I just came across this news article and thought I would share it with you.
A 10 year old boy in India who originally weighed 280 lbs, now weighs 154 lbs, after having gastric banding surgery. It appears from the article that the parent made the choice to get the band, not the child.
As I've said many times before, weight loss with the band is very much a mental game.
I don't think that I had the mental capacities and determination at 10 years old to follow the rules of the band. At 10 years old, I was focused on playing with my Cabbage Patch Dolls and watching "Jem & the Holograms".
Also, did you hear that Allergan (the manufacturer of the Lap Band) is looking to get FDA approval to have teenagers get the Lap Band? Here's an article for your perusal. Keep in mind that teenagers can currently get a gastric band with parental signature/approval.
What do you think?
A 10 year old boy in India who originally weighed 280 lbs, now weighs 154 lbs, after having gastric banding surgery. It appears from the article that the parent made the choice to get the band, not the child.
As I've said many times before, weight loss with the band is very much a mental game.
I don't think that I had the mental capacities and determination at 10 years old to follow the rules of the band. At 10 years old, I was focused on playing with my Cabbage Patch Dolls and watching "Jem & the Holograms".
At ten years old, I never thought about what I should or shouldn't be eating and whether I had taken my vitamins and whether or not I had enough protein for the day. I was not mentally ready for the band until the old age of 29. But that's me.
What do you think?
Whaaaa? Subject to the caveat that I realize I don't know the whole story, that is CRAZY!! How about if the parents .. I don't know.. feed their small child healthy foods and offer him an active lifestyle?! It's not like he got up to 280 in a year.. they must have been overfeeding him his whole life.
ReplyDeleteWow! I dont know what I would do if I were in the parents position. Very interesting blog today to give us all something to think about.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how fast he lost all that weight and if when he is an adult he will have learned how to be successful.
Wow, this really is a ton to think about. I was a fat child and a fat teen. I wonder if I would have had a different childhood or teenage hood if I had the opportunity to get the band sooner. Or like you say in your comments, would I have had the maturity to follow all the rules with water, protein, exercise etc. I doubt it really. I think it's the parent's responsibility overall to raise the child in a healthful environment.
ReplyDeleteI've not read the story yet but feel the need to point out that the paper that published the story is a crappy middle age miserable publication which is generally known as the Daily Hate!
ReplyDeleteAnd, the comments are generally nasty and probably best avoided!
Have just read the article and am looking at the comments.
ReplyDeleteThis is ironic but sums up the Daily Mail completely:
"I can feel the hate building up: he's fat, he's foreign, his parents have got more money than me..."
What would concern me is that a 10-year-old child is still growing. What are they going to do when he hits his teens and sprouts up? I mean, will his stomach grow as a natural part of growth, and will the band then be dangerously tight?
ReplyDelete10 years old seems very young since this does need to be a personal decision. The youngest person we have helped with a lap band was a 14 year old girl. This was about 2 years ago and she is doing fantastic. She no longer is getting teased and is leading a happy teenager life. Surgery took place in Mexico, where they have significant experience doing lapbands on teenagers since Mexico is the #1 country in the world regarding childhood obesity.
ReplyDeletewww.worldmedassist.com
when i read the begining of this i was like well..if the kid was that heavy than who am i to say he didn't need medical intervention. but you make an excellent point about the mental commitment it takes. and that fact is you're right, a 10yr old absolutely doesn't have the mental understanding of what it takes. he's 10!! he's not expected to know that shit or to have that kind of control. its gonna be all on his mom.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! Thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteA 10 year old might not make the best decisions about his diet, but his parents are the ones buying the food deciding what to put on his plate. It sounds like in addition to the lap band he is also eating right now and exercising. A tough lesson to learn for both him and his parents but at least they are all on the right track now. I wish them all the best of health. Take care.
ReplyDeleteWhaaaaaaaaaat? Wow. I don't understand.
ReplyDeleteVERY interesting post! I can't say I was mentally ready for the band and I was 34!! It's definitely a mental challenge as much or more than a physical one when it comes to the band...
ReplyDeleteHeather
gettingbacktoskinnymini.blogspot.com
Obese at 10 means Mommy, turn off his x-box and make him get on his x-bike!
ReplyDeleteI had no weight problems till 30. (then I ballooned!) Coincidentally right about when I started a desk job.
They always listened gastric band hypnosis app to his audio hypnosis CD every day for five days to fit their virtual gastric band, before moving on to a system of motivation hypnosis CDs to help them change the way they think about food.
ReplyDelete