Tropicana

I'm in the same boat. I'm really worried too.

I sent you a pm.

http://www.med.nyu.edu/news_and_views/index.html

Anybody know how Khalilah Ali did with her lapband?

Anybody ever figure out how Khalialah Ali did with her weight loss?

In summary...there is an increased mortality risk among elderly patients and patients who are worked on by inexpereinced surgeons during gastric bypass surgery. Duh.

"Among all patients, the rates of 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year<SUP> </SUP>mortality were 2.0%, 2.8%, and 4.6%, respectively. Advancing<SUP> </SUP>age and male sex were associated with early death after bariatric<SUP> </SUP>surgery (Table 2), with the highest rates of early mortality<SUP> </SUP>identified among older men. Overall, men were much more likely<SUP> </SUP>to die after bariatric surgery than women (3.7% vs 1.5%, 4.8%<SUP> </SUP>vs 2.1%, and 7.5% vs 3.7% for men and women at 30 days, 90 days,<SUP> </SUP>and 1 year, respectively; P<.001 for all time points). Mortality<SUP> </SUP>rates were greater for those aged 65 years or older (n = 1517)<SUP> </SUP>compared with younger patients (4.8% vs 1.7%, 6.9% vs 2.3%,<SUP> </SUP>and 11.1% vs 3.9% at 30 days, 90 days, and 1 year, respectively;<SUP> </SUP>P<.001 for all time points). We found no differences in early<SUP> </SUP>mortality rates between patients who had primary vs revision<SUP> </SUP>surgery (2.0% vs 1.5%, 2.8% vs 2.2%, and 4.6% vs 4.3% at 30<SUP> </SUP>days, 90 days, and 1 year, respectively; all P>.10" "Patients undergoing procedures by surgeons with lower volume<SUP> </SUP>of bariatric procedures (less than the median of surgical volume<SUP> </SUP>among Medicare beneficiaries between 1997-2003) had a higher<SUP> </SUP>rate of mortality than those with at least median experience<SUP> </SUP>(3.3% vs 2.0%; P<.001). Patients aged 65 years or older had<SUP> </SUP>much higher rates of early death when undergoing surgery by<SUP> </SUP>surgeons within the lowest quartile of volume (Table 4) compared<SUP> </SUP>with those in the highest quartile (9% vs 1.1% at 30 days and<SUP> </SUP>13.8% vs 1.1% at 90 days; P<.001). Surgeons in the highest<SUP> </SUP>quartile of bariatric procedure volume had similar rates of<SUP> </SUP>early mortality in both younger and older patients (1.8% 90-day<SUP> </SUP>mortality in patients <65 years and 1.1% mortality in patients<SUP> </SUP>65 years; P = .40). The higher overall rates of death<SUP> </SUP>among older patients were attributable in part to a higher proportion<SUP> </SUP>(36%) of older patients undergoing surgery by surgeons within<SUP> </SUP>the lowest quartile of bariatric surgery volume compared with<SUP> </SUP>younger patients. The odds of a 90-day death were 1.6 times<SUP> </SUP>higher for patients of surgeons with lower volume (less than<SUP> </SUP>the median) after adjusting for age, sex, and Charlson Comorbidity<SUP> </SUP>Index score (95% CI, 1.3-2.0).<SUP> "</SUP> <SUP></SUP> <SUP>"</SUP>The hazard ratio for death (Figure) at any time after the procedure<SUP> </SUP>was 2.3 times greater for patients aged 65 years or older compared<SUP> </SUP>with younger patients (95% CI, 2.0-2.7), with 9.5% 5-year mortality<SUP> </SUP>in younger patients compared with 21.6% mortality in the older<SUP> </SUP>cohort (P<.001). The odds of 90-day death did not change<SUP> </SUP>significantly based on the year the procedure was performed,<SUP> </SUP>even after controlling for patient age, sex, and Charlson Comorbidity<SUP> </SUP>Index score (odds ratio, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.9-1.0).<SUP> "</SUP>

Operation Type: Proximal gastric bypass 9906 (61.2%) Distal gastric bypass 3234 (20.0%) Vertical banded gastroplasty 1445 (8.9%) Revisional bariatric surgery 1225 (7.6%) Other 345 (2.1%)

Only 345 cases were not bypass or vertical banding. So maybe 345 of those 16,155 were banded.

"A total of 16 155 patients underwent bariatric surgical<SUP> </SUP>procedures (mean age, 47.7 years [sD, 11.3 years]; 75.8% women),<SUP> </SUP>with 90.6% younger than 65 years (Table 1). A total of 61.2%<SUP> </SUP>of cases were claims for RYGB and 19.9% were for RYGB with small<SUP> </SUP>intestine reconstruction to limit absorption (distal bypass).<SUP> </SUP>There was more than a 3-fold increase in the number of procedures<SUP> </SUP>performed from 1997 (n = 1464) to 2002 (n = 4814).<SUP> </SUP>The median number of bariatric procedures performed per surgeon<SUP> </SUP>(among Medicare beneficiaries over the 6-year period) was 35<SUP> </SUP>(interquartile range, 14-70).<SUP> "</SUP>

I'm reading the study right now....I'm not sure if it includes patients that are banded. Read an excerpt of the study from JAMA. "Patients were defined as having had bariatric surgery if they<SUP> </SUP>had a claim for any of the following procedures: (1) CPT code<SUP> </SUP>43842: gastric restrictive procedure without gastric bypass<SUP> </SUP>for morbid obesity; vertical-banded gastroplasty; (2) CPT code<SUP> </SUP>43843: gastric restrictive procedure without gastric bypass<SUP> </SUP>for morbid obesity; other than vertical-banded gastroplasty;<SUP> </SUP>(3) CPT code 43846: gastric restrictive procedure with gastric<SUP> </SUP>bypass for morbid obesity, with short-limbed (<100-cm) Roux-en-Y<SUP> </SUP>gastroenterostomy (RYGB); (4) CPT code 43847: gastric restrictive<SUP> </SUP>procedure with gastric bypass for morbid obesity with small<SUP> </SUP>intestine reconstruction to limit absorption (including long-limbed<SUP> </SUP>[100-cm] gastric bypass and distal bypasses such as biliopancreatic<SUP> </SUP>diversion); or (5) CPT code 43848: revision of gastric restrictive<SUP> </SUP>procedure for morbid obesity.<SUP> "</SUP> <SUP></SUP> <SUP></SUP>

I read Obesity help.com and bandster websites and see ppl who got the surgery and chronicled their weight loss for a little bit and then just stopped journaling. I wonder what happened to these ppl. Did they succeed or fail? I like to think that they all succeeded and are living their best life away from a computer. I guess the ppl who failed would be way more adamant about telling the world that this isn't the cure they thought it would be. Just a thought.

I think the resentment comes from feeling lied to. For example, let's say Kirstie Alley did get banded, she's fooling thousands of women into believing that Jenny Craig will work for them (and that stuff ain't cheap!).

I swear I love my mommy. I underestimate her greatness every time. I finally built up the nerve to tell her and she was soooooo supportive. I told my brother also and he gave me the nod of approval. He said he didn't think I would be fat forever, but if this is what I wanted to go for it.

Someone on another site said Sharon osbourne but I thought she got the bypass too?

Who are famous people who have been banded? The only one I know is Khalilah ALi (Muhammed Ali's daughter). People say Oprah but I remember watching a segment of hers where she was doing sit ups in a workout bra and her belly was exposed. No scars to see (and believe me, I was searching!) Plus something tells me that she would tell. Star jones....definetely gastric bypass. SHe lost so much sooooo fast.

See...I ask that to bandsters all the time and never thought it was rude to ask.

I know that the band is meant to be worn for the rest of your life but how long des the material hold up? I'm 23 and have pretty good genes so I estimate I got 60 or 70 yrs ahead of me, God willing. What material is the band made of that it can hold up that long without breaking down?

Wow. You are making ME excited and nervous for you. You must feel completely blessed! Good luck with your fill. PLease please please reply back and tell me how it goes. I'm excited to hear about it. So did you have to go to a nutritionist or psych consult?

Thank you so much. That really did help. They did not tell me to do any online paperwork so i will print it out and bring it along with me to the consultation. Is you weight loss scale at the bottom updated? How do you feel about it almost a month out? I also have UHC (Choice version). So you didn't have to go through a psych and nutrition consult? I read on his website that overnight hospital stays are not required. Is this still true?

Can you tell me how your consultation went? Things he requires? (Like documentation of past failed diets? How long from your consultation to your surgery date?

Is that means? Just clarifying. I see alot of "250/218/135"

The waiting?! The patience?! This crap is driving me nuts and I haven't really done anything yet. I have my consultation in two weeks (I had the option to do it in a week but I thought it might be too soon and might need time to rethink this just in case I find something out in 2 weeks that I haven't found in 6 months of research ) and I have spent the last 6 hrs looking up every pre and post op lap band picture currently on the internet. i've spent at least 2 hrs analyzing people's weight loss and trying to figure out Lap band jargon like "PB." *sigh* I'm exhausted from surfing. I can't imagine what will happen after the consultation and the wait for insurance approval. And what about after the surgery? will i be disappointed with the results? What if it doesn't work for me? I know that the ppl who post their pictures are the successful ones. Are there equally or even more ppl that aren't successful? if so, why aren't they? Will it be me? I've failed at everything else. I've also come to the conclusion that I have to tell my mother. She'll kill me if I don't. I think i will tell her once I have a surgery date.

I have a consultation with him in 2 weeks. Just wondering how your weight loss is going?

I didn't say it was going to be more of a struggle. Maybe I should have been more clear. I did research back in my undergrad with obesity and ethnicity so I was just trying to see if any had been done with the lap band but since it is a fairly new procedure i don't think there is much out there. that I could find.