I just saw this on my local news. remeber the 12 yr old from Austin that had Lipo done last yr ? Here parents took her to Mexico to get a band ?

After seeing the reaction and the interview from her mom All I can say is STUPID !

Local | Video On Demand | News for Austin, Texas | kvue.com |Her mom doesnt even think the sleep apnea testing and psych evaluation are needed. What are you opinions ?

Mindy

Well...I have been overweight my whole life and I wish I could have had the band when I was a teenager. It would have saved so much heartache and emotional distress growing up caused by my weight.

If we say she cant be mature enough to make desicions to do with the lapband then we can say she isnt mature enough to be making correct food choices etc on her own.

We all know dieting doesnt work right?? We have all been there. The band is what saved us all, we had reached the end, we had tried everything...

I think to nip this in the butt now is a great thing, I also think it should be followed up with weekly visits to a therapist and dietician but I think it could work.

I disagree with the lipo but as for the band I say go for it and good luck to her...hopefully it will work for her and she wont struggle through her teenage yrs being discriminated, picked on, and judge for her weight.

I really hope she doesnt see all these posts all over the place judging her and her family for choices they made that they think are best for THEM.

Kellie, I see your points and I agree w/ them for the most part. And I dont know that im not 100% against a teen having the band . For instance on Big Medicine there was a teen that Dr D agreed to do a band on .

Like you said he said this boy would have a life time of yo you dieting and the weight he was now , he was on a path of being bed riddin

I think the problem I have is that no doc in the US would touch her . Now I know people here go to Mexico to get banded but its not because ( in most cases i guess ) because US docs wont do it , its becasue of money reasons. My best guess is they said she was too young , So why not wait until she's older and more mature and will be able to be a better canidate and possibly have more success w/ the band ?

Honestly most teens if you tell them " DONT Do this they will do it becasue you tell them NOT to .... I sort of seeing that happening w/ the band and this girl. The other problem I see , as you pointed out is the lack of follow up care and counseling she is going to get.

I just see all kinds of problems w/ this . The fact that a 13yr olds mom allowed a TUMMY TUCK is sick if you ask me . And im a pretty liberal parent according to my friends who have children . The child i dont think is the issue she is just that a child , the mom I think is the issue in this situation .

I Hope the child all the success in the world , I hope she IS mature enough to handle this awesome responisblity . But I know adults that are not .

So I hope she does well

Just my input

Mindy

OK, was she even THAT overweight? I didn't think so. I'm confused.

OK, was she even THAT overweight? I didn't think so. I'm confused.

Umm lets see Ide have to go back and find the original story ... I think she was pretty over weight .. Lemme see .

Says at age 12 she was 5'5" and 220

ABC News: 12-Year-Old Girl Has Liposuction

the recent article says her weight is 193 which makes her BMI 31 which is probably a reason (That and she's 13) no one in the US would touch her. This article gives a little more detail.

Pflugerville teen follows liposuction with Lap-Band surgery | News for Austin, Texas | kvue.com | Local News

HTH

Mindy

You know, the more I think about this, and talk about it with other banded friends, all adults, the more worrisome it becomes to me.

For instance, I was one of the bandsters who lost massive amounts of hair. Are they even aware that it can happen? How is a young girl going to handle losing so much of her hair her scalp is visible? And walking around feeling like you are wearing a hair shirt as you shed? Girls place a lot of importance on their hair too.

My friend said she is worried about it too. She was banded a year before me, and has not changed her eating a lot, and has only lost about 35-40 pounds, she is perfectly happy with that, but someone like this girl and her family who apparently want instant gratification, likely would not be. My friend has a very high BMI so her weight would drop faster than the young girl with the low BMI---what is she going to do if this is not her answer? How stable is she mentally? Teenagers have been known to put a permanent end to temporary problems over lesser things.

It scares me. Makes me sad for the girl. They seem so uninformed of what lies ahead of them.

I know things they read might be unpleasant, but I too hope they find these sites, and can learn and benefit from them. And maybe be concerned enough to get follow up therapy for the daughter, she is going to need it I believe.

Kat