Any lapbanders who didn't have obesity related health problems?

[marnie723 0]

I am starting to schedule my lapband and after following along here for months, I am getting nervous about doing this surgery to lose weight when I don't have any REAL health issues. My BMI is 39 but all my bloodwork & everything else is good. I am worried that I might be creating problems by getting this surgery when, right now, none exist. My weight has controlled my life since I was 12yrs old, I'm a major yo-yo dieter & have never kept weight off like everyone else who has tried. I hate being fat. BUT I just read a book called "weight-loss surgery, Everything you need to know about Bariatric Surgery" by the former president of the ABS and it has freaked me out. The book keeps saying over & over that it's a last resort & you should be willing to accept death as a possible consequence. I know all surgeries have that risk....blah blah blah but if we really thought we were going to die I'm sure we wouldn't do it. I'm worried I will be running to the doctor now for life because of slips, erosions, overfills, underfills etc. Who else had the lapband that didn't have serious health issues? Has it complicated your life?

I am worried I might be better off fat then slimmer & having all sorts of eating problems with the band in place.

[Jachut 487]

Gosh, they can scare you. I had a BMI of 35 and no related problems. I had a bad heel and bad back but weight loss hasnt fixed that and didnt cause it.

But I'm in Australia where insurance is a lot friendlier.

[Twilight 2]

I did not have any co-morbidities as of yet, but I knew they were coming. Last time I had my cholesterols checked they were border line. Last two times I was pregnant I had gestational diabetes and had been having some of the same feelings so I'm sure I was borderline diabetic too. My blood pressure has always been good but my heart rate was through the roof. I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without puffing by stair 12. It hurt to get on the floor and hurt even worse to get up. When I would get up to walk after sitting for more than a half hour my feet were on fire.

I'm only 25 pounds down and a lot of the pain is gone. I am waiting for 6 months to check my bloodwork again....I haven't had a blood sugar episode in 2 months.

There are positives even without serious health issues. I look at the path I was on and those health issues were just around the corner if I hadn't put up a road block.

Keep learning. If this is really for you, you will know it in your heart.

[Fanny Adams 7]

Whenever I moved to a new area and found a new local GP, I always amazed him/her with my overall health, given my size. My blood pressure has always been low to normal, I have been tested for diabetes several times and always come back ok. I was at my all time high just prior to the pre-op for surgery and in the bloodwork they did on me, my cholesterol was 4.? (which I believe is very good), thyroid fully functioning and insulin levels only very slightly raised but not diabetic. About the only related problem I can claim is that I know I've started snoring a few years back and, although I haven't done the tests, I'm fairly sure I have sleep apnea. I have woken up gasping for air because my soft palatte has fallen down and blocked my airways. I'm hoping that will clear up as I lose the weight.

[marnie723 0]

I think in the back of my mind I am worried that I may have problems with the band NOT covered by insurance (I am self-pay at this point) If ins. covered this I would be less likely to question any problems I had. I have also been reading about lapband for 2yrs. The most info I've learned has been from this website but it seems like there's an awful lot of problems out there with it.

Another point this book made was to accept that "you will never eat 'normal' again. Which is what I thought the point of the surgery was, so you ate normal amounts instead of huge portions. I think I've been waiting for this for so long I am now starting to freak about the reality of it. (I've done a 12mth supervised diet for ins.only to get tossed) Then I keep going back to my health & think "if it ain't broke....." but I'm sure in time my health will be affected. My doctor thinks I'm a great candidate for this surgery but right now I am thinking I am just doing it more out of vanity.

[destiny79 0]

my BMI was 42 and the Dr. said I was healthy then him I have never had any problems but I was only 27 when I got my surgery... I was approved in 7 days

[mbanja 1]

My BMI was 39.5 and I was healthy as an ox. Ins would not cover it at all. My family has history of high BP, colesterol, type 2 diabetes, morbid obesity, and sleep apnea. So, I knew if I didn't do something soon I would be headed that way. I am a self pay and it was the best and hardest thing I have ever done. I currently have no health related problems because of the band.

[Livingthe Dream 0]

Come on guys, Do you want to watch memories go by or do you want to make memories for yourself. I went on vacation last year and my wife had purchased a new camcorder. She wanted me to log our entire day at Disney world with our kids, which I did as the good husband. When we got to the hotel that night I realized that I missed a lot of memories because I was recording and not participating. I didn't really enjoy the day because I was constantly getting the perfect shot or worried about audio or getting all the characters in the frame. I wasn't in any of the photos because I was to busy "watching". That is how I feel about being over weight. Are you going to be happy if you spend your entire life watching or should you lose the weight and get a life. Do I want to watch someone coach my 6 year old in basketball because I cant run the floor or do i want to coach her myself. This surgery is about getting a life and not losing your life.

I had high blood pressure and a torn ACL and that was it prior to surgery. I didn't consider this surgery much more dangerous that getting my tonsils out.

[Wheetsin 714]

The book keeps saying over & over that it's a last resort & you should be willing to accept death as a possible consequence. I know all surgeries have that risk....blah blah blah but if we really thought we were going to die I'm sure we wouldn't do it. I'm worried I will be running to the doctor now for life because of slips, erosions, overfills, underfills etc. Who else had the lapband that didn't have serious health issues? Has it complicated your life?

I did not have comorbidities, but I knew it was only a matter of time.

It sounds like you're finding one source of information and cannonizing it. Don't do that. Be a good researcher, seek input from all sources, and make a well-informed decision, whatever the decision may be.

[tweenwaters 0]

My BMI was 37....no other health related problems at all. However, I've been a yo-yo dieter for 20 years. I am turning 40 this spring and want to start enjoying my life, with my DH and 2 wonderful kids. I want to be successful at weight loss (reach my goal and maintain) instead of more diet failures. Both of my parents are SEVERLY OBESE, high BP, high Col...etc... Being denied by my insurance was a BUMP in the road. I am a self pay ($9990) and it was worth every penny. Today is my 1 week post-op anniversary. I'm down 20 lbs (including my 2 weeks pre-op). My recovery went GREAT. It is the light at the end of the tunnel for me.....I will reach my goal now.

[GreenChrysalis 1]

I do not currently have any documented co-morbidities and I have a BMI of 40. But I know that they're on their way. Diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea -- these are all in my family and therefore I'm pretty sure they're all in my future if I stay morbidly obese. But I've experienced the effects of being overweight/obese since I was a small child. There is a lot of emotional pain. I can't go places and do things that I want to do anymore. I can't fit into some restaurant booths or ride amusement park rides.

I am starting to experience some physical issues in the forms of rashes between skin folds, shortness of breath going up stairs, knee pain, etc. I don't see a reason to wait until those issues get bad enough to require medical intervention or until I develop more problems. These things don't get better, and if I stay on this path I will continue to gain weight.

Yes, there is a risk of death. There is a risk of death with any surgery and any time that you go under anesthesia. Because I am still relatively healthy and young, I think that my risk is small. To me, the benefits outweigh the risks.

I keep reading on here that so many bandsters wish that they had done it sooner. I do too -- if I had done it sooner maybe it wouldn't have gotten to this point. And it's true that I don't know exactly what the future is going to hold when on the other side. Maybe there are some foods I can't eat anymore. But I can't imagine that being worse than feeling this way. I just can't.

That's just me, though. You have to decide what is right for you. It is completely normal to be nervous -- I am sure that anybody here will tell you that. But you are just reading one book. I'm not saying that the book doesn't have good information, but don't let that be your sole source when deciding on whether to have the surgery.

[Marimaru 7]

My BMI was 45.something and I did not have any co-morbidities. I was 23, and I knew that things were only going to get worse, and it wouldn't be long before I did have them.

Eating is different now, and there are days when it's hard. But I'm in a 14/16 instead of a 22/24 and that makes life much easier all around.

In fact, I recently moved, and found a new doctor and she DIDN'T get on me about my weight, imagine that!

[Cerrin 3]

Another point this book made was to accept that "you will never eat 'normal' again. Which is what I thought the point of the surgery was, so you ate normal amounts instead of huge portions.

OK I just want to say...Normal....is to me what I used to eat....which was the big mac super size fries large coke. And then be hungry in about an hour. for me that was normal....so NO I dont eat like that any more. normal for me now is 1 portion of fish and veggies maybe a little rice. or ONE portion of chili...you know wendys Small...it is enough. for me that is a normal meal after band. So my now normal dosent fit with pre band normal.

[Jachut 487]

I dont think there's ANYTHING wrong with doing this surgery out of vanity. I freely admit that was my main motivation, I hated being fat.

Many of us go on to take just as big risks with PS, there's risk of death with ANY surgery and as far as surgeries go this is a fairly simple on. The prevention of future health problems was also important to me, but I was mainly concerned with how bad I felt I looked.

[Skinny_Jill 36]

I had no co-morbidities before surgery but I knew that if I kept gaining (and I know I would have) it wouldn't be long until I had high blood pressure or diabetes. Insurance did not cover the band so I am self pay and it is definitely worth it. After 2 months I feel so much better as I have more energy and my knees don't hurt. I will enjoy life now and not watch it pass me by.

The surgery will be much safer now than if you gain more weight and then the journey will just be that much longer.

Good luck with your decision.