band vs gb question

ethansgrandma · December 16, 2005

good morning everyone. i have a question for you all. as i stated previously, my husband and i are gonna go thru this together. however, he has not yet made up his mind if he is going to do the band or gb. i talked with him yesterday and was telling him about everything i read just yesterday on this board regarding that. he said that he is just afraid of still being hungry and with the gb some kind of hunger craving whatever is supposedly taken away. and he is looking to drop weight pretty fast, he already has a back fracture caused by his weight. i told him i would support him either way but i really wish he would do the band. help me out here guys. thanks

cauerba · December 16, 2005

Bypass Is Dangerous. It Was Proven Years Down The Line There Was Still Complications.

C

doubletrouble · December 16, 2005

Maybe I can help you. I have the lap band and my husband had GB along with his mother and his father. I can tell you why I did lap band. I am a nurse and have seen GB that have gone bad I could go on and tell you the morbid details but you can just go on the internet to do that. The band was out patient and if it goes wrong you can take it out. My family all suffered with intense pain for about 2 weeks after there surgery. I had very minimal discomfort. GB and lapband have the same goal. LB is a slower weight loss and does envolve more will power. GB weight loss is faster because say I ate a turkey sandwhich and my husband did too, my sandwhich goes through my entire digestive system. My husband is missing about half of his digetive system (hense the term bypass) so my body took in all of the fat and calories were his took in half. My husband did awesome with his bypass and has lost 180 pound but has said numerous times the he wishes he was aware the LB. This is a personal choice for each of you. The GB is 95% more risky than the LB. We had small children to keep in mind and they need parents (fat or skinny). I do not want to tell your husband what to do, however if he as patience the LB can be just as successful as the GB. My husband also had huge health issues (as most of us do) so the surgery makes it that much more of a risk. But we are a gastric bypass and a lap band household. In the end we both have lost weight and that is the goal. Also, I had LB in Aug a week before my father in law had GB he has lost 65 pounds and I have lost 73 pounds so it is possible to loose weight just as fast or faster than GB.

P.S. I know it sounds good but I would stager you surgery and not have it at the same time if possible. There are complications as we have all told you :>

Jachut · December 16, 2005

I just cannot understand why you wouldnt try the lapband first. Its reversible, its way less complicated and if it works for you it means a healthier and more enjoyable lifestyle. Who wants to lose their weight at the expense of their health?. Even with really pressing reasons to get the weight off, losing a lot of weight very quickly is probably worse for your body than a lot of the conditions its intended to cure. Its well known that you're better off to stay a modest 30lb overweight than to yo-yo back and forth gaining and losing for example.

I dont believe that even with all the problems that have become apparent that the band is very risky. The USA is a very very large country and on a US based forum, you are going to hear about them. The Australian ones I visit for example, of course have way less members and its only the very odd problem that you hear about.

I just dont see that you have much to lose in trying the lap band before having GBP surgery.

DeLarla · December 16, 2005

Do yourself a favor and call your local hospitals and bariatric centers since most (from what I understand) offer some sort of seminar for weight loss surgery. I've heard of many seminars all over the coutry that discuss Bypass vs. Band. I attended one here in Las Vegas, where band surgeons are extremely limited. The seminars are free, but they don't cover everything. Call up band doctors - the good ones will be the ones willing to discuss all your issues and concerns. Take everything you read at this board with a grain of salt, because we all have different opinions, and there aren't many medical professionals around here.

Now get on the phone! Good luck with your decision.

DeLarla · December 16, 2005

"The GB is 95% more risky than the LB."

I don't know if this percentage is accurate, but I do agree that Gastric Bypass is far more dangerous - I don't think anyone could argue that.

ethansgrandma · December 19, 2005

thank you everyone for the imput. i agree with all of you in that the lb would be much better. however, i just have to convince my hubby of this. we have already talked with the docs at scottsdale barriatric and they will leave it up to him. in the long run, i am just hoping and praying he chooses the lb. again thanks for the info. there is so much info on this board. i love it!