My friends and family, with the excpetion of my husband, are SOOOOo against me having the lapband...no, I'm not horribly obese, but I AM obese according to the numbers. I'm 5'5 and weigh 238 pounds. Everyone says "You're not big enough" (REALLY!!! Just HOW big does a person have to get?) or "you can do it on your own" (REALLY!!! Look at ME!!!)

I'm just so disgusted with all the neyseyers...someone even told me this morning that someone died over the weekend from having the lapband...I don't know all the details to this...but jeez.....

I need some encouragement.... :thumbup:

Do it! Was great for me, 15 months out, down 80 lbs. Whole new lifestyle. Do research and dedice for yourself

Cheri

Some of my friends were the same way... I had a friend tell me that a friend of a friend of a friend...died in the recovery room... I had my surgery on Nov. 3rd and no problems at all. I'm excited. I'm 5'1 and weighed 204lbs.. everyone we telling me the same thing.."ohh that's so permanent"..."I like eating too much and you'll never be able to eat again" You should do the research and decide for yourself. I had alot of health issues and have already lost 30lbs since I first went for my consultation. It's not easy... and remember the lapband is only a tool... you have to be ready and committed!! Good Luck!! Bamamom

I prefer Quality of Life over anyone else's feelings any day lol. At over 400 lbs I had people telling me I wasn't big enough :thumbup:

You guys are awesome. I come on here and read everyone's stories and posts and see that it DOES work...sometimes I feel like a quitter for taking this route, but like it was said above...I KNOW that LB is JUST a tool....that I've got to be there for it as well....

I had a girl who is a size 2 tell me "really...oh...I think you can do it on your own with diet and exercise" Look I know when get banded I will have to exercise and eat right so I've started now. But not everybody can do it that way some of us need help.

Edited November 15, 201015 yr by acalvin

Yep, there's nothing like someone who's NEVER had a weight problem tell you how to solve yours....Ugh....

You guys are awesome. I come on here and read everyone's stories and posts and see that it DOES work...sometimes I feel like a quitter for taking this route, but like it was said above...I KNOW that LB is JUST a tool....that I've got to be there for it as well....

Mellissa, when you stop to think about it, NOT having surgery is what makes you a quitter. Getting surgery starts you on your new path in your life, and the future you'll earn for yourself. If you chose not to have surgery, things would plod along day to day, gaining one more pound at a time, till you were seriously ill, or worse. Having surgery may actually help you to get back into the race, not just sitting on the sidelines.

Go for it.

Dave

Most likely they are un-educated on the subject.

I was 5ft 5 in and 252lbs, and I carry my weight very well so I knew I would have these reactions. So I planned accordingly and didn't tell anyone. Only my husband, mom and dad knew I was having it done.

People are afraid of the unknown and they dont want you to be skinner then them and you know it will happen! =)

If you have to go down the road of "If I needed a liver transplant would you tell me not to because it was so permanent?" You have to make health/medical decision for you. I have a sister who has always been thin but now in her 50's has gained 20 pounds and is having trouble losing it. I think this has given her an idea of what it's like to be me.

It was the best thing I ever did for ME...I started at a BMI of 36 and now I am 24.9! I have not been at a normal weight since before I started having my children. I love the fact that I am at a healthy weight and can do things that I had a hard time doing before. People ask me all of the time how I have lost my weight and I still hesitate to tell them about WLS, I tell them I changed the way I eat and make healthier choices. I just choose not to tell them about the tool I have to help me. I looked into it for four years before I finally did it. I LOVE my band! Wish you the best!

I wasn't big enough either. Or at least according to my GP who refused to refer me. So what did I do - I went to see the surgeon anyway, have been banded almost 18 months am at goal and happily maintaining.

Do I have any regrets?

Just 1 - that I didn't do it sooner.

Ya, i had the same problem. I was 215lbs at 5'3". I mentioned it to friends who also wanted to lose weight but cant and they totally bashed it. So I knew that when I got it done, not to tell them. Its really hard not telling anyone tho. I told the nurse at work because i needed the time off to recover. She did everything in her power to scare me away from doing it. She had her coworker tell me a horror story and that she would be my "diet buddy" pfft. I made the decision for myself and my mom got it done too. Actually! she is doing better than me!! lol

I havent had much success but i dont regret it cause i knw it will come soon enough.

Good Luck with your decision and i hope you make it according to your opinion, not someone elses.

My friends and family, with the excpetion of my husband, are SOOOOo against me having the LAP-BAND®...no, I'm not horribly obese, but I AM obese according to the numbers. I'm 5'5 and weigh 238 pounds. Everyone says "You're not big enough" (REALLY!!! Just HOW big does a person have to get?) or "you can do it on your own" (REALLY!!! Look at ME!!!)

I'm just so disgusted with all the neyseyers...someone even told me this morning that someone died over the weekend from having the LAP-BAND®...I don't know all the details to this...but jeez.....

I need some encouragement.... :laugh:

You meet the definition of obese. That's it, end of discussion. Tell them thank you for your input, the decision has been made. If I could do it on my own, I'd not be this unhealthy or look like this, thanks.

As to someone dying over the weekend from having a band? Details, I want details. Seems everyone knows someone who.....fill in the blank......

The most quoted rate for mortality for band is 1 in 2000. For Bypass, 1 in 200. The last band death I am aware of in the US is May 2008 in New York.

STATE PROBES WEIGHT-LOSS DEATHS AT NYU | Medicine & Health > Medical Treatments & Procedures from AllBusiness.com

"Rebecca, 27, was found dead in her Stuyvesant Town apartment two months after NYU gave her a lap band in May 2008.

The young lawyer, who wanted to lose weight she'd gained while studying for the bar, couldn't swallow food or Water for days on end, lawyer Howard Wexler claimed.

He claimed the band was cinched so tight - despite adjustments made during six post-op visits - that solids and liquids did not reach her stomach. "

Gimme details, folks...details!! :thumbup: If they make a claim, they'd best be able to back it up.

I can't really see how wls is any different from other elective surgeries or procedures people have.

if someone has a root canal or needs a filling, well isn't it their fault for not keeping up with their oral hygiene? how could they let their teeth get to this point? can they fix it on their own now w/o a surgeon's intervention?

the answer is no. same questions they ask you, are the same questions in the situation above (partly).

people choose to straighten their teeth, their hair, get a nose job, get fake nails, lip peircings, tattoos, etc. these things all have risks.

but if we don't take action with our health now, who's to say we may live long enough to see the little things people take for granted every day?

don't let it get you down, but let it be your motivation to keep going with your journey.