Considering Lap Band Surgery- lots of questions

I am a 20 year old girl who has been battling with weight issues since the age of 5. For the past 15 years I have tried so many different things; Jenny Craig, Weigh****chers, nutritionist, etc. I also went to numerous doctors to see if there were any medical conditions which there weren't. For about 4 years I was on two different anti depressants which made me gain even more weight. No matter what I tried to lose weight, I always seem to lose about 30-40lbs and then it just stops. After months (5 months later or more of staying the same weight) I give up and go back to eating what ever I want which makes me gain back even more than what I was to begin with. This is a vicious cycle that I am sick of dealing with. Lately my weight has gotten me so depressed I really want lap band surgery. However, I do have a few concerns being so young. 

 

First, I have spoken to my parents numerous times about getting it done and they just reply saying "that is not the answer". How can I convince them to change their mind if it's something I want? Second, how do I go about this, as in how long does it take for the process to start. Lets say tomorrow I go and meet with a doctor, how long after the initial meet will the surgery be? Third, like I said I am 20 so I am in college. I do not want my life to change dramatically. I still want to be able to go out with friends to dinner, or go out clubbing and to bars and not worry about not being able to drink. I know one of the reasons not to get lap band is if you drink a lot but I don't maybe once every other week (at the most). I want to be able to enjoy my college years with out these worries. 

 

Another thing, how will I know if I qualify for the surgery? As of now my BMI is 40.8 but I do not have any health issues. Finally, what is recovery like? I know there are certain time periods where you can not eat certain foods but is the recovery process bad or hard?

 

Thank you in advance for your responses and also thank you for taking the time to read all of this. 

I have to start by saying that I would never advise anyone to get the band after my experience and so many other bandsters I know. That being said the way to get started is to find out if your insurance covers it and what surgeons are in their approved group. Then you contact one of the surgeons or go to an informational meeting, most surgeons have them. Your BMI should qualify you even without co morbidities, things like high blood pressure or diabetes among others. It is usually qualifying if you are over 40 BMI or 35 BMI with several co morbidities. Some insurance companies require a 6 month medically supervised diet with  primary care doc to show you have tried dieting and weren't successful.

You are young and the lap band is only good for 5-10 yrs according to the manufacturers and there are very, very many of us who never make it that long. If the band is going to cause a problem it usually starts between 2-4 yrs. out. Then the scar tissue that has been building up under the band starts making it tighten even without fills. That is another issue with the band that you have to spend alot of time trying to get to a good restriction level (if it ever happens)this can mean many visits to your surgeon. If you end up too tight it causes what we call sliming where saliva and mucus build up in your mouth and you have to keep spitting until what ever is stuck comes up. Hopefully if you eat correctly as in tiny bites and chew well it won't happen often but I can almost guarantee it will happen a few times. It does however happen often enough that some folks refer to banded life as being in the "red solo cup club". They call it that because they have to always carry a cup to spit in.

The band can also erode into the stomach and other organs. It can and often does cause severe esophageal damage from the pressure that backs up from the band. Now I'm not telling you this to scare you to death but I see too many especially young people come here having been fed all kinds of glitter and rainbows misinformation about the band and you have to know that there a many serious complications with the band, it isn't the happy go lucky easy tool for weight loss. It has a 50% failure to lose weight record according to the federal government (who by the way are investigating one of the manufacturers for false advertising).

So please look over all 4 main surgery types the band, the VSG (vertical sleeve gastrectomy), the RNY (or bypass) and the DS (duodenal switch). Myself if I were you I would consider the Sleeve as it will in the long run give you the most normal lifestyle of the 4 surgeries but this is something you really need to study hard and soul search before doing. I wish you the best but please do not rush into any of this blindly, do your research and be very sure what you decide to do.

First of all, lap band surgery, or any other wls is not the answer. It is only a tool that you must be prepared to use for the rest of your life. No wls will do all the work for you. You have to be prepared to work hard and keep it up. You cannot lose your weight and then live happily ever after. You will regain everything you lost plus more. The fact is that wls, no matter which kind you choose is a huge commitment.

One sad side effect of wls is that there are transfer addictions. What this means is that we overeat for a reason. Unless that is rooted out and dealt with we either continue to overeat or we find another way of dealing with those problems. This can become a problem for those who like to drink. We are very susceptible to the effects of alcohol, anyway, then when you couple an adictive personality with that sensitivity and need to have a way to deal with uncomfortable areas of life with out eating you have a set up for problems. It is a sad fact that many have crossed over that line with out realizing it. There is no way of knowing whether it will happen to you ahead of time. I suggest that you get counseling for your eating addiction before you even consider wls.  

The process is not a quick one, it takes about 6 months, sometimes longer unless you are self pay. Another thing you must consider is that of the difficulty of eating the types of things that you will need while attending college. I speak from experience when I say that it is extremely hard. You will have certain food requirements and many of the foods that are easily available will not work. If you don't follow the eating rules you will not only not lose weight, despite surgery, but can become very sick. As I said, it is a huge commitment.

If you are willing to make these commitments, work harder than you ever have before for the rest of your life, then you can begin to research the various surgical procedures. Do not choose one because it will allow you to live the lifestyle you want to have. Choose one that has a required lifestyle that you can live with long term. Not one is perfect, any one can fail, you can fail, all have complications, and all require a lot of follow up, especially the band. It is the one with the most expensive upkeep and you have to keep in mind future insurance coverage for it or it will be of no use to you. The other thing is that most insurance companies now a days have a one wls per lifetime, so if you don't like what you choose, it doesn't work, you don't work it, or whatever you are most likely stuck. Do overs are becoming very rare.

Think long and hard, get counseling, and don't take short cuts. Then if you go for wls you should be better prepared. Sorry to seem like a downer, but I am telling you the same hard truths we have all had to face.

Good luck,

Sue

HONESTLY.........Then don't get the band! it is not conducive to anything that you have posted that you want to do in regards to losing weight. OR your current Lifestyle.

#1 you have a Very restrictive Diet

#2 it is a dramatic LIFESTYLE change

#3 drinking is NOT prohibited with the Band, but your not going to lose weight drinking your calories either.

#4 If your Lucky you will lose weight, but will probably need a revision by the time your 25.

let me briefly answer some of your questions.  The process can take months to a year, depends on your doctor. Most have to go through numerous tests, endoscopy, stress test, psych eval, prove that you have tried and failed other weight loss programs (written proof)

Sometime your Doctor will have you go on a 6 month weight loss program prior to banding,.

You need to go to a seminar that talks about Banding and what is expected.( not mandatory BUT extremely necessary in my opinion)

Your not supposed to have carbonated beverages, beer, pop, etc..(These things stretch the pouch)

interesting fact that people that have weight loss surgery can and DO become alcoholics

Having a Band means eating 60-80 gms of protein daily First then getting in other  Nutritional foods. And drinking 60+ ounces of water, liquids daily. Got to prevent dehydration ~

Exercising is also a good thing as the band alone IS NOT going to keep you from gaining or regaining once you've lost weight.

The Band is a TOOL to help NOT a Magic wand to make your weight problems go away.

The band comes with Complications that are VERY REAL and they DO happen, if you believe the recent reports the failure rate is 50%.

Complications include Erosion of your stomach, the band can slip, the pouch created by the band can enlarge, the port can break. leak, be defective, ALL or most of which will need surgery to fix or remove your band, or just another surgery to fix the problem.

Another complication is NO WEIGHT LOSS after having surgery and being banded (yes, it really happens)

If your in a Hurry I'm sure you can find a doctor to that will see you and put a band in within a months time, I personally would avoid that Doctor. (they wouldn't have your best interest or health in mind)

In most cases you will need to be on a Liquid diet 2 weeks before ever having the band placed, and 2 weeks after having the band. ( some diets vary  where you are allowed 300 calorie, low fat, low carb food once per day along with the rest of the day being liquids , usually protein drinks)

Surgery in most cases is out patient, go in and within 5 hrs you will have a band go home be in pain from the C02 gas that they put into your abdomen that causes medium- severe pain usually in the shoulder for days up to a week..and feel better hopefully in 2 weeks. you'll have 5 scars anywhere from .5=1 inch long on your abdomen.

 After Surgery, You'll be on a liquid diet, ( 2 weeks)  then progress to Mushy foods, ( 2 weeks)  then to 1 cup of food at each meal 3x aday.. 

But at this point you may go through what people refer to as Bandster Hell  ( the point after surgery BUT before you go back to the doctor for a FILL

.This is when you start on food again and your really hungry but are expected to eat ONLY small portions, just because you have a band doesn't mean your going to have what people call "restriction" Restriction usually comes when you have gone back to the doctor and he puts saline into the band so that the opening is smaller, allowing less to pass through at a given time.

A FILL is when you go back to the doctor usually 1x a month, for months so that they can inject saline with a needle into the port that is underneath the skin and usually attached to the muscle of the abdomen.

The ideal situation is to go monthly for a fill so that eventually you will be able to eat 1 cup of food 3x a day and feel full for 3-5 hrs at a time.

And during the time's that your getting "fills" you will hopefully lose weight sometimes 10-12 lbs a month sometimes nothing.

Also, while all of this is going on you HOPE not to Throw up after eating (small bites of food), or feel like something is STUCK in your throat but you can't get it to move.

Throwing up is NOT GOOD with a band It causes complications.

also you might have Sliming, that is when you eat, maybe a bite of food that's too big and your saliva glands kick into gear and the saliva has no where to go ICK..

Pbing.. or..Productive burping  yep just like it sounds you burp food or just burp allot.

GAS.......get used to it!! it's a constant part of being banded.

heartburn or reflux are other issues that people with a band face, normally doctors just like to give you a prescription, your too young to worry about medications.

I could go on and on about WHY NOT to get a band, especially Since everything you mentioned about your COLLEGE LIFE IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO GETTING A BAND. So I'll stop now and Hope you rethink it

 

 

The band provides the slowest weight loss, the least weight loss, the highest regain, and the most complications of all major surgery types.

I agree with your parents, you aren't ready.  If you were ready you would have researched this to death and discovered it isn't even a safe surgery type, not long term.  You need to know all four major surgery types inside and out before you can even begin to decide which one is right for you.  Choosing the surgery type with the least success and the most complications AND knowing it is only going to last a few short years before you have to revise to something safer long term tells me you haven't even begun to start your research.

So I agree with your parents.

Hey! I got the band when I was 23 and lost 150lbs. Email me here if you want to chat: [email protected]. 

I can tell you about my journey and give you some pros and cons.

 

I lost 131# with it, but it destroyed my esophagus.... as it does many.

Weight loss isn't the only thing that matters, overall health long term is.

Agreed. But in your early 20s, weight-loss feels like it's the only thing that matters. Hence why I would like to talk to her one on one and really discuss a lot of the different issues that come into having weight-loss surgery. Those are hard to convey over a messageboard.

 

Is the message board gossip true that you are revising to a sleeve?  Or is it just that, gossip?

It's true! (Hence why I want to talk to her one-on-one). My surgery is tomorrow. I had dilation as well as a band that could no longer be filled. So that is the reason.