I went with Christy last night to the WLS seminar and was so shocked by the experience. The nurse, who happens to be my surgeon's nurse was just dissing the lapband. There was one girl there who's had the lapband for 5 years and wants to do a revision to either gastric bypass or the sleeve. This girl, in my opinion, should not get another surgery. She is a classic example of someone who wants to lose weight but it not willing to change her life style. She kept asking questions like "which one of those surgeries will make me loose 100 pounds, but I won't have to eat slow or chew alot or ever get hungry?" I'm like...hello? Are you kidding me. You cannot have a life changing operation and not "change" your life, well you can...but then you'll be right back where you were.The nurse kept saying that if she had a weight problem, she would never get the band! I finally spoke up and was like....it is unrealistic to think you can loose a great amount of weight and never experience any discomfort. She said, yeah, but you're disciplined. I said, yes, but don't you need discipline to live with gastric bypass or the sleeve? She said, no! I was like, I know several people who have had gastric bypass and they have gained all of their weight back, just like some people with the band have. She said, I know people like that too, but usually it's 5 years out before they start gaining. And she said that I was an exception to the rule. I was happy with my band and that for every 20 people who are happy, there are 80 who hate it. It just made me mad for many reasons. First because I think she was selling the band short. I think they want to do the other surgeries, because they cost more and because it takes less effort on the part of the patient, so they feel more successful. I think that the band was the right choice for me, but I went into it knowing what to expect and knowing that I have to do my part too. I can't imagine anyone not knowing that. But then, some of the comments around the room last night, made it evident to me, that indeed that's the way some folks roll.
I have made lots of changes in my life style. I was always a successful dieter, but I have never been able to maintain my weight loss though. I feel like the band is giving me the opportunity to lose weight while feeling more satisfied and to have a shot at keeping the weight off. I don't know what Christy is going to decide. She has some issues with scar tissue and being unable to tolerate foreign objects in her body, so it may not be a viable choice for her. She may be a better candidate for one of the other surgeries, or she may not do it at all. But either way, I was very put off by the way the nurse handled the seminar last night. I'll be sure to tell her on my next visit too!
I hope everyone has a great day, thanks for the sweet comments about my ex. I love knowing that so many of you have my emotional "back!" Also, thanks for the comments on the BOOBS page, Draz said such sweet things in the introduction. We are indeed lucky to have such a wonderful community of support!
Big Hug!
T
12 comments:
That is beyond ridiculous. I feel that the nurse and the office has an obligation to present the facts, answer questions of the patients and allow each individual to decide for themselves based on that info. They should not be pushing procedures. Not cool. I definitely think you should speak to her about your dissatisfaction next time. Clearly she needs a reality check.
Have a great day, Tess!
The gal was shooting off numbers that may not be true - she was using numbers that she feels supports her position. Unfortunately, there are folks who expect weight loss surgery to do all the work for them. They are the same people that think cosmetic surgery will turn their life around overnight. Unrealistic people are probably less successful with weight loss surgery than realistic people. You, however, seem to be very well-grounded. And because of that you'll be successful with not only weight loss surgery but other aspects of your life. Go get 'em!
Wow! As Grace said: "Not Cool"
Way to go for standing up to her about the band. I think you are right on. Glad I'm one of the realistic people. I knew what I was getting myself into. Everyone should.
Great post. It is so true that we need discipline and life changes as well as surgery. Surgery itself won't fix anything, unless we do our bit too.
And I hate people who spout "lies, damned lies and statistics"
LapBand is not for people who don't want to change their lifestyle and do the work. My doctor described it this way. Gastric is like a car, you put gas in it and go directly to your destination. There may be some bumps (side effects) along the way but you'll get there faster. The LapBand system is like a bicycle. You fill the tires with air and check the chains and peddle to your destination. It takes much more work, but I believe it is worth it! Nurses have there own beliefs and I know my consult nurse had gastric in 2001 and she looks great. She thinks the lap band doesn't work but that is her opinion. She says 50 percent of lapband patients, come back to get a different surgery. I refuse to be a part of that statistic!
What a Freakin' Moron! There are a lot of band-haters out there for sure. That's fine, cause I love my band & will prove them wrong.
Hmmm....this is really interesting to me. I'm going to need to think on it a bit before I comment further but my initial reaction is that you are correct in that the doctors prefer to do bypass b/c the patients lose faster and it takes less discipline and like you said, that equals a better success rate in the short term, for the doctors. At the same time, I think that there are alot of people for whom the band will absolutely not work. It does take more discipline than the other surgeries and my feeling is that the screening process is not up to par on the doctors' parts. i mean, i read A LOT of blogs of banded people and there are many many whom I think should not have gotten it. I think they would have been better to get the bypass or maybe the sleeve. However, I don't know if that is the doctor's fault for not screening or if it is the patient's fault because they didn't listen to doctor's advice.
Anyway, this is a very fascinating post to me.
Great post -- and that nurse's comments just strike me as so irresponsible! I really don't think that ANYONE should have WLS if they aren't going to make the effort to take care of themselves and to work the method they choose.
BTW, I've never heard any statistic about bandsters coming back to get other surgery later (I do hear the opposite re bypass patients though). That said, I am sure we all have come across a few bandsters who leave their bands open and eat lots of cr@p. . then complain that they aren't losing (gee. . wonder why. .). Even still, the vast majority seem to like it and to succeed.
I know my surgeon says that it is more work to lose weight with the band. I think the gastric patients can lose the weight without much effort. I prefer the band because I needed to make a lifestyle change. With the band I can eat less, not feel hungry all the time and I am working out regularly....just like a normal person does. This is all I want.....a normal life. It takes work, but so do most good things in life. Thanks Theresa.
Great post Tesser...hard to believe there are such nitwits in such responsible positions.
Great post! I also think there is more money to be made with the other WLS and I hate to think that is the reason that they are steering their patients in that direction.
You can bet your bottom dollar that money is a big factor in steering patients to bypass or sleeve.
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