Stomach bypass operation best for extreme obesity

[Becka 0]

Great point Funny Duddies I agree with you 100%

[Nykee 13]

for me personally, I mean it like I have an addiction to drinking sugar and thats impossible to do with the GB.. and very possible with the lapband..

I DONT know if I would do anything to sabotage the GB

OR

if The dumping syndrom and the impossible size of the stomach to withstand all the liquids I drink at a time, would be what I need to succeed,

I THINk its what I need to succeed..

Its drastic.. its not the best, I KNOW that.. but I think it would of been best option FOR ME..

I dont think I am determined to fail..

But I am also not willing to 'do my part'.. obviouslly thats true when I DONT do my part..

I dont force anything past my band.... I dont have PB's and golf balls and all that.. I STOP when it feels the slightest bit weird and I call that "tight"..

this fact makes me feel I am not being completely self destructive, but that I am still unable to control my junk food (candy and chips) and sugar liquids that I have been eating all my life.. even food to me was sugar or junk (tomatoe Soup, nachos)... I almost never ate meals before..

anyway..

[3loves 0]

I find this article very interesting (not that I would have read it outside of here) in that it is so biased to bypass and not very objective. Look at this first sentence and notice how they seem to glorify bypass and yet make the lapband seems like putting a rubber band on the stomach and that's it....end of story for the band.

Although technically more challenging, laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, a common type of stomach bypass operation, provides greater weight loss in severely obese patients than does placing a plastic band around the stomach to make it smaller, new research shows.

It is MORE than a plastic band and it serves a bigger purpose than to make the stomach smaller, like create a pouch that SLOWLY allows food to flow through. Let's see, they could have said a silicon band with an interior for saline fill as needed. If this article is actually based on a 30 day study, it makes it rather humorous. Come on people.....show the entire picture. What about 3 yrs later, 10 yrs later?

Also, I wonder if they will do research on how surgeons educate their patients. :tea: I have a feeling a higher successful outcome would be achieved. Most of the success for a lapband patient lies within that individual, but surgeons do have a responsibility to know EXACTLY what life is like after the band and be able to prepare the patient and offer support afterward.

This information is vital for patients considering weight loss surgery, Ferzli told Reuters Health, "because proper patient and procedure selection, proper follow-up, and proper long-term support are quite important in achieving the desired outcome."

I'm convinced you can look the net over and find anything you want to say whatever you want to justify your view point. People need to do their own research and do what they feel is best for them.

[3loves 0]

A lot of it is highlighted in that article, and deals mainly with the idea that beyond restricting my portions, my band is helping me learn to eat better. Maybe "making me eat better" is more accurate, but... whatever.

You hit the nail on the head!! :mod: In my eyes, bypass does not force you to make good choices b/c your stomach rules over your head every time. With the band, I can eat that ice cream, but it's up to me to make good choices that will last a lifetime, not just 1 yr or 3 yrs down the road. These are or should be permanent changes. I would venture to say that lapband patients have been more successful overcoming the addiction of food that the bypass patients. Maybe I'm completely off target, but that's how I see it. If I'm wrong, take me to the light. :tea:

[vinesqueen 2]

Well, My DH had a rediculous BMI, something like 82, a meaningless number. But he weighed 600 pounds when he was banded.

In 3 years he's lost 200 pounds.

[Elisabethsew 50]

My surgeon explained to me that just a few years ago, many MDs would not perform lapbanding on obese patients who were empty carbohydrate eaters.

>>>> I agree with that.

If LIKE me, I have always drank my calories and snacked all day long..

(A gallon of milk and juice a day or MORE....no joke)

I am someone who does not think that GB is better than the Band

BUT that the GB is what I needed in order to help me personally

Its MY best choice...

But I didnt realize that.. and now I have a band that doesnt 'work' for me.

Your weight loss is great. Granted, you might not have the fast rate of loss that some others have but you really have accomplished a lot. Don't sell yourself short and thank you for presenting a different point of view.

[rachele 0]

You all know this debate has been around forever.

Bottom line is the Band is safer. The band is Harder. AND the band is not for everyone. Ever get one of those shirts that say "OSFA" and you look like a stuffed sausage in it? Well, one size doesn't fit all.

And yes, there are complications with every surgery, even the band. But bypass complications are usually alot more serious.

But, guess what? These bypass patients are not sitting around dying and getting fat as much as everyone lets on. Believe it. Yes, it does happen, sometimes the patient is complient, but moreso than not, the patient is not complient and does not follow doctors instructions. Same as with the band. Some can't lose weight for nothing, and some aren't complient. It is hard to be complient when you have an addiction whether you have a band or bypass. So please, please, please don't think all us bypassers are sitting around with yellow skin, blind with no teeth and hair! Most of us are just out enjoying life!

And btw, my daddy can beat up your daddy....

And Nykee, It's OK. You are a brave woman, and you'll be fine. If you pursue success with the band, I wish you wild success. If you pursue something else, thats ok, too. Thats why the band is reversable, and it is a good place to start. The band was not the best choice for me, but I was scared of the bypass and convinced myself that it would be.

[Nykee 13]

Rachel, Thank you! (((hugs))) that made me feel good..

The band was not the best choice for me, but I was scared of the bypass and convinced myself that it would be.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>Thats exactly what I did....

Elis, thank you, I am trying not to sell my self short, and I am trying to make this band work for me... I do have about 85 pounds down right now, and I know I sound really silly to say thats its nothing..... but I would not do it all over again IF this is where it ends... SO, I hope this is NOT where it ends (although I have been stalled for half a year)................

:tea: <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

[3loves 0]

And btw, my daddy can beat up your daddy....

Think so huh? :huggie: Name the date & time & we'll be there!! :boxing:

Great sense of humor!! :dance:

[rachele 0]

Actually, my daddy is 87, so anyone could probably beat him up! He'd give ya a helluva fight, though!

Disclaimer: Before someone calls social services, this was meant in jest!

[LapBandit 5]

"We believe that the band requires significant will and discipline and compliance, otherwise the patient can get things by the restricted area, especially high-calorie liquids," Ferzli noted.

"In our experience, laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass appears superior to laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding in super morbidly obese patients,"

WHATEVER. Ugh...those people can kiss my big ol xxx. So what they're saying is that most large people have no will power?! So they're recommendation is to give up on them and have them undergo a surgery that will do all the work for them? Nothing against GB-at all. But, I'd love to see an article that gives us credit for the hard work it takes to be a good bandster and stop telling us that it won't work for us. And, my BMI was 56 at the time of banding...I'm not getting a "free ride" with the whole "the heavier you are the easier it is to lose" thing. It's hard for all of us!

Sorry to vent! And thanks for sharing the article...I'm always interested in lap-band articles. It's a free country...they can write what they want and I can have the opinion I want!! :clap2:

[rachele 0]

I totally give you props, because it is hard. Much harder than the bypass.

[Bettina 0]

"but what about past the 30 days out? What about after the first year? When bypass patients begin losing teeth, and hair, and color, and their eyesight? What about the years that are taken off the end of their life due to malnutrition and permanant damage done to the body? What about the alarming rate at which bypass patients gain their weight back because they are never taught how to properly eat, and their no-brainer surgery basically reverses itself after 3 years?"

Yeah this could be discussed with my sister who is 4 yrs out from her bypass! I salute the bypass patients who succeed! I really do, but there are a lot of people out there who have life altering (stomach slicing) surgery done who don't change their lifestyle. My sister lost a lot of hair....has to search for "special" Vitamins. BUT SHE STILL DIDN'T CHANGE HER BAD EATING HABITS. She didn't get the memo that said she had to eat right apparently. She still throws up after 4 years. At birthday parties, she eats the icing off the cake because she claims that she can't get the cake down....hmmm how about skipping the birthday cake all together. She eats a lot of processed food. macaroni and cheese seem to be a staple for her. Elio's pizza. Super High calorie Latte's....it goes on and on. A friend of mine has had GB and lost a crapload of weight, i watched her down a whole sandwich..no problem...followed by a diet pepsi! Then said she drinks beer too beause she loves to kick it back on weekends. Yet she can't understand why she is at a standstill in the weightloss. So while GB can work wonderfully, don't be duped into thinking that is the total answer to losing weight!!

[Loving-It 0]

A friend of mine had gastric and despite the dumping she will eat high sugar foods and drink high sugar drinks. It has not curbed her way of eating at all. Granted she's lost over 150 lbs but she's not met her goal and she is starting to gain, which is not making her feel good about herself. She had stopped taking her Vitamins and has had some episodes here lately of fainting...one time her DH called the paramedics because he couldn't wake her. It's serious but not enough to get her to stop and turn it around. I love her much and have told her I'm concerned and will kick her azz if she is not around to grow old with me.

I think with either procedure you have to do a lot of work and get a grip on yourself and be responsible for what you put in your mouth. If you don't do that you will gain the weight back, no matter which method you used to lose it be it the band or gastric.

[NancyRN 1]

An article published in January 2006 presented very important information for anyone considering gastric banding (GB) or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RNY). It compared complications and long-term weight loss in RNY, GB, and biliopancreatic diversion with or without duodenal switch (BPD+-DS). I'm going to report on only the RNY vs. GB findings (if anyone wants the others, PM me).

The study of 780 laparoscopic surgeries from 2000-2003 revealed:

1. Total complication rates were 9% for GB and 23% for RNY.

2. Very serious complication rates were 0.2% for GB, 2% for RNY. (A very serious complication was defined as organ resection, irreversible deficits, and death.)

3. The GB group had a statistically significant lower complication rate, both in terms of occurrence and severity. The RNY group had almost 3 1/2 times more complications and their complications were more severe.

4. "Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding is the safest operation in terms of complication rate and severity..." It is the safest of all 3 bariatric procedures.

5. OK, but what about long-term weight loss? Weight loss at 3 years and at 6 years out revealed very similar weight loss for both procedures (about 58% at 3 years and 51% at 6 years).

6. In the superobese (BMI over 55), another study found 87% weight loss at 1 year and 72% at 3 years.

Their final conclusion? "There was no significant difference in % excess weight loss (EWL) and [RNY] at 2 and 3 years. Given that weight loss is very similar between [Lap-Band] and [gastric bypass], and that there is a significant difference in complication rates, patient preference for the safest operation seems reasonable." ( [ ] was edited by me to make the statement easier to read by using the most common terms.)

Parikh and others, "Objective Comparison of Complications Resulting from Laparoscopic Bariatric Procedures," J Am Coll Surg 2006; 202:252-261.