Why the Band?

[TracyinKS 7]

For me:

1) 2 days of PTO from work (thursday surgery) Work the following Monday (desk job)

2) All my innards are still intact

3) Lifetime of mandatory bariatric vitimans..... uhhhh no :eek:

4) MAINTENANCE.... when I get down to a comfy weight and start to become complacent (like I ALWAYS do) and I start eating too much I will RUN to my doc for a fill.

5) I have two RL friends who had the RNY... one is 5 years out one is 3...... Friend 1, massive regain due to her never dumping and stretching out her pouch.... she also restarted smoking and didn't keep up with her vitimins.... she went into a depression. Friend 2 looks great but is currently fighting a 20 lb regain because the honeymoon phase is over.... (see, I have learned from them that after 12-18months you can eat increasingly more and although the nutrients NEVER stick, the fat does making it easy to regain....) although you have to continue with the supplements.......

The way I describe the band to people is that I have a FUNNEL on my stomach... the entire organ is still there but getting food from the top portion to the bottom portion takes time and because of this keeps me full longer, yet I retain all the nutrients from what I do eat.

[mbanja 1]

1. Fast easy recovery.

2. No reroute of internal organs.

3. It is not a one time shot....i can get a fill if I start to gain

4. I am not done having children, so I wanted to find a way to be able to loose the post pregnancy weight. If I had gotten RNY there is a chance I'd gain the weight back after pregnancy and it would be difficult to loose it. I didn't want to spend $ to get RNY just to be skinny for a couple of years then blow up again.

5. I didn't want to look like a Bobble head doll. Like Star Jones.

6. No malabsorbtion.

[Brandy~ 2]

1. Fast easy recovery.

2. No reroute of internal organs.

3. It is not a one time shot....i can get a fill if I start to gain

4. I am not done having children, so I wanted to find a way to be able to loose the post pregnancy weight. If I had gotten RNY there is a chance I'd gain the weight back after pregnancy and it would be difficult to loose it. I didn't want to spend $ to get RNY just to be skinny for a couple of years then blow up again.

5. I didn't want to look like a Bobble head doll. Like Star Jones.

6. No malabsorbtion.

You seriously just cracked me up..... :clap2:

[Arin 0]

Thank you so much for sharing your thought and experiences on this thread...I just went to the info seminar on Tuesday and I think the surgeon/program like the RNY much better. I went in thinking its the band all the way, and walked out thinking why did I ever want the band. I will have a HUGE decision to make.

My worries for the band are this...

I am deathly afraid of vomiting. I know I am lame, but it is a real fear...

It is also concerning to me to have a foreign body living in there (what effect will that have on me later on?)

Will I sabotage myself?

Can I afford all of the adjustments for years to come?

Sorry, I am really struggling to find my way on this one. I appreciate that there is a place like this where I can come and interact with other who know what its like. Thanks!!

[nina874 48]

If you dont like vomit then google dumping syndrome!!!LOL

My dietician said oh it wouldnt kill you ...... but you might want it to!!

To me it was better to have a foreign body in there, that could if it caused me untold heartache be taken out, than half of me missing that could never be put back!

The sabotage one...... hmmmmm... only you really know the answer to that, but could you NEVER eat your fave foods again or would you cheat and DUMP.

Doesnt the RYN cost more to start with?If it does then stick the difference into the bank to pay for the fills!

Ultimately only you can chose hon and I did think about both long and hard, but I am sure that you will make the choice that is right for you.

Ninaxx

[TracyinKS 7]

Thank you so much for sharing your thought and experiences on this thread...I just went to the info seminar on Tuesday and I think the surgeon/program like the RNY much better. I went in thinking its the band all the way, and walked out thinking why did I ever want the band. I will have a HUGE decision to make.

My worries for the band are this...

I am deathly afraid of vomiting. I know I am lame, but it is a real fear...

It is also concerning to me to have a foreign body living in there (what effect will that have on me later on?)

Will I sabotage myself?

Can I afford all of the adjustments for years to come?

Sorry, I am really struggling to find my way on this one. I appreciate that there is a place like this where I can come and interact with other who know what its like. Thanks!!

Dumping is way worse than PB'ng!!!!!! Not only does it come out BOTH ends, it will knock you flat on your back... some of my friends need to lay down in a quiet place until it passes.

Foreign object issue.. I had this fleetingly........ but then you think... uhhhhh ... BOOBS, Splints, Pins, Stints, knee replacements, hip replacements, plates, and heck even my grandma had a port and a pain pump inside her! Technology is an AMAZING thing!

I have cancelled my last two fill appointments because I am maintaining my sweet spot! Even if I needed one or two a year..... it would still be worth it....

GOOD LUCK!

[susaninnkc 0]

I don't like to throw up and could count on one hand how many times I have. It is not like when you have the flu. I don't PB that much at all maybe 5 times since I have had the band. I was really concerned with it also. Was told by the dr. once I do it I won't want to do it again. If you get slow, chew, chew, chew. Find out what goes down well( I can't eat chicken unless I have a sauce on it--too dry) and learn to listen to your body it will tell you when you have had enough. If you don't stop your body will tell you also. Plus my DH knows my look when I have had enough and pulls my plate away from me or push it away and keep it out of my hands reach. I am a picker and that has gotten me into trouble.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

Thank you so much for sharing your thought and experiences on this thread...I just went to the info seminar on Tuesday and I think the surgeon/program like the RNY much better. I went in thinking its the band all the way, and walked out thinking why did I ever want the band. I will have a HUGE decision to make.

My worries for the band are this...

I am deathly afraid of vomiting. I know I am lame, but it is a real fear...

It is also concerning to me to have a foreign body living in there (what effect will that have on me later on?)

Will I sabotage myself?

Can I afford all of the adjustments for years to come?

Sorry, I am really struggling to find my way on this one. I appreciate that there is a place like this where I can come and interact with other who know what its like. Thanks!!

I haven't had my surgery yet, and I went through the decision process not too long ago. I just want to address a few things. First before I begin, I have to tell you, this is solely your decision and whatever you choose I'm sure it is the right one because it is your decision to make.

However, as per the vomiting. I completely feel you on this. I am terrified of it, in fact I will do everything in my power to prevent it. I will sit up all night sometimes with nausea, just to prevent it from happening, when you'd thing the easy thing to do would be just to get it over with... Not so, not for me anyway. I think I would rather get run over by a heard of rhinoceros (sp?) - no joke!

I heard though, that the PB is not your typical "vomit" and as it was explained it is still disgusting but not the same.

During one of my hospital WLS seminars, the surgeon described the experience of "dumping" succinctly. He simply says it feels like "you just want to die". Others there who have had the GB tended to laugh, but did not disagree with him. I can tell you, that is the exact reason why I fear vomiting so much is because it feels like I am going to die.

I have gone to two of the last seminars given by my surgeon. During which, most of the same questions came up in both. In the first, the answer to "which is better", the surgeon mentioned he felt the GB was. In the second, he says he has no opinion. (wtf??) Ok, maybe he was confused? Or maybe as time goes on he is seeing more and more benefits of the lap-band. One thing that struck me is during the second, he did mention that in about 10 years, he expects to be 100% lap-band. He called it the "new generation" of WLS.

One more thing, for myself, I would more over feel the GB would be a greater sabotage to my body since there is no turning back.

Just my two cents.

[Arin 0]

So glad I am not the only one out there with this fear! I too would do nearly ANYTHING not to vomit. I would rather get hit by a truck that just "get it over with". It has been an issue for me since childhood. It sounds silly to most people, but it is real.

Although I have only been to one WLS info seminar, I got the feeling too that times are changing in WLS, and more and more people want the band. I think that is the only reason why the program near me even started. Yes, I know it is my decision to make, and whatever I decide, it will be mine. I only know personally two people who have had GB, and no one (other than here) with the band...I think I need to get to some local support groups and keep reading here until I can get my appointment to get the ball rolling...

Although the surgeon who will perform the surgery said that he is neutral and he feels they are both effective tools to fighting obesity, I feel that he may be biased (the GB way) solely because he has done so many GB procedures, and has patients to track his progress with...The Lap-Band program is brand new in the hospital I have to consider so they dont have a long history of patients to keep track of. They cant talk about patient success stories and the long term effects because they have no data, yet. Everything they said about the band, I already knew through reading here and other research online.

Thank goodness I have time to weigh all the options before I have to decide. Today, I am thinking more positively about the band...who knows where I will be tomorrow...Thank you again!!

[MissSac 0]

I am like most others... safety and recovery time and slower weight loss is better for the system.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

So glad I am not the only one out there with this fear! I too would do nearly ANYTHING not to vomit. I would rather get hit by a truck that just "get it over with". It has been an issue for me since childhood. It sounds silly to most people, but it is real.

Although I have only been to one WLS info seminar, I got the feeling too that times are changing in WLS, and more and more people want the band. I think that is the only reason why the program near me even started. Yes, I know it is my decision to make, and whatever I decide, it will be mine. I only know personally two people who have had GB, and no one (other than here) with the band...I think I need to get to some local support groups and keep reading here until I can get my appointment to get the ball rolling...

Although the surgeon who will perform the surgery said that he is neutral and he feels they are both effective tools to fighting obesity, I feel that he may be biased (the GB way) solely because he has done so many GB procedures, and has patients to track his progress with...The Lap-Band program is brand new in the hospital I have to consider so they dont have a long history of patients to keep track of. They cant talk about patient success stories and the long term effects because they have no data, yet. Everything they said about the band, I already knew through reading here and other research online.

Thank goodness I have time to weigh all the options before I have to decide. Today, I am thinking more positively about the band...who knows where I will be tomorrow...Thank you again!!

Reading your posts are like looking inside my minds eye! lol

I have dealt with the fear of vomiting since a child too. I think it came from the fact it seemed like I was always doing it, and I got so tired of it and would become so scared when I got that feeling. Finally I just told myself I'm not going to do it anymore. I was 12 then and I haven't since! I think it almost became a challenge to myself. Bizarro, I know.

About the seminars, well, my hospital also has monthly group support meetings too. They are so great and helpful. My surgeon is also fairly new to the lap band surgery. He is at about less than 30 I believe, and has only been doing it for a short time. He has a really long history with the GB, so I can see why he would say it is better at first.

Good luck with your decision, and please keep me updated on here or through PM. Let me know!!

[mbanja 1]

I have seen and IMHO most american surgeons are trying to push GB because it is their "familiar ground." The band is a fairly new procedure but it is catching on. About the vomitting issue, It is really not that bad. I don't throw up any stomach acid. It doesn't smell like puke either. It is slimy like I have a cold and all the drainage is comming up, but it is really what your body produces when it feels something is stuck. If I could choose PB over vommiting, I'd PB 5 times a day as opposed to vommitting once a month. I often wonder if I will ever vommit normally again? I do notice my gag reflex is alot more sensitive, but it is truely not bad at all. All in all, the best thing to do is do your research, and make the decision for yourself.

[blahblahblah 4]

My mother in law had RNY and gets stuck at almost every meal and vomits...multiple times somtimes until it passes. I haven't pb'd yet..and dh has pb'd three times.

I didn't want to have my organs re-routed...I also didn't like the idea of malabsorption. I have three little ones and needed a lesser recovery time.

I think probably 80-90%of us were initially pushed towards GB... for some reason, it seems to be favored..but honestly, I wouldn't have done it and wouldn't be 68lbs lighter...

Best of luck to you!

Rain

[Arin 0]

It is so refreshing to read everyone's posts and experiences with the band. I have been giving myself pep talks daily since starting my research on the band...I have been telling myself (after hearing several descriptions of PBing) that I can handle it if it happens, although I will fight like hell to prevent it. I tell myself what you all have told me it is like, I have even described it to others, just to hear myself talk about it again...I can do it, I can do it... LOL, I know, its so ridiculous, but I need to do this. I keep thinking to myself, if there is even a shred of a chance that I can get rid of this dreaded diabetes (for a while at least), and stop taking insulin, then my life will have improved more that I can even comprehend...plus I would love to lose the weight and prevent future issues...I feel like this is my chance to really do something for myself, pbing and all

[METALBAND 0]

It is so refreshing to read everyone's posts and experiences with the band. I have been giving myself pep talks daily since starting my research on the band...I have been telling myself (after hearing several descriptions of PBing) that I can handle it if it happens, although I will fight like hell to prevent it. I tell myself what you all have told me it is like, I have even described it to others, just to hear myself talk about it again...I can do it, I can do it... LOL, I know, its so ridiculous, but I need to do this. I keep thinking to myself, if there is even a shred of a chance that I can get rid of this dreaded diabetes (for a while at least), and stop taking insulin, then my life will have improved more that I can even comprehend...plus I would love to lose the weight and prevent future issues...I feel like this is my chance to really do something for myself, pbing and all

I chose the band for all of the same reasons as everyone else and one more.

My mother had RNY about 6 years ago....I just dropped off all my fat clothes to her. She is gaining it all back Now she has no more options, it does not teach you, you automatically lose weight but if you do not learn how to eat properly....it will come back. My heart goes out to her because she has struggled for so long.

Good Luck with whatever you decide.