Any information on the Lap Band..

[SMITTY18]

Well I'm 15 years old and about 250 pounds, I know i need something to help me lose weight, and none of the diets I have tried worked. My mom and I are trying to look into this surgey for me, but reading all the information about it just isn't enough.. I'd really just like to hear it from the people who have been there and done it. I really have no knowledge of it and would like to know everything anyone can offer! Like how much weight people lose from it, and how long it takes.. what kinds of things you eat when banded.. what is the procedure like and how long it takes to recover.. what fills are and where and how they are done.. Is the surgery really worth the money? anything anyone can tell me i would greatly appreciate!

[snowbird]

Well I'm 15 years old and about 250 pounds, I know i need something to help me lose weight, and none of the diets I have tried worked. My mom and I are trying to look into this surgey for me, but reading all the information about it just isn't enough.. I'd really just like to hear it from the people who have been there and done it. I really have no knowledge of it and would like to know everything anyone can offer! Like how much weight people lose from it, and how long it takes.. what kinds of things you eat when banded.. what is the procedure like and how long it takes to recover.. what fills are and where and how they are done.. Is the surgery really worth the money? anything anyone can tell me i would greatly appreciate!

Smitty, just start looking through all the past posts on this forum. Most of the participants have been banded or are about to be banded. It isn't an easy road; being banded means being committed to changing your relationship with food, and that can be a big social change as well.

You might also check out a website called lapbandtalk.com which has tons of info on banding. Dr. Ortiz also offers a book about the process that you can order on his site, the parent site to this one. Click on the words Obesity Control Center in the upper left hand corner of this page, underneath the "Obesity Control Center" logo.

There is also a "Lap Band for Teens" thread on the main forum page so you can get some insight into people around your age. Good luck.