I guess I thought I would start to develope problems in my late 40's & 50's without the Band but now that my new band is here I'm thinking of that new Caddy when I'm 70.

Very interesting question Joe. I don't know how much longer I'll live. I haven't really thought about whether it will extend my lifespan. Folks in my family are generally quite long lived, like well into their 90's long.

I know that my DH will live longer, before he was banded I didn't expect him to live more than a few years longer. Now I have real hope that he will be along for a good long while.

My grandparents died really young from heart attacks and I never wanted that.

You gotta ask yourself, how many morbidly obese senior citizens have you met? I have met very few, if any. My guess is that most morbidly obese people die young. Well, so says the surgeon general anyways! Good question!

I am young (21) i have been overweight my whole life..So i hope that when i get banded and loose the weight that it wl def pro-long my life. There is so much i want to do..The healther you become the longer the life should be..I hope.

Wow, that's deep. I've never seen a morbidly obese senior citizen. Hmmmm....

My mother is 70, and she's just too stuborn to die. She's been MO for the vast majority of her adult life. And when she wasn't MO she thought she was MO. Two of her Aunts died a few years back and they were both in their 80's, and both MO.

I think you see a lot of MO elders. Does "Plump little old ladies" ring any bells? I see lots of them, but then, I expect to see lots of them. That is my model for old ladies.

Granny, the dear sweet owner of Tweety and Sylverster, is no skinny-minny...

Of course, I don't see lots of super obese or super super obese elders.... (Those two classes being the ones that follow MO)

Hamu, you make a very good point. I rarely see any seniors over size 1x. or Over 200 pounds. Usually they are in a wheelchair or on oxegon. I am glad that I have taken on my weight at 35. I wish I had been in my 20's but, my weight really didn't spiral out of control until 30. Even if I was a senior who was MO. The thought of my quality of life sounded dismal.

I have to think it is not how long I will live but what my life will be like that matters. I come from a extremly unhealthy family history with heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes which causes a whole host of other nasty things. I think by losing the weight hopefully I will be able to sneak past the diabetes. That is my goal.

j.s.

banded 4/8/05

Very interesting question. I had a nurse practioner tell me a few years ago that from reading my medical history she thought I was 65 instead of 26, my age at the time. Being a nurse and knowing full well what my obesity was doing to me, but continuing to sit on my big fat butt and say whoa is me, I just resigned myself to the fact that I would die younger with a ton of health problems. Now I don't think that is true. I feel like I have been given a new lease on life in so many ways.

but they are usally in wheelchairs and/or walkers as their knees have given out.

My mother was athletic and svelt her whole life but since she has blood pressure issues she has had 7 strokes.

I did not want to end up like that!! My BP was starting to climb and my knees are sore all the time...

I am really glad I made the decision to get this lap band and finally my BP is reading normal again.. YEAH!

There are quite a few fat old ladies but almost no fat old men. Obese men don't usually make old bones unfortunately for them.

Great question.

I too, do not know if the band will lengthen my life, but I can sure tell you that it has ALREADY and GREATLY improved my present life.

I also feel as though I may have dodged a few things, diabetes for one.

This is definately something to ponder. When I told my husband I wanted to get banded, I thought he would have a fit. His comment about it hit me square in the head. He said, I think it's a great idea, because it would break my heart to see you in a wheel chair in a few years.

I'm only 48. A few years? Yes, my blood pressure is going up FAST, my knees hurt, my back hurts, my hips ache, but a wheelchair? I knew he was right.

I saw on CNN this morning that several studies are now showing that cancer is directly linked to obesity. Wow. Who the hell wants that? Diabetes runs in my family, but only those who are obese have it. The others who watch their weight are fine. DUH!!!! In answer to your question.... Heck yeah obesity will cause you to shorten your life. And what life you do have will be a miserable quality. Now I can't get the surgery fast enough. I'm fightiing an appeal with my insurance at the moment. which makes NO sense. Surely the insurance companies must know that obestiy will cost them untold millions in unnecessary medical bills for associated ills. What is their problem? This has the potential to save them mega millions in claims and mega millions of lives and they still give everyone grief. I have a word for this, but I'm to much of a lady to use it!!