This is not about me, it's about a close friend of mine who is a true addict. She used to be addicted to pills, wine and food, but she quit the pills and wine years ago and is now a true food addict. She's 63, weighs between 250 and 275, and is in a lot of pain. She knows she's addicted and is on medication, but it doesn't stop her from buying Cookies on sale and eating them all, etc. She's been on all the usual diets and has also been to AA and OA. Her former psychologist told her that because she's an addict she's not a good candidate for the lap band. She sees her psychiatrist regularly but doesn't address her addiction, just her family problems. When I told her about my upcoming surgery, she was, typically, not supportive and tried to tell me all the horror stories she knew. Now she says she'll see how I do, but I'm not an addict, I'm a volume eater, so I don't know if our situations are comparable.

Do you think she could succeed with the lap band? Do you think the program psychologists are really helpful to addicts? Are there any medications other than the Lexapro and Wellbutrin types that might be helpful? Thanks.

For me, it's that Hormone that I spoke of. It is supressed, and you have NO ! Appetite at all. So If you can deal with not being hungry then you will beat this thing.

It's like putting a bottle in front of a Alcaholic and watching him shake for it.

Well instead, do to a surgical implant, that would be doing its job.

The Alcaholic can sit at the table, and not sweat over the bottle.

He will look at it a few times, and think where is that itch ! Well it's not there at all.

"That was a Hypothetical comparison to the band"

But you get the idea. That is how it is suppose to work, and it works that way for me.

Like Hummingbird said you will only be able to eat so much or you will be sick or very uncomftorable.

hope this helps.

I really believe that Lap Band is the way to go for me. Now I have to decided if I can handle the idea of having a foreign object in my body...seems strange. And the band fill maintenance seems costly.

In the end I'm sure losing weight and getting healthy makes it all worth it.

I really believe that Lap Band is the way to go for me. Now I have to decided if I can handle the idea of having a foreign object in my body...seems strange. And the band fill maintenance seems costly.

In the end I'm sure losing weight and getting healthy makes it all worth it.

There are many scenarios where you could end up having to have a foreign object in your body, like having joint replacements, pacemakers even down to fillings in your teeth . The band is just a small piece of plastic, its really not that bigger deal but can have excellent results. The cost of maintaining being overweight by food and clothing bills alone would cancel out the costs of any fills ..

I didnt eat unhealthy food i had a big appetite too, i was never full.. but the band helped me eat and be satisfied with smaller meals, i hated that feeling of being 'hungry' now i dont feel that hunger any more, i still get hungry before meals but its no longer the desperate hunger i used to get. Maybe its time to ditch those sweets and swap them for some sugar free ones and get your hunger under control, after all will anything change if you dont do something good luck !

DITTO ! She is right !

you have to decide if you want to live or die from Weight related problems.

I almost did.... I would have drowned in my own bodily fluids, and bariatric surgery is the only cure.

So I gladley had it done. I know it takes Maintenance, but that's better then RNY Surgery, and then being told

"I DID MY JOB AS A SURGEON THE REST IS UP TO YOU !" With that, I seen allot of people fail..

This way if you feel that your still hungry, he can tighten you up a little, and you would be suprised after a few fills,

what a small tweaking of a fill would do for you.

Then in time, as you jose weight, you can invest it in cloths instead.

Weight is not everything, sometimes inches mean allot more, and then the weight will follow.

Look up my story and see how I came across getting the band.

Shirley.

Drug addiction is considered a contraindication for bariatric surgery. Success with the band especially requires the patient to take personal responsibility for their eating and exercise behavior. Based on decades of experience with my brother's drug addiction (painkillers), personal responsibility is not in addicts' vocabulary. I feel empathy for your friend because I struggle with my own addiction (food), but it seems to me that she's got to prioritize her issues, put the drug thing on the top of the list, deal with that and stay clean for a year or so before she tackles the obesity issue. My fear for her would be that if she had WLS and was no longer able to turn to food for comfort, stress, etc., she would end up going back to some kind of chemical addiction.

On a more practical level, drug & alcohol addiction do a number on the addict's liver. Part of the liver lies on top of the area on the stomach where the band is attached, so the surgeon has to be able to handle it safely. If it's enlarged or diseased, the patient's surgery is much more risky.

And that's exactly what I asked my friend just a few days ago: what will you turn to when you're stressed out if you don't have food? She understood immediately and realized that she had to work out her addiction problem with her psychiatrist before being able to succeed with the lap band. I don't know how successful she will be. Whenever she's given up one crutch she's turned to another. Now there are none left for her except food.

Jean, thank you for writing Bandwagon. It was most helpful in preparing for my surgery.