New* Lapband Help

[erickajm 0]

Hello all! I am new to the forum and am trying to get as much information as possible. I am considering having the lap band surgery. I am right on the edge of being approved. My BMI is 35.1. Being diabetic puts me in the position of being a candidate for the surgery.

To give you a little history, I'll tell you my "story". Almost 6 years ago I was prescribed a medication that destroyed my thyroid. At the time I was very healthy, working out 5-6 days a week. I gained 67lbs in less than 6 months. In the end, I topped out at 210. I am 5'2". Over the past 5.5 years I have tried just about everything possible to lose this weight. P90X, Zija... went to 2 dieticians. I managed to lose a little weight and am currently sitting at 195lb.

I never before understood everything that goes along with an obese life. It took me about 3 years to become comfortable (or somewhat) in my new body. My main reasoning for looking into the LapBand surgery is for what everyone is saying about what it does for diabetes. I have had a hell of a time trying to keep my sugars in check. I am sure I could do better but my fasting sugars are what are high. My next step would be insulin.. something I really don't want to go to.

I just spent a month out in Texas taking care of my dying father. He was on dialysis and I can't get the image of that place out of my mind. Knowing diabetes is a silent killer, I know that is my future. I don't want to be on insulin nor do I want to end up on dialysis. I have been diagnosed diabetic about 3-4 years now. I, of course won't know what kind of damage has already occurred until it is too late or later on down the road.

My hang up is this. The lap band surgery will all but "cure" my diabetes. I understand there are exceptions. The bonus would be my losing the added weight that all of this has brought on. I have what I think is a guilty feeling that I am using this as a copout because I could hire (if I could afford) a personal trainer and lose all the weight with diet/exercise and though I would still have diabetes it would most likely be under complete control. I go back and forth feeling like I haven't done enough to be considering this kind of procedure.

Did any of you have the guilt? I am just thinking, is this too drastic? I think I could answer yes it is for the weight loss. I know I am not morbidly obese and could eventually get this weight off with a strict diet/exercise plan. I answer no for the diabetes end of it. I would appreciate any thoughts you may have. My first appointment is on Wednesday. My insurance does require the 6 month diet. The lady did tell me I could not lose any weight within the 6 months or I would eliminate myself. That had my mind spinning.

Any thoughts?

[electronicart 120]

I hear you. I am 5'1" and was at 208 when I went for my first lap band consult. I had done Weight Watchers (twice in the last 5 years), I joined a gym, I tried Adkins, I gave up and just decided this is my life. But, my life was miserable. When I told my friends I was going to have the surgery, they just didn't understand. Some said "how do you qualify?" Well, at 208, I was morbidly obese. I have terrible high blood pressure and arthritis. My feet, knees and hip hurt. I was facing surgery on my feet.

Lap band surgery is very personal. I literally made a list of pros and cons of having the surgery. I too, had to do a six month diet, documented. I had done WW for exactly six months last year. The insurance company fought me on it because I didn't have a record of weight loss, only a letter saying I was a member. I appealed BCBS's denial, stating I that I AM going to have this surgery, I meet the criteria, so, tell me what I need to do. They approved me within 72 hours. Two weeks later, I had the surgery. I love my band. I am happier and healthier.

All that said, no one can really tell you what to do. Its not the easy way out. I truly believe it is safe and practical. Good Luck!

[jen_1381 446]

I have no guilt whatsoever about chosing Lap Band. I had always been chubby growing up, and it carried over into my teen years and before I knew it, I am almost 29 years old and weighing in at 243. For my height (I'm 5'8) I carried the weight well, but I still felt awful in my own skin. I HATED my body. On a daily basis.

I had tried many diets over the past few years. Most of them would take off a few pounds but when I'd stop, the weight would pile back on. I've had high blood pressure since I was 15 and higher cholesterol than I should at my age, so I was "accepted" into the WLS program.

When I brought up the idea to my husband, I went through my reasons for needing this surgery. I'm a perfectionist at heart and failure is something I just do not do well with, and I was failing myself over and over. I researched the heck out of it, went to the seminar with an open mind, then spent the next 10 weeks going through the process. The process alone was life changing. I learned SO MUCH about myself and so much about the person I want to become. It's been such an amazing journey so far.

I know my decision seemed durastic to most people - you couldn't count how many times my family said that I wasn't overweight enough to do it. I just kindly said - I may not seem like I am now, but the way I'm headed I will be soon. I needed a way that would help me not fail myself anymore.

This morning, 9 weeks post-op going in for my second fill, my blood pressure was 120/63, heart rate was 60, and I am down 42 lbs since May. Pants that hung in my closet for the past year, too small to even work over my hips, are now so baggy I need a belt. My wedding ring is a full size too big. Shirts that couldn't button if I tried now are too big. My favorite part? I can see my collar bone outline! I still have about 40-50 lbs left to drop, but if I stopped losing right now I would be happy with what I've done. Not thrilled, like I will be when I'm 160 lbs, but happy

[Theresa13 14]

I have no guilt because the lap band is not a magical cure for being over weight. It is just another tool I use to lose weight and eat healthier.

My weight loss has not been easy, I have to make good choices every meal and I am exercising every day. I have to choose a cup

of chicken over a cup of ice cream, and I have to get up, out and moving everyday! Some weeks I have not lost weight even after

doing every thing right. I thought before my surgery well, this will be easy my band will make all these pounds disappear. That is

far from the truth, what the band has done for me i take away the hunger that caused me to cheat or quit dieting in the past. The more

weight I lose the stronger my will power has become, and I worked hard for everything positive in my life since being banded.

[NWgirl 574]

I do not have diabetes, but if you are truly looking into this for that reason, I feel obliged to tell you that gastric bypass "cures" diabetes at a higher rate than lapband.

[SageTracey 608]

Isn't it weight loss that cures Type 2 diabetes regardless of the method of weight loss?

What ever choice you make, never ever feel guilty about taking action for your own good health!

[jen_1381 446]

We were told in our WLS Seminar (as well as I've heard it on the news) that bypass and the sleeve can be almost an instant fix for diabetes - by the time you leave the hospital most people are no longer diabetic because they remove or bypass the portion of your stomach that secrets the chemical that is responsible for diabetes. From the news article I read:

"There were signs that the surgery itself - not just weight loss - reverses diabetes. food makes the gut produce hormones to spur insulin, so doctors think trimming away part of it surgically may affect those hormones.

Weight-loss surgery "has proven to be a very appropriate and excellent treatment for diabetes," said one study co-leader, Dr. Francesco Rubino, chief of diabetes surgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. "The most proper name for the surgery would be diabetes surgery."

Lap Band is also effective with this, just not as quickly as the other two.

Again, take this with a grain of salt...I got it off the internet afterall

[pink dahlia 2,513]

I will support you in whatever you decide is best for you, so here goes. 1. Hate to break the news to you, but at 5'2, 195 lbs, yes you are "morbidly obese !" 2. You should'nt feel any guilt for taking a step (lap band) in the right direction, you're just not taking the more common step (diet and exercise). 3. Lapband is no more a "cop out" for weight loss than insulin is for diabetes. Both are made to fix a medical problem that your body cant fix by itself. And 4. after watching my late mother in law NOT take charge of her diabetes, she passed away 2 yrs ago after a long and difficult battle that could of been avoided had she managed it well. Watching the family deal with her passing has not been easy, so i encourage you to deal with your health and diabetes while you still can. I have no diabetes in my family , but we're on intimate terms with cancer. One reason i had lap band was to lessen my chances of getting cancer, and should i get it anyway(a high probability) i want to be strong and healthy enough to fight it off. ( My Dr. agrees) So, go. get. banded. already.good luck !

[erickajm 0]

Thank you for all of your thoughts! Congratulations to each of you for your successes! I'll have to weigh the pro's and cons. It isn't something I want to take lightly. I am not sure that the gastric isn't too drastic for me. I have 60-70lbs to lose to get to a "normal" or comfortable weight. I think I would fear how much weight I would lose with the gastric. I have a friend who had it done and to be honest.. she looks sickly. I have the thyroid problem, fibromyalgia, arthritis along with the diabetes.. I am not looking to add to my load, if you know what I mean. I already fear what the side effects could bring. I tend to develop the rare effects.. just makes me nervous. I'll wait to see how the appointment goes.