Hello everyone! I'm Mecca, 16. I weigh 288lbs and on the rode to surgery. I'm tired of being fat! I hate it! This world is not meant for big people. Its hard. I can't go to the mall like everyone else. I can't eat like everyone else. I'm always dieting and exercising to the point where I'm driving my damn self crazy. The worst is I never lose weight. I'm just always gaining 1kg (2.2 lbs) over a spand of months. This is my senior year of high school and I wanna go out looking good.

I talked to my mom about it and she thinks its a great idea. She supports me 100% but when I went to my pediatrician she refused to do my blood work and said I was too young. "I have patients who weigh 350lbs and I still wouldn't recommend that for weight loss". That skinny bitch! She doesn't know what its like. She's never lived the life of a big girl. Its hard! But it got me thinking: Am I too young? Or is there another diet or something that I can try?

I wanna do this, lifestyle change and all! My mother and I feel that I'm mature enough for this as well. AND ima join weight watchers after as well so double the weight loss over time. I wanna get to 170lbs and with this I will

Keep looking for a Doctor who will do teenagers. There are alot of them. I wished I did it at your age. I think as long as you are mature enough to know what changes you are making to your body and that your eating will forever be different than before.

Everyone is different but I think some counseling is good as you go through the change in the beginning. If you are like me you will be giving up your best friend (food)and getting a skinng body instead. It is so worth it if you want to work at it. Good luck to you I hope you find a Dr. to help you.

I personally would not go out of the country to do it at your age. You need a Dr close to you. You are still growing and should have a good Dr. work with you.

Cheri

Hi. It's not clear to me where you are located. Being as you mention finishing school at 16 and are measuring weight with Kilo's I'm guessing you are either Canadian/British/Australian. What is the age of majority where you live? Legally an adult. In the US you would not be an adult until 18 and even with a parental approval before that some doctors would have ethical concerns about doing the surgery on a minor.

I would look into either your private health insurance or National Health Program and see if their are any rules about doing the surgery on someone of your age.

I don't want to sound un sympathetic I have been overweight my entire life. And wish I had done the surgery earlier. If I had I might not have had a minor stroke at 39.

Hey! You should deffinately go for it! i'm 18 and am getting the band next month, and i honestly wish i did it for my senior year. I was the same weight as you, and i actually missed the second half of my senior year due to Fibromyalgia, which is contributed a lot by my weight. find another dr. and do it! dont let anyone discourage you! good luck and i wish you the best! :thumbup:

I just had my band at 24.

Wish I would have done it earlier.

Go for it!!

Wow, I was around 288 when I was your age also and before I graduated college at 23 I was 388! I wish I would have done this at your age! Just to think of all the different opportunities or decisions I would have made if I was not ashamed of being so fat in college. I really believe it took me 6 months to find a job after graduating because of the interviewers judging me. Good luck!

Find another doctor. You need to not put your life on hold anymore. Lose weight and enjoy your life again. Your doctor is not equipt to deal with obese kids and giving them help. You deserve to be happy and healthy and get your life together now and not later. YOu need a second opinion from a doctor that may have experience with obese teens.

I say definitely look around for another doctor! If you've tried dieting and exercise and it's not helping you, hopefully the band can. Your doctor seems like a fool, especially when you're taking steps towards a healthier life for yourself.

I'm 19 and was banded this year; I'd have gotten it done earlier but I choose to wait until after school was done. I definitely don't regret it and it's helped me a lot. Find another doctor that will band you.

I agree with everyone... find another doctor. If I had had the chance to get this done when I was in high school... to have not been the fat girl all through high school and college and my 20's... all the things I missed out on... go for it. It's not like getting a boob job at your age... you boobs may still be changing but your stomach is obviously an issue and you're hoping to take care of it, head off any serious health issues before they start, trying to live a normal life. GO FOR IT. Find another doctor and be happy!!!

Best of luck

I was 22 when I was banded. I graduated high school at 244 pounds. I wish I had done it then instead of gaining 83 pounds in 4 years!

Somebody has to play the devil's advocate and it is usually me.

I agree with the rest that your doctor is a jerk and you should find another.

However, you mentioned that you've tried diet and exercise but didn't mention what kind of diet or ever meeting with a nutritionist to learn to eat right and you are just now joining weight watchers.

The lapband is only a tool for portion control but if you don't learn how to eat right then it may not work. On the other hand, if you learn how to eat right, you may not need the lapband at all.

Also, find out why you are overweight. It may not be your diet. You may have a thyroid issue. If it is emotional, a therapist can help you get to the root of it.

Surgery is a drastic step and all other means should be exhausted before undergoing surgery.

It's great that you have your mom's support and there are plenty of us here that support you no matter your decision but please do plenty of research and don't rush into this thinking it is a panacea.

I wish you the very best of luck, and if you go ahead with the surgery, I'll be here for you 100%. But you are showing very good sense in asking whether you have other options.

Lapband surgery is a last resort and not a first or second option. Don't leap into this thinking you've found a miracle cure. By all means find a different doctor and explore the issues mentioned by btrieger above before you take the jump into surgery.

Weight Watchers is a great lifestyle program- expensive, but still not as expensive as surgery and follow-up. You might well be one of the people who lose weight on WW and keep it off for years. If you haven't tried it, I recommend you sign up today. If you're mature enough to handle surgery, you're mature enough to try an option like WW first.

Good luck to you, honey, whatever you decide! :thumbup:

Hi. It's not clear to me where you are located. Being as you mention finishing school at 16 and are measuring weight with Kilo's I'm guessing you are either Canadian/British/Australian. What is the age of majority where you live? Legally an adult. In the US you would not be an adult until 18 and even with a parental approval before that some doctors would have ethical concerns about doing the surgery on a minor.

I would look into either your private health insurance or National Health Program and see if their are any rules about doing the surgery on someone of your age.

I don't want to sound un sympathetic I have been overweight my entire life. And wish I had done the surgery earlier. If I had I might not have had a minor stroke at 39.

Lmao. Im from Michigan. I just use kilos and such because im a Nursing assistant

Edited September 21, 201015 yr by Duhitsmecca

I have a 15 year old son and we are considering surgery for him. dont want to wait because he is gaining weight very fast. found a doctor who will do the surgery. unfortunately my insurance will only cover the surgery when he is 18 years old. we will try to pay cash. quoted for 15000. but will try to find a way. dont go to a pediatrician. go to a surgeon who does the surgery. they will give you the thumbs up. good luck. any thoughts for me? thanks

I have a 15 year old son and we are considering surgery for him. dont want to wait because he is gaining weight very fast. found a doctor who will do the surgery. unfortunately my insurance will only cover the surgery when he is 18 years old. we will try to pay cash. quoted for 15000. but will try to find a way. dont go to a pediatrician. go to a surgeon who does the surgery. they will give you the thumbs up. good luck. any thoughts for me? thanks

Well the simple answer I guess is to find another doctor. But as far as cost mexico is cheaper its even on the sight. Try a family diet change to start and go for a walk before or after dinner. And have dinner as a family. Cuz it may not seem like much but its support that teenagers need (even if we won't admit it). Do the surgery because its hard being a fat teen. I do nothing but school, work, and video games. The slimmer you are the more confidence you show the happier you'll be

My advice is no different from any other here, get a new doc! I had a doc when I was a little girl who made fun of my size and weight in front of my mom and my older (skinny) brother. Doctors who are not compassionate towards their patients struggles tend to do more harm than good.

That being said, I do have some words of caution. I am relativley young, 27, and I was banded 3 months ago. Before my banding I would get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about shopping. I highlighted half of the victorias secret catalogue and put together tons of outfits in my mind. I saw myself 100 lbs lighter and 100lbs cuter. That was a driving force behind my surgery.

Fast foward to 1 month post op. I hit rock bottom. I thought I would get banded and my life would be instantly changed. It was NOT. I actually gained a few lbs post op. I looked no different and had NO restriction. Yet another failed diet, and this one cost me 12 grand!!!!!! For the first time in my life I actually experienced depression. It was scary.

Now, 3 months post op and I am doing much better. I have lost 25 lbs and am soooo glad I got banded. I am telling you all of this b/c its hard pre op to understand what being banded is like. You just get hyper-focused on actually getting banded.

Here's the deal, post op you will still be on a diet. You will have to say no to foods that are delicious and that you can still eat (ice cream, melted chocolate, french fries, etc). You will have to excersize.

At this point, the band makes it impossible for me to eat:

*fast

*bread {bread, pancakes, muffins, pizza dough}

*large bites

*pasta

*large quantities

All the other food issues I delt with before I still deal with now.

Having the band has helped me change, but it did not change me. If you can truly understand and acknowlage that this will be alot of work and you are still ready to make that commitment, then you should get the band no matter what your age is.

Sorry to be long winded, I just dont want you making the same mistake I did. :rolleyes2: Best of luck