Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Step by step: Losses add up

The LA Times is following a brother and sister who tipped the scales at close to 600 pounds each before having Lap-Band surgery last year.

Lap-Band is an adjustable gastric band (think of a bicycle inner tube) that cinches the stomach to limit the amount of food eaten at one time and the speed of which it is digested. Lap-Band patients tend to lose weigh more slowly than gastric-bypass patients and the procedure is considered minimally invasive and is also reversible.

Sheila and Cyrus Tehrani refinanced their childhood home to pay for their procedures. After losing about 150 pounds in the last year, Sheila needed to have a panniculectomy -- or excess belly skin removed -- to help keep her active. The hanging apron of skin was impairing her ability to walk. During the procedure, doctors removed almost 50 pounds of excess skin and repaired a hernia Sheila didn't even know she had.

To read the entire article click here: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-superobese6jun06,1,7135581.story?page=1&coll=la-headlines-california

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