No things are not happening.Stupid Dr....my family Dr found to much wrong with me...thyroid,blood presure,high cholesterol,high trycliserites(sp),asthma,sleep apnea....all of which they say would be cured if I lost weight.But they won't do the surgery until I'm all better.It's stupid ,I think.I did lose the few lbs I had gained but he won't release me to have the surgery.And now all those tests are to old and would have to be redone.I can't afford another round of tests.Still paying on the last ones.Ended up owing over 5,000 for tests.And now it's a new year so I'd have to pay the 1,500 deductible again.I'll just stay fat and ugly til I die I guess.I don't understand weight watchers or I'd do that. I just can't figure it out,i guess I'm stupid.
I feel ok,just this weight is hard on me.
Thanks for asking! Bet you're sorry you did now! LOL!
You amaze me,your problems are so much worse than mine and I'm the one complaining! Someone should slap me over the fat head! LOL!
And how are things going for you? I know you're getting chemo,hope it's not to rough on you.

You do have a multitude of medical problems, but most of them (and possibly even the asthma) would be corrected by weight loss. It really sucks that you had all those tests and then your doctor wouldn't clear you for surgery. You would definitely be at increased risk for problems with anesthesia and post-operative complications are also increased, and maybe that's why he/she wouldn't clear you. But I would venture to bet that many people undergoing weight loss surgery have many of the same problems you have, and do fine with the surgery. Sorry to hear of your frustration.

Here's what I would do - change doctors! People get second opinions all the time, for everything - why not this issue? Maybe you can get references from others in your area who have had the surgery, and check out their doctors.

Kayjones...that was my thought exactly! See a doctor different from your family doctor, that may be all it takes to get things going for you. Sorry to see everything came to a stand-still.
Hugs,
Tammy

My 26 year old niece had lap band surgery last year. She had the medical problems you described plus severe back pain. Her doctor said he would operate and her insurance would cover it but she had to lose 50 pounds first and get her test scores down to a safe level. She lost the weight in 6 months by following his strict but healthy diet and trying moderate exercise. She went in for clearance but she still needed to get her blood pressure down. She stayed on the diet another 3 months and finally was able to get the surgery. In all she lost 75 pounds on her own. Now with the lapband she's down over 125.

Obviously it's extremely difficult to lose that much weight. I wish you luck.

>> Hmmm, if she was able to lose 75 pounds through diet and exercise, why did she elect to have surgery instead of continuing the diet and exercise until she was at a normal weight?

The lap band and bypass procedures are not all they're made up to be. A friend had to lose xx pounds before they'd do the bypass. So, she dieted and lost the weight. She had the bypass a couple years ago and still snacks all day long on junk. She's just as heavy as ever and is not a happy person. Insurance will not pay for the reversal. She just had a knee replacement, too.
Do your damnedest to lose weight by eating less and exercising. Your other health issues will benefit.
There just is no "easy" fix for a weight problem.

I'm sorry for your disappointment CR.

But I have always felt like Petra and Lindakathy.

I have friends who have had the surgery and the diet is so restrictive I don't understand why one would want to go that route.

All the surgery does is make you feel ill when you eat even a little bit too much. You have to be on a lifelong diet that is far more restrictive than any other well-balanced weight loss diet.

There are some success stories but they don't talk about the one's who manged to stretch their stomachs and go back to over-eating or end up eating a lot of high calories low volume foods and stop losing after the initial weight loss during the first few months.

If you concentrated on getting your thyroid under control you would be able to lose weight with a good plan like weight watchers. It works. I was diagnosed with hypothyroid and after about a year of adjusting my meds I am finally ready to go back to WW.

why dont some of the KTer's get hold of Dr.Oz and see what he might do

My niece had lap band surgery about 8 months ago....lost the weight thru diet before hand, had the surgery and hasn't lost much at all.
She hasn't changed her eating habits at all and refuses to exercise.
I think she felt she could have the surgery and lose weight no matter what she did.
I bet when I talk to her next week she will blame everyone but herself.

I know a person like that too Carol. She weighs as much now as she did before surgery because she didn't want to change her lifestyle of eating. She did lose some weight and vomited alot after the stomach staple. Only for a year though. I feel bad for her but it wasn't hard to believe either. Eatting to many calories is my problem too.

WW's is such an easy program to follow Have you been to a meeting. The instructors usually will go above and beyond to help you understand the program. It's a simple plan but it works ...

Good friend had the GB surgery and her diet is very restrictive. I think you would get the same results taking alli...she eats one bite beyond what she should and she has cramping and diarrhea...it/s a bad situation. She told me that it would have been better and easier to just continue the diet and lose her weight that way but she thought the surgery was a quick fix and it certainly wasn't. She does look great though but she of course has lots of skin that has to be dealt with at some point.

CR-it does sound ridiculous doesn't it! I know it is so hard to lose that weight.I hope it all works out for you.You can come up here and help me chase these twins.I gurantee you will lose some weight! LOL I have lost 50 pounds and haven't really been trying.Just hope I can keep it off.

Just sending hugs to you. Having friends and relatives that are overweight this is NOT easy. I am emailing you some information about a Dr. in Bismarck ND that specializes in weight loss. I do not know about him, but he is associated with a good medical center.
Marie

I know a guy who had lapband surgery last fall, and he hasn't lost any weight because he doesn't want to modify his eating patterns. Apparently, it's not a cure-all.

I know how hard it is to lose weight, so I'm sending special thoughts and prayers your way.

As others have said, I've heard that your diet is so restrictive after the surgery you might as well keep trying to diet. Apparently people can't eat very much at once, but get around it by snacking all day and put on weight after the first year or so.
That's lousy considering all you have to go through just to get the surgery, I thought once it was done your desire to eat would lessen because your stomach is smaller.

Go to WW meetings and the facilitator will make sure you understand the program. The main thing I learned at WW is that a portion of something is the size of your fist. You don't have to go hungry with the WW plan.

I have a article about a Doctor in Bismarck ND that specializes in this. Do you want me to mail it to you? Or do you want the web site?
Marie
He is at Med Center One in Bismarck

Petra - I thought the same thing. If she had the will power to diet that long and lose so much why not just continue. But my niece said that the diet is so severe that no one could stay on it for the length of time needed to lose 150 or more pounds. It's just a step to make the surgery less risky. Her surgeon sent her for counseling first to see if she was a good candidate mentally as well as physically.

ok now Im getting lapband surgery next month,a friend of mine had it, lost 130 lbs in one year.I saw it first hand.
I went to a support group just to see and learn all I could before I decided.all said they would do it again in a heart beat.
The dr said you have to have other health problems before the surgery is done,You go for 6 classes to learn all you need to know ,so you have to decide how much you will follow rules etc.

One of my friends had the lap band surgery last year. I went with her to a lap band seminar as an extra set of ears. From what I learned, without having some of the things you spoke about, (sleep apnea, high blood pressure) etc, you can't have the surgery. In other words, you have to have some form of weight related illness to qualify for the surgery. I agree with the other posters who said to get another doctor!

For the posters above who said they knew people that didnt lose or were still gaining... the doctor that gave this seminar said he has given people the lapband surgery who had done the bypass in the past. He said eventually you can stretch out your "new stomach" with bypass and he was getting away from doing bypass and only doing the lapband.

As for the lap band, it isnt a miracle, there is maintenance to this. It isnt just surgery and you're done. It takes months of going in for them to fill (or tighten) the band until it gets to the point that you are eating less but getting enough nutrition. She had it done, has lost something like 60 lbs. It worked for her because she eats smaller portions than before, but as with anyone, if you fill up on sweets, ice cream and cake, you are still going to take in more calories than your body can get rid of. As she says, it still takes willpower to stay away from the junk with the band, but she can't overeat because her band won't allow her to.