Well, I have friends who have had this. Some have done well. Others... well, they do not stay strict to the diet they are supposed to be on after the surgery. If you are able to restrict yourself, and your quality of life is very poor right now, you might want to consider it.
Thank you, Steve; I'm still debating on the restricting part. The quality of life part--it's gotten bad enough that I would consider this, which I had previously crossed off the list.
my ex-boss got the lap band, and it did not work for her in the least. plus, she had to take a 2nd mortgage on her house for it. so I wouldn't go with the lap band.
I personally don't like the option of the lap band either; I worry about complications from having something like that inside as opposed to just altering the internals. The financial impact is something I'm very concerned about also; figuring out how to finance it is a big issue. We're trying to see what insurance will and won't cover.
My diabetic doctor has actually suggested it twice as something to seriously consider given the sheer quantity of insulin and resistance. She has no incentive to suggest it, and she has steered me well so far, so her opinion carries a fair amount of weight.
Echoing the above posters, plus, there are unpublished side effects. An Ex's mom got the surgery a while back, and while she did lose weight and get her diabetes back under control (mostly), there were some pretty harsh consequences for that.
I think you have to divide the question of whether or not to do this into two questions. One, are you, right now, capable of healing up well enough to undergo surgery? About 20% of patients whose diabetes/weight/preexisting conditions cause complications will have to have repeat surgery, compared to about 10% of overall bariatric patients, so are you able to heal up before infection sets in or might you require a second surgery? Will your surgeries be covered under your insurance? Will there be adequate aftercare? And so on. Basically, does your doctor think you are sound enough to undergo this?
Two, and this is one only you can answer, can you buckle down to the absolutely iron discipline that's going to be required of you? Will you be able to food-nazi yourself without exception,
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Will your doctor give you the rundown of options as to which kind of procedure you can have? Roux-en-y and Biliopancreatic diversion are the common procedures for people in your position, the former being easier on the person but you may be excluded if you're too big, and the latter having more extreme consequences and more danger but also is the only option for some people due to how their weight is arranged. Lap band and stapling might not be good options for you, as weight loss is slower and less overall. But make sure your surgical team goes over the risks and benefits of each one with you - do not go into this blind, basically
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what does your doctor say?
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My diabetic doctor has actually suggested it twice as something to seriously consider given the sheer quantity of insulin and resistance. She has no incentive to suggest it, and she has steered me well so far, so her opinion carries a fair amount of weight.
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I think you have to divide the question of whether or not to do this into two questions. One, are you, right now, capable of healing up well enough to undergo surgery? About 20% of patients whose diabetes/weight/preexisting conditions cause complications will have to have repeat surgery, compared to about 10% of overall bariatric patients, so are you able to heal up before infection sets in or might you require a second surgery? Will your surgeries be covered under your insurance? Will there be adequate aftercare? And so on. Basically, does your doctor think you are sound enough to undergo this?
Two, and this is one only you can answer, can you buckle down to the absolutely iron discipline that's going to be required of you? Will you be able to food-nazi yourself without exception, ( ... )
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I can say that I haven't had a gallbladder since I was 18, so at least gallstones are off the list...
Thank you; I have to go teach shortly, but I will probably call sometime tomorrow if that's okay. *hugs*
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