Are you too OLD? Is your BMI too HIGH for Lapband WLS?

I've been away for a month, living and loving life, including a 2 week vacation in the Caribbean (where I managed to lose 2 lbs.  Yay.)

Comfortingly, I see that the good old board is still here and still the same - lots of support, helpful advice and entertaining bickering.  It's good to know one can go away and come back and pick it right back up (kind of like The Young & The Restless or Coronation St.).

Anyhoo, my reasons for posting:

1) Firstly, this morning for the first time in over a decade, I am in Onederland.  199.8 to be exact.  I am celebrating by walking into town & back (6 km) for a yummy low-carb breakfast of scrambled eggs and sausage and coupla cups of decaf with cream (on accounta I'd rather stick needles in my eyes than use skim milk).

2)  Secondly, and most importantly, I am here as a testament to the fact that one is never too old and one's BMI is never too high when it comes to opting for the band as a WLS.

Luckily for me I didn't know about this board before I got banded or I might have not gone ahead, because there have been a number of posts over the last 10 months suggesting that if you have a BMI over 50, or are over a "certain age", then the band will not work for you.  Well honey, I'm pushing 58 and my BMI was 51 and I am down 90+ lbs in 9 months and still going strong, well on my way to my goal of losing 140 lbs.

I really do understand that the band does not work for everyone.  Some people have medical or anatomical issues that interfere with the band's effectiveness.  Sometimes there's an identifiable, concrete reason why the band is not working (leakage, misplacement, slippage, etc.) and sometimes the reasons remain obscure. 

I just know that, for me, this little gizmo is the answer to every prayer I've ever had about losing weight.   BUT ....  and this is a VERY BIG BUT ....

I have also had to entirely change my life, my lifestyle, and my eating habits.  So, if you are not prepared to do that, then DO NOT have this sugery.

The lapband WILL NOT prevent you from eating all the things that made you fat in the first place.

The lapband WILL NOT make you get out of bed to walk for an hour in the cold, dark morning or make you put on those sweats at 5 pm and head to the gym.

The lapband, as has been said countless times before, is not a magic bullet - no WLS is - it is just one tool that can help you achieve your weight loss goals, but ONLY if you use it as it was intended to be used.

I was self-pay and opted to use a high-end clinic that specialized in lapband surgery ONLY instead of saving myself a few bucks and heading to an assembly-line WLS shop in a third-world country.  I have never regretted that decision and continue to receive the absolute best care and support from my team at Northwest.  That is another reason why I believe my band has worked - the surgeon who installed it has thousands of lapband surgeries under her belt and knows her stuff inside out and backwards.  If I could only give a newbie one piece of advice, it would be to know and trust your surgeon and your clinic.  That's every bit as important, if not moreso, as following band rules for the rest of your life.  And remember that if, for whatever reason, your lapband does NOT perform as expected, then it is your SURGEON'S responsibility to find out why not.  And that's just not practical when you're in Topeka and your surgeon is in Timbuktu.

This tool has saved my life, and I am very, very grateful.

Well said!

Thank you for posting this!  My BMI was over 48 when I started looking into getting my band and I was 59.  I had surgery in May at the age of 60.5 and have lost 40 lbs since surgery....I feel so much better and have resolved many of the issues that kept me from enjoying and participating in life!

I too lost weight on my 2 week vacation (Maui), almost 2 lbs and have lost a couple of pounds since getting home.  Something about the sun seems to jump start me again.

I know that with your positive attitude you will continue to lose and reach your goal!

"The lapband WILL NOT make you get out of bed to walk for an hour in the cold, dark morning or make you put on those sweats at 5 pm and head to the gym"

Well said!  My band didn't drag me out to run in the 30 degree wind this morning, but it definitely helped give me the option to get myself out there! 
Congratulations on reaching Onederland!  I am proud of you!

Hi Rainbow
I too am prob one of the oldest on this board to undergo WLS.  Haven't had it yet but will be soon.   I am 62!   I also am going to a wonderful bariatric program at a nearby hosp here in Fl.
I have heard only good things and the dr has done oodles of surgeries.  The aftercare from what I am told is wonderful also.  I somehow think that is majorly important.   Just like this website, we need all the support we can get.  I intend to stick with the aftercare program and support groups at the hosp and on here.   When I asked them if there was an age limit, because I was asking for a friend who is 70 they said there was nothing set in stone.  You're doing great and I hope it continues for you with no probs.  That's what we all wish, right?

Lyn.

Loved your post.  My Dr didn't bat an eye and I am over 65 years old.   I truely believe this procedure will greatly extend my life.  I have longevity on my side with 90 year old parents but I have several co-morbibities that could  really work against me if left unchecked. 

I look forward to 30 more years without high blood pressure, sleep apnea and constant aches.

Well said!!  My BMI was at 51 when I had my lapband. 

It is indeed a very hard tool, and YOU have to do the work, the band is just a tool to help you.  It won't help you unless you help yourself. 

If I didn't have the band, or WLS done, I would probably be going upward towards 400!! Yikes! I am still terrified of having RNY done. 

 AMEN to everything you said.
It is a tool and a magic wand. 
Yay for you!
Wendy

I am so proud of you and so happy for you.  You made me smile!!  BTW, I don't think you're OLD by any means!  My grams is 90, so put that into your equation for old LOL

Well Guernica, if you're only as old as you feel, then I'm freakin 17 years old again!!!!  Thanks for the kind words - you're doing pretty well yourself, despite your medical obstacles - just more proof that there's no obstacle that can't be overcome with dedication and hard work.  We are all very proud of YOU, too!