Gastric or Lapband?

[NYgirl01 0]

I go for my orientation on August 30 and am so excited. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what the diet would be after surgery?

Also, I was talking to a friend of mine that said she had Gastric Bypass and she heard that after Lapband you have to chew your food to the point of mush otherwise it wouldn't go down. Is that true?

Is there anyone that was debating between Gastric and Lapband and why did you choose Lapband?

[lisah25 3]

I thought about them both, and obviously choose the band. One thing I did that helped was read both lap-band and bypass boards, to see what people are living with day-to-day.

[jetti 2]

I was thinking about posting the same question while I was drivng to work today. For me deciding to get the band or have gastric was always simple. I don't like how severe and invasive that the gastric is. I never like the idea that they would be cutting things and reattaching them elsewhere!!! I like the thought of losing the weight slower so that my body and mind will have more time to adjust. I know a few people that have had gastric and they lost so much weight so fast and I dont think that is something i could or would want to deal with.

well thats just my opinion. I would also like to see what helped others make the decision of band over gastric

[Alexandra 55]

Is there anyone that was debating between Gastric and Lapband and why did you choose Lapband?

I would also like to see what helped others make the decision of band over gastric

First, and this is just a pet peeve of mine, but the correct term is "gastric bypass" or "bypass" -- saying "gastric" as a single word makes NO SENSE!! That means "related to the stomach" and is not even a noun!!!

Rant over.

In my case, I had two major thought processes going on when choosing. First, I was healthy and wanted more than anything to stay that way. Speed of loss was NOT important to me--staying healthy for my two small children WAS. I'd lost weight quickly in the past (on Optifast) and it really threw me off physically and mentally. I definitely didn't want to go through that again.

The other thing was the risk of regain and what one's options are if that happens. With bypass you have been permanently altered, and IF there is anything more to be done it requires another, quite major, surgery. The band's adjustability made perfect sense to me and seems to hold the best promise for long-term effectiveness.

[Daisalana 33]

My decision was also based on long term.

I know people who have had GB and they essentially stretched their stomachs back out, and that's that. They can have another surgery now if they want, but I'd imagine that would kind of do it for me, if it failed (self-pay), that's it.

Lap-band can be adjusted throughout my life, which is great.

Also, Lap-band is safer according to statistics and I didn't want the higher risk.

And kids, I want kids one day and lap-band sounds better with pregnancy... my doctor said he had several patients with GB who got pregnant and miscarried and they associate it with nutritional deficiency from the surgery.

Oh yes, that's another biggie for me.. the nutritional deficiency problems that go with GB..

[jfran 0]

Like most of the others, I didn't like the idea of my insides being cut and rerouted. The band has been great to me so far. I do have chew my food very well or a get a "stuck" feeling in the back of my throat. It normally passes after a while, and so far (knock on wood) it hasn't been bad enough to pb. Good luck and I hope you choose which ever procedure is best for you.

[fabfatgrl 10]

Both groups are supposed to chew their food very well. Bandsters face food getting stuck or possibly PBing (regurgitating the food, not quite like vomiting). RNYers can also have food get suck in their stoma, which can be much more serious than a Bandster getting food stuck. It may require endoscopy to fix. For a Bandster, in the worst case, a doctor could do an unfill... which is a painless, 2 second, outpatient procedure.

I think both surgeries have their advantages and disadvantages... and you need to decide which will work for you. With the RNY, you will need to be vigilant with Vitamin supplements--as you are bypassing a portion of your duodenum that absorbs some of these Vitamins. You risk anemia and osteoporosis. Bandsters do not have the Vitamin issues, but in general, we don't lose as much as RNYers at first. Some studies show that weight loss between the two groups is about equal at 5 years.

A lot of Bandsters find as they get more restricted, there are certain foods they cannot tolerate anymore... bread and Pasta are common ones, as well as big hunks of steak. I'm not sure about RNY food intolerances.

RNYers talk about dumping as a good thing as it keeps them from eating sweets. But many stop dumping after a year or so... and then it's up to them.

With the Band, you have gradual restriction... and slow and steady weightloss. Many prefer this as it leads to less skin issues... as well as a more normal weight loss appearance to others. People aren't necessarily going to know you have had surgery unless you tell them.

The reason I didn't get an RNY was because of the bathroom issues. I have IBS, adn couldn't risk that.

Go to an RNY board (try ObesityHelp) and ask them why. Also go to the complications boards... and revision boards. That should help you get a good picture of both surgeries. Oh, I'd also add the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy to surgeries you are investigating.

Good luck. :confused:

[pvchickie 0]

sorry i'm just trying out to see if my ticker works...i suck with computers :car:

[brandda 0]

The mortality rate of gastric bypass was enough to scare me away. I want to lose weight, but not enough to risk my life.

I also like the idea that lap band is reversible. Who knows what medical technology will look like in 20 years? With lap band I have the option to make a different choice in the future if something substantially superior comes along.