I am 71 years old and will be the last patient over 65 that my surgeon will do. I'm both excited and anxious, hoping to get off of my diabetes meds and loose some weight also

. This looks like a great forum and I'm happy to see that other 70+ members are on it.

Why is your surgeon placing 65 as a top age limit? I was sleeved last year at 69 and have done very well - now within 5 lbs of goal weight. There are many other success stories for seniors as well.

Karen

^{My doctor said, as did two others in my area that there are too many complications possible with people over 65. So basically he would agree to do me and then close his practice to anymore. I hope I have good success and am so excited to start this new journey in my life. Thanks for your inquiry, I'm so electrically challenged that I can't believe I got a response.........}

Well, I am glad you are able to give surgery. I am also glad the docs in my area (Austin, TX) are willing to sleeve/band seniors. I was a band to sleeve conversion, and except for weight, am pretty healthy. The only negative statement my surgeon made was that many of his senior patients don't lose as much weight as younger patients. That is almost always true, though I have lost all I really need to. I do exercise a lot...swim almost every day on a Master's team, that might help, but exercise usually is only about 10 - 15% of weight loss.

Good wishes to you -- I think you will find it a successful and amazing journey. The sleeve is a thousand times better than the band. In 8 years I lost 30 lbs with the band, could never get proper adjustment. In 0ne year, I've lost almost 50 lbs and am just a few lbs from goal weight.

You will do well!

• Thanks Karen, my doctor does not do bands anymore, and no "open", just laproscopic procedures. Florida is weird.........

The large Bariatric practice here also does mostly sleeve and laproscopic surgeries, but there are reasons, on occasion, they find it necessary to do a band, or something different.