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Someone in my family is planning to do a Lap-Band surgery and I am very nervous about it.I would like to hear if anyone has experience (negative or positive) about it.
As with all operations there are risks involved. I have seen people do this operation and lose weight drastically. I know 3 people who had severe complications.
Lap band is exactly what the name is, a bandaid. Yes you’ll lose weight but you must completely change your eating habits for the lapband to work without complications. You can’t go on eating the way you ate to get you fat in the first place. If you start eating normally then you almost certainly won’t have complications. Hatzlacho.
NOTHING BUT NEGATIVE to say on this procedure. I have 5 people in my friends / family circle and each of them knocked off 100+ lbs but suffer horribly as a result of the band.
1 – since the diet habits rarely change, the person still tries to eat like the used to, but since the stomach has a reduced capacity, they throw up shortly after eating.
2 – not sure why, but the sudden weight loss (and I mean sudden, as in a 2 months) throws a person’s whole physical system out of whack and they look pale / yellow / gaunt / glassy eyed. Can’t really nail it down, but they just don’t look healthy and robust.
Still, if a person is 150-200 overweight, I’m not sure what other options there are. But l’man Hashem, PLEASE have them try a diet / excersice routine first. If they’ve tried before, have them try again. While anonimity is the hallmark of the CR room, if the person you are talking about is male and in the metro area, (or can work thru a male parent / spouse) I would be glad to meet with them and set them on a sustainable plan that can help them lose weight and feel good about themselves.
If its nogea, have them contact me thru the Moderators.
But either way, really think hard before going thru the band.
Still, if a person is 150-200 overweight, I’m not sure what other options there are. But l’man Hashem, PLEASE have them try a diet / excersice routine first. If they’ve tried before, have them try again
no doctor will operate you before trying at least 1 year diet and excercise.
I did the gastric by-pass, and b”h never threw up, it’s a bigger operation but the dr’s say it’s much better than a lap-band
Good Morning:
Please do not let ANYONE talk you out of surgery. I was 150 lbs overweigh & was operated on 12 years ago. THIS WAS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!! It does take time to adjust to new eating patterns however the rewards are GREAT. I have a new life. I got a fantastic Job noone wanted to hire me @ my obnoxious weight. I also find EVERYONE has changed the way they speak to me & all in all life is Bli ayin hora Fantastic. There are no words to thank Hashem for guiding me to do the surgery. It has given me back my life. Go ahead just make sure you have a very very good doctor & a good hospital. Yes things can go wrong but just daven & i am sure it will be fine. If you need to speak with someone you can ask the mods to get in touch with me.
Hatzlocha
I’ve spoken to Rabbonim who’ve clearly said surgery should be avoided unless absolutely a medical requirement.
And I fully agree with them.
i know someone that lost over 100lbs and has kept it off. they say it changed their life and attitude and highly recomend it.
to each their own!
Is it worth risking permanent long-term major health problems for this?
Just because a girl is a size 6 or 8, it doesn’t mean they need bariatric surgery.
I know three people who have done the surgery. One kept the weight off, lost about 150 lbs. and is still slim after several years. He had to have severla follow-up surgeries which were basically plastic surgery to remove A LOT of excess flab, which was the result of the suidden drastic weight loss, that the body has no chance to adjust to gradually as with a normal diet for weight loss.
The other two gained back most of their lost weight, and one ended up in emergency surgery because he continued to eat as he did before, and somthing ruptured. Prior to that, he threw up after every meal.
The lap-band can be lifesaving for certain types of people, but make no mistake, this is MAJOR surgery, attendant with all the risks that come with major surgery, i.e. anesthesia reaction, blood clots, emboli,aspiration, heart attack and stroke. Because some of these risks are present in the morbidly obese, the risks may be outweighed by the benefits. I had abdominal surgery last year to remove a giant polyp in my stomach, and that recuperation was not a walk in the park. I cannot imagine anyone going into bariatric surgery lightly. It takes great motivation, and the dertermination to follow doctor’s order IMPLICITLY.
And no reputable doc would ever do such a surgery on someone who was only a size 6 or 8 (when did that become pejorative?). Come on!
no doctor or insurance will do the surgery for someone who is a size 6 or 8.
i had it done almost 4 years ago it was the best thing i ever did
dont talk anyone out of it i am sure they did research to make sure that thisis the proper thing for them to do
BP Totty,
What are your qualifications to help in such a matter?
This is not the place to come to for advice on such an issue. If you are considering such a procedure I am sure there is a good reason for it and that you have researched a reliable and ethical physician. If your doctor is recommending this procedure for you then he must have told you the pros and cons and the commitment you must make in order for this to work for you. It is no walk in the park. The object of the procedure is to make your stomach smaller so that it will fill up quickly and you will eat less. I am sure that he will put you in touch with a nutritionist if he hasn’t done so already to discuss with you what foods you should be eating and what foods to cut out. He will probably tell you to eat 6 small meals a day rather than 3 big ones in order to allow your stomach to digest the recommended foods and the calorie intake he recommends. He will also recommend an exercise program. If your goal is to lose weight and get healthy then you will seriously follow his advise for a long term change in your way of life. IF you are looking for a quick fix to look good for a simcha or because you are just fed up with yourself then don’t bother. If you don’t change your way of life putting yourself through the surgery will only be a temporary fix until you go back to your old ways.
Most certainly it was very astute of Popa Bar Abba to reckon that with the widespread Shidduch-obesity problem that it is undeniable what the OP was referring to. However I must fundamentally disagree with him. With the tzaros going on in klal yisrael this is no time to be playing games with our futures. If a girl b’derech hateva wants to get married she must be a size 2 or smaller. To ignore this fact is a chisaron in hishtadlus and could be the aveira itself which will lead to her becoming an aguna. Thare is, however, a point which is vital to this discussion and shouldn’t be taken lightly. A girl must not under any circumstances “do experiments” with her dates. By that I mean do not go out with guys thinking “maybe they like fat girls” or maybe they will “see past that”. If a girl of this nature is not engaged by her 20th birthday it is only prudent that she go through with this procedure for in today’s day and age if she is not married by 21 I’d venture to say she is nigh unto doomed.
Hatzlocho. Don’t let anyone talk you out of your avodas Hashem.
Mod’s Note: The above poster has been drinking heavily this evening. Thankfully he is on the CR rather than driving.
what should a smoking girl with no arms do?
I think torahls1 had the perfect response.
If the person has terrible eating habits, this isn’t going to help her because she will be sick after the surgery. She will continue to eat poorly and throw up after eating. She needs to work with a nutritionist and a therapist to understand why she is sabotaging herself. She would probably be better off paying for a personal trainer to work one on one with her to make sure she gets into an exercise routine she enjoys and can stick with and an eating plan she can enjoy and stick with. Once she loses some weight with the one on one attention she might be more comfortable joining a gym or finding a friend she can work out with.
Torahls1 duly notes and appreciates arc’s intellectual honesty.
It would seem that the response of Popa bar abba was an emotional ploy to get the reader to think that since I cannot answer all problems therefore my given comment was false. Although the reader is certainly aware of his attempts and therefore intellectually unswayed, emotionally my comment would be more readily accepted if I could respond.
Now the no-armed smoker R”L obviously has two different setbacks which must be separated for the purposes of this discussion. My comment was designed to be misorayr those who are chayiv in marriage to do their hishtadlus and therefore if the problem has no solution it would fall under the category of “Unus Rachamana patrei” and therefore was not meant to be addressed to begin. That this girl may smoke- although she can do something about it- is an indication that she is not interested in doing whats right regardless so for what purpose to waste our collective breath.
This is not a joking matter and to fool a guy with a surgery to become a size 2 and then turn into a size “2X” after the wedding is only asking for sholom bayis issues.
My cousin brother had Lap-Band surgery in 2009 and I am very happy about it. As sharing few advantages beneath.
Lap Band patients have shorter operative time
Lap Band is less invasive with less operative risk to the patient
Lap Band patients have decreased complication rates
For more information please do browse http://www.FreeLapBandSurgery.com
Aries -“If the person has terrible eating habits, this isn’t going to help her because she will be sick after the surgery. She will continue to eat poorly and throw up after eating. She needs to work with a nutritionist and a therapist to understand why she is sabotaging herself. She would probably be better off paying for a personal trainer to work one on one with her to make sure she gets into an exercise routine she enjoys and can stick with and an eating plan she can enjoy and stick with.”
While you’re correct with all these things, usually the patients have tried all of this and now they are out of options. You must continue to do all these things after the surgery. The surgery is in addition to all these things. What happens is the patient wants to blame the doctor when things go wrong. The doctor did tell the patient all these things, but the patient got lazy and stopped all what he/she was supposed to do. It’s like a smoker who gets medication for his habit. If you don’t get rid of the cigarettes, nothing will ever work. The MD/PA/NP isn’t your policeman. Also, the lap band is safer than gastric bypass surgery.
Health, then what’s the point of paying for the surgery and going through with it if she will be right back where she started from in addition to the agony of being sick and throwing up because she can’t commit to a healthy routine.
It is better to spend the money on the one on one trainer, therapist and nutritionist and maybe once she has a program started in order to see faster results if EVERYONE agrees and is on the same page, go through the surgery. THAT would be great because then she would have a real support system, a team of health professionals who have gotten her on the right track and will be there for her to help her continue on the right right track to realize her goal.
If she would consider such a plan, then she can realize a long term success because she would be able to achieve a change in behavior and a new way of living her life not just a quick fix.
Aries -You missed the point – No reputable surgeon will do either procedure, if the patient hasn’t already tried all the things you mentioned. Patients who get surgical clearance are at the end of their rope. What sometimes happens is -the surgeon asks about these things and the patient says “Of course I have.”, but the patient really hasn’t or hasn’t tried hard enough. Like I said before, the doctor isn’t a policeman; if you lie, you are only hurting/fooling yourself!
Not true. A patient has to lose the weight the doctor tells them they must lose in order to do the surgery. They don’t have to go the extra step to hire a one on one trainer and truly make the commitment, that is a choice only they can choose for themselves. Many patients make the half hearted attempt because their family is pushing them or their friends are pushing them or they have an unrealistic goal because of a competition or they want to get married but not because they really want to change their life and be healthy. It is all a game to get the doctor to do the surgery so they can make their life easier not better.
If they want to make their life better they have to make a long term commitment. They have to choose to do the surgery in order to have a long and healthy life and not just to look better. It is a life altering decision but it will only be so if the patient chooses to make it so. If the bad habits are more important and comforting to the patient than the concept of a healthy lifestyle and a healthy life itself then the surgery will have no benefit whatsoever and it is a waste of effort, money and time.
The doctor does not set a patient up with a trainer. They will however have a therapist and a nutritionist on their team to “clear” the patient for surgery. That does not mean that the therapist nor the nutritionist is “working” with the patient. They are just evaluating the patient and advising them. More than that, the patient has to take matters into their own hands. If they are truly serious about getting healthy they have the options to seek out a real support system and make serious changes in their life. If their goal is to lose weight in order to have the surgery they will do so and then hope the surgery will do the rest. In which case they have a 50/50 chance of success. If their goal is to get healthy and therefore they will do whatever the doctor tells them to reach that goal, they will most likely have a greater chance to reach their goal.
health: Also, the lap band is safer than gastric bypass surgery.
Maybe in the begining, but gastric by-pass is much more effectiv!
2 – not sure why, but the sudden weight loss (and I mean sudden, as in a 2 months) throws a person’s whole physical system out of whack and they look pale / yellow / gaunt / glassy eyed. Can’t really nail it down, but they just don’t look healthy and robust.
Interesting you say that, I just heard today that people who have the surgery often cant get the amount of nutrients they need (from supplements) and it often leads to them looking pale etc.
Aries – I don’t know what you’re talking about -lose weight first? They come for the surgery because they can’t. I never said they need a one -on -one trainer -you said that. Here are some requirements from a lap band web site: “Your serious weight loss attempts have had only short-term success.
You are not currently suffering from any other disease that may have caused your excess weight.
You are prepared to make major changes in your eating habits and lifestyle. You do admit “they have a therapist and a nutritionist on their team “, but the patient doesn’t take advantage of them. Like I said the doctor isn’t a policeman. The doc makes sure all this is in place, but he isn’t going to force you to do the right thing -this is up to you. As far as exercise is concerned, you don’t have to prove this as far as the doctor is concerned, but if you want insurance to pay for it… Insurance requires you to prove you have been seriously trying to lose weight -i.e. exercise, diet pills, diet books, weight loss programs, food plans. If you can’t prove that you have been seriously trying to lose weight, good luck on getting them to pay for it.
Rescue and kitty –
I have no degree nor a certificate. But I do have results. I’m in my 40s and can keep up with folks 20 years younger than me. My weight / BMI is in check and I knocked my cholesterol numbers down to the optimal category, same for my blood pressure. (same goes for the rest of the BP household)
In short, I don’t just talk a good game, I walk the walk too. Besides, what’s to lose? A few months? The surgery option will still be there if I can’t accomplish what I say I can.
What I’m prepared to offer is a sustainable way of living. Not starvation, not living on energy bars, not exercising to the point of collapse. Sure, it takes commtiment and disipline, something bnei (and bnos) yisroel know a thing or two about.
p.s. like all the volenteer work I do, its for free and I put my heart and soul into it, so it produces results. All I need is the commitment from the other person.
Health, doctors don’t do surgery on just anyone. Get your facts straight. They will not do surgery on obese people who refuse to or will not follow a regimen they give them to lose some weight on their own. There is a lot of risks involved with surgery and no doctor is willing to take the risk of someone’s heart stopping or someone’s blood pressure rising or throwing clots because of their weight and complications.
This is not an elective surgery nor is it an ear piercing simplistic procedure. A patient is put under anesthesia and that in itself is risky. A patient does not meet with a bariatric specialist on Monday and have the procedure on Wednesday. That is not how it works. If a woman is 200 pounds, the doctor will most likely not do the procedure. If a woman is 400 pounds she is more of a candidate. However, the doctor will probably require her to do some exercise and follow a diet plan to see how committed she is to the program before doing the procedure. Depending on her health, height and other variables, the doctor will decide what weight will be the ideal to do the procedure whether it is lap band or gastric bypass. Each decision is based on what complications might arise and what outcome they are hoping to achieve. We are talking about truly reputable doctors. If a doctor feels that a patient will not be able to handle the changes after the surgery they will be very reluctant to do it because of the complications both physical and emotional that will occur.
Surgery is not a magical cure. It is not easy to reverse years and years of bad habits. After surgery you have a very small pocket of a stomach. You physically can’t eat much but that doesn’t mean that emotionally you won’t try. Your brain will tell you that you are full but if your emotions block your brain signals and you keep stuffing yourself you will throw up and the fact that you are heaving can cause physical complications to your surgical site, not to mention your esophagus. And then what happens to an emotional eater after they throw up? They will sit down and eat again, throw up again, eat again etc.
So reputable doctors are very careful to choose appropriate candidates for surgery.
Don’t be proud of me… be proud of the family member of yours that is willing to do something about their health (Ok, I’m not so comfortable with the surgery route, but that my opinion)
You have a good idea, though. A thread about weight / health managment would do the oilam some good.. if nothing else, just to compare notes with the others. I’ll work on it over the weekend.
BTW, throwing up repeatedly (whether due to bulimia or lap-band surgery wherein the patient continues to stuff him/herself as before, is extremely dangerous. When one throws up, one does not absorb nutrients from the food (s)he ate, and also repeatedly brings gastric juices/stomach acids up the esophagus and throat, which can cause severe damage over time.
Aries -” They will not do surgery on obese people who refuse to or will not follow a regimen they give them to lose some weight on their own.” Nor should they, but what they are looking at is the commitment more than the weight loss. But, there are a few people who say they will do all the things they are supposed to do after surgery, but don’t. The doc isn’t a policeman.
“Your brain will tell you that you are full but if your emotions block your brain signals and you keep stuffing yourself you will throw up and the fact that you are heaving can cause physical complications to your surgical site, not to mention your esophagus. And then what happens to an emotional eater after they throw up? They will sit down and eat again, throw up again, eat again etc.”
Again, and this is why you need a multi-pronged approach. If they don’t go for therapy and to a dietician, these problems can occur. But these reasons aren’t enough to tell people don’t have the surgery, because most people are at the end of their rope. Sure you’ll find people who get around the system, but that’s not enough to say -No one should go for this surgery!
I never said no one should go for this surgery, not at all. I said that people should not take surgery lightly. And they should make decisions about surgery with the appropriate intentions and not with the idea of a quick fix. Every surgery comes with its own set of risks and therefore only a qualified physician can help a person make such a decision. It is not up to me or you or a person’s friends to help them make that decision. And if they get around the system they are only fooling themselves because it won’t help them in the long run.
Aries -It’s not up to me now, but it will be soon and I’m not becoming a doc. But, I doubt I’ll go into surgery, probably some sort of primary care, eg. Internal med, ER or maybe allergy.
Health, well good luck to you whatever you choose. Hashem should bless you with mazal and bracha and you should be matzliah with what ever you do.
Aries -Thank you -I know I need it.
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