FREE LAP BAND SURGERY. GOOD IDEA?
Last week I met up with a colleague I hadn’t seen for years. She was barely recognisable and when I said she was looking great, she quickly told me she’d had lap band surgery and had lost 25kg.
Wow!
Like a lot of people, I’m curious about the procedure. Does it work? What are the benefits and risks? Is it the “easy solution”? One that should only be freely available for people who are seriously ill?
My friend, (a GP) said that she’d been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and because of the weight loss now had no trace of it.
“It should be available to everyone,” she declared. “And the best thing is that I can now fit into size 12 jeans!” (Joke.)
Over dinner, conversation was lively until my friend suddenly rushed from the table, leaving most of her pasta, and came back to announce that she’d just vomited.
“It’s no big deal. It just comes up… a bit like when a baby posits,” she said brightly.
It was unsettling to say the least, because I remembered my own babies positing milky vomit on my shoulder and it wasn’t pleasant. (I lost my appetite for dessert.)
Earlier this year Professor Lesley Campbell from the Garvan Institute Diabetes and Obesity Research Program, supported lap band (bariatric) surgery being freely available – provided by the government – to fight the “obesity epidemic”.
Without heath insurance the operation can cost up to $15,000 and many obese and ill Australians are dipping into their superannuation to fund it.
Prof. Campbell says that people who develop diabetes have a genetic predisposition. She told ABC radio earlier this year: “We have to understand that this (Type 2 Diabetes) is a disease. The obese person has tried everything. You think they want to be obese? You think they want to be obese rather than slim?
“They’re more ready than anyone to get rid of the weight. But they can’t.”
However, dietician Trent Watson also said on the program: “Lap banding does not change someone’s genetics. It changes the amount of food they consume. That’s what impacts on their hormonal response.”
“Calling it (Type 2 Diabetes) a genetic predisposition deprives anyone of the hope they can make a difference without a $15,000 spend on invasive surgery.”
The program went on to a fascinating discussion between three women who had the procedure.
Jules got her a lapband 10 years ago. (It was funded through Worker’s Compensation after an injury at work that left her incapacitated and unable to exercise).
She lost 53kg initially. Then, through continuing to overeat, stretched her oesophagus, had the band removed, put on 30kg and then with another band, lost it all again.
“I didn’t have brain surgery,” she says. “I still want to have the cream bun and the nice pasta with the cream sauce. I’m an addict for food.”
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47 Responses to this article
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The Huntress August 29, 2012
I think lap-banding is something that should definitely be available for those who fit a criteria and want to access it. I don’t believe it’s a “quick fix” at all and generally people think long and hard before undergoing the procedure. We should not be quick to judge how a person chooses to lose weight, but rather applaud that they recognised they had a problem and did something about it.
Weight loss isn’t as simple as eat less and exercise more – current science journals are starting to publish research articles recognising that weight loss is a complex beast we can’t always control. If lap banding works, a person wants it and the benefits outweigh the risks, then go for it!
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Jess Raftis August 29, 2012
Sorry, I really don’t agree with “Free Lap Band Surgery”, weight loss is simple, the less you consume & exercise, the lighter you will be. I also don’t believe people when they say ” I have been exercising & eating healthily & the weight won’t shift”, why do you think people who have lap band lose a lot of weight? They are consuming less food! I had a friend who had lap band surgery, she hardly lost any weight as she was liquidising unhealthy snacks, she would then complain about not losing the weight, her issues with food were never dealt with, which is why lap band surgery is a band-aid for bad eating habits!
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Buttercup August 29, 2012
I just want you all to remember that it is a surgical operation so there are risks.
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Glenn August 29, 2012
I`m all for having it available to people that are in a severe medical need for it . But not a massive fan of opening it up as free to anyone that has a weight problem whether it be from bad choices or Generic metabolism issues .
I just think that to make Lap banding an open free option could mean either many people are only doing it for that reason alone and or they may see it as a quick fix and totally not take into account the ongoing maintainence and new lifestyle.
As we can see from shows such as the biggest loser and schemes such as Jenny Craig , people can lose weight if they are prepared to have a go and be serious . I`d be more inclined to increase benifits for gym memberships and dietitions , I went to a dietition a couple of years back and it cost $120.00 (to dear for most)
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Maria August 29, 2012
If you manage your lap band properly you do not vomit at all!!!
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Jo August 29, 2012
I had a gastric sleeve rather than a lap band (I researched both and for me the sleeve, where they remove some of your stomach) seemed to make more sense. I have lost 52kg in 10 months – hoping to at least lose another 5 or 6 kg.
For me it’s the only thing I have done that has allowed me to lose weight. It’s in built portion control. I still have to make healthy choices and exercise but if I do those things I see results! Further more if I do slip up I eat 1 or maybe 2 biscuits rather than the whole packet!
It’s a tool, but one that has let me lose weight, regulate my blood sugars and cholesterol etc.
I don’t think the surgeries should be free but they should be easier for those without private health insurance to access.
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Rhoda August 29, 2012
Stigma free for sure. Everything involving weight loss should be. Sugar, fat, salt can be an addiction, same as drugs.
Remember the two fat ladies? One died but the other – Clarissa Dickson Wright – wrote her biography – great book by the way – she is a bright and wonderful woman. Anyway she is fat because she was once an alcoholic. Won’t go into the details here. Suffice to say that her weight goes with her wherever she goes for better or worse and makes her no less a wonderful person.
Weight loss isn’t just a matter of what you eat. Lap band surgery, diets of every description, are a panacea not a cure – that’s obvious. So it’s up to the medical profession, the scientists, to come up with the answers.
Meanwhile the food corporations should be held to account. And the supermarkets. Why are whole aisles devoted to soft drinks for example. Giving them what they want?
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sarah August 29, 2012
I have had 2 lap-bands (the first one slipped) and I have to say its a terrible alternative.
I suffered for nearly 10 years before I had it removed. I had constant pain eating, vomited all ‘healthy” choices but nuts, chips, ice-cream and chocolate (not that I ate a lot of it then or now) just “slip though” the band. Where as some salad and a piece of meat would be painful and end in vomiting.
I know it works for some people, but not for all. I never felt the “full” feeling. Just the horrible side effects.
And for those who say it wasn’t adjusted properly or was too tight, i had it adjusted probably 30 times. It just didn’t work. I managed my band and saw many people to help me, but it just isn’t for everyone.
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sue bell August 29, 2012
Weight loss is not simple. I have tried for fifty years, yes I lost weight with severe calorie restriction but put it on again as soon as I got pregnant. I grew up on a sugar free diet, no lollies except as great treats, no cakes or biscuits as my mother could not bake, fresh home grown veggies, eggs and goats milk and cheese. I do not like sweet things and never drink juice, soft drinks etc., My drinks are black unsweetened coffee and tea and water. I had hepetitis when a child so I cannot eat fatty foods like chips or icecream I cook most of my meals and have had 1, count it 1 McDonalds hamburger in my life. I have severe arthritis, a replaced knee and the tendons reattached to my hip. I can barely walk half a block without pain. Also totally wrecked my back in a motorcycle/tram accident when young and stupid. Bending gives me severe pain, walking and standing give me severe pain and dreadful cramping. I do not have the money to do pilates or physio or to have a back operation, I used to be active and a good weight, then the accidents and arthritis came and four children. Not a birth was easy, months of rest to try and stop preeclampsia (not successful).
So tell me how I can lose weight! It is not as simple as cutting down on bad food and exercising. My knee is so bad I cannot even do one cycle of an exercise bike.
I have my brain and that is all I need now but my anger at glib statements about ease of weight loss knows no bounds.-
Rachel K August 30, 2012
I am in a similar situation as you Sue and hear you loud and clear. People just don’t realise and open their mouths without thinking the whole issue through. Comments such as “All you have to do is exercise!” make me so angry when I am in so much pain!!! I also don’t complain about being in pain because people don’t want to hear it and I don’t want to subject them to it. However iff they were in my shoes I know I wouldn’t stop hearing the whining about how bad their pain was! I push through the pain everyday as I am sure you do Sue, it has become a part of my life. I maintain my house and husband and by no means what so ever am I just lounging around feeling sorry for myself!
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Grace August 29, 2012
The problem with lap band surgery is that it does not address the reasons for overeating.
As someone who is an extreme yoyo dieter (my last effort saw me lose and regain 42 kilos in around 18mths), I know food can be an addiction. I can control the addiction for 6-12mths then, like the alcoholic who thinks he can control the alcohol, I have one biscuit, fine, then a piece of cake, then 2 pieces of cake, then the addiction is back, worse than ever.Lap band would not work for people like me without counselling for food (sugar) addiction. However, for people who just happened to get heavier over the years through lifestyle, it may work.
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Joe August 29, 2012
i have lost 30 kilos over three years after getting a lapband. It’s not easy, but well worth it. The positives include blood pressure under control, move attentive at work, getting more exercise, better sex with my wife, lift in self-esteem. The major negative is I can’t have a juicy steak which I used to love. But that’s a small price to pay.
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Grace August 29, 2012
I boils add, I know several people who have had lap band surgery and it hasn’t worked over the long term. These people feel like complete failures, due to the fact that they can’t even make ‘the last resort’ option work.
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Grace August 29, 2012
boils=should. Don’t know what happeened there!
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katrina August 29, 2012
I worked with a woman who had lap band surgery, along with her mother and her daughter….they all said they had it done because it was better than having to exercise to lose weight, I was also told they got it done quite cheaply with the government paying for most of it (I did not question that part so have no further details) What I observed over several years is they would get the band tightened and could hardly eat anything and would often throw up after eating a small amount of food (and the food they would be eating would be so far from what would be considered healthy that I had to wonder about what levels their cholestoral was and how healthy their arteries were….they would slowly increase the amount of food they were eating and said that after a while it just stretched and then at least once every 6 months they would go back and get it tightened again. Visually what would happen is when they got it tightened the weight would fall off them very quickly in the first 2 weeks as they could only eat a tiny amount which would be vomitted up anyway, they would get very skinny for about 3 months then as the band relaxed and they could eat more the weight would slowly go back on….this yo yo effect is what their life is, and it continues this way….and it’s been quite a few years and it’s the monthly visits to get it retightened that gets them back skinny again….can’t see that being particularly healthy for them…especially when the food they seem to only eat is not healthy
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Bh August 29, 2012
I got banded 5 years ago. I weigh more now than I did then. Like the previous commenter I have had nothing but trouble. It’s been adjusted over 50 times but I can’t eat any red meat or chicken. No breads. No leafy food. No nuts. And many other things. They all make me vomit. I wish I had never got banded but I can’t afford to have it removed. You think there is shame in being fat, that’s nothing compared to the shame of being a fat person who already has a band and who is still fat.
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Kerri Sackville August 29, 2012
One important point that no-one has mentioned:
Even if lap band surgery is free, body resculpting is not covered at all by Medicare. Many people who lose huge amounts of weight are left with massive flaps of skin on their arms, tummies etc that need to be surgically removed (or else severely hinder movement, exercise etc). So if lap banding is free, plastic surgery for the post-weight loss period needs to be free as well. -
Cath August 29, 2012
Maybe they need to look at why the person is overweight before the surgery is done. I an emotional eater and will eat even when full so this is not for me. Honestly if you think it is as easy as eat less and exercise more then ask yourself why there is a billion dollar weight loss industry. If you have managed to loose weight by doing that then good on you, however,don’t judge others when ‘just doing that’ doran ‘t work for them.
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Kerrie August 30, 2012
I agree Cath. As a clinical hypnotherapist and counsellor working with women with weight and body esteem issues, I really think the money would be better spent looking at how to help people emotionally in regards to their relationship with food and movement. I have seen many women who are still as unhappy and struggling with their weight AFTER lap band surgery as the extremely important emotional aspect about why they eat they way they do or why they hate moving their bodies is left out of the equation. Also, our cultures insistence on thin = healthy is ridiculous.
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Amanda August 30, 2012
Eat less, exercise more = weight loss is a crock of **** Only those who have never struggled with their weight and tried to follow current weight loss recommendations think that this is useful advice. It is way more complex than this, and scientific evidence is beginning to emerge to support an alternative paradigm in weight loss. There are some more informed members of the medical community that are changing their approach, but it is a slow process, i suggest you seek them out. What’s the evidence for change?- it is a scientifically proven and a depressing fact that less than 5% of people manage to lose and sustain weight loss following the current eat less exercise more mantra. That very fact would usually prompt us to think there was something wrong with the guideline, but no, we continue to heap all the blame and shame on the individual- the 95% who must be lazy or cheating somehow.
Read Gary Taubes ” why we get fat” He has critically examined the scientific literature and evidence on this and he has developed an alternative hypothesis that it is the emphasis on grains and carbohydrates ( which are just complex forms of sugar)as the basis of the healthy food pyramid, that is doing the damage and causing the obesity epidemic. He is not the only author working in the area, and Jeff Volek is another who has published many scientific articles and a recent excellent book on the subject. Gary Taubes doments evidence to date the onset of the epidemic of weight gain to the introduction of new dietary recommendations in the 70′s. These guidelines interestingly, that are unquestioned by dietitiens and most of the medical community, were developed not by the health or dietetic professions, but by the US department of agriculture and subsequently adopted in other countries. They placed grains, rice and potatoes at the base of the pyramid( ie the foods we should eat the most of) How convenient that they became the major must eat foodstuff for the producers of these products. In fact these are not even an essential food group-we can survive quite healthily without them. Neither are they in fact “healthy” , especially for someone who is overweight or has diabetes, because they are carbohydrate rich, and carbohydrates are broken down into sugar. Sugar stimulates hormonal changes, appetite, and the laying down of fat stores, and also prevents you from burning fat stores,( i refer you to Jeff Volek again here)with the result that you inexorably gain weight year after year. No one who is overweight or has diabetes should be consuming these foods. I’d be changing what I ate before I tried lap banding, but I would still keep lap banding as an available option for those with metabolisms wrecked by years of following these harmful guidelines and recommendations. -
Annette Piper August 30, 2012
I also agree with Cath. Emotional eating and addictions to certain foods (usually fat/sugar related) are unhealthy. Deal with these and you will have far more chance of your weight and health coming together. No, its not easy to deal with food addiction, but presenting lap surgery as a fast alternative is wrong (to me) on so many levels.
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Kerrie August 30, 2012
Well said Amanda! The Taubes research is excellent.
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Amanda August 30, 2012
Thanks Kerrie, Gary Taubes has changed my life!
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blackdog04 August 30, 2012
This article on a Scientific American blog is fascinating … all calories are not equal -well worth a read http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2012/08/27/the-hidden-truths-about-calories/
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Kathyrn G August 30, 2012
I am 28, have been overweight all of my life and have tried hypnosis, Weight Watchers, Liteneasy, lipodissolve, Duramine, personal trainers, nutritionists, dieticians, starvation, shakes, detoxes – the list goes on (Seriously, it’s long and not always healthy!) Sometimes it worked, usually it hasn’t so I have just booked myself in for lapband surgery in a few weeks as truly my last resort – noone can say I haven’t tried. But I am also coupling it with counselling sessions – I know about salt, sugar and fat contents of EVERYTHING ( I work for a Diabetes focussed organisation!) and figure it must be mental blockages as well. If I want this to work long term, and I desperately do so I can look back onmy life and say I lived it, not watched from the sidelines, I have to figure out why I self sabbotage myself. I think the surgery should be free to those who need it, on the proviso that they seek counselling to combat any issues that cause them to overeat, feel negatively about themselves and help motivate them to lead healthy lifestyles. Thanks for a great discussion everyone and best of luck to those trying it! I hope my results will be the life change I amhoping for.
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Cath August 30, 2012
Kathryn G – Best wishes for your surgery, you come across as well prepared for your journey. May you have the results you want
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Michelle August 30, 2012
I do not think lap band should be free. If that is free then I would like my exercise programs for the last 2 years refunded back to me by the government. I have successful lost 30kgs and not put it back on again over the last 2 years. It is achievable and yes a total lifestyle change. You need to exercise more and look at what you are eating, remove the processed crap. It is also about getting your brain in the right place. I would never have looked at surgery due to all the risks, I know I am much healthier doing it the right way. And I was told if I continued on my journey of obesity I would be very lucky to live another 5 years. Why does everything need to come from the government and be free for people to make changes that are better for them??
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Yelsel August 30, 2012
I had lapband surgery in 1998. It was a big decision then, and I relate to the observations in Wendy’s story.
I can’t speak for all overweight people, however, many like myself have a whole raft of issues which have led them to over-eating and the subsequent weight gain.
It’s easy to look at the overweight person and think to yourself ‘wow, they have really let themselves go’. Perhaps we should look at the overweight person and accept that everyone’s journey in life is different and that each journey has consequences
I don’t agree with free lap-banding, however, believe that the procedure should be available through health funds with a low gap.
Lap-banding certainly does help with weight loss and if you can accept that you need to really watch your diet to ensure that you are consuming food which will give the nutrients your body needs to be healthy and well, then you’re on your way to sustained weight loss stability.
Lap banding isn’t a quick fix for weight gain, it should be considered as an end option to help people, who for watever reason are not able to shed the kilos. Remembering that reconstructive surgery to help remove excess skin from abdomen, arms etc is also a consequence of significant weight loss.
For me, all these years on, I am still 30 kilos under what I was at the time of surgery. There are still puddin’ rolls and bobbly boobs, but I’m comfortable in my body.
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Amanda August 30, 2012
Michelle, congratulations on being one of the 5% this works for, I’m happy for you. For the other 95% of the obese population there is something more going on than mere calorie balance, ( see the scientific american article quoted by blackdog04) and its something to which medicine does not currently have the answers. Excess weight also becomes more difficult to lose as you get older, especially for post menopausal women, and the reason for this is unknown. Lap band surgery is proven to reduce blood pressure and diabetes risk and is therefore a worthwhile preventative health measure when other options fail for both the individual, and for society,while we are waiting for a more definitive answer from medical research. No one wants surgery if they can avoid it, it is not an easy option, nor does it always work.
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Ro. Watson August 30, 2012
I wonder where my lap is these days….
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Aeron Winters August 30, 2012
I wouldn’t have it, but I think, for some, it is what works. My auntie, who was so large that the woman who made her clothes for her (there were no places to buy ready made in her size) had to put two tape measures together to fit the tape around her. She lost all the excess weight, over the next couple years by following a very healthy diet that consisted mostly of liquid vitamins and very small frequent healthy meals, no desserts, no sweets, etc. Following all the weight loss she had many more sugeries to remove all the excess skin on her back, arms, stomach, thighs and breasts. She now looks fantastic and is very healthy, although she still has to follow that same strict diet and will for the rest of her days. I believe the lapband saved her life, but I know many more who lost little if any weight because they ate whatever they wanted, vomited, and ate more, liquidised junk food, etc. I don’t believe that the lapband is the easy fix that many think it will be. It won’t work unless you change the way you do things. I think that if you are will to make those changes, then it will work, otherwise, it is a waste of time and money. For some, like my auntie, it can be the the motivation to finally do the right thing,
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Glenis August 30, 2012
Free….where do people think the funds will come from? The government is finding it hard to fund anything.
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Amy August 30, 2012
The primary focus should be on prevention, and setting up resources for managIng weight before lap banding needs to be an option. Teaching kids and their parents about nutrition and how to cook healthy meals; investigating further into metabolic conditions and how to hel them in a less invasive way; more investigation into what causes obesity (apart from the old ‘too much in, too little out’) such as emotional, hormonal, medication, digestive issues. Sure, for some people, Right now, this may be their last resort but wouldn’t it be nice for future generations not to need it?
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stella burnell August 30, 2012
I had a band 7 years ago. I highly recommend the band as an option for any overweight person. It shouldn’t be seen as an extreme weight – loss method – it is surgery, that is all. If you eat properly after getting it, you don’t vomit — your article emphasised that as it it was a given, but for most of us it isn’t. We learn to eat properly within a short time, with help of the doc and the dietician, and support groups like Brisband. I believe it should be available to everyone, not just the ones who can afford it.
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Kerrie August 30, 2012
Glad it has been successful for you Stella, but in my opinion surgery for weight loss IS an extreme method. Cutting into the body, under anaesthetic, and placing restrictive band to prevent eating too much…. I’d say that is pretty extreme.
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Catherine August 30, 2012
I have had a Virtual Lap Band put in place through hypnotherapy & counselling. I feel freed – finally – of a lifetime of either being On A Diet or Overeating. It is working remarkably well for me. It is so amazing to have a ‘normal’ relationship with food.
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Courtney August 31, 2012
The band isn’t a quick fix, it’s hard work. Not being able to eat the food most people can, I struggle to eat veggies and fruit but can manage to eat junk food easy. It helped me a lot to start I was borderline heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Have having the lap band for 3months I was put in the clear zone although i tried many diets, excersis and pills nothing worked, the band was really my last option. But in saying that I often regret having the band done, not being able to eat healthy food really does get you down.
YES the band should be free for those who need it, in WA you can only get on the waiting list if you have a doctors referral, which is great for some. Having to find the funds out of the blue can be expensive, there are a lot of surgeons out there that will do private and public patients. The cost differs from $1200 + I would never suggest to anyone who doesn’t need it to get it done! -
sue bell September 3, 2012
I would like to add another comment. We need to look at the health of our mothers when they were pregnant. when in utero what our mothers ate will effect our whole life. My mother was extremely poor, living mainly on fruit from street trees. Perhaps the experience of on again off again hunger whilst in utero has had an effect on me, just as had the first three years of my life which were also nutritionally challenged.
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Jenny September 4, 2012
Lap-banding can work if the person having it done co-operates fully with after-care and eating correctly – IN MOST CASES! There are always exceptions, but these are not the rule. It can be life-saving and certainly is life-changing, but free for everyone? I’m not so sure of that. We could have some people taking advantage and letting their appetites run amok, thinking that the government will save them later with a free lap-band??? It could be seen as an easy option by some. Sure, it could be made available for people who are above a certain body-mass-index, as a life-saving treatment, but the better option is education and support for people to not reach that point in the first place.
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kwatery zakopane December 25, 2012
An outstanding share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a coworker who had been conducting a little research on this. And he actually ordered me lunch simply because I stumbled upon it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending time to talk about this subject here on your blog.
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Ida February 9, 2013
I had lapband surgery in July 2012. Before I made my decision I did a lot of research, the good and the bad, I made my decision to get it done because after 100′s of diets even though I lost I regained. It was like I had a constant switch on saying I was always hungry, I’ve now learnt it was also head hunger, emotional eating, depression. Having the lapband is by no means easy like some people say. You still have to comply with a healthy lifestyle, eating right, exercising and the hardest part is working on the brain part. Unfortunately there is no lapband for the brain. I started my journey at 166 kilos, so disgusted in myself, so depressed and believe me I tried and tried and I would loose 10 kilos and gain it all back plus some. The yo yo dieting had to stop, it was making me fatter and fatter. Seven months out I way 120 kilos, still have a long way to go but I will get there. I comply with all my lapband rules, I eat healthy, I exercise everyday and everyday I have worked on the reasons why I over ate. If you are considering lapband unless you are prepared to also address your food addictions, your lack of willpower, your emotional eating etc you will not succeed with it. It’s a big change. I have not vomitted once because I take my time eating and chew well. Unfortunately there are some people it doesnt work with even though they have done everything by the book but if you have no complications and change your way of eating, your relationship with food and become active the lapband tool is an amazing tool that takes away your constant hunger, reduces the quantity of food you can eat and helps you stay satisfied for 4 or 5 hours between meals. With the lapband you don’t eat to fell full, you eat till you reach satiation (big difference), meaning till your hunger goes away. The big mistake people make is to eat really fast and by the time they are no longer hungry they are over full. It takes the stomach and brain 20 minutes to communicate to say, “hey there you’ve had enough to eat”. The lapband is constantly sending this signal saying you not hungry.
For me personally it’s been the best decision I’ve made regarding to loose weight but in saying that I have had no complications and I have and am following a healthy lifestyle and have also changed my relationship with food. If I still craave to have something not so healthy I still have it but only a small bit and I’m satisfied, in the past it would be eat till it makes you sick.
I don’t think it should be free, that would be more of a burden on the tax payer. For those considering lapband, do your reasearch, get a fantastic surgeon behind you and a fantastic aftercare team (very important) and be prepared to make the physical, mental and emotional changes, it can be a tough journey but so worth it.
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Brooke February 20, 2013
I work for a Private Health Insurance Company. We will pay for the full cost of lapband surgery. In my opinion I am for Lapband surgery. However, I believe that there should be a level of criteria in place, before someone is referred to a gastroenterologist to have the prothesis inserted. And at the moment that criteria is not in place. Anyone who is “obese enough” or a BMI over 40 can get a lapband. And I think this is simply not good enough criteria to get a lapband. Patients should firstly be referred to a Psychologist, Dietition and put on some kind of exercise program for a period of time diagnosed by a GP and monitor the patients progress to try and lose weight first. If this is not successful in any way then the next step would be to consider lapband surgery. In my medical experience I have seen patients that purposely put on weight to get a lap band, Infact I just had a conversation with someone who said this to me openly! I have seen patients get a lap band and then snap it, and then get another one and the another one. where do we think the money comes from to make the lap band prosthesis? Do you actually understand how much it costs to insert a medical device into a human body? The psychological side of obesity is not being addressed first! Over-eating, eating the wrong foods because its “easier” Not exercising everyday, are all factors that need to be addressed with the patient before fitting a lap band, because the lap band is not designed to lose weight! it is a life style change and patients need to be prepared for that change. Getting a lap band will not make you start exercising daily or stop you eating bad food. like Courtney said above, “eating junk food is easier with the lap band”? what a perfect example of someone not ready to get a lap band. the lap band is not wrapped around your tongue! If anything vegatables and fruit are actually easier for our stomachs to digest, so if anything eating some steamed broccolli versus eating a cheesburger….. pretty sure we can all google what our stomach would enjoy “easily” digesting first!
So No, i do not think lap band surgery should be free. Health funds will pay for majority of this for you. I do not think it is fair for taxpayers to fund peoples obesity issues. and the reason, aside from everything I have mentioned above, and I am going to be completely blunt when I say this, Obesity is not a disease. Obesity is managable with better eating habits and regular exercise, its really that simple! even for people type 1 or type 2 diabetes, your life style is managable with an insulin pump and foundations that support you.
I think funding should go towards people with diseases like cystic fibrosis or multiply sclerosis, it should be free to manage their disease.
You are not born obese. -
frances April 23, 2013
I think lab band should be a free option for people who have health issues. I am 49 I have struggled for over 15 years with weight issues, I suffer from an over active thyroid its something that runs strongly in my family. I have tried every thing I am limited to exercise as both my knees give me grief and I have been told I’m going to need a knee replacement in both my knees I’m a truck driver so I struggle with it my doctor told me if I lose weight it will be easier on my knees I brought a exercise bike and I swim I even try milk shakes but I just cant move my weight. I am going to try the lap band
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frances April 23, 2013
It is under active thyroid I suffer from not over
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