New York, NY – The families of two New York women who received lap-band surgery—a procedure meant to help severely obese people lose weight—are suing their respective hospitals where their kin received the surgery, after both women died due to surgical complications, claiming the lap-band was defective.
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They went under the knife to get thin, but never lived long enough to lose the weight.
The girls decided to undergo the invasive procedure after attending a seminar, and one mother said, “The whole thing is that people think it’s very safe, and neither of our daughters were so morbidly obese.”
They’re suing Allergan and NY Presbyterian Healthcare System and Lawrence Hospital Center.
The Food and Drug Administration says the procedure is meant for severely obese adults with another unhealthy condition, like diabetes.
The FDA says the surgery “is used for weight loss in severely obese adults who have been obese for at least five years and for whom non-surgical weight loss methods have not been successful. They must be willing to make major changes in their eating habits and lifestyle. Patients must have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 40, a BMI of at least 35 with one or more severe morbid (unhealthy) conditions, or be at least 100 pounds over their estimated ideal weight.” Severely obese adults who have developed another condition, like diabetes, may also be candidates for the procedure.
Neither woman met those specifications, their mothers said, and had signed up for the surgery after attending an informational seminar on lap-band procedures.
How can they sue after they signed disclaimer before being operated….Every person who goes under the knife knows that there is a danger involved and thats why they sign a waiver ….I havent read the lawsuit and i am nit an attorney but would like to see what their claim is…
Ever heard of exercize? You chose to take the easy way out….no sympathy from me. You assumed the risk of the surgery
i know 2 women who had this procedure,lost weight initially and managed to gain back most of the weight.
Rx for countering morbid obesity:
Less kugel and more exercise.
Simple and cheap.
If you have never been overweight, then you have no idea how difficult it is to shed extra pounds. Everyone’s body works differently and has different capacity at burning calories and keeping the body feeling energetic. None of these surgeries have a lifetime guarantee and the doctors will all tell you that if you don’t work to change your lifestyle and food choices you will gain it back. The fact that these two girls died is tragic and it will be up to a jury to decide whether or not there was negligence involved. Two girls dying at the same facility should raise some concerns.
More exercise? There are Modesty Patrols by the gym taking pictures of who goes in. Men who go to the gym are afraid of not getting a shidduch because they are wasting time in the gym instead of learning.
I had the procedure done 4 years ago at NYU & I know dozens of others I can tell you it works & only if you play around by loosening it do you regain weight. Obviously I don’t know what happened with those girls but you should go to an experienced institution to do it. I know many people who have lost hundreds of pounds with it.
Believe it or not, this procedure is safer than gastric-bypass, which everyone is running for. Bypass -about 1 in 100 die from it.
#2 & #6 : your comments are offensive and not correct. “Less kugel and more exercise” is excellent advice for most people. Those for whom a proper diet and exercise are an effective recipe for keeping their weight reasonable should thank Hashem for the wonderful functioning of their body. There are others with various disorders who cannot control their weight by simply eating less and exercising more. Obesity is a complicated disease, sometimes the result of a lack of self control, but often the result of other factors that are just beginning to be recognized and understood. You don’t criticize others for their baldness, poor eyesight, asthma, eczema, arthritis or G-d forbid more serious disorders. We all face challenges. Don’t feel you have the right to poke fun at others who are not as fortunate as you!
Many people do not qualify for this procedure, so they wear weights when they go for their first visit to the doctor. That to me is crazy!!!!!! Then there are those who, after having the lap-band done, they search for ways to eat without vomiting. Some dip their sandwiches into mayo and they say it slides right down. Some say they drink wine with every meal so the band stretches. Isnt that crazy?????? Aren’t you supposed to lose weight?????? I think they need to lap-band their BRAIN!
I know many people did stapling went to staples bought a staple gun and anyone with food that comes next to them they shoot they also staple all food bags
Well I heard they are now really losing weight and that within a week they will have zero fat
nyu 6 months lost 27lb. very very very happy
had it done approx 7 yrs ago. lost 70 lbs. then i developed complication. nothing
would stay down. the dr send me for upper gi and saw that my esophagus was
rejecting the band. so he loosened it and said. ” be happy you lost 70 lbs. and now
you have to loose on your own. i am gaining all the weight back slowly.
Many people have had these things and not died. It’s an unfortunate fluke, unless the hospital did anything really wrong, they should just give it up and accept reality.
3 1/2 months!30 lbs!!thrilled!!!its not magic tho!!!you still have to watch what you eat and exersize!!!
I have done it the old fashioned way.
110 pounds (four years). if you eat less and exercise more, it will come off. I have about 10 more to go.
I need to lose 100 pounds now it is a struuuuugle
My condolences to their families and relatives.
I fail to understand why the Frum population turns a blind eye to obesity. It is almost as if it is an individual problem, however it is a community issue. There is almost no time scheduled during the day or night for excercise. The average person in yeshiva and post yeshiva is not doing any excercise. The frum lifestyle has no place for it. We are giving 100 mishloac manos to people (the bigger the better) and it must be finished in 3 weeks as pesach approaches. Every shabbos many shuls have a large kiddush and then people go home and are expected to eat again. Take a stroll at night to the many parks in Brooklyn and you see few if any people excercising. The Rabbis and the Agudah need to spearhead this idea. More and more people are getting diabetes and heart disease. In my opinion, everyone needs to excercise daily just as we need to daven daily.
It is funny people here are saying to lose weight. Jewish community has a big weight problem, if you are jewish you fall into 3 categories. 3 for men and 3 for women.
Men: 1. Over weight jewish male, most of the weight in the abdomen with skinny legs (too much cholent) 2. fit, does basic exercises at the gym, pushups, treadmill, and biceps (barely works out the legs) and 3. The skinny guy, who smokes cigarettes, doesn’t eat much, buys a lot of Snapple and red bull
Women 1. The over weight jewish female, very wide hips, but not gluteous whatsoever, looks like a linebacker for midgets 2. the binge eater (ususally is anorexia as well, as to stay skinny because they prospect of dating, or their prospects of keeping a healthy marriage rely on their unnatural small frame. The last category is Other. Usually never see other. It is the Jewish female with an hourglass, short or medium height.
Did it 5 years ago at NYU, was 300 now 220
Did it 2 years ago when I was 18 yrs old lost 80lb happiest person since then!
I know a couple of ppl who had this lap band done. One of them my father. Three or more of hisfriends did it too. One of the lost like 120 pound in the last four months. To other lost like 50 in 2 months. For some ppl it works and for some ppl not. The doctor who did it on my father claimed that he does 10 a day and thatsin new York in one hospital and one doctor. Slot of ppl are doing it becs it does work. If two ppl died from it and they knew each oter they might he family And may have had a certain disese that ld them to to the lap band. And from my opinion is that the other thing might have cause death. Again ppl who r fat usualy have sugar problems of breathing problems.
i am IYH having the lapband this summer. it s not an invasive procedure at all. you are confusing it with gastric bypass. its an outpatient procedure done laparoscopically. the skin is the only thing that gets cut. the whole operation takes about minutes.i decided to look into after people i know had great success with it. my bmi is ad i have debilitating foot and leg pain.the fact that these women were allowed to have the surgery when they did not qualify for it, brings into question the qualifications of the surgeon.
did it the old fashioned way, lost 90lbs, 10 more to go. EXTREMELY DIFFICULT!!! especially when yuntif rolls around, SO I eat a little more on yuntif and then right after I have to watch what I eat. EXTREMELY EXTREMELY HARD!!!!!!!!
The fact is that a frum lifestyle, with its extraordinary pressures does not leave room for exercise. I get up before 6 am for daf and davening, then it is off to work. Get home 7:30 – 8pm. Eat, do home work with kids have another seder and then I am toast. I am happy that I made it through. Am I supposed to go to a gym at 11pm? I have no strength.
I wouldn’t do this procedure at all, but, I know someone who did and is very happy about it. It is not easy to lose weight and keep it off. In fact losing is easier than keeping it off. All you skinny people who tell obese people to diet and exercise don’t know what a struggle it is, so just keep your mouths shut. I lost about 60 lbs. once after exercising vigorously and watching my diet, but it is very hard work and harder to maintain for life, so I gained the weight back. I lost weight again and again gained it back. But, I still wouldn’t have any unnatural procedures done to help me lose the weight. I’d rather try diet and exercise again.
Is there a way to eat and it goes straight out
I had the old fashioned procedure done almost 9 years ago. Best thing I EVER did. BH things went well. I was almost 500# and a lost more than half my body weight before gaining some of it back (which is NORMAL!). Despite my BH success, I don’t always recommend it for others.
Guys, the lap band is NOT the “easy way out.” All it does is create a smaller opening at the top of the stomach which holds less food. It becomes difficult to overeat meat or vegetables, but ironically, soda, cookies, ice cream, and chips all slide right past the band through that opening. You could drink as many malts or eat as much ice cream as you want with the band because they slide down.
The point is, if a person loses significant amounts of weight with the lap band it’s because they chose NOT to overeat on soda, ice cream, chips, cookies, etc.
Having had the lapband surgurery over 2 years ago, I can say that it is not meant for everyone! If you don’t want to stop eating or change your lifestyle then your not a candidate. Being a proper candidate does not mean you must be 500 LB. being obese qualifies you, and believe it or not many poeple would be surprised that they are unfortunately clinically obese without realizing it.
When I did the surgery I was depressed miserable and besides for my wieght problems I could not conceive a baby. After the first year of surgery I lost 75 lbs. got pregnant naturally and BH am the healthy happy mother of a strong beautiful baby boy. And the weight keeps coming off. I have lost an additional 50lbs. since the baby while only putting on 14 lbs. during pregnancy.
The lapband is not a miracle it is a stop button for those of us who eat compulsively and dont know when to stop! Exercise is a must!!
Good Luck to anyone considering surgery for me it was a lifesaver!