| I have four friends who have had the "Lap Band" | | | | Basso warns that the weight loss is often temporary. |
| surgery in the past year. All four of them were | | | | Dr. Basso states that the success of the procedure is |
| overweight to the degree that major surgery was a | | | | entirely dependent upon the lifestyle changes the |
| justified option. All four of them recovered nicely from | | | | patient adopts during the six-month period. It was this |
| the surgery, and all four are losing weight at a good | | | | comment that convinced me to write to you about this |
| and healthy rate. Overall, their experiences have been | | | | topic. |
| very positive. | | | | Many of us want to lose a few pounds, and many of |
| Again, each of these four people were more than just | | | | us are in dire need of losing weight. The thing about |
| slightly overweight. Their own weight issues posed a | | | | the balloon, or the lap band, or any other device or |
| genuine health risk and demanded a lifestyle change. | | | | technique or procedure that promotes satiety (the |
| I am -- by no means -- endorsing surgery as a solution | | | | feeling of being satisfied or full) is that, in the end, the |
| for an overweight condition. I believe that this is a | | | | choice is ours to make a lifestyle change that will |
| decision that should be made by the individual and his | | | | make it "stick" or to revert back to old habits that |
| or her own physician, after careful consideration. I do, | | | | caused the problem in the first place. |
| however, bring up the issue for a reason that pertains | | | | Just as with climbing a mountain, it begins with the first |
| to every person fighting the Battle of the Bulge, | | | | step -- AND the first step must be in the right direction. |
| whether a candidate for surgery or not. | | | | Climbing a mountain is a series of decisions to continue. |
| I ran across an article at that highlighted an alternative | | | | After each step, the climber must choose to continue |
| to the invasive "lap band" surgery, that may serve as | | | | on toward the goal, or he or she will never reach the |
| a "safer" alternative. The procedure involves inserting a | | | | top of the mountain. |
| round silicon "balloon" into the stomach of the patient | | | | Dr. Basso states that patients considering the "balloon" |
| by slipping it through the mouth and down the throat. | | | | are first counseled and screened by a psychologist. |
| The balloon is then filled with about a pint of saline | | | | Monitoring and continued counseling are part of the |
| solution. | | | | follow-up as well. Without such counseling before and |
| The "balloon" takes up space inside the stomach, | | | | after the procedure, it is simply too easy for the patient |
| causing the patient to feel "full" sooner. It is too large to | | | | to revert back to his or her old ways. |
| slip down into the digestive tract, and -- as a safety | | | | It strikes me that many of us can use this process as |
| precaution -- it is filled with a blue dye that will show up | | | | an inspiration to lose weight and to do so sucessfully. |
| in the patient's stool if the balloon were to burst or leak. | | | | We can save the time and expense of going through |
| Far from being a permanent treatment, the balloon | | | | a surgical process and simply choose to eat slowly |
| must be drained and removed in six months, before | | | | and stop at the first sign of being full. This process is |
| the material is allowed to degrade. | | | | the very same one adopted by the patients opting for |
| Even so, the results have been encouraging so far. Dr. | | | | weight loss surgery. |
| Nicola Basso, who has performed 700 such surgeries, | | | | Okay, it's lunch time... I'm going to take the first step. Will |
| says that his patients see an average weight loss of | | | | you join me? |
| 33 to 44 pounds over six months. Interestingly, Dr. | | | | |