Hard Choice

[lukesdiesel 2]

My Ins will cover both LapBand and Gastric (RNY). I had my first visit with the Doctor Thursday. With the weight I need to lose he is really pushing me to do Gastic. Now hes not being overly pushy I can just tell that he really thinks Gastric will be better for me. I haven't totally decided on which route to go but I still feel like the LapBand would be better for me. Guess I will wait and decide when I actually get to talk to the Surgeon that is doing the Surgery.

Luke

[zeniada 9]

I cant tell you which one is best for you but I can say that I got the Lap Band because I personally did not want my stomach cut up and I didnt want to have the problems that come along with bypass. I have 2 kids and a husband that depend on me and didnt want to take the chance of problems arising from the bypass. So far I am 6 weeks post op and am doing well I have lost 12 lbs now thats not a lot compared to others but I am happy with it and know that once I get my fills under my belt I'll lose better. Good luck on your choice.

[claire0823 0]

My doctor was the same way. He pretty much told me that I would not be able to lose as much weight as I wanted to with the lapband and that I wouldn't keep it off. I chose to have the Lapband because like the other post, I didn't want the problems that come along with bypass. I'm 5'10" and started at 298lbs. I'm currently at 179 (just gained 7lbs after being unfilled and having been filled too tight but thats a whole OTHER story! LOL) I'm at 119lbs lost and hope to get the last 24lbs off after my next fill and with lots of exercise! I was banded in December of 2008.

My fiance started at 379lbs and he is at 190lbs today which is a loss of 189lbs. He was banded in June 2009. Being a man, he lost it faster and easier than me. He has been very happy with his decision to have the lapband. (He considered bypass at one point). I think I saw you have 130lbs or so to lose and its totally do-able with the band. Ultimately, its YOUR decision, not your surgeon's. In my personal opinion, I saw the lapband as a healthier, less risky alternative to bypass. I was scared to have someone re-route my intestines! I've been totally happy with my decision to have the band and not the bypass.

There is a post in this section called "How the band really works" or something to that affect. Even after being banded for this long, I still found it extremely insightful and interesting. You might want to read it to help make your decision. Hope this helps!

[lukesdiesel 2]

I am not a very patient person when it comes to weight loss. I like to see results in a short time. I can do good on a diet. I just have a hard time sticking to one after I hit the plateau. I guess everyone is different as I see lots of different results. I see so many different results with the LapBand it kinda makes me wonder if it will work for me.

[btrieger 21]

I am not a very patient person when it comes to weight loss.

Great! then you'll be happy if you gain every bit back in a short time too.

I like to see results in a short time. I can do good on a diet. I just have a hard time sticking to one after I hit the plateau. I guess everyone is different as I see lots of different results. I see so many different results with the LAP-BAND® it kinda makes me wonder if it will work for me.

Surgery is not a quick fix. Whether it be lapband or gastric-throw-most-of-a-major-organ-in-the-trash-and-reroute-your-digestive-system.

Both involve a lifestyle change. With the lapband you check in regularly with your surgeon. With throw-your-organ-away, you are on your own for the most part.

There is no such thing as a panacea when it comes to weight loss. If you want it to happen and you want to keep it off, you are going to have to work at it for the rest of your life.

The lapband will help your do this with Portion Control.< /p>

The other thing will just take time but will stretch back to its original size unless you change your lifestyle.

What? Me opinionated? Are you kidding?

[lauragshsu 6]

My friend had bypass. She almost died (after being in a coma for two weeks). Guess what? she only lost 45lbs or so and ended up having another surgery to have the band placed over her bypass stomach.

[Tsaleen 1]

I am not a very patient person when it comes to weight loss. I like to see results in a short time. I can do good on a diet. I just have a hard time sticking to one after I hit the plateau. I guess everyone is different as I see lots of different results. I see so many different results with the LAP-BAND® it kinda makes me wonder if it will work for me.

Luke,

If you lack discipline, are not patient, tend to cheat on diets, then gastric banding may not be for you. Especially if you are a snacker.

The band is a tool, I would be worried for you to get the band and then sabatouge yourself. It is a commitment to lifestyle change and better eating habits.

My problem is, and hopefully won't always be, Portion Control. I eat most of the right things just have a tendancy to overeat my last meal of the day. I am also very athletic so I knew once I could drop some of this excess weight I would be getting back into the swing of exercise!

[lukesdiesel 2]

I'm not really a big snacker nor do I really care much about sweets. My biggest issues are portion sizes and the types of food I eat. I know that with either Surgery I have to make a life style change and that the weight is not just going to fall off.

I have to mentally teach myself that if I mess up one time its not the end of the world and to keep on working hard.

[btrieger 21]

I'm not really a big snacker nor do I really care much about sweets. My biggest issues are portion sizes and the types of food I eat. I know that with either Surgery I have to make a life style change and that the weight is not just going to fall off.

I have to mentally teach myself that if I mess up one time its not the end of the world and to keep on working hard.

By taking things slowly it makes it much easier to transition to a permanent change.

Don't wait for surgery or even until you make up your mind to have either surgery.

Start right now.

Take your usual serving and then take 5; 10 or 20% of it off of the plate before and throw it away before sitting down to eat.

Take smaller spoonfuls or cut the pieces smaller than you usually do.

Chew it longer and enjoy the taste before swallowing.

You'll be amazed at how much of a difference that will make.

Learn to not eat unless you are sincerely hungry.

I did that and lost 95 pounds in 5 months prior to surgery and didn't go hungry the whole time.

Edited October 3, 2010 by btrieger

[annieM 2]

My husband has the gastric bypass. He has to wake up a few hours early every day so that the stinky diarrhea will be eliminated by the time he goes to work. He has had quite a bit of weight regained but remains "cured" of his diabetes. He did lose a lot very quickly, but he is very careful to take buckets of Vitamins every day and still is deficient in some vitamins. He has lost quite a bit of hair. He also has had three broken bones because of osteopenia. It's a surgery that is inducing a disease state on your body and you will have to "treat" that disease for the rest of your life or suffer severe consequences. I'm not a fan but he refuses to change his habits so that was the surgery for him.

The lap-band only controls your hunger so you eat less. If you normally shovel massive amounts of food in at meal times and don't graze much, this surgery will really help without messing with any of the Vitamin absorbing structures of the gut as the other two surgeries do (RNY patients tend to be anemic because they lose a portion of their stomach which absorbs the iron). Nothing is easy. Don't ever confuse success with ease. But there is a lot to be said for safe and healthful.

[jensmallwood 0]

I would recommend finding a psychiatrist or psychologist who understands about both surgeries and what they require on the part of the patient who you can talk to about the whole thing. They can help you figure out if you're a more appropriate candidate for one, the other or neither.

[BetsyB 9]

When you talk to the surgeon, spend some time with him discussing how and what you eat. If you were to journal your food intake for a period of time before your appointment (fitday.com is a good site, but there are many), it will help him get a really good idea of what "kind" of eater you are.

BMI isn't the only criterion that should be used to decide what surgery to have. The long-range results for both gastric banding and gastric bypass are about the same. (Yes, you lose more rapidly with bypass---but overall, the outcomes are similar.)

It is more important to identify which surgery with which your eating style is best aligned.

My doctor paid a lot of attention to my eating history. I did have food journals for him to look over---and in the end, he told me he thought I was a much better candidate for banding.

Your doctor may reach a different conclusion---but you can help him reach the right conclusion with you if you give him as much information as possible.