Issues on Age
I've been reading posts for about an hour on this board and I must say that "what age should you be to get the (insert surgery)?" is a hot topic. I am 21, not a teen, but not far out of the teens, either. I have been "obese" my entire life and I understand how it feels to grow up being obese. This surgery is life altering mostly in that it alters your perception of yourself and somehow begins to unlock those chains you put up around you when you're fat. Now I waited until age 21 because I honestly tried almost everything in the diet book. Exercise, low carb/no carb/Atkins, fruit smoothie diet, Hollywood diet, pills, etc etc the list continues until your eyes give out!
While I understand how it feels to be overweight as a teenager, I also know how this surgery works. It rearranges, permanently, your intestines and your stomach. I know I'm young, but obesity "runs in my family" so when I have kids and if they start to become obese I will help them within my power to lose the weight without surgery. The surgery I had was the laparoscopic gastric bypass (RNY) and I have NO regrets, but I'm old enough to be able to handle the reality that I won't be able to eat certain things and all that good stuff.
When you have a 14 year old who is overweight and they think having this surgery will fix their problems that's just the tip of the iceberg. They are barely into puberty at that age and their bodies are still growing. I know I was a chubby 14 year old and I was always on a diet it seemed like. I just don't agree with teenagers having the surgery. Not because I'm some hypocrite or a bad mouther, I'm looking at it from a health standpoint. Now there are always exceptions to be made to the rule, but if you can possibly help it at all, I would wait until you were at least 18, but 21 is a better age because you've had some time to grow a little bit out of your teen years and just have a more well-rounded sense of what you need to do to set the stage for the rest of your life.
But by all means if you are what doctors consider Morbidly Obese, and you can find a surgeon to perform the surgery you desire, then just be sure you understand everything that goes with it. It's not painful really at all, I was just a little sore from it. But just be careful what you wish for, that's all I'm saying.
I think that it should be a limit of at least 18 to be honest, im 18, almost 19, i turn 19 in may and i have a bmi of over 60 so needless to say im huge. I have been big always, I think that you are too young to understand the concept of surgery untill you have expierenced certain concepts of life. You just dont understand it as a kid. Before now i didnt want to have anything to do with surgery but after trying every last thing to lose the weight and not succeeding i want my life, i want to live, and unfortinatly having surgery is the only way to make that possible. I tend to be told im mature for my age, i think there are a lot of teens out there who are not to that point, i think you have to understand it fully before you can make that choice. You have to know what your getting into to. they are operating on your stomach, not your head, they give you a tool, and if you dont know how to properly use it to your advantage, well...its pointless. I think each case in itself should be looked at differently. If there is a teen with many cormorbidities and they need it asap then they should have that option. but if there is no reason why they cant wait a few years, at least till they are 18, then they should wait.
I totally agree with you guys. I am 19 and will be 20 in July, and I actually have been looking into WLS since I was 16!!! I knew at that point that I had to wait until I was 18, and try any diet that I could until then, and try to lose weight. I have been overweight all of my life. I was first put on a diiet when I was 5, and I remember that day very greatly! I was 140 pounds at 5, and my doctor was scared for my life. I went down to 115 pounds on that diet, and my doctor was extremely happy. By 4th grade I balooned back to 190, 7th grade 275, and Highschool graduation 430. Here I am 3 years after my graduation with a bmi of 63 and a weight of 460 pounds! It's getting to a point where it would take a miracle to lose this weight through diet and excercise alone. I can't do it. I have tried so, so hard! I am currently in my 6 month pre-op diet phase and I hope to have my Duodenal Switch surgery by the end of the year, and my diet over by July.
Even though age is a huge factor in the process of surgery, I really think you have to look at how bad that teens health is at that point of time. If you have a 16 year old with a 65 BMI and has diabetes, High blood pressure and sleep apnea, and you feel that he may not live to be 20, then I would most definately give that kid surgery, but make sure he highly knows what he is doing first. If you are 16, have a bmi of 40 and no co-morbidities, then I would say wait a few years. Try your hardest to diet and try to lose the weight by yourself. I am 19 and I have been dieting for 15 years, and it hasnt work. So I feel that I am doing the right thing!
You most definitely are doing the right thing Brok. I too have struggled with stupid weight loss diets and crap and failed every single one. The last one I was on before I had my surgery (last summer) I lost 40lbs or so and then immediately gained back that plus 35 more lbs. So surgery was DEFINITELY not my first choice. And it shouldn't be your first choice. I had gastric bypass, not the DS, but I've heard good things. I'm doing great with my surgery and I feel like you will LOVE yourself for having the surgery. I am NEVER EVER EVER EVER hungry I swear to you. I know you've heard ppl who have had the surgery say that they are never hungry or whatever but I could literally care less about food. You don't even want it when you smell it. It's just like, food no longer has a hold on my life and I can finally breathe! So keep up the good work, I hope to hear back from you in a few months to see how you do!
Appreciate it lance! To tell you the truth man, I am kinda scared of not being hungry. I know it will come back, but at the same time, it's like we have to get so much into our bodies after surgery, and not bing hungry kinda freaks me out, but I know you have to be in the correct mental state of mind to do this, and I was say that I am 90% there! There is probably still that 10% where I still learn something new, and didn't know that at first. But anywy. I'll add ya to m friends list man, so we can keep track of our progresses and stuff. Nice to meet ya tho!
I agree with alot of what you say, I know heaps of people have weight problems now, I'm 20 and I can honestly not remember a time when I havent been bigger than others my age but in saying that I think there should be certain restrictions with wls, I mean with lap band it is reversible so I think the age limit should be 18 where as with things like the duedonal (or however you spell it) switch and the gastric bypass, they are more major surgeries, there actually re routing your stomach so I think the age should be 21, I mean you don't hear about people at 20 dying from being so big that they can't cope right? Plus from what I have read,watched and heard about the gastric bypass you have to make sure your fully committed and wait at least a year to justify whether or not you should get it.
Just wanted to point out that yes, obese 20-something's DO die. Obesity kills at every age group and the sooner you can get your weight off the better and possibly will help you live a lot longer. The weight loss surgery is major surgery and really anyone can die from it but that risk is weighed out with staying obese. I chose to have the surgery and I'm doing fine! So you just take risks. That's what life's about. We took risks in eating all that food, so we had to own up to our mistake and take another risk to help us get rid of the excess fat.
Most Active
Recent Topics
