Trying to decide what to do.
I am 21 years old and I had my first consultation with Dr. Enochs in Raleigh, NC about WLS. My parents are very uneasy about me having surgery and I would like to talk to people that have either had the Lap-band or Lap RNY to get some feedback. I am really scared about having this but I need a change. I am 5'4 234 lbs with BMI of 40.2 and have been obese since childhood. I have lots of questions like how will this effective me having kids? I guess I need to be reassured and hear from people who have had this done. You can email me at [email protected]. Thanks!
Regan,
I am also 21 and have struggled with my weight for my entire life. The choice about which surgery to have is a hard one and people can get very defensive about there choices so I will just tell you about my surgery and let other people talk about there's. I had a lapband placed on 12-8-05 so I am about 3 months out. I have lost 47 lbs. so far and I no longer take insulin or bp meds. The lapband is a ring with an inflatable balloon incasing it that goes around the top of your stomach and is attached to a port with tubing that rests ontop of your abdominal muscles but under the fat and skin. The port is where your doctor injects saline to make the balloon bigger and thus you have more restriction, get fuller quicker and remain fuller longer. When going in for fills you are trying to get to your "sweet spot" that is where you aren't so tight that you are only able to eat mushie food or high calorie liquids but you also don't want to be too loose and be able eat to much bread and more than 1/2c. to 1c. of food at each meal.
The reason I choose the lapband is that I am so young and I do want to have children some day. The lapband doesn't require that any intestine be removed so there isn't any malabsorptive issues which could be detramental to my health. The band and port are also removable so if anything ever goes wrong I can have one or both removed or if in 20 yrs. from now they invent a antifat pill that actually works I can also have it removed 
. The band is a realtively new procedure in the U.S. (5-6 years) But it has been preformed in Europe for well over 15 years and is now the gold standard weightloss surgery over there. With the band though we tend to loss a little slower than other procedures but at about 3 yrs out band and bypass patients are at about the same amount lost.
Now I will tell you what it takes to be successful with the band. You can't get your band placed and go on your merry little way and expect the pounds to magically disappear. The band is a tool that makes it alot easier to loose weight but you need to learn how to use it correctly or else it won't work. First and most importantly you have to get fills, I have had 2 so far and will need more until I get to my sweet spot. Some lucky people never need fills and some need 5 or so within the first year. Fills take about ten minutes and mine were pretty painless. If you don't get filled to the correct level you won't lose weight. The next is making good food choices 90% of the time. This is easier when you are properly filled because burgers, fries, pizza and bread don't go down easily like they do now. The band has also been there to catch me when I didn't make good choices because instead of pigging out on half a large pizza I have half a slice and since I am full I don't eat anymore. With the band you can be a little bad but you don't go on a full binge like before and yet you feel satisfied. With any weightloss surgery another important factor is exercise and with me that was the hardest because I have big girl gym phobia. But I forced myself to go and now I love it not only because I can push myself and feel like I have accomplished something but also because I am nolonger huffing and puffing because I just climbed one flight of stairs. I also really enjoy hiking now that the weather is better and I'm not afraid I will black out from lack of oxygen.
The complication list is short but serious. Since I have to go work out I will let you research them. The main key with any wls is find the best surgeon you can even if you have to travel, someone with good refrences and a good after care program. Attend informational meettings in your area on the different surgeries and bring your parents along with you to give moral support and so they also can be educated. I would also suggest you attend support group meetings so you actually talk to real people who have real problems and successes. Come over to the lapband forum if you have anymore questions on this surgery.
Amy
p.s. Having a lapband placed was the best thing I have ever done for myself.
. The band is a realtively new procedure in the U.S. (5-6 years) But it has been preformed in Europe for well over 15 years and is now the gold standard weightloss surgery over there. With the band though we tend to loss a little slower than other procedures but at about 3 yrs out band and bypass patients are at about the same amount lost.
Now I will tell you what it takes to be successful with the band. You can't get your band placed and go on your merry little way and expect the pounds to magically disappear. The band is a tool that makes it alot easier to loose weight but you need to learn how to use it correctly or else it won't work. First and most importantly you have to get fills, I have had 2 so far and will need more until I get to my sweet spot. Some lucky people never need fills and some need 5 or so within the first year. Fills take about ten minutes and mine were pretty painless. If you don't get filled to the correct level you won't lose weight. The next is making good food choices 90% of the time. This is easier when you are properly filled because burgers, fries, pizza and bread don't go down easily like they do now. The band has also been there to catch me when I didn't make good choices because instead of pigging out on half a large pizza I have half a slice and since I am full I don't eat anymore. With the band you can be a little bad but you don't go on a full binge like before and yet you feel satisfied. With any weightloss surgery another important factor is exercise and with me that was the hardest because I have big girl gym phobia. But I forced myself to go and now I love it not only because I can push myself and feel like I have accomplished something but also because I am nolonger huffing and puffing because I just climbed one flight of stairs. I also really enjoy hiking now that the weather is better and I'm not afraid I will black out from lack of oxygen.
The complication list is short but serious. Since I have to go work out I will let you research them. The main key with any wls is find the best surgeon you can even if you have to travel, someone with good refrences and a good after care program. Attend informational meettings in your area on the different surgeries and bring your parents along with you to give moral support and so they also can be educated. I would also suggest you attend support group meetings so you actually talk to real people who have real problems and successes. Come over to the lapband forum if you have anymore questions on this surgery.
Amy
p.s. Having a lapband placed was the best thing I have ever done for myself. Most Active
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