Is there a lap band doctor in the house?

DrHekier · October 3, 2005

To reply to the original topic of the thread:

Most doctors in the US will place a Band for BMI >35.

Recently Dr. Paul O'Brien reported results of a trial for Lap Bands for BMI from 30 - 35, and there are now some US Lap Band surgeons who will perform a Band for BMI > 30.

Maybe 'Fee' , who posted that he/she was from Australia could let us know what the criteria are over there.

But I understood the original question to be what about someone at a more or less normal weight now who has weight issues in the past.

Jachut · October 3, 2005

I went to an info session last week run by Prof. Paul O'Brien who I think invented the system.

In Australia there's a move towards approving banding more often for people in what they call the grey area - BMI 30 to 35. That's obese but not severely or morbidly obese. He pointed out that many people just pass through 30 to 35 on their way to much higher BMI's and that certain people had comorbidities of obesity at that level. People of that weight get banded here now, its just not as common as people of higher weights. However we're lucky here not to have a gazillion different private health funds arguing over what is medically necessary, if the surgeon says it is, then it is.

I think that's very sensible, I know for myself I was always going to get to this point and if I dont do something now I will get fatter. I may be "only" a BMI of 35 but its just as serious.

However he did point out that at a level of 26-30 (overweight but not obese) there just arent the health benefits of banding and that at that level, you really can lose 10kg or so and keep it off by following regular diet programs. IF (and that's a big if) you stick to it permanently. And think about it, that's either going to work (in which case you dont need to be banded) or it wont and you'll end up way heavier and qualifying anyway, which is not really encouraging but seriously, you'd have people being banded so they could stay as thin as supermodels.

happypsychrn · October 3, 2005

Hi all, I was working with a bulimic patient who is also an x-ray tech when she told me that when she was in training they were required to undergo tests themselves in order to know what their patients were feeling. Well, they did an upper GI on my bulimic lady and discovered that her stomach was HUGE! Her instructors insisted she see a doc immediately and began to name several disorders that could be wrong with her. Of course they knew nothing of her bulimia.

When I told our psychiatrist about this story, she immediately thought of by-pass surgery for the lady! ( Our doc probably has never heard of lap band. ) I found that idea incredible - could the lap band be used to treat bulimia? What's your opinion doc?

Marimaru · October 3, 2005

Not a doctor here, but I think that the band could not possibly be used to treat bulimia. It could be used to help a person lose weight so that maybe they don't feel like they need to purge, but throwing up often is VERY bad for a banded person, as it's one of the bigger causes of a slipped band. I've heard of people who've been denied by the psych evaluator because of recent bulemia, and they couldn't get banded without seeing a psych for X amount of time.

I'm glad to see the band moving into the 30 - 35 BMI range.. I think it's true for alot of people that they hit that range on the way to a higher BMI.

Regarding the original poster's question, I would think that in your case as you've described the band wouldn't actually help you all that much. If you are eating reasonably heathly, and you know that you have to get more activity to lose those extra pounds, the band isn't going to do much. You'll still have to get in the extra activity, and all the band will do is restrict the amount you can eat at one sitting, you know? I think it could defintely help someone who struggles with going up and down stay in a relatively close range to their goal weight, but those last 15 pounds or so seem to be the hardest for people and even with the band they really have to work for it. Hope this makes sense..

happypsychrn · October 3, 2005

Sarah, I think she was going for: If she has a small pouch she cannot binge, therefore there would be no need to purge.

tztmama · October 4, 2005

I think the band will help people who have difficulty exercising because I know that I have to walk many, many, miles to walk off a huge piece of cake. When less is digested, there is less to work off and therefore we can exercise for our general health, heart, lung capacity, muscle tone, and not in a desperate attempt to work off a day of bad eating or to punish ourselves somehow.