Would like to just start off by saying I love my surgeons office.

Right with that out of the way, I was talking to a friend of mine whose mum has a lap band too. And she was talking about another lady who is stick thin after the surgery and looking unhealthy, she went on to say that this lady had been banded by the other surgeon that services my area. He basically does the surgery sends you on your way and is only interested in getting good results so he can onsell your success.

Anyway she told me that this lady had a starting BMI of 33! Yes 33! No obesity related diseases just wanted a quick fix god her problem. I was horrified! Apparently this surgeon just makes up a condition, lies to the health insurance and all for his own benefit! It was just a cosmetic surgery not the life saving life changing surgery we know it to be.

I was just wondering, is this common? I live in Australia where the band isn't hugely popular but most ppl know someone who has it. Is it more common in the states, that ppl can easily get this surgery just to fill the pockets of the greedy doctors who don't care about your health.

I meant this post to be more of a complaint towards doctors doing this surgery to people who havent seriously tried dieting and who look at this as a quick fix.

I would find it problematic, too, if I believed it to be the case.

However, when my BMI was 33, I already had years of experience with diet failure. I would bet the woman you've decided didn't deserve banding also has a bit of experience under her belt.

Do you have reason to conclude that the doctor you're speaking of did not thoroughly assess his patient's readiness for surgery and understanding of it as a commitment to lifelong lifestyle change rather than "easy fix?"

If your complaint is against doctors who don't prepare their patients for the reality of the surgery, then BMI is a distractor; if you read enough posts here, you'll learn that there are scores of very-high-BMI bandsters who were very ill-prepared for postoperative realities.

And I agree, that's wrong.

I have a BMI of 35.7 with co-morbidities, and I would give anything to have heard about the band years ago; I would have been self-pay if I had to. All of us know our own personal struggle, and I would have loved to have the support when my BMI was less and I had no co-morbidities. I know the life of gritting my teeth and sheer willpower- I don't wish that on anyone. I know that post-band I will continue to have to operate on willpower but not to the same extent, and there will be help once I get to restriction.

That said, I'm sure doctors in the field run the gamut just like doctors and people everywhere. And I think it's useful to not judge and make assumptions- they usually don't pan out.

I really wonder why people concern themselves with matters that have absolutely nothing to do with them?What other things do you take on as your own personal headache, I wonder?