Band VS Bypass - Why did you choose the band

[Guest kxbght]

I attended a seminar last night where the doctor was really pushing bypass over the band. He said that it takes longer to loss weight with the band and when it is all said and done he said you will lose a lot more with bypass. It has kind of left me confused. I would rather have no surgery than have a bypass.

Thanks,

Kerry

[cheridoodle 0]

Wow! The seminar I went to told horror stories of comlication you can have with the gastric by-pass and other very invasive surgeries. Yes, it might take longer but #1 if you work the band it will work for you (from what I hear) and #2 you can always have it removed...by-pass is not a reversible procedure...it is meant to last...You also get MUCH better absorption with the band since your food goes through the stomach and all of the intestines it needs to to be absorbed. So many by-passers have to get B12 shots or something of the sort. If you would never consider having by-pass then the band is for you!.

Cheri

[the best me 6]

I would rather have no surgery than have a bypass.

Thanks,

Kerry

Me, too! Bypass was simply not an option for me. It's true, GB folks lose faster. To me, that's the only advantage. It's the malabsorption. Your body just doesn't take in the calories and nutrition you eat because it passes through so quickly.

For me, though, that's scary. With the band, I like that my body is doing what it's always done with my food. I know what 1200-1400 calories does to me and makes me feel like. I don't wonder how much of that is benefitting my body and how much ends up as waste. There are virtually no restrictions to my diet...I just have to be mindful of foods that might get stuck. I am the one losing the weight, it isn't being done for me. I just have the help I need from my little band.

There are several threads on here that discuss it. It's a very personal decision, one that you shouldn't let your doc make for you. If that doc isn't keen on banding and you still use him, just know to line up your support from another source (LBT? yes!!!) and be a very informed and self-determined patient.

Here's a link or two or three!

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=6935

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=3673

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=33

There are also some threads that speak specifically about Band vs Bypass...

I can't seem to find them. Anyone? Maybe someone will post another link. This question comes up periodically and with regularity

Good luck!!

[donna_42 0]

My doctor offers both surgeries, but does not push one or the other. I had heard of bypass, and never even considered it, I thought it was just way too drastic and permenent for me. My sister, who is a nurse, told me about the band and immediately I started researching. Yes, the weight loss would be slower, but, it was reversible and not nearly as invasive as what I had understood WLS to be. It took about a year to get approved, and even then, I had about $5000 out of pocket...but I think it is worth it!

As far as I'm concerned, banding is the first and only WLS that I could've even considered.

[Margo 0]

Kerry,

I NEVER considered the by-pass, especially after reseaching all the various WLS. I know of two people personally who did have the by-pass: one nearly died, and the other can't stop losing weight and looks sickly.

Reseach as much as you can, read this board, and talk to several surgeons. Don't rush into a decision. And, also, remember "fast" is not always good!!!!

[ReneBean 3]

Any time that cutting of the intestines is involved, there is a MUCH larger risk for infection and other surgical complications. Cut & Paste are computer commands - not something I want done to my body...

The band is just a little choke-chain for your stomache. If your appetite starts to behave badly - you just yank on the chain. (aka - get a fill).

If you have any life altering events - pregnancy or whatever - you can have the band unfilled until you are ready to resume your weight loss.

You just can't do that with ByPass.

[Guest kxbght]

Thanks for all your wondeful advice!

Kerry

[ickytazz 0]

i have patients who have the bypass, they are having awful spontanious fractures of the rib bones just from sleeping. Also i dont like the fact of all the Vitamins, and you can poop out a whole Vitamin as your body doesnt digest.

My insurance will not cover anything if you are fat, if i blow out my knee im screwed. Saying that, i would never have done the bypass even if my insurance covered it.

Vicky

[Daisybelle 0]

I chose the band mainly because it's reversable. If something should go horribly wrong I like knowing I can have it taken out.

Also, my neice is an ICU nurse and she made me promise never to have gastric bypass no matter how desperate I was. She's seen too many people who ended up really, really sick or dead... and I have a family that I'm not ready to leave.

And, to a certain extent, price was a consideration too. Since I was self-pay and the band cost less than half the amount of a bypass.. with fewer complications (that would mean more expenses).. it just seemed like the right choice all the way around.

[loopylou 0]

My surgeon told me that people who have a gastric bypass tend to start putting weight back on after about 2 years. The beauty of the band is that if that happens you can simply have another fill.

[Ariel2005 0]

Kerry,

There is a surgeon in TX who does a seminar. He explains benefits and detriments of both surgeries. You can get his seminar on CD. Go to BANDMD.COM

That being said, I concure with the ladies, GBPS would NEVER have been a choice for me. The band was an expensive, selfish choice. But, one that, long term, will help me take control of my habits, my cholesterol, my blood pressure and my future with my family. Without this 'leg up', I don't think I would see another 15 years.

I intend to go to every one of my grandkids weddings.

I don't think bypass patients have comfortable, healthy lives. Just thinner.

Come on over to the band!!

[Alexandra 55]

My surgeon told me that people who have a gastric bypass tend to start putting weight back on after about 2 years. The beauty of the band is that if that happens you can simply have another fill.

You know, this was definitely one of the things that attracted me to the band as well. But the reality may be a bit different. I'm more than two years out and while I'm not gaining weight, the weight loss has virtually stopped and "just getting another fill" would not be the answer for me. This is not to say that I can't lose more weight if I want--my band is still working to restrict my intake and control my appetite--but it's definitely more about my behavior than anything else at this point.

It seems that many people start to experience negative symptoms due to long-term restriction--reflux, dysfunctional esophagus, enlarged pouch--and while none of these are life-threatening like bypass complications can be, they can sabotage weight control or even lead to other health issues or band loss if we're not careful.

What I think the REALLY good news is about the band is that if these symptoms occur, the band can be adjusted to relieve them. The fact that the band can be loosened, I think, is just as important to my long-term success (which is what matters most to me) as the fact that it can be tightened. If there are complications with the bypass, quite often additional surgery is indicated and in some cases it's major surgery with only mixed success. To pair that risk with the fact that once the effectiveness of the surgery has worn off there is NOTHING to be done, seemed, well, nuts.

So for me it came down to safety, both in the short- and long-term. I'm in my early 40s and expect to live another 40 years--who knows what might happen in that time? Facing the rest of my life with a compromised system for absorbing nutrition seemed extremely foolhardy when a safer, saner alternative was available. Losing weight fast was not my main goal--losing weight permanently was (and remains).

[DeLarla 22]

Many weightloss doctors hold regular seminars. I attended one here in Vegas, where 2 doctors work together doing both bypass and Lapband. They explained the pros and cons of each surgery. There were lots of factors, but I ended up with the band. It's a personal decision for each of us.

The band is less invasive, a safer surgery, and completely removable. You can gain weight back with either surgery, but once you get the bypass, your body has changed for life. With the band, your body goes back to normal if it's removed.

Good luck with your decision.

[Terri-ific 0]

I researched both procedures as much as possible and decided that the lap-band was the choice for me. I liked the fact that it is much less invasive, reversable, and there is no cutting of intestine, and with a slower weight loss your skin tightens more than with the by-pass, etc. Also, the recovery time is so much shorter than for the RNY -- so the decision was fairly obvious. ALSO, and this is a biggie, a RNY will only be effective for about a year--then the pouch stretches. With the band, because it is adjustable, you can lose for several years. Always remember, you have to do what is right for you, your family and life. Good luck with the decision. Terri

[paula 4]

YESTERDAY - I saw a friend that had the GB, hadnt seen her in a year. She had her surgery 2 months before me. She has lost 130 pounds so far - me, around 70. At this point, she and I weigh the same, actually me being 5 pounds less then her.

I could NOT believe how sick she looked. The skin around her neck was all wrinkled, her face was sunken in. Honestly, she looked 10 years OLDER then before the surgery.

After our visit, my sister and I were talking about my friend and myself weighing the same and having the 2 different procedures. My sister was VERY adamant about how much healthier I looked in comparison to my friend. Whats funny is that I thought I looked bigger then her - but my sister said its because I was healthier looking!!!

Have you read the different stories on long term GB patients?

It was reading those stories that made me chose the band.