I met with the psychologist today and I am some what confused. She told me basically the lap band wasn't a good choice because my BMI is 48. I weigh 279lbs. However my surgeon said it would be could for me. Has anyone had anything similar like this said to them.

Here are 4 women who had high BMIs. They're all very successful.

http://www.bariatricpal.com/user/123616-mis73/

http://www.bariatricpal.com/user/124980-☠carolinagirl☠/

http://www.bariatricpal.com/user/142630-gowalking/

http://www.bariatricpal.com/user/147342-enjoythetime/

I would think your surgeon would know more about WLS than a psych Dr. would. Just sayin'. I love my lap band, it was easy to follow the Drs rules, I made good healthy choices most of the time, and the weight fell right off . Best decision ever !

And there's also big/little Jim, down 300 lbs.

http://www.bariatricpal.com/user/116888-jim1967/

I believe your psychologist might be focusing on your habits and personality with food and that is important. Problem here is, you'll have to change that with any of the WLSs. There are lots here that have made it work with them and you can too. Do your own research, confer with your surgeon and do whats best for you. Don't let anyone make your decision for you. Its you that has to make it work so it should be your decision. That being said, I love my band:)

I started this journey 5 foot 7' and 320lbs. My lapband surgery was June 20th. That is what I felt was best for me. (by the way the surgeon thought it was too)

No one can make this decision but you. Whats right for one may not be right for the next person. Well meaning people sometimes throw their opinion where it isn't needed or wanted and many times don't know what they are talking about.

Look up all surgeries, most are successful, sometimes they are not. Figure out what you think and why one would be better over the others and go to your surgeon and discuss your thoughts with him/her.

Good luck!

Colleen

I'm surprised that your psychologist would say this. He's not a trained doctor for lapband or any surgery. He only deals with moods,thoughts an feelings. He must be thinking of a gathering of information after someone has a lapband put inside them to make this kind of decision. Your surgeon and maybe with your dietitian knows what may work for you.

I had a Allergan lapband installed about 2 years ago. I've had NO issues.

Best wishes

<p>I started this journey 5 foot 7' and 320lbs. My lapband surgery was June 20th. That is what I felt was best for me. (by the way the surgeon thought it was too)</p> <p> </p> <p>No one can make this decision but you. Whats right for one may not be right for the next person. Well meaning people sometimes throw their opinion where it isn't needed or wanted and many times don't know what they are talking about.</p> <p> </p> <p>Look up all surgeries, most are successful, sometimes they are not. Figure out what you think and why one would be better over the others and go to your surgeon and discuss your thoughts with him/her.</p> <p> </p> <p>Good luck!</p> <p>Colleen</p>

How is it going Colleen since your surgery

My BMI was about 47 (295 - 5'7'') and I was actually turned down for lap-band by my original surgeon. I saw his colleague and he said he could def see me being successful with the lap-band at thats what i chose.

i'm 7 weeks post-op, almost 40 lbs down, and feel alive again. You need to make the decision you're comfortable with. Yes the lap-band requires more intuitive eating, learning your soft stops, but I think anyone could be successful at any surgery if they really want to.

Here are 4 women who had high BMIs. They're all very successful.

http://www.bariatricpal.com/user/123616-mis73/

http://www.bariatricpal.com/user/124980-☠carolinagirl☠/

http://www.bariatricpal.com/user/142630-gowalking/

http://www.bariatricpal.com/user/147342-enjoythetime/

Thanks tmf. Here's the story behind the stats. I wanted the band because I didn't want such an invasive surgery as the sleeve is. My PCP told me I wouldn't be able to lose enough weight with the band. I proved her wrong big time. In fact, I'm about 15 lbs. less than she is. So there! LOL.

And....I didn't do anything crazy in order to lose so much. I weigh and measure my food and stay under 1,200 calories a day. I also didn't go crazy with the exercise. I couldn't because I had horrible joint degeneration and was in so much pain, I could barely move. Now I bike, swim laps, and take Water exercise classes. And my forum name was my dream...to go walking. I'm living that dream now. I walk everywhere.

I would ask the psychologist why he/she thinks you will not be able to lose the weight you want by getting the band. I'd be curious if was their prejudice at work here or if there was a specific reason for the remark.

Whatever you wind up doing, I wish you much success.

Edited June 25, 201412 yr by gowalking

@@sexy_mamma1224 I think someone above may have touched on why the psych Dr. said this to you. Though the reason she gave you is not a good answer. It's not about your BMI, it's about your behaviors with food from her perspective.

That said however, no matter what WLS you were to have you will need to be compliant. The band requires this right up front from you and you have to invest the time and self control to follow it through. Some of the other surgeries "enforce" a behavior change immediately upon surgery that you can not get around. They force you into compliance but where psych go wrong is that they recommend these surgeries that force the compliance and that does not help you with the behavior changes. So once you are in a "comfort" zone 6 months to a year out if those behaviors have not changed then you are in a position to gain weight back.

That was why I chose the band. It has forced me to make changes in my behavior and how I relate to food and the food choices that I make and it gave me room and time to make my mistakes along the way and learn from them. Now I can be in the green zone and know how to eat and what to choose to eat for my health and well being and it is now a way of life for me. I don't feel "robbed" or deprived the way I might have if I was forced to stop eating sweets or when and what I wanted to. I was able to make the changes and integrate them into my life style in a way that was not abrasive to me.

Not everyone works that way, and you have to find what works for you and your life style. So as others have said do some research, speak to people who are living with different WLS tools and see how they are doing and see if their experience matches the one you want you have. There are some live local Bariatric Pal support groups starting up around the country, and that is a great place to go and meet people and ask questions to those who are living with these tools. Then you can follow up with the Dr. and surgeons and get the "medical" info on the different surgeries and decide what will be best for you.

I wish you all the best of luck!

I am wishinging I did the sleeve instead of the band.....I only have 4 cc's in my band....get stuff caught all the time. Started out really strong in the weight loss dept. Slowly creeping back on...... I'd love any and all advise.....

Lisa

I am wishinging I did the sleeve instead of the band.....I only have 4 cc's in my band....get stuff caught all the time. Started out really strong in the weight loss dept. Slowly creeping back on...... I'd love any and all advise.....

Lisa

First, you should start your own thread/topic. Posting in this thread exposes your questions to only about 10 people. Starting a new thread gives you exposure to 100's of posters.

When did you last see your surgeon?

When did you last speak to your nutritionist?

What foods get stuck and what foods don't?

How many fills and when was the last?

I met with the psychologist today and I am some what confused. She told me basically the lap band wasn't a good choice because my BMI is 48. I weigh 279lbs. However my surgeon said it would be could for me. Has anyone had anything similar like this said to them.

Really? REALLY???? BMI is the reason for not doing a band? Uh... I started at 5' 7" 378 pounds and a BMI of 59. My surgeon didn't hesitate to say yes to installing a band around my gut. My starting weight and high BMI were a concern as far as getting me safely through surgery but my surgeon and my psychologist (with whom I spoke for all of about seven minutes) had no issues with it where a band was concerned.

The type of WLS each person chooses needs to be based on factors like their own food issues, their body type, lifestyle, how they like to eat, what they are comfortable with, what they are willing to live with, what they can be compliant with.

If you are a volume eater who needs help with portion control and are okay with regular aftercare appointments and are a control freak who loves the idea of being able to customize your WLS tool to your own specifications, a Lap Band may be just the thing for you. (Those were the biggies in my decision when I chose the band. )

If you want restriction but not the aftercare, don't feel the need to customize, the Sleeve may be just the thing.

Or, a Gastric Bypass...

Only you can make that decision, after doing your research, reading up on all of the options available to you, thinking carefully about your own issues and which tool will best help you reach your goals. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, it only matters what YOU want, what YOU need. Clear the voices from the outside and look within yourself and you will find the right answer for you.

Hey, Sexy-momma.

I have been fine. The surgery did kick up the fibro I have but my regular meds got that on track within a day. All else has been good. Just normal discomforts from surgery. I didn't have gas pains or anything luckily but the incisions under some are sore, bending over and have to be careful not exhausting myself.

I didnt seem to have much swelling because after the first few days I can eat and drink fine.

How are you?

Colleen

I wish someone had suggested that for me. I got the lapband first. I loved it at first but then with all the fills, unfills, food getting stuck, and finally a slip, I had a revision to sleeve. I wish I had known about it first. Yes, I did know there could be complications and I hoped for the best and went through with the lapband but the sleeve has been a godsend. I was lucky in that my revision went very smoothly. I've lost a lot more weight with the sleeve and I don't have the same problems I did with the band. The band works great for many people and it did for me at first. I loved the restriction but I didn't like food getting stuck and having to run to the bathroom all of the time. It was always a guessing game with each fill on what I would be able to eat and sometimes you can eat one thing and with the next fill you can't eat that thing anymore. I went with the lapband first because of the idea of it being reversible. I thought that sounded appealing even though I knew I didn't and wouldn't want it reversed. I had no will power at all. With my sleeve I can still only eat 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food but I don't fear what I eat anymore. It is still a struggle some days to get in all of my Protein but I am thankful I went with a permanent low maintenance alternative. I used to have to drive 2 hours for a fill and my husband has now changed jobs and our new insurance would not have covered the fills or a revision surgery. Revision surgeries don't always good and I can tell you from experience that if you have a band failure, it is heart breaking to know that you may have so much damage done that you don't have any other options plus you could have permanent damage it the band erodes into your stomach. I was lucky in that mine just slipped up my esophagus. They had to unfill my band and I gained 20 lbs back waiting on my revision surgery. I knew I couldn't lose or maintain the weight I lost without help. I revised to the sleeve 2 years ago. I feel normal like I did before the band, no throwing up, getting food stuck, worries at all. Now I can only eat a small amount and I feel full a lot faster and stop eating. The same downfall with the band is that you can't drink anything while you eat and you have to wait until your stomach empties after eating before you can drink anything because there is simply no room for it to go anywhere except back up. Please take some time to visit the sleeve forum and also the band to sleeve revision forum just to be able to make an informed decision of just how many people have complications. I wish I had done that but I so desperately wanted help and knew my insurance would pay for the band that I just went through with it. I was lucky in that my revision surgery for the sleeve took only 45 minutes to remove the band and to perform the sleeve. My surgeon was very skilled and I have had very successful weight loss where a lot of revisions experience slower weight loss than had they had the sleeve surgery from the beginning. Best of luck to you sunshine.