http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/he...nts#permid=107

it's about WLS in young people. in this young lady's case, her doc first suggested it to her when she was 17, but she didn't have the surgery until she was 19. interesting story.

but the COMMENTS!!! oy vey!

I kind of feel disgusted that her first doctor told her there was no way she could lose the weight. A common misconception people have about WLS is that just because you have a reduced stomach size means you can eat whatever you want. As this article shows, it's not true. I figure if I have to change my eating habits with or without the surgery, then I wouldn't have opted for it at her weight. She's only about 2 inches shorter and started out 20 lbs heavier than I did... so I just didn't feelit was a make or break situation.

Due to the slow internet I can't even read the second page.

But, for me it is disheartening that at such a young age, the girl had to undergo surgery.

Aren't there any other alternative that the girl can do besides surgery? I think that there 1001 ways of losing weight and surgery might be something that you should avoid until you've tried them all.

Ugh, the comments on just about any article regardinf WLS or obesity are pretty much always disgusting and infuriating. Not to mention, they show how ridiculously UNeducated the general public actually is, even when trying to sound intelligent...

I will say I don't think the band is the best option for young people; I would peronally opt for the VSG if it were up to me. Making the stomach smaller without reducing hunger would only frustrate most young people, whereas the VSG tends to make patients much less hungry due to the removal of a large amount of ghrelin-producing tissue. The band also has the highest re-operation rate due to long-term complications/issues, so by placing it in young people, you're practically guaranteeing them another surgery in the future (even Allergan's website states that the Lap Band is NOT intended to be a life-long product).

I am NOT opposed to surgery for young people in general, though I think it requires more thoeough evaluation and screening beyond the joke of a psych eval most of us have to go through as adults (I honestly think most adults should have to go through more stringent evaluation and screening for WLS as well). I do think 14 is crazy young, but this girl was 19. I think 18+ should be the standard unless there are MAJOR health reasons to intervene at a younger age.

I had surgery when I was 26. Most would think I was quite young. However, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at age 25. Maybe if I'd had surgery at 19, I never would have developed the diabetes. Just because these younger patients don't have additional comorbidities doesn't mean they're not well on their way toward developing them, and isn't a large part of the science of medicine PREVENTIVE medicine?

I was obese basically my whole life. No, diet and exercise are not enough when your metabolism is already compromised by the age of 12, or you're insulin resistant by the age of 14, or you're already an active kid but fail to achieve or maintain a healthy weight. I took dance lessons as a kid, played softball, participated in show choirs (dancing), participated in drama (if you've never been in a full-length musical, belive me, those rehearsals can be a better workout than Zumba classes!), etc., but continued gaining weight throughout middle school and high school, despite also doing home exercise videos and attending TOPS meetings with my mother. If you think sturggling with morbid obesity as an adult is difficult, it's just as hard, if not harder, when you're young and also faced with the ridiculous amounts of peer pressure and desire to be "normal" and fit in. Quite frankly, it's less ostricizing to be fat than to go to Denny's with your friends and order a salad with light dressing on the side, no cheese, no croutons, while everyone else chows down on loaded cheese fries and mozzarella sticks.

the fact that the girl was 19 at surgery was really interesting. lapband isn't approved for teenagers [under the age of 18] - only gastric bypass is, despite Allergan's best efforts to date. i suspect that the lapband approval will be there eventually, but IMO, that's because it fits in with Allergan's overall mission as a cosmetic surgery company [and they show no signs of changing - this is, after all, the company that actually got a product approved by the FDA for lengthening and thickening your eyelashes!]

i know we all wish that surgery wouldn't be necessary for any of us, but let's face it - sometimes it's the only answer. we have to be sure that it's the right surgery for the right person, and that people receive the oh-so-necessary counseling before, during, and after.

it's gonna be a bumpy ride through this!

As a lapbander, I cannot imagine a teenager getting one. I actually can't imagine most teens having surgery of any type. I would think they would have to have some pretty extensive and intensive counseling. Most teens I know, and I work with kids every day, just don't have the maturity to deal with WLS and its long term consequences. Heck, there's lots of days I don't and I'm an old broad! The lapband is easy to eat around and takes a lot of effort to work it. I'm not saying it's not worth it, but I don't think teens have the ability to understand what they're getting into with any weight loss surgery. Very interesting article and comments, Jif!

Chickadee

Better for her to have it now than suffer with obesity issues for the next 15 years until others think she is old enough. It is a last resort, not anyone's first choice.

Even at 19 don't you think she's tried them all?? I'm sure at the same age I'd been on dozens of diets and exercise regimes.

Ugh, by 19, I'd been on Atkins, South Beach, "the grapefruit diet," Slim Fast, Dexatrim, resticted-calorie diets, went to gyms, went to TOPS meetings, met with a nutritionist...and I'm willing to bet any amount of money that all of that dieting and weight swings did more harm than good for my metabolism in the long run, and none of them were realistic for a teenager in today's US society to stick to for the long haul.

I'll also add to this line of thought: why should people have to exhaust all options that are known to be less effective before being offered a proven-to-be-more-effective tool? When someone has cancer, do we say, "Well, we could operate and remove the tumor, but surgery is risky, so you should really try ALL of these other less effective treatments first." By the time you try those other treatments and finally opt for surgery, there may be irreversible damage done - in both scenarios. And in neither scenario is sugery a guaranteed success, but at least it offers a higher CHANCE of success.

by 19 I had lost and gained more than 240lbs already. I was great at losing it, it was the maintaining part that didn't work. I have never stayed around the same weight my 40+ years...until now! Though I don't think I would have been ready for the lifestyle changes of GBP in my teens or even my 20's (I believe I needed food to get me through the rough times of recovery from other addictions that were more pressing at the time), I still hold on to the wish that I had done WLS sooner.

It is the Judgmental attitude of people that think they know what is best for someone else that gets me, maybe because I am not like that anymore. I now understand that if you have truly educated yourself, you can make the right decision for you. Some people think they have the right to tell anyone what they think even when the opinion is not solicited. I feel it's not only rude, but shows their own immaturity, something an eight year old might do.

It will be interesting if they follow this case for a few more years. I think that would prove to be a valuable study.

Angela

Angela, it is the moral superiority that drives me bonkers. As if losing weight with WLS somehow makes me somehow lesser than others. Many of these folks will also be the first to judge an overweight person for being fat, and then will turn around and judge them for using WLS to lose weight.

Grrr..

Why I have told very few people about having surgery. I don't need others to judge me.

that's one of the things that bothers me as well - so many people truly believe that people who are overweight are lazy and stupid, and then after we have struggled for years and then decide to take advantage of the best choice that modern medicine has FOR US, we're judged as taking the easy way out or mutilating ourselves. not to mentioned being misinformed.

I didn't have surgery but I seriously considered it. I know a couple of people who did have the surgery - lap band and a gbp. It still requires a huge lifestyle change. Too many people think that one just recovers from the surgery and then loses weight by magic. Bless you all - you know the truth.

That is the misconception....we can eat whatever we want and still lose weight. It is not true and yet WLS was vital to my losing weight and keeping it off as much as I have. I would do it 100 times if I had to!

But there are so many people that are quick to categorize people and make snap decisions as to their strength of resolve, who they are or their level of importance, and do it in a matter of minutes. I swear it took my years to figure out who I am! I would only ask that anyone take more than a few minutes to judge my value as a person.

Angela