I am really upset. I am almost to the point of picking a surgery date and I found out today that a friend of a friend died today of complications from her lap band. Today I was going to sit my family down and tell them. They know of her as well. I brought it up to my grandma and she kept asking me why I need the lap band if I plan to eat healthy? Were suppose to have a family meeting tonight so we'll see how this goes. Any advice or points I should make?

I'm so sorry to hear about this, and I hope that this does not derail your decision. Reading your message, I feel lucky that I did not have similar news before my surgery date because it might have stopped me from going forward with what has turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Take a look at this page before your family meeting. Reminding yourself of the many types of ailments that the band can prevent you from suffering could be good preparation. There might be some other good info on there that you can use as well.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

Catherine

I am so sorry you are going through this. I can only imagine how you must be feeling. How did the family meeting go? I would be interested, if you are willing to share, to know what the complications were or what happened. I know there are complications that could happen but we never hear when something bad does happen. Take care, I will say a prayer for you.

That's really sad and I'm sorry that this news has come to you

But this doesn't scare me. I would rather have complications and pass then suffer from diabetes and heart problems for years.

My mum is against me getting surgery just for this reason...however I'm sure that those who suffer complications would possibly have had other problems which were present at the time.

You have to be careful not to blow things out of proportion. Many more people die from childbirth every year than from lapband surgery and virtually none of us stop and even consider the dangers of childbirth at all.

If you dont lose weight, the odds of you dying of a complication of obesity are extremely high.

Was her death due to the band, or was the fact that she was banded coincidental to her death?

I don't mean to minimize your loss--I'm tremendously sorry for that.

But it seems as though you'd need a lot more information to know whether the death is attributable to the band. You'd need to know about other health conditions she had. Whether she was compliant. Whether she chose a reliable surgeon. And so on and so on and so on....

The risks associated with banding---especially in terms of fatality--are very, very slim. There simply are not many deaths attributable to it.

And there certainly are not as many deaths attributable to weight loss surgeries (and I'm even including the ones with higher rate of complication) as there are attributable to obesity!

I probably should not have even started this thread because I am not 100% sure what she exactly died from. All I heard was that she died from complications of her lap band. I was worried that this was going to hinder the conversation that I had planned on having that night with my family, about deciding to do the lap band.

For the person who asked why I can't find out exactly what she died from: We found out through a friend that is friends with people that were related to my father's death, so it's obviously an uncomfortable situation.

Don't ever feel like you need to apologize for brining your concern to the group. I am not banded yet, but that is one of the things I have found most supportive about this group - we are here for each other.

I too am sorry for your loss, and certain it has made you think twice, but you must know all the facts before you let it change your mind about something you are doing for yourself and to make yourself healthier.

I am so sorry you are having to go through this at such a pivotal point in your life.

I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your friends friend! It is always a hard thing to deal with.

When I was first considering getting the LapBand done, I was so nervous and scared about the 'bad' things happening, such as death. The more I began to think about it I began seeing a whole new outlook. The way I see it now, is why be afraid of dying from the surgery when I could die from NOT getting the surgery! If I continue on the path I am on, I will die without the help of the procedure! I am not willing to take that risk!

Prayers and Hugs out to your friend!