I was just advised by my sleep doctor to consider getting the lap band. I have my first appointment next week with the bariatric surgeon (Dr. Davtyan in Glendale, CA). I've been reading posts on this site since the referral last week and the posts have me wondering whether I really want to go through with this surgery. Any thoughts or comments? I currently have a BMI of 40.3 and have been diagnosed with hypertension, sleep apnea, and fatty liver. :help:

I was just advised by my sleep doctor to consider getting the lap band. I have my first appointment next week with the bariatric surgeon (Dr. Davtyan in Glendale, CA). I've been reading posts on this site since the referral last week and the posts have me wondering whether I really want to go through with this surgery. Any thoughts or comments? I currently have a BMI of 40.3 and have been diagnosed with hypertension, sleep apnea, and fatty liver. :help:

You ask whether you really want to go through with it, and that is a question we have all asked ourselves. I guess the answer to that question depends on what the alternatives are. Most of us with high BMIs have never been able lose weight using "conventional" methods like diet, exercise, or even "pills." With a BMI of 40.3 my guess is that you would say the same about yourself. So, what is the alternative to getting the band? We know diet and exercise won't work. So, if you don't get the band I think it is fair to say that the alternative is steadily increasing BMI and ever expanding serious heath problems. I think it is fair to say that if you don't do something drastic, the medical problems you already have have will "increase and multiply" as the saying goes. If you keep gaining weight you'll decrease your quality of life substantially and it will probably cause you to die much younger than you otherwise might.

I also asked myself if I really wanted to put myself through the band. When I looked at the alternatives I eventually decided that it was the right thing to do. I've been losing more slowly than I would have liked, but I'm losing steadily again now. My BMI has dropped from 44.5 to 39. And if I had not gotten the band I would probably have continued gaining, so you have to count that too. So, I'm glad I did this. Is it a magic answer? No. It's not easy and it takes work. But what is the alternative?

You ask whether you really want to go through with it, and that is a question we have all asked ourselves. I guess the answer to that question depends on what the alternatives are. Most of us with high BMIs have never been able lose weight using "conventional" methods like diet, exercise, or even "pills." With a BMI of 40.3 my guess is that you would say the same about yourself. So, what is the alternative to getting the band? We know diet and exercise won't work. So, if you don't get the band I think it is fair to say that the alternative is steadily increasing BMI and ever expanding serious heath problems. I think it is fair to say that if you don't do something drastic, the medical problems you already have have will "increase and multiply" as the saying goes. If you keep gaining weight you'll decrease your quality of life substantially and it will probably cause you to die much younger than you otherwise might.

I also asked myself if I really wanted to put myself through the band. When I looked at the alternatives I eventually decided that it was the right thing to do. I've been losing more slowly than I would have liked, but I'm losing steadily again now. My BMI has dropped from 44.5 to 39. And if I had not gotten the band I would probably have continued gaining, so you have to count that too. So, I'm glad I did this. Is it a magic answer? No. It's not easy and it takes work. But what is the alternative?

Hi Mark:

That is what I've been thinking, but the idea of giving up my mistress (food) is very scary. Of course, so is dying (I don't even believe in Spinoza's God). Thanks for providing a bit of clarity.

Daren