Anyone wish they would have had gastric bypass?

Monica S · July 27, 2006

There is so much "lap band is better than RNY" sentiment on this forum, and for good reason I'm sure. I was almost afraid to post that I wish I would have had RNY instead for fear of being attacked. I feel relief to know that there are other people who feel the way I do. I feel less alone, and I appreciate everyone's honesty. I was starting to feel completely alone here. Thanks for letting me know I'm not.

Loving-It · July 27, 2006

No, I would not have rather had gastric. It was a relief to finally hear about the band because I would rather be fat forever than have gastric and suffer the side effects. Having to take Vitamins and such for the rest of my life, to have to worry if I have a fever because my stomach was leaking Fluid into my abdomen. I didn't want to have to deal with any of that. I am not knocking it for those who have chosen it, my best friend in the world had gastric, but it just was not an option for me.

Loving-It · July 27, 2006

To me gastric bypass or RNY is something you do when you're so morbidly obese that the health risks presented by your obesity outweigh those presented by the surgery. When it is imperative that you lose weight fast becuase you're a heart attack waiting to happen.

Did you know that the lapband came to be in order to prepare morbidly obese patients to get down to a more suitable weight so that they could have gastric bypass? This is what my surgeon told me.

People in Europe who were so obese they wouldn't survive the surgery would have the band put on so they could lose enough weight to have gastric. Then they were like why take it off when they are losing?

Also, it's my understanding that losing weight quickly is a stress on your body. But I'm not totally confident in that.

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Changing subjects here, I had one surgeon who did a bait and switch on me back in 2002 when I first heard about the band. They had the band on their website. I called the office and told them what I wanted, which was the band. When I got to the office they told me then that they didnt' do the band there. I informed them it was on their website. When I got in with the surgeon she told me they didn't do the band, they did gastric and that is what I wanted. I informed her she was incorrect, that it was not what I wanted. She said the band was ineffective and that they didn't do them. I asked her about her website and she told me that no such information was on their site. I just about burst into tears in her office. How the heck did they think I came to find them? I was so mad. Scheister doctor.

Kathi · July 27, 2006

I had my surgery to lose weight. PERIOD. The lap band has not helped me lose weight.

I have lost ONLY 12 pounds. I have worked alot harder to lose these tweleve measily pounds than I have ever worked in my whole life. I eat properly, I exercise DAILY (really exercise and get my heart rate into "fat burn mode"). I cannot go even a smidge above 1000 calories a day and expect to lose anything.

I have found that the "lower complication" lap band is really a pain in my a$$ most of the time. Getting filled perfectly, risk of PB's, risk of a slippage and my port is all completely a complication in my book. There are MANY people on this site who are even afraid to put any fill in their bands at all for fear of PB's or slippage or erosion.

I feel really jipped because I wasn't one of the lucky ones who pretty much lost weight without effort initially like alot of people do. I claw and scratch away every pound.

I kick myself all the time for not getting a RNY, but I still continue to work my band everyday.

I also have the "ticking time bomb" feeling. I will have a different surgery when I have to have ANY kind of follow-up surgery on my lapband.

cashley · July 27, 2006

Okay, I will be brave enough to admit it.
I do love my band and I am working with it. But I wish i had just done the bypass for the lifelong option. I am not looking forward to the "longterm" band option resurgery. I feel a bit like a ticking timebomb. When will I lose it?

So yes, for ME... I would have paid the extra money to do bypass. And when I do need a revision surgery on my band I will convert to the bypass.

I agree with your post and 100% feel like a ticking timebomb.... after reading here from the people who have lost their band it becomes a big burdon on your brain thinking about it. My mom keeps saying "Don't worry, don't think about it" but I do!

Since I was self pay and I know if I have complications I have to pay more that's very scary. So I've already made plans with a doctor that if I have a complication and need removal I will immediately convert to RnY ByPass. The cost of removing the band vs the conversion isn't that much. The doctor said that he would also do it if I was at goal weight as opposed to letting me gain it all back. This has put my mind at ease knowing that I have this option.

Also, I don't like this PB thing and it happens quite often (and yes I chew well and don't rush).

paula · July 27, 2006

Im glad I did something when I did.

When I had my surgery the thought of having an RnY scared me. So even though I dont regret getting the band, I WILL convert to something else if anything goes awry.

If anything, the band made me less fearful of having something more aggressive done later.

New_Bander · July 27, 2006

Hi Monica. My niece had similar slow weight loss for about 6 months after her band. She then found out that she had a leak, after repair, she melted away. She's lost 110 lbs in 2 years. Hang in there.

lovechunks · July 28, 2006

It's funny this should come up, because I have had some minor complications and am goiing back in for "repair" next week. (My tubing has come disconnected.)

Someone I had never met before was talking in the breakroom about why she left her last job as a surgical nurse. She said she had seen so many people die on the table during gastric bypass surgery that she just couldn't take it anymore. I asked her if she had helped in any lapband surgeries and if they had problems. Her answers were. "Plenty" and "None whatsoever."

JulieNYC · July 28, 2006

I love my lap band. Liek everyone, I considered RNY, for years in fact, but it just felt wrong for me. I just wanted a little push downhill to weightloss. I didn't want something that I couldn't control. I felt like RNY was a free pass for about 18 months (free pass being a good thing) but that if you didn't learn proper habits, so many gain it back. Whereas, with the band, I'm in CONTROL of my weight loss, for better of for worse. I have major control issues and being able to turn it on and off is very important to me.

That said, like many of you have said, I'd likely convert to RNY or VGB if I had a complication and couldn't be rebanded.

Good luck to everyone on your journey. Goodness knows, no matter what route you take it's a hard road.

Maryland · July 28, 2006

It sounds like some people are getting discouraged/pessimistic about the band because some people have slippage, etc. I think this "ticking time bomb" is WAAAY overstating the case. A lot of people are in car accidents, but you drive, don't you? I suspect that car accident ratios for the public are a lot higher than lap band complications are. And if lap band complications are scary to you, just read up on the complications for RNY! One thread I read was about how it gives everyone constant, really stinky gas. Not to mention the runs. Not to mention bone loss, Iron deficiency, and then all the serious complications.

Kathi: you say you have lost "only 12 pounds." But it has been less than 2 months since your first fill! The average loss is about 7-8 pounds a month. So you are right on target. This isn't a miracle solution, where you wave a magic wand and the weight magically falls off. Again, go read the web pages for RNY patients, and you will see how hard people who had RNY are working to not only lose the weight but to keep it off.

Again, I'm not dumping on RNY -- just pointing out that there is no magic bullet. Lap band and bypass are both only tools that help us lose the weight.

Loving-It · July 28, 2006

Someone I had never met before was talking in the breakroom about why she left her last job as a surgical nurse. She said she had seen so many people die on the table during gastric bypass surgery that she just couldn't take it anymore. I asked her if she had helped in any lapband surgeries and if they had problems. Her answers were. "Plenty" and "None whatsoever."

That is why my surgeon stopped doing gastric bypass too. He used to do them but his conscience got the better of him and he only does lapband.

He said he hated getting phone calls at 4 AM with a patient who was being rushed to the hospital with a fever or some kind of complication due to leaks or tears. He said now that he does just the band, he sleeps much better at night. :rofl:

bluehill · July 28, 2006

I would never have opted for gastric bypass surgery, so I feel fortunate that a much less invasive procedure was available in the form of lap banding. And it is working for me like a charm! I like the idea that the band will continue to be fully adjustable throughout my life, a feature not available with RNY. It's a great mystery to me why some people respond so well to the band while others lose so slowly. I do believe, however, that the band wins out in the end.

sleepyjean · July 28, 2006

In my mind, gastric bypass was always Plan B. If this banding thing didn't work, then I caould always get a bypass. My opinion has changed though. Seeing people on TLC having tons of excess skin removed, changed my mind. Seeing someone like Carnie Wilson regain her weight and find herself on Celebrity fit club changed my mind. Looking at Star Jones and Al Roker's enormous heads changed my mind. Now, the only reason I would ever consider GB is if I gained all the weight back.

vinesqueen · July 28, 2006

I personally think the band is the best first choice, for lots of reasons. One of the reasons is it's lower mortality rate.

We all know the problems I'm having. I'm so greatful that I had the band and not soemthing more drastic to start with. I am convinced that I wouldn't lose weight if I'd had a malabsorptive technique, since I can't lose weight with the band. I think if you can't lose weight with the band, then you need to find the root cause, because being obese becomes a symptom and not the disease.

Bettina · July 28, 2006

In my mind, gastric bypass was always Plan B. If this banding thing didn't work, then I caould always get a bypass. My opinion has changed though. Seeing people on TLC having tons of excess skin removed, changed my mind. Seeing someone like Carnie Wilson regain her weight and find herself on Celebrity fit club changed my mind. Looking at Star Jones and Al Roker's enormous heads changed my mind. Now, the only reason I would ever consider GB is if I gained all the weight back.

I agree with the big head thing...so sad...and did you notice they have bulgy eyes to boot!

But are you sure that was Carnie Wilson on celebrity fit club??? I don't remember seeing here on any of them. She was even just on a weight loss surgery program looking really really thin. (personally I think a little heavier for her is a good thing)