Haven't had Lapband....RNY here. My surgeon does both. Wade Naziri, Southern Surgical Assoc. 252-758-2224
The group that has the best expertise is in the Southern Pines - Pinehurst area. This should be a decision you make to do, ONLY after you have a frank and detailed discussion with your surgeon. Be aware that his fees cover just that..his fees. Surgical center expenses, anesthesia, and many other items add up quickly.. Best of luck....
Paul Enochs, M.D. 300 Ashville Avenue Suite 200 Raleigh / Cary, NC 27518 Phone: (919) 459-0091 A lady at my church went to Dr Enochs and had a good experience (her surgery was done at Rex). Another lady at my church went down to Cape Fear in Fayetteville for her surgery. I went to Michael Malik(his office is in Cary)(GREAT doctor), but he's no longer doing bypass surgeries (I had a great experience...laparoscopic Roux en Y and lost 142 pounds). The insurance had a lot of hoops I had to jump through, but it was a good thing. If you aren't willing to make the lifestyle changes that go with the surgery it could be deadly. It wasn't easy but it was worth every minute...
If you had made those same lifestyle changes, without the surgery, would you have seen the weight loss results without the cost and surgery risk? Honestly wondering what difference the surgery makes that lifestyle change would also accomplish.
To a degree, yes, but maintaining that level of weight loss is statistically almost impossible. I've gained and lost and gained and lost my whole life. This a method of last resort. Insurance won't cover it without proof of long term excess weight or long term efforts at losing the weight. It's not for someone with an extra 20 pounds. (I had to have my doctor document my weight over 5 years and what methods we'd tried). For me, this was the easiest surgery I've had to recover from...it was laproscopic, easier recovery than my C-section or regular childbirths... The problem is sticking to an 800 calorie a day diet with a 'normal' stomach. I have to eat 50 plus grams of protein a day and take 2 multivitamins and 2 B-complex vitamins a day. I feel like I nibble constantly but I can't eat more than a cup at a time (this is 1 3/4 years post-surgery). A lot of people are critical of the surgery, but the way I see it, this surgery is just a different road to the same destination...kind of like a C section vs natural childbirth...either way, you are a parent and neither method makes you better or worse at it. The point is a healthy end result...I'd do it again in a heartbeat...
lap band I have been trying to do it the old fashioned way but I watch alot of those TV shows about lap bands and stomach stapling. Also my friend's daughter had stapling done about 3 weeks ago at Chapel Hill and lost 42 lbs. The part that really bothers me is all that flabby leftovers that they have cut off(surgically removed). Still looks like butchering a hog used to when I was growing up on farm in the sticks of Johnston County.
Any weight loss surgery should be a last resort when everything else has been tried. It is also a very personal, individualized decision. I researched it for 3 years before choosing my surgeon. My brother had it through Naziri a year before I did, my sis had it 2 hours after I did by Naziri, and my other brother went through Duke. Naziri has also since removed our 3 gall bladders. He is 6 for 6 with our family! Please be sure to research on yoru own, ask a ton of questions, and only go through with it after you are 100% sure! As for being able to get the same results without surgery, there is no way possible for me. I did everything, lost weight - gained it, etc! I am never hungry now. It is much easier to lose weight when you're not hungry! I have lost right at 155 lbs and have a few more to go. Then...yup....that wonderful plastic surgery, if I can get insurance to cover some and save for the remainder! That is the only downside, but that would have happened with any weightloss avenue because of the amount of weight I lost. Skin can only bounce back so much! ObesityHelp.com was a huge help to me both before and for a good 8 months after. They have a NC forum there as well.
Anybody ever heard or tried the ear stapling? I have 2 friends who lost a ton of weight with that (and healthy eating).
If you are "morbidly obese", or hey just "obese" chances are you are gong to have flab/skin leftover whether you diet/exercise or go under the knife. Skin can only stretch so much, your genetics will play a part in it as well.
I found this old thread using 'Search', but it is what I have been looking for - does anyone have any new information, or anything new to add? I'm looking in to Lap-Band surgery because I have been 'morbidly obese' my whole life. I do not have any other health problems yet, but I know I will someday. My doctor has been trying to talk me in to weight loss surgery for several years now but the complications and cost have held me back. I am thinking I might be brave enough now, I am tired of being tired and I want to do so much more.
I know 2 people who've had the Lap Band Surgery, actually they are a couple. I have to say that not only do they look good but their entire outlook on life has changed. In this particular situation, insurance did take care of both surgeries. I believe that since there were 3 existing health conditions which were directly related to the weight, insurance covered the surgeries. The wife has lost more than 50 pounds. The husband lost about 75 pounds. oops...forgot to add that the husband no longer is using insuline to treat his diabetes, he controls it through his diet now.
I can empathize with you WooHoo! Having struggled my entire life being overweight, I tried so many "diets" over the years. I was looking into weight loss surgery as I could barely tie my own shoes any more! As a last resort before surgery I decided to give Weight Watchers a try. I'm so glad I did. Weight Watchers has been a life style change...NOT a diet. I am learning to moderate myself and make better food choices. Even after surgery, you will still need to learn these things!! Weight Watchers is not an overnight fix. I've learned to appreciate that. Next week my WW journey will reach the sixteen month mark. My current weight loss total is 121.2 pounds gone forever I have about forty pounds yet to goal. The program does work IF you follow it. IF I can do this without surgery, honestly anyone can!!! Food was my best friend...now it is simply nourishment! "A journey of a thousand miles must begin with one single step."
WAY TO GO!! That is great! BTW I have been reading up on WW for a while now, how do I join? Where is the meetings? I have always been so skittish about those things, but I am tired of being overweight. I have about 75-85 more pounds to goal, but hey I was at 130 lbs. to goal. It is just really hard to do this alone. Hubby no help, kids have sweet tooth from hill. Me too, but I try to fight it. Congrats ncmom!! That is great that you have managed to lose that much! Do you feel a lot different having lost that much weight?
To join just go to the meetings, to find one closest to you go to weightwatchers.com and put in your zip code and it will tell you several locations and what days they meet and where. Just go and have fun, it really is a great program if you stick with it. I am 20 lbs til goal!! Good Luck
Looks like there are WW meetings in downtown Clayton on Monday and Thursday evenings, and Sat mornings. I think I may go to a meeting and check it out! It would be nice to have a support group and a real, steady, proven way to lose weight ... http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/...x?&pg=0&s=ZIP&z=27520&t=7&d=1,2,3,4,5,6,7&mt= Hmmmm!
I am going to have to look into that. It would be nice to have a few fellow 4042er's to mingle with:cheers:
You've inspired me, NCmom! Now I just need to decide if I can make a saturday morning meeting or a monday evening meeting as my first 'free' meeting before joining, then if I think it's do-able, I'll give it a try!!
