getting pressured to do bypass over band!

[Victoriana 10]

My cardiologist would not approve any other gastric surgery. He liked the minimal invasion, removability, and slower weight loss. He felt that the mortality rate was much preferred and rapid wieght loss tends to strip potassium from your body which is critical for you heart. Even though I have the band, I had a few month where the potassium needed replacement with supliments.

I am off four differen Rxs, have lost 75 pounds and my heart couldnt be more happy.

If you think you could ruin your banding process by overeating, you should look at the consequences for overeating with the bypass. It can be fatal.

It was cut and dry for me, buy I think you should listen to your own heart, it usually is right anyway.

[susannah 2]

Hey, I am getting banded for all of the same reasons as others have stated. I know that Lap banding has been performed in Australia since the early 90's and that we are world leaders in all things lapband,along with the Europeans.

I was not aware that RNY surgery had ceased here. I thought that they still offered it at The Epworth Hospital. www.obesity.com.au

At any rate it would be performed rarely here,as banding is definately the preference in Australia.

Good luck with your decision.

Susannah

[Jachut 487]

Yeah, I'm speaking in generalities. Its never the first line choice though.

[horns10 0]

My sis in law had gastric bypass and while she had lost quite a bit of weight she gained a lot of it back, mainly because she didn't bother to stick with the proper eating and exercise. On the other hand tho, I had two co workers do the gastric bypass and lost a ton of weight and both look great.

My main reasons i'm choosing the band vs bypass is

1. can get fills to restrict

2. ain't gonna get gutted like a fish

3. reversable if needed

4. out only a few days vs weeks

Obviously i haven't been banded as of yet so who knows, my look on it could totally change.. BUT, after seeing what my sis in law went through I wouldn't do it.

just my .02 :guess

[Alexandra 55]

I agree with everyone else, that the less-invasive nature of the band made it much more attractive to me. If banding had not been an option, I doubt very much I'd have pursued any sort of bariatric surgery. With two small children I was just not willing to take the risks inherent in such drastic surgery.

It seems to me that with enough research, the choice for any given person becomes clear. Both surgeries have things to recommend them, but the patient's priorities, lifestyle, medical condition, and history all have to be considered. It MUST be the patient's decision, no one else's. Once your mind is made up and your choice is clear to you, the challenge is sticking to your guns to make it happen--that might mean working with negative nurses, insurance people, HR departments, whatever obstacles are in your path. I speak from experience--I fought for almost a year to make Aetna cover my band, and I've been told I was the first person in America to win on appeal against their standard policy.

Bypass purposefully creates a situation in the body wherein things don't work as they were intended to, a situation where an unnaturally small number of calories and nutrients are absorbed. This is, literally, malnutrition that I'd face for the rest of my life. My goal was to improve my health, not create a condition I'd have to manage forever just so I don't suffer what could be serious ill effects.

The band, though it requires more attention by way of adjustments and so forth, only does one thing: continually teaches me how to eat less. And that's all I personally need to lose weight. Nothing else about the way my body works has been altered, and since it has always worked pretty well I wanted to keep it that way.

[lisah25 3]

Nothing else about the way my body works has been altered, and since it has always worked pretty well I wanted to keep it that way.

That is a great way to put it!

[cinward2001 0]

This reminds me of a support group meeting I went to recently. It was almost all RNYers and a few patients who had DS. I was the only bandster there. At one point, everyone divided into groups according to their surgery so that the pre-ops could ask questions.

A 20 yr old girl with her parents came to talk to me about the band. While we were discussing it, 2 gals who'd had DS came over (uninvited) and started "pushing" DS. They were truly militant about it...even to the extent of telling her things that aren't true about the band...making it seem like fills are horrible, etc. They whole mindset was that DS is THE best WLS.

Funny thing is that one of the gals has had 3 different IV transfusions for anemia. She didn't mention THAT when pushing her surgery.

Most bandsters have NO medical problems from the band or the weight loss.

Cindy

[gonnabethin 10]

In our house we have BOTH!

I have the band and my DH has the RNY( 7/01).

Neither of us have had complications

He has had his longer- better results thus far. Im sure since he doesnt absorb everything.- and no he has NO malnutrition! His labs are perfect.

He has NOT had any of the BIG BAD RNY longterm complications AND IT CAN BE REVERSED- why does every one think it cant? All of his parts are there just not connected the same. NO it wont be a "simple 1 hr deal". There are some people who WOULD NOT make good bandsters and he is DEFINITELY one of them.

Secretly- I envy the permenant-ness of his RNY when I hear of people who have erosion or slippage with their bands. I just PRAY daily I dont become a complication statistic!

If your wondering why I chose the band when Ive seen such good success with RNY- I did not have high enough BMI - nor did I want to wait for it to get there. Thus far my band and I are happy. I test; it pushes back.

[lisah25 3]

The research I did on RNY said patients should assume that it's not reversable. That sometimes it can be reversed, but with varying degrees of success. That the parts are still there, but because they aren't being used they may not function as well once reconnected. Something along those lines.

I'm glad it's working so well for your DH!

[warmmorningsun 1]

He has NOT had any of the BIG BAD RNY longterm complications AND IT CAN BE REVERSED- why does every one think it cant? All of his parts are there just not connected the same. NO it wont be a "simple 1 hr deal".

My belief wasn't that it couldn't be reversed - just that reversal was a more laborous, more dangerous surgery. And that was a deciding factor for me;

the other issue of malabsorption - I think perhaps your husband has been either lucky or diligient not to experience negative side effects from this. It's wonderful that his blood tests, etc. prove this not to be an issue for him. I was was thinking long term for myself when making the decision.

I believe (as you probably LIVE on a day to day basis) that there is a right decision for everyone, but not everyone's decision is right for another

[kjojojr 0]

My dad has the doundal switch (i'm not sure how its spelled). He lost half his body weight plus. ..he was having trouble keeping the weight on. We thought we were gonna lose him. He looked like a skeleton, very sickly too. Not everyone goes through that but it was very scary. Also there is a very strong lingering smell when he passes gas and goes to the bathroom.......BAD . I don't know if all gastric bypass patients have that odor but its real strong. That's my reasons for doing the band. Less invasive and slow healthy weight loss plus it's completly reversible.