doctors push for GBypass

[nutmeg1965 0]

Have any of you felt that you were being nudged towards a gastric bypass? All of my coworkers have had gastric bypass. During my psych eval, the doctor was really pushing towards the GB, with the malabsorption, and rapid wt loss. They really seem to low ball the wt loss that you can lose. Only 50% of the excess wt they say. This forum shows that is not always the case. Did any of you feel that you were going against something when you chose the band? I'm wanting to know, because of course I would like to lose fast, but I don't want long term effects of malabsorption, I don't want the complications. I could never live with myself if I died:faint: . I've got young kids and a I want to not regret my one chance to get back in shape. I just want to be safe. Any of you go through something like this? Thanks for listening.

[sugarplum 0]

You do whats best 4 you, if you want to have the band you have the band its much much safer than a bi pass. The band is revrsable a bipass isnt, its 4 life a bi pass and if u regret your choice u have 2 live with that. The lap band is a really good way 2 loose weight. I chose the lap band over the bi pass because i also have a very young child, its worked 4 me it can work 4 u as well, when i chose to have the surgery i looked at it as my last chance in life 2 lose my weight, my last chance 2 get my life back, and its worked 4 me, so you do what u feel is best 4 you and your family, but most of all do what u feel is right in your heart !

[NJChick 3]

The bypass scares the crap out of me, at least with the band its reversable.... is my wl slower? yes, but I don't mind because slow IS healthy.... I don't want that sickly look of losing weight so fast and the skin not having a chance to snap back... but thats JMHO.

You do what you feel is right for you... go with your what your heart says.

Hugs.

[*susan* 1,709]

Actually, my doctor only does lapband because he feels it is so much safer and because it is reversible.

I agree with the others. Do your research, speak to people who have had both procedures done and make a knowledgeable choice that is your choice and that suits your needs. It is your body and that is the one thing in your life that nobody else owns and you have complete control over. Therefore, don't ever let anybody push you into something you don't want to do with it. If you truly feel the band is best for you, then go with it. If your doctor doesn't agree, then maybe you need to look at switching doctors. JMO.

[JJB 2]

My Dr. used to do the bypass surgery. He now only does the lap band. I went to my primary care Dr. before my surgery and he had a lot of great things to say about the band. I have lost a cousin to the bypass and have 2 friends who have had it. I knew it was not for me. I have 2 little ones and I didnt want to take a chance in having complications. I am way to busy with them to always have to worry about my health. This was just my opinion. Good luck to you.

[CCBSTX 0]

Yes, please do YOUR research. Either WLS isn't always perfect for some. However, the RNY can be life-threatening. Decide what is best for you. Don't let the surgeons sway you, either way. Consult with a few, if you are able, and pick out the one that you would like to work with AFTER banding. The most important part, I feel, is the aftercare (followups/fills/unfills).

Lapbander typically lose and average of 1-2 pounds per week. This isn't fast weight loss. Yes, you may have plateaus and not lose a pound for weeks.

Keep reading and asking questions. You're doing it right!!

Shawn

[Carlene 12]

Not to put down your doctor, but lots of WL surgeons prefer to do GB simply because they make way more $$$$ off it. Not only is the surgery twice as costly, but they don't have to do all that follow-up with fills. Fills are a money losing proposition for surgeons - $200 x 20 per day = $4000. But 4 GB procedures will net him ten times that.

As for rapid weight loss, it's long-term that really counts. Look at Carnie Wilson. She weighed in at 180 the other day (Celebrity Fit Club) and was thrilled. She's lost 8 pounds. Befroe GB she was 300, but got down to about 120 (after plastic surgery). Now she is gaining it all back. (And I'm not too sure I trust those CFC scales, either. I saw Chastity Bono weigh in at 160 once and I just knew there was NO WAY. She was 200 if she was an ounce.)

BTW, I was banded almost 2 years ago and have lost 97 pounds - 88% of my excess body weight. And I'm not even special!

[VelvetKiss 0]

I saw do what is best for you and your family. I have alot of weight to lose and chose the lap band over gastric bypass. I have known about 10 different people who have had all the other forms of weight loss surgery, the majority gastric bypass and I did not like the complications I saw them have or there quality of life and eating afterward. My one friend lost weight with gastric bypass so she could get pregnant and her poor son almost died because he was malnutritioned in the womb because of her surgery. So research and talk to people who have had both surgeries and then decide what is best for you based on how you want to live not on what your Dr feels is best.

My surgeon too tried to convince me to have another form of wls he said the same thing of you will only lose 50%-60% of your excess weight and still be considered obese. My response to him was I know this and the Band is my choice and if you wish to quote weight loss % then does it not make more sense for me to start off with the band and lose that 50% and then if I am still not happy then I can have it revised to gastric bypass which according to you will give me at least 70% loss of excess weight then netting me a guarantee total of 120% loss of my excess weight, which would put me 20% below my excess weight, doesnt that sound like a better plan? Needless to say he said you did your research and the band you shall get and I did.

Just my .02 cents! Good Luck and Hugs!

[ralheit 1]

My PCP was dead set against me having a bypass. The complications arent' worth the risk. When I went to see my surgeon (he does both procedures) he never once tried to change my mind. There was an article on the news here one night that stated they are finding more long term complications from the bypass that they never knew about. Some doctors are stopping the bypass and will only be doing the band in the future. I don't know how accurate that report was, but atleast with the band, I know I don't have to worry about future complications, atleas not anything that couldn't be fixed by easily reversing the procedure.

[MsButterKup23 1]

I agree it is a very personal decision.

I decided to get the band instead of GB because of the mortality rate associated with GB. The fact that I was sent home instead of ICU means a lot to me. The GB is an American Standard for the most part, it is rarely performed overseas as it is often considered a drastic surgery. Again personally I believe if you are able to be active and under a bmi of 50ish then the band is the way to go. There are some exceptions, but like I said it's a very personal decision and one YOU must make, not a shrink or co-workers.

Best of luck to you!

[Elisabethsew 50]

My surgeon now only does the lapband but he has a partner who does other weight loss surgeries including the roux-n-y bypass. If the surgeon does not feel the procedure he is performing is helpful for the patient, it's unethical for his/her to perform it.

The only point my surgeon did make was that volume eaters tend to be more successful than junk food eater with banding.

[kabeerah 0]

yup my surgeon suggested i have gb instead. he had no faitrh at all that i would succeed with the band. he thought it would be a pest patient too. i have lost over 70lbs and i am not even 5 months out and most of that was lost at 3 months cuz i have had 4 weeks of no loss. now my doc thinks i'm his ideal patient. i reffered two other american women to him who weigh more than me and he only wanted to consider them for banding if i thought they were as motivated as i am/were.

[GeezerSue 7]

First, the mentioning the 50% isn't downplaying the amount that people lose. He just may not be stating it very succinctly. It is the AVERAGE. Of course people will lose more than 50% and less than 50%...that's how an average is calculated. To GET TO that 50%, for every person who loses 90% of their excess weight, there is someone somewhere who has lost only 10%...that's just how the math works.

Then, having had two wls's to date, I can pretty strongly state that there is no BEST surgery. Whatever surgery you think will work best for you AT THIS POINT IN TIME IN YOUR LIFE is "the best surgery" for YOU, right now. But that doesn't make the other surgeries "bad." And it doesn't mean that you won't change your mind later. Several people here have done so. I've even heard from some band patient "pioneers" who are considering moving on in the not too distant future. (That's including Karla, of course.)

Risks? I've had the riskiest surgery, the Duodenal Switch, as my second surgery. The band was my first surgery and it was pretty safe...but the end result was a damaged esophagus (now repaired) and I was STILL MO, so the my risk of death from MO was still there...and still killing me. I've now had the risky surgery, but I'm no longer MO...so there's risk and there's risk.

I am down a little over 90 pounds from (my second) surgery date (and 110 pounds from my highest pre-op weight) and now I have to be vigilant about the problems that might arise due to malabsorption. But, I'm no longer MO.

Look, insurance companies will use any reasonable excuse to not pay for something. If the RnY and DS were as dangerous as some people like to think they are, no insurance company would cover them...ever. Yes, more patients survive band surgery than survive the other surgeries...but bands are placed on lighter weight patients, and they have a lesser risk going in the door. (Again...before someone says, "Well, I have the band and my BMI is 4,375," I'm talking about ON AVERAGE. The more extreme solutions are generally applied to the more extreme cases.)

EACH surgery has its pros and cons. Surgeons have more post-op interaction and repeat visits from band patients than they do from the other wls patients. So the surgeon may be thinking that six months ago, he did ten RnY's and ten band placements, and one or two of the RnY people had ER visits that were resolved fairly rapidly, but every single one of the band patients has been back for at least two adjustments, etc...and to him, that may SEEM like less successful surgery.

The other surgeries don't have to be "bad surgeries" for your surgery choice to be right for you.

BTW, this isn't addressed to anyone in particular...

[GeezerSue 7]

...

Lapbander typically lose and average of 1-2 pounds per week. This isn't fast weight loss. Yes, you may have plateaus and not lose a pound for weeks.

Shawn, it's not just band patients who lose slowly! My first couple of post-op months with the DS, I had the standard predictable massive weight loss...like 54 pounds, going out the gate. But by the third month, it was FOUR pounds. In fact, since then, MOST months, I have lost only four pounds.

(I am the EPITOME of the non-compliant patient...but my surgeon warned me that that's what often happens with revision patients. They've already "been there, done that" and it didn't work...so they are not exactly putting their all into effort #2. I eat foods that are not likely to help me lose weight, including TONS of chocolates...and, since I hurt my back and had to go on steroids, I've given up anything that resembles exercise.)

HOWEVER...the other night, my husband and I were walking to the elevator in our building to go somewhere and he disappeared. I stopped and looked over my shoulder and saw him behind me...down the hall...and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said.

"Aren't we going down to the garage?"

"Yup."

"Then what are you doing back there?"

"Watching."

"What?"

"I'm watching you walk. It's VERY nice to watch."

He is, BTW, a keeper. So, four pounds is only four pounds, but cumulatively it seems to be noticeable!!!