I finally have my preop appointment with the surgeon scheduled for July 16. I am really excited. I have read how losing weight effects diabetes, high blood pressure, and many other things (I have them all), but I also have asthma. I have not seen anyone write about that.

Has anyone experienced improvement in their asthma after banding?

Deb:confused:

Hi,

I do not have asthma but I decided to do a little search for you. I think this might give you some info. Good luck! SpringerLink - Journal Article

I dont know, being obese doesnt help asthma, and you reduce the load and work of moving your body about, plus if you exercise you'll get fitter. That will improve things somewhat.

But my son is severely asthmatic, and I know that if you're asthmatic, you're asthmatic. It is not going to go away. Its not really to do with your weight at all.

Actually, the heavier I got, the worse my asthma got. I've only lost 20 pounds so far, and my asthma has improved. I don't get wheezy nearly as easy now, nor winded. Yes, it does improve for some people. That's why it's a comorbidity.

Take a 20 pound weight and stick it on your chest/stomach. See how hard it is to breathe. Take that weight off and you will feel the difference. I was told before I got this done, my asthma should improve.

Thanks. I have seen several things on the internet saying it probably will help. I was unaware of that, but one more great reason to go for it!!!

My asthma has improved greatly. Before being banded and losing some weight, I was using my inhaler 4-5 times per week. Now, I may use it twice a month.

If excess weight caused your asthma, losing will cure it. More likely your symptoms will improve because you will be more fit, but it won't "cure" it. ALL our medical issues aren't caused by being fat, so getting thinner won't fix them, but anything that obesity causes or makes worse will improve with weight loss.

For example, I have a bone spur on my left heel. Losing weight may make the surgery I'll probably need easier (too hard to drag this fat carcass around on crutches for 2-6 weeks!) and losing weight MAY make things hurt less, but it won't make my bone spur go away.

I have bone spurs in both heels. My doctor said the bone spurs are not the problem, but a symptom of the problem. The problem is the ligament in the bottom of your foot that loses stretch over time. (Look up plantar fasciitis). It pulls away from the bone and the bone lays down new bone tissue (the bone spur) to try and protect it. I got custom orthotics from a podiatrist and all my pain went away. I did not have the bone spurs removed. I would look further before I had surgery on bone spurs.

My asthma started after I gained a lot of weight. I am not expecting to be "cured" but using less meds would be wonderful and breathing easier would be fabulous!

Deb

Thanks Deb...I wish mine were caused by plantar fasciitis but it isn't. In fact that's what I thought I had (husband has it) I'm unique, in a bad way! LOL In fact...having to wear the closed heel shoes they required for nursing school is what probably caused my condition to become so darned bad. I've been told to go barefooted as much as possible (so NOT plantar! LOL) which I do...and did. I worked in a casual office for years and usually wore my birkenstock clogs or sandals so I never had any trouble at all.

So thanks for your tips; mine really is a bone spur (saw it on the x-ray) and it is aggravating my achilles tendon and my plantar fascia both. I probably will need it removed at some point but for now, as long as I don't bounce on it or wear shoes with heels (all the new balance and custom shoes I got are gone!) I'm good.

Restless, I had a similar thing with heel spurs on the backs of my heels (they're more common underneath) - I had them both removed when I was 18. Tight achilles were part of the problem, but i ahve some sort of congenital defect there and unfortunatly I think my kids have it too as they are developing some bad food problems and heel pain - DH also had surgery for compartment syndrome in his anterior lower legs, a highly unusual problem in a non athlete, so I guess they could be lucky enough to inherit that too.

the surgery fixed mine, however it wasnt till I was in my mid 30's I started having heel pain again - I thought it was another spur, but it wasnt, they never got to the bottom of what it was but in the end it was an acupuncturist who cleared it up and the way the pain gradually moved from the outer hollow at the back of my heel to the medial border of my foot makes me suspect it was plantar fasciitis.

However, I never ever ever wear closed shoes if I can help it! I can wear sneakers fine and boots, but any sort of court shoe, dress shoe, ugh, I loathe them and I dont wear them - my shoes are always sling backs or mules. My heels have been sensitive and just dont feel good with pressure on them ever since the surgery more than 20 years ago - and now I also have a compulsive habit of collecting funky birkenstocks, lol.

As to the asthma, I agree, if it came on with increasing weight it will probably go away. But if you are born asthmatic like my son, losing weight can help you manage it but it wont cure it. Plenty of normal weight otherwise healthy people have life threatening asthma.

Same as how weight loss wont fix high blood pressure or cholesterol if they're not caused by weight gain. Some people just have a body chemistry that makes the susceptible to these conditions and they need medication to cure it. DH has lost 70lb and is no longer overweight but he's still on blood pressure medication - his blood pressure did not change at all with weight loss.

Jachut...I hear you! I don't really WANT surgery and don't mind not "having" to wear closed-heel shoes. I have more birkenstocks than a person should have. I remember the last time we went to Disney World and I outran/outwalked/outlasted everyone with me in my Birkenstocks and they in their fancy sneakers. :blushing: I really would make a great heathen. LOL

I truly thought I had plantar fasciitis but that will teach me to self diagnose. I read books, I read online, I read journals (researching for my husband) and couldn't figure out why the things that helped him didn't help me. I too thought heel spurs was just another way of saying plantar fasciitis (easier to spell) but it isn't always. Often, but not always.

My dad too had heel spurs and none of the plantar stuff (rolling foot on a can, sleeping in a splint etc) ever helped him either. I guess being heathens runs in families! :confused:

Sounds painful. If you lose a lot of weight and feel like getting more active, you will probably want to have it taken care of. I can see why you would not want to be on crutches. I could never lug my weight on crutches - I have enough trouble just on normal stairs LOL.

Deb

Sounds painful. If you lose a lot of weight and feel like getting more active, you will probably want to have it taken care of. I can see why you would not want to be on crutches. I could never lug my weight on crutches - I have enough trouble just on normal stairs LOL.

Deb

Exactly! LOL And you're right; it isn't hurting right now (cortisone shot=miracle drug) partly because I'm not wearing any shoes. Ah, the wild life. But I will need to be able to bounce and jump and so on, so that's another good reason to lose weight!

I finally have my preop appointment with the surgeon scheduled for July 16. I am really excited. I have read how losing weight effects diabetes, high blood pressure, and many other things (I have them all), but I also have asthma. I have not seen anyone write about that.

Has anyone experienced improvement in their asthma after banding?

Deb:confused:

*

HI!!!

I havent got the lapband (yet..July 8th!!!)

However... I used to be 190 and got down to 133 on my own. When I was heavier I would Wheeze all the time! I was very active, but could never run as far b/c of the asthma...my inhaler was ALWAYS on me!

However, after losing weight, my asthma improved drastically!! :thumbup:

I was taken off my singulair and only kept on the inhaler (for as needed purposes). So then I only every really used it at the gym sometimes..

As I regained the weight, the asthma once again worsened..but its not AS bad. If you are a smoker, that plays a major role as well.

So, weight loss in general should help the asthma! (As least thats what I ahve experienced as well as my PCP, allergist and cardiologist tell me..)

The Lapband will hopefully get you there!

Good Luck!! :bored:

Agnes