Questions and opinions

[Guest tyresank]

Hi I am new to the site. I have been reading and reading for months, and researching for about 1 year.

I would love to have a few opinions from folks about how they made their decision for the lab-band vs the Gastic ByPass.

Here is one of the things that worries me. I have been on ever diet you can imagine, and overwieght my entire life. I started to gain weight the moment I was born according to my mother.

I have been on my diets a few recently even, and I have managed to loose weight. As a last ditch effort I recently was on a modified fasting diet thru a hospital here in Houston and managed well enough to drink only fluids for 14wks. But after that I just could not deal with the deprevation from food and althought was very careful when I began to re-feed gained it all back. Lucky for me this once I have not gained more that what I lost back. I lost 50 lbs.

Did anyone have any doubts whatsoever that the lab-band would not be restricitve enough for them? I guess most concerned about doing something that will not work for me, as I love fatty foods and sweets, but have shown on many occasions that I can do without for long periods of time.

I do not know, I am sitting the fence, but so hoping for a LIFE.

Sandra T.

Houston, Tx

365 / and hoping

5'9", 46 yrs

[Vera 7]

Well so far, 17 months out I have lost about 65 lbs. and have not gained it back.!! Mind you I haven't lost any in months and believe I need to work harder which I'm doing. I love sweets and fatty foods as well, but reality keeps reminding me "whats good for me"

I had doubts the band would not be restricitve enough...

The band is a tool and you have to work with it and keep in tune with your body and mind...

Good luck and welcome to lapbandtalk.

Edit to add I do not regret getting my band

[HarleyNana 10]

I'm a new bander, only 8 days post-op, and I would say, just from hanging around this site, 99% have also tried every diet and we all love sweets and fatty foods.

The secret I've been told, and hope to soon learn first hand, is the band is a tool to help us manage those binges, overeating and making bad choices. IMO, if you made it 14 wks on liquids, you're quite a woman, (8 days, and I'm chomping at the bit for mushies, but in moderation), so it seems to me you have what it takes to be bandster.

Good luck!

[claraluz 2]

You do have willpower and you do have discipline. You've proven that. But diets alone don't work. You've proven that, too. You could do well with the band. Even if you give in occasionally to your sweet tooth, the band will help you because you won't be able to eat that much.

I originally opted for the bypass because I had only read the original study of banding in the U.S. which showed a high rate of complications. At the time I didn't realize that every sugeon in the study was inexperienced because the band had not even been approved for use in the U.S. yet. I went through all the studies to get the bypass, paid the surgeon, arranged my time off from work, etc., but four days out from surgery I chickened out. The risk of death or serious complications with the bypass was more than I could accept. That's when I began to look at the band again and I'm glad I did. There can be complications with the band, but they are almost never life-threatening. They usually just mean that you lose your band. The surgery is very safe as surgeries go.

You are doing the right thing by doing research. Continue with your research and you will come to the right decision for you.

Nancy

[babsyintx 0]

Hi Sandra,

I am almost a year and a half out and I have not regained my weight. Yes, it is possible to eat around the band, but you can do this with any weight loss surgery. Its a lot easier to make smart food choices with proper restriction. It is pretty hard to fail at this unless you really sabotage yourself. The RNY was never an option for me. I have small children and could not risk dying in pursuit of a lower BMI. Feel free to email me if you have any other questions.

Babs in TX

334/188/170

-146

6/23/03

[Wyld Blu 0]

I am almost 7 months out now and have lost 62 lbs. I had such a big sweet tooth prior to surgery, closing my mouth (especially when I was around chocolate) was almost impossible. The funny thing about being banded for me, was that it pretty much extracted that tooth. Don't get me wrong. I still indulge, and lately, more for emotional reasons, have been indulging more than I should. However, the all ecompassing craving for sweets is all but gone.

I have heard this is true for many bandsters as well. I talked to my doctor about it. He said he has heard this over and over as well, but nobody really knows why this is.

-Blu-

233/172/125

[Guest strikeuptheband]

Hi Sandra,

My sister had gastric bypass last year in November. Her daughter had the lap band in Feb. Same surgeon did both procedures. My sister almost died from complications - in a coma for a few days and weeks of recovery. My niece had the procedure on Friday and went back to work on Monday. My sister has lost 85 lbs in one year My niece has lost 135 lbs in 10 months. For me the lap band is a no-brainer. Why go through major surgery, have an irreversible procedure and face the greatly increased risk when there's a better alternative? The surgeon feels the same way and does not do gastric bypass anymore.

I want to emphasize that the surgeon (American) was excellent as was the hospital. My sister's complications were just one of the inherent risks. If the surgeon hadn't been so good my sister would not have survived.

My insurance will not pay for this surgeon to do my lap band (says it's experimental) so I'm off to Mexico to have it done.

[hagerteresa 3]

Hi Sandra,

I felt exactly like you do in regards to the band. I was absolutely certain I would be the one who wouldn't lose. I really didn't want my guts rearranged though, and trusted my gut instinct that the band would work. Sure enough it has. I love my band. I have weeks that I don't lose but I don't gain any of it back either. My stats are real similar to yours too. I started at 362 lbs and to be honest I the 300's flew by so fast I was in the high 200's before I even realized it. Best of luck to you and your decision. Teresa

[Guest tyresank]

So Sorry to hear about your sister. Is it is the hardest decision. I had my consultation and and chose the RNY procedure. My surgeon felt I made the better decision considering the amount of weight I need to loose 180 lbs, but at no time did he influence me. He did say he would say if it felt it was a bad decision based on my health, etc.. After reading your post now I am worried again. The more a person reads the worse it becomes. Worry worry. I might change my mind. Hopefully one can do that.

[New Hope 37]

Sandra, regardless of what you choose, please research everything you can get your hands on - before you make a decision. This is a lifechanging opportunity. You really need to learn as much as you possibly can - about both procedures, so you can make a decision that you will be happy with. Best of luck to you on your search for better health!

[Guest strikeuptheband]

Hi Sandra,

re: my sister and her complications - she does not regret having had the surgery even with the complications. Everything in life involves risk. She had an excellent surgeon who was able to see within hours of her surgery that something was amiss and went in to correct it. But when you're re-routing intestines and stomach stuff some bugs that are great when contained where they're supposed to be can have nasty consequences in other places.

This is a known risk with this surgery so aftercare by a surgeon who is truly patient focused is absolutely mandatory. If your surgeon is approachable and spends the time with you that you need to be comfortable with him/her, you've probably made a good choice. While this surgery involves risk, so does living with an extra 180 lbs.

Now, RNY vs lap band, that's a personal choice but seeing what my niece accomplished and comparing it to my sister's experience I would always chose the more conservative approach first - i.e. the lap band - again, that is if I have a choice. Your doctor has more information about your personal history than anyone on this board and is far more qualified to make that decision for you.

I have found that doctors who are not familiar with the lap band (and they're not familiar with it because many insurance companies won't cover it) dismiss it because they say that the lap band is experimental in this country, ignoring the 20 years of results in other countries. In order to be qualified to perform the lap band procedure the surgeon must be qualified in laprascopic techniques, too. There aren't a lot of those docs out there. This gives them another reason to want to do the RNY.

Sandra, here's my advice to you for what it's worth: see if your surgeon does lapband procedures. If not, consult with one who does both lap band and RNY for a second opinion. If your surgeon does lap bands regularly, then he/she may indeed have a good medical basis for suggesting RNY over lap band. Patients who have had RNY do tend to lose more weight faster than lap band.

Once you've gotten the best medical advice you can you need to decide which risk you prefer: the risks of having the procedure or the risks of morbid obesity. Both risks are well know and quantifiable. The people who I know who have had either procedure are glad they did.

[babsyintx 0]

Sandra,

I also had 170-180lbs to lose. So far, I have lost 146 of those pounds forever in the same time it would have taken me with a RNY. But at least I dont have Vitamin deficiencies and dumping syndrome. And if I want to enjoy a piece of cake at a birthday party, I can do it without throwing up or getting physically ill. To me a life without food and the social activities that surround food and family is no life at all.

I am having trouble understanding the rationale of your surgeon. Did I get this right? He thinks because your starting weight is 365, that the RNY is a better option? my BMI was higher than yours when I started at 5' 6" and 334 pounds. I now weight 188 and only have 18 pounds to get to goal.

If you go to a doc that only does lapbands, you would get a much different opinion. Now if there is another reason you think the RNY would be better...

I guess my opinion is different cause I know so many successful bandsters that started out in the upper 300's and lower 400's who are doing wonderfully. One of my friends has lost 165 pounds in 10 months with the lapband. She now weighs 220 and she is 5'10 inches and looks fantastic. She is not at goal yet, but expects to be there in the next 6 months. At least if you have the lapband, it is reversible and you could always have the RNY as a backup plan. The thing is that you can sabotage any WLS if you really want to.. Just my thoughts...

Babs in TX

334/188/170

-146

6/23/03

[New Hope 37]

Sandra, I notice that you're in Houston. There are many surgeons here highly qualified in abdominal laproscopic procedures AND laproscopic band placements. My surgeon does both RNY and lapband. He did 4 different surgeries on me. PM me if I can give you any details. Best of luck to you! Please research carefully. You can get a lot of "helpful" responses that aren't always accurate. Please check everything out thoroughly and don't just take anyone's word on it. You're the very best advocate for yourself.