Lap Band Surgery

[Abacus]

So, after too many years of battling my weight I'm looking at getting a Lap Band installed. Anybody done it?

I've got about 50kg to lose.

I'd be interested in getting some idea of how much other people have been charged for the procedure. I look like being out of pocket about $4,500-$5,500 or so after Medicare and private health insurance rebates, depending on who does the work.

Most of this is in the surgeon and anaethetist's fees. For instance, one quack says he'll charge $4,000, Medicare rebates $575.40, Health Fund gives back $191.80, so out of pocket is $3,232.80. His anaethetist charges $1,200, Medicare rebates $134.25, Health Fund gives back $44.75, so out of pocket is $1,021.00.

Most other costs, including theatre fees, disposables, hospital room, prosthesis, etc look like they'll be fully covered by Medicare and the health fund.

[mcnews]

A friend of mine did it and finds it the right cure for her.

I managed to lose 50Kg through strict diet and exercise. The real struggle is keeping it off though.

[Abacus]

Originally Posted by mcnews

A friend of mine did it and finds it the right cure for her.

I managed to lose 50Kg through strict diet and exercise. The real struggle is keeping it off though.

Yeah, that's my problem, I float in a 30kg range between 95kg and 125kg. I can spend 6 months losing it, and be back on square one in less than 6 weeks.

I'm 179cm so my BMI floats between 30 and 39.

Wouldn't be such an issue, except I've got 2 young kids. It would be nice to see them grow up.

[fmc351]

Originally Posted by Abacus

Yeah, that's my problem, I float in a 30kg range between 95kg and 125kg. I can spend 6 months losing it, and be back on square one in less than 6 weeks.

I'm 179cm so my BMI floats between 30 and 39.

Wouldn't be such an issue, except I've got 2 young kids. It would be nice to see them grow up.

It may shed the weight, but $5,500 would go a long way to providing you with the equipment and a personal trainer long enough to retrain yourself. Long term solution if you stick with it.

Is a lap band temporary or permanent?

[bingoTE50]

If it is not food adding the weight , maybe you need to get some blood tests done.
You may have a crook pituitary gland . A lot of obese or unusually tall people have a pituitary adenoma which can be detected via MRI , x-ray . Do a google on it and see if you suffer any of the symptons and see your GP . Lap band is pretty much last resort I reckon . Just remember the weight charts you see are ancient. We are all getting bigger generation after generation , you say you want to loose 50kgs , but what do you look like in the mirror at 95kg , are you happy with that. At this weight is your blood pressure good and your cholestrol in range , If so I would aim for that.
I am 188cm and been 120kg , but ideally 109kg is comfortable and I look ok. If I went by the charts I am supposed to be 88kg .. I was 19 at that weight .. I played football at 112kg ...88 is unrealistic for my build !! And yes I have a adenoma !!

[Abacus]

^^^^^^^

Been through all that repeatedly over the past 15 years. Medical checks galore and more diets than you can poke a stick at. Atkins diet, Herbalife, Sunrider, etc, etc, I've done the lot. In order to get the weight down I stick to a very low calorie diet and hit the gym every day. I can keep the weight off if I don't eat more than 1,200 calories (5,000kj) a day and exercise my a** off, but it's just not practical. Do the sums - 1,200 calories a day isn't very much, and I'm perpetually hungry. After a few weeks or months I inevitably break.

I'm an accountant, so there's a limit to how much time I can spend on exercise. To keep the weight off I have to hit the gym every single day. 3 days a week doesn't cut it.

I come from a long line of fatties and it affects my siblings and all relatives on my father's side of the family. I'm jack of it. I just want to get the problem fixed. The lap band should make it a damn sight easier to stick to my self imposed 1,200 calorie daily limit.

[bingoTE50]

Good luck then buddy, you've done your homework , sounds like it may be the only way for you ...gotta love ya genes.. Like neighbours you can't pick them !!

[Powdered Toast Man]

Abacus, do you do any weight training? Just that extra muscle mass burns more energy so if you have larger muscles you will burn more energy for any given activity, even just sitting on the couch.

For you to put 30kg on in 6 weeks and not being able to keep it off sounds like an illness or genetic disposition more than any lifestyle factors. Especially with regular excersize. And 1200 calories a day does sound very low.

I feel your pain though (not to the extremes you have). I've been fat all of my adult life and for my teenage years and for the last 8 years have struggled to lose it. I am 187cm, heavy built and at my worst I was 127kg, started at the gym and lost about 15kg. I now weigh 125kg but have bulked up quite a bit muscle wise. I just cant manage to lose the last 15kg to actually get myself slim. Been working on it for 3 years now.

Oh, and I have a friend (sort of) that had lapband done. She didnt change her eating habits (2 packets of 2 minute noodles for lunch and still hungry) and ended up breaking the lap band. So it's not an infalible procedure.

[Abacus]

^^^^^^

Yep, I do loose weights and Nautilus machine work as part of my circuit training regime at the gym.

Noodles aren't the kind of food you're supposed to eat with a lap band. You're supposed to steer clear of noodles, pasta, white bread, rice etc, because they get gluggy and block the restricted entry to the main stomach. I'm surprised your friend didn't vomit after eating that stuff, or least get a bit of pain. Did she get the band replaced?

[Powdered Toast Man]

She's a family friend and not that close so I'm not sure of the details, but yeah I think she got it replaced.

Restricted entry to the main stomach? Theres your problem right there, there's something wrong if you have more than 1 stomach lol.

My aunt also has a lap band and she can only eat very little before feeling full. And she has to be careful what she eats and how fast. Looking at her I cant say it's been all that effective. She may have lost some weight though, shes got quite a bit to lose.

[mcnews]

Originally Posted by Powdered Toast Man

Oh, and I have a friend (sort of) that had lapband done. She didnt change her eating habits (2 packets of 2 minute noodles for lunch and still hungry) and ended up breaking the lap band. So it's not an infalible procedure.

Has she ever read the packets of two minute noodles? You are better off eating two packets of potato chips. Less fat and carbs than in two minute noodles...

No procedure is infallible. A lap band procedure however is a forced change for life and you will likely never really enjoy a full meal again, as it is just impossible to eat one. If you go out to tea you will be limited to a smallish entree otherwise you will feel like crap etc. For my friend it worked for her and she is lliterally less than half the woman she used to be. She is under five foot tall and was well over 100kg, now she is down to around 50kg which is about right for her, as she is so short she virtually has no legs, LOL. Intensive exercise was not really an option for her as she was in a bike accident early in her now quite long life that left her with lots of skeletal damage and major exercise would kill her with pain. No doubt it doesn't work for everyone, and a certain amount of self control and to learn a new way of living is also required, but for her it has been the answer. And if you choose to go down that route, I sincerely hope it proves the answer for you.

[bob^]

You have already proven you can lose the weight by exercising and eating right.

My suggestion is consult a nutritionist. You need to eat foods that make you feel full, but are low in kilojoules. Losing weight isn't all about fad diets. It's a lifestyle change that needs to be stuck to.

Lap band surgery to me is for people extremely obese or who have medical conditions stopping them from exercising.

[vanman_75]

as bob said . there is only 1 way, in the end maybe even a job change ?or get an instuctor to give you hi burn program you may be gyming wrong ?

[Yaw]

I too am booked in in October, Both my wife and I, she is having hers done the first week of October, and mine is the next week. I am looking foward to it.
When we saw our doctor his first words to us were i am not going to lecture you about eating right, because I know unless you have both tried everything already, you would not be here.
He gave statistics that said all the weight loss programs know you have less than a 1% chance of maintaing weight loss once you go off thier program, what the lap band does is swing the chances in your favour to about 80% of being able to keep wieght off for good.
I can't wait/weight for that *chuckle*

[Kryton]

my dad and his wife both have the band.
they have both lost a lot of weight but it isnt the cure for being fat.
they have both had the band over 2 years and while they can only literally eat around 3 spoons of food each meal before they are full (talk to people about how little you can eat - seriously) they are by no means supermodel sized and they do exercises as well.

on the otherhand, i quit drinking a couple of years ago when i hit 100kg and played 18 holes of golf everyday at the local Uni. after 3 months of eating and drinking whatever the hell i wanted (not alcohol though), i could do a round of 18 in 1 hour flat if no one held me up (around 5.5km - no biggie if it was just a walk...but 18 holes of golf without cheating......).
after the 3 months i had lost 25kg without really trying.
basically that was just a brisk walk and nothing more.

in saying that though, now im at 110kg because i chose to drink again over the years.
my choice and my laziness is what keeps me at this weight.

all i can really say about the band: do your research, talk to people about how it has affected their lives etc.
look past the "ill be thin agains" and look at what its like to live with the band and how youll feel 25 years down the track - it WILL still be there unless you get it removed.

excersize is an easier option, it only comes down to self discipline.

[bigdave]

i have a band (since may 07), so does my sister, i weighed 186kg's (175cm tall, cant remember BMI) i am now 139.2kg (as of about 6 hours ago)

if you got to the right doctor/surgeon you will have a gradual start to find the ideal fill (i have the 12mil band my ideal is probably around 7 or 8 mil, im on 6.5mil at the moment)

i did exercise probably 3 times a week for 15-20 mins a day (walking) now i add weights and steps to that, i work in a drive through bottle shop so moving cartons and serving customers adds a little. i do know that i don't do enough exercise.

it is hard when you eat the wrong thing (like pineapple) or when you don't chew your food enough, and it gets stuck, i freaken hurts.

i do reccomend it, my journey is far from complete i have a goal of 93 kilo's so ive got a while to go, don't ask me how much it cost me (no insurance = way to much) but the benefits far outweigh any monetary costs involved

[GK]

My brother in law was quite a big man. He had the surgery and the results were amazing. Now he's got a massive amount of skin folds that will take ages so to shrink back. Even so, he'll need some surgery to get most of it cut off.

Just thinking about the way I eat, I can say that at times I lack a distinct amount of self control. For instance, this week I've been unwell for 3 days so far, still crook and I'm not eating very well, going for comfort foods like potato chips.

Perhaps your genetics are but one part of a bigger issue. Why do we eat so darn much? What we expect in a standard serve when we eat out has really changed. Places like Lazy Moes here in Melbourne just absolutely cover your massive plate with heaps of grub, especially chips. It's seen as a badge of honour to finish such servings.

I also know myself that in the past when I can get really really stressed, I can sometimes stuff food down to feel a bit better. Pretty dodgy I know, but how many of us do it or have done it? How many people use grog to numb themselves from something else that's going on?

My advice to you is to spend some good time with a counsellor discussing the "head" side of this issue. You may still end up going with the band, it's entirely your choice, but take care of what's going on with you up top may certainly aid any physical work or procedure you do.

All the best with it and I hope whatever you decide works out well.

GK

[chief]

My dad, and sister has had it done, my brother is about to in 3 weeks time. I believe it saved my dads life. He was a big man and was physically very, very strong, but so very unfit. He did not eat any rubbish, ate well, would exercise for hours at a time but was still unhealthy. He had the surgery and went from about 165kg down to 85kg. He can run over 8km now. That makes me real proud as a son.

There is plenty of information on this out there to be had. If you want more information just PM me.

A few pointers.
* If you loose more than 50kg, you can have the skin folds surgically removed for free. It is 100% covered by Medicare. The reason being as its not classified cosmetic surgery (compared to someone who wants a tummy tuck for example).

* I think your expenses are a little out.The way my 3 family members have done the procedure is 2 installments of $2,000 and a final one of $2,500. This is prepaid each time you visit the doctor during your pre-op meetings. These fees covers the meetings with doctors, nutritionists / dietitian, psychologists, the surgery and the cost of band fills. Out of this Medicare gave back just over $4,000 to each family member. So the out of pocket cost of this was just under $2,500.

* When you have your band fill, you will be sore for a few days and only be on clear liquids. Make sure you have got someone who can accommodate for this. ie if you go out to a friends place for a bbq with mates, just let the host know in advance. He / she will find it easier to accommodate than being put on the spot.

* Don't think that by having a lap band that for the rest of your life you don't not need to exercise and can eat what ever you want. I know some one who did and she got sick because of it. Just because you will become thin, don't forget to look after your insides with good food and drink.

[GT-E]

I have had a lap band in May 07 and then replaced due to being faulty a month later.
I have not really lost any weight (about 10kg), but this is my own fault.
The lap band is not a miricle cure, it still needs excersise and eating the right things. You can forget about steak or most breads as they get caught. Essentially anything dry or gluggy will cause problems. My surgery left me about $5200 out of pocket as the anethiest charged a fortune above the schedule and I only found out a few weeks later.
I am now losing weight as I have stopped drinking and started light excersise. My mother in law has lost 45kg in 18 months with a lap band, so I need to pull my finger out and conserntrate on losing weight. My biggest problem is beer and chocolate, that goes through the band easily.
I do not regret the surgery and would recommend it to someone before they get to a point that it will save your life. I am 37, 195cm and was 150kg, now 137kg. I was at the lower end of needing the surgery, but as I have a very bad back, I was not able to do much excersise.

[Abacus]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

I should have also pointed out that I've been to a nutritionist in the past. The upshot of my consultations with her was that there wasn't anything basically wrong with what I was (and am) eating. In my case at least, it's a problem with the quantity of food, not the quality.

I should note that I don't shy away from exercise, either. However, one thing that has been bothering me is that I'm nearly 50 now, and I've started to develop arthritis. I'm concerned that as time goes on I may not be able to maintain the same level of exercise that I can do now, and this is likely to make the weight problem worse.

So, on balance, I'm pretty sure I'll go with the band. The required dietary changes won't bother me, just so long as the results are worthwhile.

Originally Posted by chief

* I think your expenses are a little out.

Here's one of the quotes:

Banding Costs

Medicare rebates can be found here - just search on the item numbers:

Medicare Rebates

From what I can gather, getting this procedure done in Sydney is considerably more expensive than getting it done in Brisbane or Melbourne, hence the massive difference between the quoted costs and the schedule fee. It seems all the Sydney surgeons doing it have agreed on a somewhat higher price level.

[schnoods]

I am contemplating it, I find it hard to lose weight, but at the moment I'm steady. I work reasonably hard, on my feet for 10 hrs in a steel fab shop. Its what I eat and when I eat that I think is the problem, thing is its a hard cycle, especially when you get hungry working and coming home to a big meal. Its another 13 hours before work and the food will be digested before then.

I'll be trying the Optifast milkshakes. Its a food supplement and I went on it for 2 weeks. Lost about 5kg the first week, just staying on it is the hard part. by the 2nd week, it was 2 meals that were being replaced, then one, going out to dinner and then a night on the beer undid all the good work.

I reckon I have to lose 30-40 kgs, Im about 155kg, 6' 6" and a pretty solid build.

[Abacus]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Optifast works. It's the stuff I use to lose weight when I get serious about it. I tend to be pretty ruthless when I'm dieting, and find I can lose about 15-20kg in the first couple of months if I replace all meals with Optifast and plus a bowl of steamed vegies at night. I then progressively replace Optifast with "real food" and exercise myself stupid to lose another 10kg over the course of trhe next few months. But........the weight always comes back as soon as I back off the exercise and eat a bit more normally.

6 foot 6 = 198cm, so your BMI is 39, about the same as me. I feel your pain.

[XBCoupeGuy]

That sounds quite a big out of pocket expense.

The Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide do it and after speaking to someone who had it done they were only around $800 out of pocket.

I work with her so I will double check that info but I'm very sure that is what she said.