Decisions::: Lap Band or RNY??????

[jOANNE 1]

I would really like to have the lap band surgery but hear that the gastric bypass is more effective.

Can people who have had the lap band let us know if the weight loss is steady? I understand lap band is usually 1 - 2 lb weight loss per week. Is that correct? I dont mind if it takes longer just as long as it comes off and stays off.

I would appreciate some feedback from those who have had the lap band.

Thanks,

Joanne

[tangerine 44]

Originally posted by jOANNE

Can people who have had the lap band let us know if the weight loss is steady? I understand lap band is usually 1 - 2 lb weight loss per week. Is that correct? I dont mind if it takes longer just as long as it comes off and stays off.

Thanks,

Joanne

I have lost exactly 10lbs per month for the last three months. From 278.9 to 268.9 to 258.9. How weird is that? lol So yes, it can be steady, or it can be erratic. It all depends on you and your body. Weight loss isn't guaranteed steady with the RNY either. I've known people who have plateaued for months with the RNY.

It's all a matter of what feels best to you. For me, the band was much safer and much saner. Good luck with your decision!

[Alexandra 55]

(I'm not going to hold back here on LapBandTalk.)

IMO, the RNY or other bypass operations are hugely risky. If you are in generally good health--that is, not at death's door from your weight--and want to maintain control over your life, the band is the ONLY way to go.

To me, the complications and side effects make the RNY reasonable only if you have serious health issues that need to be addressed *immediately.* Personally, I think that in the future the Band will be the recommended treatment for anyone with between 100 and 250 lbs to lose, with the RNY only being recommended for people above that threshhold.

People call the band "the thinking person's WLS." I completely agree.

[meswede 1]

Joanne,

I'm in full agreement with Alexandra. Also, one is far more extreme than the other ... bypass more extreme by far over the lapband. And even if the bypass patients lose weight faster in the beginning ... the studies show that the end result in weight loss long term are the same. I believe it's a lot healthier on the body to lose the weight slow and steady. And when you say you heard the bypass is more reliable, where did you hear that? I'm not sure if you've been hanging around the Bandster site for long but it would be time well spent to hang out at several spots and hear more feedback from the Bandsters about the band being a most reliable weight loss method. Many people here have lost incredible amounts of weight with the band and have kept it off ... AND ... they still have their innards in the same place God put them! Anyhow, please be sure to do a whole lot of research before choosing either method so you know what you're getting yourself into. Going to a couple different seminars that the doctors hold would also be to your advantage.

Wishing you the best,

Lori in Oregon

Dr. Rumbaut 07/09/03 (265/245/140)

Check out my webpage:

http://www.cascadeaccess.com/~kurt/Lori/lorilapband.html

[Alexandra 55]

Joanne, another point. I'm interested in a mechanism that will help ME gain control over my intake, and will be with me for life. Bypass operations reconstruct your body so that what you eat is not utilized completely. Your body knows that's not a normal state of affairs, and over time it will start to compensate for the malabsorption.

That means that after some period of time, your body will begin absorbing nutrients at an increasing rate, and strict diet will become necessary (to a greater or lesser degree, of course) to keep the weight from coming back on. And if dieting worked...well, we know the end of that story.

The band is infinitely adjustable. It can be adjusted again and again depending on one's needs. Even five years out, if I find the weight creeping back on, a visit to a fill doctor will give me HELP in moderating my intake again. That's all I need: Help.

If I could eat small portions, chew slowly, and only eat a 1/2 cup at a time on my own AND BE SATISFIED, I wouldn't need surgery at all. RNY may create those possibilities in the short term, but if in the long term it starts to fail there's no recourse. You're stuck.

And last, it just makes good medical sense to do the least possible damage to the body in the pursuit of good health. When presented with the choice of the invasive, risky RNY and the lap-band, I have absolutely no doubt as to which is the smart way to go.

(Gee, Alexandra, tell us what you really feel. )

[meswede 1]

Snicker Snicker ... That's what we all love about you Alexandra, you just lay it on the line and say it so well too! I'm glad to read your postings and hear all your words of wisdom and insight. Those that can appreciate you best are those that are seeking truth and not just looking for someone to tell them what they want to hear. I value someone speaking truth. So Alexandra ... thanks for speaking out!

Lori in Oregon

Dr. Rumbaut 07/09/03

[Alexandra 55]

I'm really not trying to stir any waters, which is why I've never gotten involved in the debates about this on Spotlight. RNY has its place, to be sure, but that place is fffaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrr away from me. Thank providence that the band found its way to our shores in my lifetime! :banana

[jOANNE 1]

I would like to thank all of you for your replies. I was on the obesityhelp.com. Most people there opt for the gastric bypass and swear by it. I received messages from people putting down the band whenever I brought it up. I was so happy to hear about this site. This site is so much more positive. I would prefer the lap band and if it is successful, I am all for it.

Thank you all.

[jerryg 3]

I've gone to several seminars on WLS where the surgeon presents all the types of WLS and basically outlines the pros and cons. What I've gleamed from the discussion is that a lot of people are attracted to the NEAR term rapid loss that the RNY provides. Others like the "take it slow and easy" approach of the lap band. Everything I've read indicates that the lap band patients will loose about the same as rny patients at about 18 months, then proceed to continue on a slow downward trend while the RNY patients begin to gradually regain.

jerry

[jOANNE 1]

Jerry,

Thanks for your input. I really appreciate it. I was visiting obesity help.com but not many people had the lap band and the talk seemed very negative on lap band.

[sheryl 3]

Hi Joanne! I agree with everyone here. I now try to check ObesityHelp.com to try to fight the battle of contant misinformation that is posted.

The main reason why people get the RNY here in the US is because the insurance people are willing to pay for it. Until they change and include the lapband, people will continue with the bypass procedure. I decided that I just couldn't do the bypass, and had to pay for the lapband myself. I found a way to get $10,000, and I am so happy now.

Good luck to you! It really works!

[tanna 0]

I have never understood why there is so much antagonism between RNYers and Lapbanders! Aren't we all in the same boat trying to accomplish the same thing! The lap band was the right course for me but I completely respect people's decisions to choose another method. And I wish them well! May we all erase the descriptive term of obese from our personal profiles forever is my prayer for every wls patient whether RNY or lapband or whatever!!! I would hope they would wish me the same!

Good luck,

Tanna

[sheryl 3]

Tanna, I do understand what you are saying. It seems that everyone thinks their procedure is the best and they stand up for what they believe. I think a couple of people are just cutting loose with their beliefs, mainly because we have to tiptoe around all the other sites, not to start any wars. But here, we seem safer to speak our minds.

I myself believe that in time, the lapband will be the preferred procedure (the "Gold Standard") here in the US, just like it is everywhere else in the world. But until it is, we have to listen to the incorrect information that the bypassers (and doctors!) dole out to people researching WLS. It is a daily thing. Here is what happens. Someone will ask a basic question regarding the lapband. Some RNYer will say it doesn't work if you like sweets, or you have a low or high BMI, if you graze, etc. Then they say that at the end of the struggle, chances are that you will fail and have to revert to getting the bypass. And that the bypass is a permanent cure without having to do any work. When we step in and try to correct some of their misinformation (very nicely), we get a war. It is a struggle to get the correct information out to people without starting some war. Like I said, everyone thinks their surgery is the best.

Having said all that, I do believe that the RNY is best for some people. But I personally think that the lapband can work as well, if not better, with some people that get the bypass. I just want people to know that they have an option and I want them to know the correct facts. Then they can do their own research and decide what is best for them. That is where the animosity comes from on the lapband side. It is a struggle to get the correct information out there.

[tanna 0]

Hi Sheryl,

Thanks for your reply! I agree with your opinions on the subject, it just saddens me to see the rivalry! We should all stand together and promote WLS as life saving to the millions of obese people around the world! No one has to live that way forever! After doing research on the RNY and the band....the choice was clear for me. I too think it will one day become the gold standard in bariatric surgery! I guess it is up to us patients to show the world that it works!! As a matter of fact...the group of surgeons that performed my lapband surgery are starting to refuse to perform the more risky RNY. That is evidence to me that it won't be long before lapband surgery outnumbers RNY.

Congrats on your weightloss! 60 pounds! WooHoo!!!!

Tanna

305/255/150

[Alexandra 55]

As a matter of fact...the group of surgeons that performed my lapband surgery are starting to refuse to perform the more risky RNY.

THAT is encouraging!

And I'd like to say that I bear no animosity to any RNYers whatsoever. My animosity--if there is any--is to the medical community that influences and pressures people who are eager for help into taking unnecessary risks. It's not the people who choose it I am unhappy with, it's the doctors and insurance carriers who promote it aggressively.

Medicine and insurance are for-profit industries and that means that patients are treated as commodities. And unfortunately, many people don't understand that and blindly believe their health is the primary concern of all involved. That just is not the case.