Surgeon gave impression Gastric bypass was better ?

[SkinnyInside=) 5]

So I had my very first meeting with my surgeon today . It went very well and ive already started the necessary testing for surgery .He seemed all for lap-band he thought i would do very well with it . However , I noticed he seemed like he was more of a fan of the Gastric Bypass result wise. He explained to me the risk of both surgeries so I understand what it means to have the bypass. I was just wondering if anyone else battled with this ? I was 100 % all for my Lap- band but now since meeting with him im kind-of second guessing myself. I have 3 months to decide which is best for me . He said and I quote " La-band takes a long long time to see actual results and thats if you diet and exercise . The bypass you will see results right away " . Now of course im thinking " if I knew how to properly diet and exercise I wouldn't be in this predicament " .

Help !

[More2Love 5]

Hey I got lap-band almost 3 weeks ago (Wednesday) and I've already lost 32 lbs. I can definitely see a difference. That is with diet and exercise. Also, I spoke to a man on here who lost like 70+ lbs in just 2 months. It really just depends on your body type and how dedicated you want to be. If you put 100% in then you'll get 100% out. Good luck with your decision!

[Phranp 46]

So I had my very first meeting with my surgeon today . It went very well and ive already started the necessary testing for surgery .He seemed all for lap-band he thought i would do very well with it . However , I noticed he seemed like he was more of a fan of the Gastric Bypass result wise. He explained to me the risk of both surgeries so I understand what it means to have the bypass. I was just wondering if anyone else battled with this ? I was 100 % all for my Lap- band but now since meeting with him im kind-of second guessing myself. I have 3 months to decide which is best for me . He said and I quote " La-band takes a long long time to see actual results and thats if you diet and exercise . The bypass you will see results right away " . Now of course im thinking " if I knew how to properly diet and exercise I wouldn't be in this predicament " .

Help !

Well it certainly does sound like he prefers gastric bypass. I would recommend that you continue doing reseach and then decide for yourself -- not because your doc prefers GB. There are soooo many people here on the lapbandtalk forum that lost their weight "fast". And, even though I am not one of them, I know that it can be done. I think the chief thing about the "diet and exercise" part is that if you change your diet and make some form of exercise a part of your life you will keep the weight off.

You cannot maintain the loss of a large amount of weight without changing your diet and, if you want your body to "look good" you're going to want to exercise to tone all that loss or else you're going to look like a bag of skin. Now, that said .. as an older person, without plastic surgery I will likely have some excess skin that I can't exercise/tone away. But, you are young and may still have much elasticity left in your skin. You just might be able to pull this off -- without plastic surgery.

And finally, I just was not ready to have my stomach rearranged when I didn't have to. I can absolutely get the same results with lapband, and yes, it may take longer; but I actually believe the old adage that says "the longer it takes to take the weight off, the longer it will stay off". But that's just me.

The decision is yours and I wish you the best with whatever you decide. Either way, there will be a healthier happier you in the end.

~Fran

[SkinnyInside=) 5]

Thank you Fran , You always make me feel better ! xo

[melzie_99 22]

So I had my very first meeting with my surgeon today . It went very well and ive already started the necessary testing for surgery .He seemed all for lap-band he thought i would do very well with it . However , I noticed he seemed like he was more of a fan of the Gastric Bypass result wise. He explained to me the risk of both surgeries so I understand what it means to have the bypass. I was just wondering if anyone else battled with this ? I was 100 % all for my Lap- band but now since meeting with him im kind-of second guessing myself. I have 3 months to decide which is best for me . He said and I quote " La-band takes a long long time to see actual results and thats if you diet and exercise . The bypass you will see results right away " . Now of course im thinking " if I knew how to properly diet and exercise I wouldn't be in this predicament " .

Help !

Your doctor is right; you WILL lose weight faster with the bypass but like others mentioned, it may not be easier to keep off in the long run. Honestly, though the slow and steady weight loss drives me crazy sometimes, I know in my heart it was the right decision for me. I am someone who NEEDS to have to work for the results, otherwise I'll learn nothing from it. Now I appreciate every pound and inch I lose because I know I've been watching what I eat and being more active. Youth is no guarantee your body will bounce back; I'm only 29 and fear I'm going to have loose skin when all is said and done. I wasn't good about diet and exercise pre band either, but once you realize eventually the weight loss will stop unless you change your habits you learn quickly! Don't let the doctor's bias sway your decision; remember there are risks with both but at least you know the band is reversible if something goes wrong. Definitely something to keep in mind...remember anything worth having is worth working for.

[vickyd 24]

You need to do the research and choose the surgery that is right for you. I started out needing to lose about 170 lbs and it was suggested to me that I look into the sleeve. I told them that I had done the research and felt strongly that lapband was right for me...they never mentioned it again.

As it turned out, I was one of the lucky ones who felt some restriction from the start...the PA at my surgeon's office told me I'm losing at the same rate as some of their bypass patients (averaging 2.9 lbs per week ) so I definitely think I made the right decision.

[AlienBandit 10]

Generally doctors like the bypass more because it is less post op work for them. Therefore many of them push for gastric because they dont need to see you for fills etc and your results will come faster = less complaining.

Yes you have to work with the band but how does losing the weight faster ( with bypass) make it better. I have done a diet before where I lost lots of weight with no effort and then when it came time to maintain my weight I couldn't because I never learned HOW to lose the weight. I just basically sat there ( and got lots of Vitamin shots) and the weight just fell off. NEVER AGAIN

My doctor has a love hate relationship with bypass. He likes the band because he can help his patients through their journey and struggles and they HAVE to come see him often. However he likes the bypass as well for patients who have a lot of weight to lose and the band might be hard to do on them.

For me with a low BMI my doctor would never let me get the bypass. He said with the same over all weight loss amount after 3 years, the band would make more sense.

I would really research both surgeries and see how you feel in the end.

[Wheetsin 714]

I know a few bariatric surgeons, and I know a few more surgeons who specialize in laparoscopic procedures, but I don't know any surgeons who favor one procedure over another because it is less work for them. I would not invest in the idea of motives too much when weighing your options.

You probably know this stuff, but consider it again, anyway. And fair warning - I suffer from a terrible case of saying it like it is. I'm not a die hard band advocate dedicated to championing the cause, and I'm far enough out that the honeymoon was over long ago.

Surgeons who offer multiple procedures tend to advocate the procedure they see giving the best results or that they feel brings the best prognosis. Of the two, that's probably RNY.

The AGB is a restrictive procedure, meaning weight is loss mainly due to decreased intake. Whatever you eat, you will "use" - be it for immediate needs or storage (fat). You are banking 100% on the band's ability to moderate your portions to the degree that you are able to achieve weightloss. I consider the AGB to be assisted Portion Control. Well, earlier on I did. It's also enforced portion type (for lots, not me specifically), and enforced portion time of day, month, weather, etc. I now call it my "warden."

RNY is a malabsorptive procedure, so there's reduced intake but there's also reduced capacity to absorb what you're digesting. You will use some of what you eat, but not all of it. Compared to AGB there's a bit of reduced responsibility here (IMO). But everything comes at a cost, e.g. AGB patients don't experience dumping. I've not had RNY but I know, personally, a large handful of people who have. All of them lost their excess weight, and most have gained some back (10 - 20 lbs seems to be their average).

With the lapband, things can go wrong. Things do go wrong all the time, and as time goes on rates of incidence are raising significantly. There's a device in your body. That's a whole other level for which things to go wrong. I know 30+ people who have been banded 5+ years and the vast majority of them have seen at least one complication, generally a slip or dysmotility. Only one erosion that I can think of. About 11 of them are still banded, and 2 of theose probably shouldn't be. I wish I could give you the same kind of "real life" reports on RNY but I just don't know.

To be fair, I was just diagnosed with a slip, but I'm a painfully objective person so please don't think I'm trying to bash or dissuade you. Too many people go into one procedure or the other without knowing what "real life" with it is like, and hit a pretty brutal reality check. I had a long honeymoon period with my band where things were great. But my confidence in them as a long-term solution is dropping drastically as each revised report of complications are released.

Alsot o be fair, you can lose weight quickly with the band. I hit my post-op low of about -175 lbs a little over two years out. The majority of that was in the first 9 - 12 months. I probably lost about 75 lbs by the 6 month mark. For the most part, I have maintained my weight for about 2.5 years now with a malfunctioning band. That's part me, and part luck -- my slip is tolerated and I still have moderate, although terribly random, restriction.

Some questions you might want to ask yourself...

How much weight do you have to lose?

Aside from the obvious, do you have any urgent need to lose it particularly quickly?

Have you ever had maintained success in an exercise program?

There are other options than AGB and RNY. Have you considered the full spectrum of procedures (or at least the full spectrum for which you have coverage and/or financing)? "Which option is right" often comes down to a few easy concepts, surrounded by a whole big bunch of thinking... Given the current data & data trends over time; not even considering "average" results; which procedure are you mentally/emotionally the most comfortable with? (This tends to reign supreme over "which procedure indicates the best likelihood for success with me?" and for any given procedure, are your hesitations or discomforts coming from things you just don't know, or the available facts?

HTH

[54Shirley 105]

So I had my very first meeting with my surgeon today . It went very well and ive already started the necessary testing for surgery .He seemed all for lap-band he thought i would do very well with it . However , I noticed he seemed like he was more of a fan of the Gastric Bypass result wise. He explained to me the risk of both surgeries so I understand what it means to have the bypass. I was just wondering if anyone else battled with this ? I was 100 % all for my Lap- band but now since meeting with him im kind-of second guessing myself. I have 3 months to decide which is best for me . He said and I quote " La-band takes a long long time to see actual results and thats if you diet and exercise . The bypass you will see results right away " . Now of course im thinking " if I knew how to properly diet and exercise I wouldn't be in this predicament " .

Help !

Before you jump out of the frying pan wright into the Fire, ask your surgeon "WHAT IS LONGIVITEY WITH THE SURGERY?" I did, and he just smiled, and said "WE DON'T KNOW ! IT HAS NOT BEEN AROUND THAT LONG, SO THAT WE WOULD HAVE DOCUMENTATION."

Well I am going to be honest, and cut no corners with you, and speak in English so that who ever reads this, understand this.

Everyone that I new that had By Pass Surgery is now in the GROUND, They had a problem with Malabsorption, and as a result in the long run

died from starvation, some had medical issues, and the medicine could not be absorbed, and have died. Even a cousin of mine who was in the Hospital frequently getting Iron Infusions, has died because she was never hungry, just nauseated, As a result she like the rest starved.

I went to a funeral parlor and seen the body of someone that my neighbor new, she was all bones, I thought Cancer... He broke down, and told me that they new each other since kindergarten, and that people were always down on her because she was heavy. (I HAD SEEN THIS BEFORE, AND NOT A NEW STORY AT ALL.) She had the Bypass, and it killed her. That was just last year. So I would definitely get it in writing then when they cut out 25" of Intestines, and re route your guts, that you will live a long healthy life. Not just that you will be Medication Free, and you will get thinner faster.

So do your Homework ! If 1 Red Flag goes up in you. Don't do it.

[Jack 855]

Great well balanced summary by Wheetsin!!!

We can all find excuse/reason to justify whatever decision we think we made rationally. And like Vegas, what ever game you play you do not have certainty of what the result will be. The best we can do regardless of our own misgivings, is to DO SOMETHING that benefits us in the middle and longer term.

Personally I was terrified at ANY of the choices then available in 2004 for my own situation. Given the results today ("still 30# from goal") there is no question my health has been HUGELY improved by what I did. I truly believe the Band saved my life! Perhaps any other WLS would also have accomplished that too.

In any event, Morbid Obesity was killing me. The only question was whether I would have stroked out, gone blind or died of cardiac arrest first.

The worst day postOp for me has been better than the best preOp day of the preceding 10 years.

Continue your research and get all the answers you need. Do what it takes to become not Morbidly Obese and the 'house odds' are much in your favor that your life will be far better in many ways.

cheers on your journey

[SkinnyInside=) 5]

Thank you everyone for your insight . I really do appreciate the honesty .

xo

[Rachel412 116]

I go to support groups at my surgeon's office, and it's a mix of bypass and banded patients. Every time I hear the bypass people talk about the weight just FALLING OFF and how amazing it is and how easy and how great they feel and I go home feeling like a failure for "only" losing 24 pounds in my first 2 months. But I always get back to the point that I am proud of myself for how hard I'm working, and *I* am in control of my weight loss. Not the band. Not the surgery. ME.

I like having that personal accountability, because I can truly feel proud with what I've done. I personally see bypass or the sleeve as "easier" than the band. The band helps me but *I* am responsible for what I put in my mouth, and I sure can eat plenty of junk if I want to.