My Dr. said I'll lose 100 lbs. & I'll be healthier. He highly recommended it, but he also said it wouldn't make sense since I take psych meds. My Medicaid is supposed to cover it. What do you think I should do?
2007-02-20 15:26:22 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Diet & Fitness
I wouldn't recommend that you get this surgery. The doctor recommends it, only because he makes a lot of money off of it. He can't make money if you walk away and lose the weight by eating a healthy diet and exercising.
I know a lot of people who have had this surgery or the gastric bypass surgery and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM has had complications! This is not something that should be taken lightly. If you have some serious health risks than you might want to look into it, but otherwise, you should lose weight by eating healthy, and exercising.
The other thing too, is that you can always gain the weight back, and most people do. The problem with this surgery and others like it, is that they don't deal with your underlying emotional issues. So you go back to your old habits as soon as your body is physically caught up. They haven't been doing these surgeries for very long, so no one knows the long-term consequences on a person's body.
I know losing weight is hard. Hell, if it was easy, no one would be fat! That is why you need a support system. Get your friends, family, and anyone else you can to help you on this journey. Don't be so quick to trust doctors. They have their own best interests at heart. Your doctor is right that you will lose 100 pounds (maybe), but will you be healthier? Not likely! My sister had gastric bypass done, and she is always sick, and she looks unhealthy.
Think really hard about this. In the end, you will know what decision is right for you. This decision will take time to make. It is not something to take lightly.
Best of luck.
2007-02-20 15:47:20 · answer #1 · answered by godre 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a very serious issue that many young people don't take seroiusly enough. I'm in the same situation - but I think I'm still too young at 22 years old. They say that you should only get this surgery (a life changing action) if you feel that you're physically disabled by your weight or you have a standing physical problem that will only worsen without weight loss surgery. Even though lapband is considered reversible, it is still a major surgery and you still have the same problems of getting the proper nutrition. The thing that made me stop and think was - how will Thanksgiving or Christmas be if you can only take a couple bites of Grandma's food? Can you enjoy a hotdog at the ball park or an icecream on a sunny afternoon? Our culture is surrounded by food. It's part of what makes us so diverse.
If you really think you have no other option, then the lapband, I believe, is the better choice over gastric bypass. You can adjust th band if needed, which cannot be done with gastric. My only concern is - are you on psych meds for depression over your weight, or are there other underlying problems. I think, before you try to fix this problem, you need to examine yourself and decide if a superficial subject such as weight will really improve your life as much as your doctor says. If that's your only problem, then go for it if you think you can handle the change. Just remember that exercise and diet are always options. In a day and age where we want everything as fast as possible, I believe that some things are still worth waiting for. Like you, I've got a good 100 pounds to lose, but there are safer and more fulfilling ways to solve your problems.
2007-02-20 15:39:16 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think you should seriously consider your alternatives. You can healthily lose 100 pounds in a year (2 lbs per week) by eating right and exercising. And losing it this way, you won't have as much of a problem with needing plastic surgery to get rid of the excess skin. That kind of surgery isn't cheap and medicaid, medicare, kaiser, blue cross, NONE of them cover plastic surgery.
2007-02-20 15:35:38 · answer #3 · answered by butterflywndr 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not an operation to be taken lightly. There are complcations and occasional deaths particularly since obesity makes you high risk for surgery.
Initial weight loss is dramatic but many people gain weight again over the years as they modify their diet to a high calorie low volume one.
2007-02-20 15:33:28 · answer #4 · answered by Vinay K 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋