should i getd i get banded?

[Matt]

hey everyone, i've been skimming around the forum for a while and wanted some input on whether you guys think i'm a good candidate for the procedure, if i should get it, and any extra information and opinions by people who have gotten the procedure will help me convince my parents, here's my story:

i'm a 17 year old male, going into my senior year of high school, currently i am 6'1 and top the scales at about 310 (i know ), well that gives me a BMI at about 40 or more, and that is just outrageous for a teen, diets never work because in all honesty i just lack the will power, and i never can seem to be full, and that has caused me to be how i am since a young age, in middle school i was always teased for being the biggest kid and now that i'm in high school i'm not picked on, but you can tell being obese is like having a disease; people will be nice, but they will never fully accept me. don't get me wrong, i have friends, but even with them i feel like me being as big as i am makes them feel weird.

i live in grand rapids, MI and i heard that Blue cross blue shield heath care would cover the cost of the surgery. is that true? i'm a borderline diabetic, my blood pressure ain't to hot, and being as big as i am limits me in my everyday life, and i have back problems, i get winded walking up the stairs in my house .

my dad is a big guy too, but i even out weight him, and my clothes are too big on him, and that makes me feel horrible. i think it would be in my best interest to get this surgery to improve my quality of my life, but i think my parents wouldn't agree and would rather push a diet on me, but i know as soon as the diet get over i'd just balloon back up again.

i've spent my whole life being the fat kid, and i would really like to know what it feels like to be a new man. maybe get a girlfriend for once, play some sports, sit on plastic lawn chairs (which i always break) or sit in regular chairs and restaurant booths without wondering if i'll fit.

i would love to not have to wear 4XL tshirts and 58 waist jeans that cost way to much. i would love to just walk into any clothing store and pick out some clothes at a reasonable price instead of driving out of my way to go to a big and tall store.

i've tried diets, they work for a little while, then i always relapse; eating at a restaurant is always a chore too, if i eat what i want, people think i'm a pig, if i eat healthy people think i'm a weight conscience loser.

in my opinion i'm costing my parents more money being obese ( my clothes, all the food i eat etc) than the surgery would cost. i don't want to grow up being one of those guys on "Big Medicine" who cant walk, or take care of themselves, but i feel thats where my life is going to go if i don't get this. before i thought weight loss surgery was like giving up, but now i see it for what it really is, an aid. and i feel its just what i need, do you think i should go to my doctor and see what he thinks? or do you think he would concur with you guys?

Edit: sorry about the title, didnt notice that till after submission

[samia]

HI Matt,

Well I was banded on July 25.. so I cant really tell you alot about weight loss. I can tell you its such a major MAJOR step. I mean as much as I researched this and as much as I wanted it... its still 10xs more than i expected. THis is a tough one.. I have a son.. and I am trying to imagine him wanting weight loss surgery.at such a young age. I dont wanna seem hypocrytical.. yet at the same time... I would try to convince him to join a sport.. or just cut out the junk food and sodas. Your body is changing alot at this age.

I understand how it feel to be the odd man out.. no matter what a persons age is.. it SUCKS>. big time.

YEs, I think you should try to talk to your family Dr.. get his/her feedback . Maybe as well you can make a log of what you eat daily and show the dr. THat will help them determine alot.MAybe theywill see LAPBAND as your tool for weight loss.

This is not cosmetic. U have to work with it. JEEZ IM LEARNING THAT THE HARD WAY... I mean i am at a stage where I CAN PHYSICALLY EAT .. but cant because there is alot at risk. .. slippage etc.. but im trying my best. Willpower is the one this I CANT AFFORD TO LACK RIGHT NOW

Maybe if you talk to your parents too about this they can give you some feedback.. heck maybe even change the eating lifestyle at home. Or maybe they understand your health issues.. and would call blue cross and find out for you.

Sorry if this doesnt help... Im just thinking out loud with ya. !!! Let me knw.. Im here if you wanna chat anytime:)

[Michael]

Matt,

You have asked some serious questions. I am a high school teacher in California and have been overweight since the age of 7. When I was your age I was wearing clothes larger than my father. I wasn't as big as you, probably weighing 250 lbs. and a 48 suit jacket for my high school graduation. I was obese. I let my life and weight spiral out of control over the next 20 years to over 400 lbs. and being 6'3" with my weight in the middle it was easy to "hide it". I was always Big Mike, teased and not accepted in school. I really do understand what you are going through.

With 20 years of life beyond yours I have suffered that many more years of those looks, laughs, taunts, breaking chairs, not being able do what my friends could do, etc. It is a hard road to run on. Those that say they like themselves big and the biggest liars in the world. No one wants the feelings you have when you are big.

What you have to determine is what you want for your life. That is hard at 17. Let me share my thoughts regarding the lap band.

In 2006 I had toped the scales over 400. I hated my life. Having 2 kids I couldn't play with them. It was hard to get down on the floor. I had looked at gastric bypass but did not like what I saw. In September 2006 I came across lap band. I saw my first doctor within 2 days. 3 days later I found Dr. Ortiz. Witihn a week I had a met Dr. Ortiz and made my appointment for surgery for October 20, 2006. I needed to drop 30 lbs within a month and ended up dropping 35 lbs. I had my surgery on Friday afternoon and was back in the classroom Monday morning. Nobody at the school knew.

Currently I am 305 lbs, and feel great. My goal is 250 lbs by Christmas and 200 lbs by June 2008. It is still a struggle every day. First off, you have to change your diet. You cannot eat the same things. You have to eat less. If the band is tight enough then you will eat less and drop the weight. It is a tool, and if used correctly it will work.

Should you have the surgery. That is your decision. If I was in your place knowing what I know now, not having to live 20 more years with the weight, I would jump as fast as I could to have it done. If insurance will pay, I would move even faster. As long as you are ready to make changes.

Being a parent I would only want the best for my child. If my kids are large at your age, I guarantee you I would have them get the surgery. Remember it is a decision you have to make about your life, and what kind of life you want for yourself. I can't help but feel your parents want the best for you and would support you in this decision.

Do your research. Have your parents do the research. Buy Dr. Ortiz's book, read and have your parents read it. It will explain almost everything. I am willing to talk further to you or your parents if you wish. Just reply and we can go offline and contact each other.

Is it worth it. Absolutely. Matt, I wish the best for you.

Michael

[tombourn]

Matt,

I want to associate myself with Michael's words. Although I didn't become morbidly obese until after the Navy, I have fought my weight since high school as well.

Can't tell you yes or no to the surgery, but I do know that it's different on the otherside of the obesity curve. Right or wrong, people treat and act differently around you depending on your weight. Honestly, I 'm even guilty of it sometimes, especially when I see parents allowing their young children to get heavy.

I guess the best thing I can say without rambling is.. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and excepting a different result. So it can be said for dieting for those of us that have big appetites. As much as we want to eat less, we can never curb the appetite. The BAND helps with that.

Tom

[Matt]

thanks everyone for your input, i finally told my parents that i was concerned about my weight and asked them to look into lap banding. my mom right off the back tried to force a diet (which i knew she would) but my dad agreed with me that i should take a trip to the doctor and have his opinion on the matter.

my dad understands because he's a big guy too and i know he doesn't want me to go through what he did when he was younger.

what my mom doesn't get is the lapband isn't a quick fix to my problem, i'll still have to diet, but i need this to HELP with my large apatite. if i just diet alone i'll be unhappy and feel deprived and as soon as i get to my target weight i'll relapse.

do you think the doctor will agree with me getting banded? even with my high BMI (around 400) and my high risk for diabetes and other problems?

i want to leave all this behind me

[Clynn]

do you think the doctor will agree with me getting banded? even with my high BMI (around 400) and my high risk for diabetes and other problems?

i want to leave all this behind me

These are arguments for getting banded. It's not just that you want to loose 10 pounds and look good, you want to loose lots of pounds and drastically improve your quality of life. That and a willingness to change your habits by working with the band are the main qualifications doctors look at when they decide if banding will be helpful. Be open and honest with a doctor. If at all possible, it should be a doctor you have worked with before and trust. Luckily you have your father on your side, just keep trying to explain your feelings and motivations to your mother and hopefully she will start to listen.

[Michael]

Matt...you will still have to change the way you eat, which is still a diet. As Dr. Ortiz told me, just eat less. The reason the band works is that it will make you eat less. PAIN will occur if you eat too much, which will require you to stop eating. Ask anyone who has eaten too much and all will agree that the pain isn't worth the 'enjoyment' of the food. Even with a light fill you will still eat less.

Are you a candidate? I believe so, and if the doctor disagrees find another until you are satisfied. It will work for you.

Good luck.

Michael

[Matt]

hey everyone, thanks for your replies, i'm going to set myself up with a doctors appointment soon to get his two cents on the subject. i would have made an appointment sooner but my family went on vacation... where you ask? well every big persons nightmare of course... Disney world. sitting in an airplane seat that was made for someone almost half your size is, to say the least, uncomfortable. and being as tall as i am it was murder on my knees, surprisingly i fit in most of the roller coasters and rides which was really worrying me, but one of them i didn't, and it was embarrassing to have to get off and tell my parents..

i understand what everyone is saying about the diet and exercise in conjunction with the lapband and i feel that i would be devoted to the change in lifestyle, and i feel like its my last chance. I cant graduate this year knowing that i may go off to college and balloon even bigger and be ostracized from the opposite sex more than i currently am. I need the change, every day could be an hour or day shaved off my life that i'll never get back.

i'll keep you updated

[Matt]

well, sorry everyone but i still haven't been to the doctor; school started and my life is pretty hectic, which has only increased my attachment to food in stress related times :-(

i did however do some searches on bariatric surgeons who specialize in my area (Grand Rapids, MI) and they sent me some info about them and the procedure. They were having a lap band seminar but unfortunately that was the day i was going to be in florida so i had to miss it. one thing i noticed though was they said they only operate on people 18+. now does that mean i have to wait till I'm 18? or is that just the average age of the person they work on? i guess i could wait till i'm 18, and chances are i'll probably be 18 when i get it (turn 18 in JAN)

if there is any banded teens out there who could give some input on their situations leading up to getting banded (confronting parents, talking to doctors, getting the money, insurance coverage (if applicable) etc) would be greatly appreciated.

i promise guys, i'll see a doctor soon.

[Suzie]

hey everyone, i've been skimming around the forum for a while and wanted some input on whether you guys think i'm a good candidate for the procedure, if i should get it, and any extra information and opinions by people who have gotten the procedure will help me convince my parents, here's my story:

i'm a 17 year old male, going into my senior year of high school, currently i am 6'1 and top the scales at about 310 (i know ), well that gives me a BMI at about 40 or more, and that is just outrageous for a teen, diets never work because in all honesty i just lack the will power, and i never can seem to be full, and that has caused me to be how i am since a young age, in middle school i was always teased for being the biggest kid and now that i'm in high school i'm not picked on, but you can tell being obese is like having a disease; people will be nice, but they will never fully accept me. don't get me wrong, i have friends, but even with them i feel like me being as big as i am makes them feel weird.

i live in grand rapids, MI and i heard that Blue cross blue shield heath care would cover the cost of the surgery. is that true? i'm a borderline diabetic, my blood pressure ain't to hot, and being as big as i am limits me in my everyday life, and i have back problems, i get winded walking up the stairs in my house .

my dad is a big guy too, but i even out weight him, and my clothes are too big on him, and that makes me feel horrible. i think it would be in my best interest to get this surgery to improve my quality of my life, but i think my parents wouldn't agree and would rather push a diet on me, but i know as soon as the diet get over i'd just balloon back up again.

i've spent my whole life being the fat kid, and i would really like to know what it feels like to be a new man. maybe get a girlfriend for once, play some sports, sit on plastic lawn chairs (which i always break) or sit in regular chairs and restaurant booths without wondering if i'll fit.

i would love to not have to wear 4XL tshirts and 58 waist jeans that cost way to much. i would love to just walk into any clothing store and pick out some clothes at a reasonable price instead of driving out of my way to go to a big and tall store.

i've tried diets, they work for a little while, then i always relapse; eating at a restaurant is always a chore too, if i eat what i want, people think i'm a pig, if i eat healthy people think i'm a weight conscience loser.

in my opinion i'm costing my parents more money being obese ( my clothes, all the food i eat etc) than the surgery would cost. i don't want to grow up being one of those guys on "Big Medicine" who cant walk, or take care of themselves, but i feel thats where my life is going to go if i don't get this. before i thought weight loss surgery was like giving up, but now i see it for what it really is, an aid. and i feel its just what i need, do you think i should go to my doctor and see what he thinks? or do you think he would concur with you guys?

Edit: sorry about the title, didnt notice that till after submission

MY ANSWER IS YES, YES, AND GO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I wish I had done it sooner. It has been the best thing I have ever done. Get your life back. It helps you control eating like nothing else ever will. Go for it while you are young. I am a diabetic and that is no fun.