Lap Band Vs. Gastric

[HarleyRidingGrandma 0]

Hi. My name is Cheryl and I am a 54 yr. old wife, mother and grandmother. I have been married for 33 yrs. My husband and I love to travel and we are avid Harley riders. We have 2 grown sons and a 9 yr. old grandson who is absolutely the light of my life.

I started this process quite some time ago...we have Kaiser and there was a long wait list.....I was on it a year before my name came up. I was approved and had my first intake appt. and was set up to start my 6 weeks of classes. A few weeks before the classes, I was injured in a car accident and have been in treatment and/or physical therapy for the last 7 months, so everything else was put on hold. I have another intake appt. in 2 days and classes starting in 2 weeks. One of my dear friends had gastric bypass in August and I did not see her after that procedure, until last month (they live across the country from us). We meet in Florida once a year for a cruise. I was amazed when I saw her....she was down 100 lbs. in those 5 months and her success pushed me to continue my journey.

I was going to have gastric but after reading the mortality rates of GBS as compared to those rates for LB and also about the lower recovery times, complications, etc. I am leaning towards lap-band. I also would rather not have an overnight hospital stay, if possible. I found this forum via a Google search and I look forward to getting to know you guys and using your experiences to help me "weigh out" my decision.

[NWgirl 574]

welcome! The things to keep in mind when comparing the two are they are very different. Gastric is a one stop shop- surgery ans you're done. It has more complication risks due to the rerouting of the internals. You can also stretch the pouch after the year or two honeymoon period when the stomach relaxes. This cannot be fixed.

the lapband is a quick procedure that is usually done on an outpatient basis barring complications. It is slower weight loss to start and does require pretty constant aftercare. After approx 3 years, lapband and gastric are comparable in weight loss. It does not require any removal or rerouting of organs.

consider your options and look into both surgeries pros and cons. Good luck!