told her. I guess today the doctor also suggested going to see a pyschologist. So my friend asked me today if I thought she would be a canidite for LapBand. So, I told her that it wouldn't hurt if she attended a seminar just to get some more information... but I am not sure if her heart problems would prevent surgery. But maybe even being able to use some of the services of a dietician and pyschological support. My friend is extremely worried about her daughter and whether or not she can take care of her grandchildren. They are also not in the financial position to shell out alot of money on programs like Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem... I had already suggested it but like I said they just don't have the money. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Nicole, She may not qualify through insurance if her BMI is under 35. I'll assume she has insurance that covers it and that she does have the necessary BMI...."if" that is the case then the heart condition should NOT be a problem. It will definitely be something that the surgeon will consider but will most likely make an even stronger case for her weight loss attempt. The lapband is minimally invasive. It's like 20 minutes with all conditions being normal. People go home in a couple of hours and can be back into life pretty much within a week. Dr. Simpson has done some very young patients, he has done many heart patients as well and he does many folks who have lower BMI'sl...... If your friend would consider paying cash (financing is available and is about the same price as a used car)....then she would simply need a psych eval, a letter of recommendation from her doc and most likely in her situation; she would need an EKG and Cardiac clearance. She could be scheduled as early as 3 weeks from now and starting an entirely new and healthy life. If she's interested; there are actually 2 seminars tomorrow at the office given by Dr. Simpson. i won't be there but you can shoot me an e-mail and I'll get her name on the list. Or, there are more coming up....... It's a shame to have anyone that young sentenced to a life of health issues and mental anguish over body issues. We all know that the programs available work great but we also know that we gain it back! The nice thing about a lapband for someone that young is that she could still have more children without any risks of malnutrition (from a gastric bypass) and the band could be adjusted forever to continue weight loss or to maintain it. You can call me at our office if you need more info......or go to www.drsimpson.com....or azlapband.com (602) 234-8995 There are a bunch other docs that do lapband as well.....I'm sure others could help you with their info. Good luck! Your friend is lucky to have your support! Joyce [email protected]

Joyce, Thanks so much for info... I have referred her daughter to a bunch of sites and to Dr. Simpson's. My friend from work just had a Lap-Band done this past Monday with Dr. Simpson and she is doing well... she will be back to work next week already!

Gosh... I had twins at age 29, and it was really hard. I can't imagine being 19 and doing it. It sounds like she has a lot of issues going on. I know you asked about weight loss... but I also wanted to make sure that she is getting any help she needs in other areas... Specifically, there are several twins groups in the Valley. They are so good for support and figuring out how to deal with what is going on in that part of her life. After I had my twins, I had a case of post-partum depression. With twins, you are just so much more sleep deprived and stressed. Joining a twin support group is really helpful for many. For me, it was just a way to get out of the house and connect with other adults. As far as the lapband goes... if she has a pacemaker in, she may be a surgical candidate. It is definately something worth asking about.