How does everyone feel about lap band surgery or any wls for teenagers??

I personally think if the teen is 16 or older and have a therapist and is mature, have been obese all their life, with the support of their parents I don't really see why not. I would of loved to have this done when I was a teen.

to expand on what I already posted..... I think parents should watch a childs eating habits early on. I don't think a parent should put a child on a diet... never say diet to a child.... change their eating habits and everyones in the family. when I was 9 my parents put me on weight watchers and would buy me cute small clothes. I rebelled and just put on more weight. Here they were eating all the stuff I was'nt allowed. It was in the house all the time. I would sneak and eat. But if parents can nip it early on then a teen possably wouldn'tneed the LB

In my opinion, if the child is gaining weight at an early age, i think diets are not the answer .. i do think counseling can help for some because so many teens don't deal with their emotions .. i think, if after counseling that the lap band would be a great thing to have .. especially since soooooo many of us bandsters started gaining weight as teens and really never stopped gaining until we were banded. i would have loved to have had some counseling early on for my eating habits but not sure that would have totally corrected it .. i think it's great for anyone, young or old!

well if my input has anything to with it lol...I'm 18 and was banded 4 days ago. Honeslty, had I been younger, my parents(who are verrrrry supportive right now) would have allowed me to go along with the surgery. However, insurance approval was important to me, say if anything went wrong...

But I'm glad I got the surgery. I'm at a bmi of 43 so, I def. was overweight enough to be dangerous. But even at 18, my joints were hurting, my chest is very large and is causing back pain, I've got high blood pressure and cholesterol. And the main reason : My family History. My mom alone has had : Hodgkin's disease, a heart attack at 40, a heart valve replaced, a defibulator/Pacemaker combo at the age of 46, 6-heart bypasses, among other things. So I did this for health reasons and I think the less damage a teen can do to their body the better, and hopefully by getting healthier younger...it will become a way of life that will lead me to a LONG life.

I have to say it depends on the teenager. If he/she is mature enough to follow the guidlines of being a successful bander. And will make the nessisary changes to their life/diet then I'm all for it. The sooner the better. I just wish my teen daughter was a good candidate for the band. But shes not. She totally refuses to even consider eating better and actually fights us for her carbs. Its sad.

an example, I have almost totally stoped buying white carbs. The only thing that is not whole wheat or complex carbs now in the house is rameen. My y oungest requested to keep it cause he is painfully thin and its a favorite of his. So I consided there and still buy it. She will do things like eat the m eat of her plate when I fix dinner and trash the veggies, then half an hour later shes in the kitchen making rameen.

Shes been known one week I didn't buy the rameen so she had friends sneak her in fast food through her window.

So if your a teen who is mature enough to handle it, and your parents are ok with it and your serious about it good for you!! I hope my daughter don't wait toill 400+ Pounds like I did. 1 year and still trying to get a band =/ but getting closer.

Tonight on oprah focuses on teens that had weight loss surgery and a look inside a 340-pound boy who will have gastric bypass. Also itt features Cassie, a former patient from Mexicos Dr. Ortiz.

I live in Ny so the channel over here wud be (WLNY 10) Tonight at 7pm. Check your listings.

thanks for posting. It's on in an hour and a half here where I am lol...

IMHO, any child under the age of maybe 17 or so should only be allowed to have a band IF their parents are of average weight. If obesity is an epidemic in the household, the child will learn very quickly how to "eat around" the band! It makes no sense to allow a child to be subjected to a serious surgery without the necessary support at home.

The youngest patient my doctor has banded is 16. If you are ready and mature enough you should do it.

lanakila - really good point. I have two parents who are overweight/obese and my mother did have gastric bypass surgery and that influenced me a lot. I def. agree that if a teen is going to do this, they have to know it's going to be for a lifetime. I've had the surgery done, and I've lost 17lbs but already, I'd rather lose that next 100 lbs than go have another pizza, hamburger, whatever...I think the older you are, the more medical implications you face. When you are a teen and obese, you may not realize that it's dangerous to be this overweight. Knowing that, you put more of an effort in to being healthy. My mother has a ton of health problems, and it's really scared me into changing.