Help bypass or lapband

[dyingtobethin 0]

Help I am wondering if I should have bypass instead of lapband. I have researched the lapband only for the past 3 months and now I am unsure if it is the right move for me. I want to be sucessful and I am a big sweets fanatic and from everything I am hearing the bypass would be the best option for me. Just the thought of the bypass makes my stomache do flip flops. Did anyone else feel unsure about which surgery was best for them?:w00t:

[Guest nonmember]

I was just getting ready to post the same question so I'll do my little intro here. I'm 5'7" tall, age 27 and have no co morbidities. My BMI is 48 and I wear a size 20 pants. I have the same issue with sweets, its like being a fein for me. I never in a million years considered WLS. I am getting so desperate I have contemplated it since October. I have been overweight my entire life. I was successful on Atkins, lost 40 pounds from 300-260. It was too restrictive so I did South Beach, and phases 2 and 3 took me to 270.

I eventually got back to 300 and I have been going to a nutritionist, trying to incorporate exercise, and since June I have not lost a single pound. I tried Master Cleanse out of desperation trying to lose Water weight and got to 299. I went to 317 in September, now I am back down to 308.

I have not been to a seminar yet because the nurse said that she already knew my efforts would not be enough for MVP Health insurance so no point in me attending until I went through their 6 month WLS program..... isn't that what I am going to the nutritionist my PCP referred me to for Morbid Obesity, who is in network? Don't get me wrong the nurse was really nice but telling me this as a warning about the carrier. Luckily its open enrollment time at work. I called Excellus BCBS and the medical policy I was given was more simple so I will have a new carrier in January.

I don't see 308 when I look in the mirror so I didn't think I needed bypass, maybe because I am REALLY busty. So the band sounds appealing BUT, I am scared I will be one of those people who gets banded and loses no weight or too less than what I need to. The BCBS medical policy says the band offers less rapid weight loss, less early problems but more complications in the future at 5-25% of patients.

People I know that had RNY look ridiculously small to me compared to lap band, its like there is no control over how much weight is lost, some have bad bowel and gas problems...I don't want any of that....please help me decide. I am 95% band and 5% RNY at this point. Also I cannot imagine not being able to eat chicken.

[dyingtobethin 0]

Wow it is as if I could have written your story. I am 42 but 5'6 and 270. I have been overweight since I was 9yrs old. I currently only have slight high blood presure so I have been thinking all along I was going to have the lapband because even if it takes me a long time to lose the weight its ok because I do not have any health issues to worry about. However for the last 2 days I have been thinking more about the bypass because I know the weight loss is more permanate and I am a sweets addicted idoit. My husband is having the bypass and now I am just confused as to which one I should have. Feel free to email me directly at mcarpenter8586@yahoo.com

[ElfiePoo 109]

I'm on another forum where the majority of people have had the bypass. After reading their posts for months, I became even more convinced that the band was the better option. Far too many of these people show their current weight to be 10-15 pounds below their goal weight. They're struggling to maintain a healthy weight. Two of the women are below 100 pounds and having serious health problems. Many of these people have a poorer quality of life because they seem to get sick more often and have a number of new health issues. I know two women, personally, who died as a result of this surgery. Not the surgery itself, but all the problems that came later.

I don't know what the connection is, but quite a number are having difficult with their teeth and have thousands of dollars of dental work needing to be done or have had done.

Someone just posted a link to a site that talks about impairment of neurological function as a result of the bypass. Memory loss, problem solving, etc.

There are worse things than being fat.

Another option is the gastric sleeve. Far more invasive than the band, but not any more than the bypass, but unlike the bypass, your internal plumbing is still hooked up the way it was designed to be...your stomach is just smaller. It's a better option than the bypass.

.

[btrieger 21]

I think almost everyone here had the same question at least one point in their journey.

I will have my surgery in early February and am only 95% sure I want Lapband. My decision is based on the fact that if Lapband doesn't work for me, I can always go back for bypass. You can't do it in the opposite order.

Most insurance companies won't cover the Sleeve. Make sure you check with your before wasting your time researching it.

[Bamablondie1 0]

Both surgeries have pros and cons. No one can make that decision for you BUT if you are opting for the bypass b/c you think it's a sure fire way to prevent the sweet tooth monster think again. Yes, it will make you sick at first (and for a while afterwards) BUT I've seen many ppl with Bypass eventually eat around that, stretch their stomach back out and gain all their weight back. The bottom line is that, regardless of which you choose, you have to change your eating habits for this to be successful. P.S. I'm preaching to the myself too!

[john47 0]

Help I am wondering if I should have bypass instead of LAP-BAND®. I have researched the LAP-BAND® only for the past 3 months and now I am unsure if it is the right move for me. I want to be sucessful and I am a big sweets fanatic and from everything I am hearing the bypass would be the best option for me. Just the thought of the bypass makes my stomache do flip flops. Did anyone else feel unsure about which surgery was best for them?:wink2:

To me the choice is a simple one:

If you are a snacker, and "graze" on Snacks like ice cream, potato chips, sweets and the like throughout the day, go for a bypass because you will still be able to eat all the same amounts of junk food if you get banded because they will all slide through the band.

If on the other hand you are a "big meal eater" like me who liked big portions of steak, chops chips etc and do not eat a lot of Snacks then the band is the better option.

This is just me opinion

[kiz 1]

To me the choice is a simple one:

If you are a snacker, and "graze" on Snacks like ice cream, potato chips, sweets and the like throughout the day, go for a bypass because you will still be able to eat all the same amounts of junk food if you get banded because they will all slide through the band.

If on the other hand you are a "big meal eater" like me who liked big portions of steak, chops chips etc and do not eat a lot of Snacks then the band is the better option.

This is just me opinion

John, I have to respectively disagree. As a junk food grazer myself (I never ate big meals. My path to obesity was littered with chocolate wrappers and cookie crumbs..lol), the lap band has been a life saver for me. I grazed on sweets and such because I felt hungry all the time, and rather than picking nutritious healthy foods to snack on, I picked junk. I don't know why I got into that cycle, but it was taking over my life.

With the band, once I starting getting good restriction, I had no problem sticking to the 1/2 cup meal plan my doctor prescribed. Heck, I was probably eating no more than 1 1/2 cups per meal in the first place. However, now, I don't have those junk food cravings. With the help of my band, I'm not hungry between meals, which gives me the willpower and motivation to nix the junk. I'm a true believer that there's something in those foods that brings on cravings. I don't know if it's the white carbs, starches, and/or fat, but whatever it is, once my between meals' hunger faded and I stopped eating those foods, my cravings faded too.

I'm certainly not staring temptation in the face. I keep my trigger foods out of the house. I still have an occasional treat with a one of those foods, but only under controlled circumstances. I'm not made of stone, but I'm sure I'm not the only grazer that found a "cure" with the band.

I do believe you have to do an introspection before you get the band. I was confident that if the band gave me the kind of hunger control that I expected, that I could and would do my part. I sort of feel like a quasi alcoholic in recovery, except that I must face food daily, and keep mindful of the foods that led me to being overweight.

[Guest nonmember]

I went to my PCP today, and the medical secretary saw my referral to a bariatric surgeon for a seminar and she is getting lap band herself. She gave me her welcome packet since she is already scheduled. I am going to take that as a sign.

[Portola Suzanne 3]

I was a "grazer" also, but I grazed because I was HUNGRY all the time. Now that I am no longer fighting the hunger all the time I eat three meals a day. I also love sweets but there again a suger free fudge cycle handles that issue. Every

wls has its pros and cons. Talk to people, research and talk to the doctors about your best choice. I wish you luck in your journey I LUV my band!

[john47 0]

John, I have to respectively disagree.

.

No problem, thats what makes these forums so good. We share our experiences and learn from them. We would never learn anything if we all agreed :w00t:

.

As a junk food grazer myself (I never ate big meals. My path to obesity was littered with chocolate wrappers and cookie crumbs..lol), the LAP-BAND®®® has been a life saver for me. I grazed on sweets and such because I felt hungry all the time, and rather than picking nutritious healthy foods to snack on, I picked junk. I don't know why I got into that cycle, but it was taking over my life.

With the band, once I starting getting good restriction, I had no problem sticking to the 1/2 cup meal plan my doctor prescribed. Heck, I was probably eating no more than 1 1/2 cups per meal in the first place. However, now, I don't have those junk food cravings. With the help of my band, I'm not hungry between meals, which gives me the willpower and motivation to nix the junk. I'm a true believer that there's something in those foods that brings on cravings. I don't know if it's the white carbs, starches, and/or fat, but whatever it is, once my between meals' hunger faded and I stopped eating those foods, my cravings faded too.

I'm certainly not staring temptation in the face. I keep my trigger foods out of the house. I still have an occasional treat with a one of those foods, but only under controlled circumstances. I'm not made of stone, but I'm sure I'm not the only grazer that found a "cure" with the band.

I do believe you have to do an introspection before you get the band. I was confident that if the band gave me the kind of hunger control that I expected, that I could and would do my part. I sort of feel like a quasi alcoholic in recovery, except that I must face food daily, and keep mindful of the foods that led me to being overweight.

Well done. you have done great. I have tried loads of different diets and failed through lack of will power. Funnily enough, I seem to have loads now I have a band even though I have not got any restriction yet.

however, I stand by my original opinion. me and you seem to have gained will-power we never had pre-band. A lot of people will not gain that will power and will require the band to do the work for them. If someone who does not gain the will-power after their band still grazes on Snacks they will fail.

I know of a few people who have not lost any weight with the band because they still snack on "slider" foods. In my opinion the bypass would have been the better option for them.

However, I have to say. Even though the band was the best choice for me as a "big-meal eater" I dont think I could have went for the by-pass. I just never liked the thought of the knife hacking my stomach away :tongue2::eek:

Edited December 6, 2009 by john47

[adagray 1]

I think almost everyone here had the same question at least one point in their journey.

I will have my surgery in early February and am only 95% sure I want LAP-BAND®. My decision is based on the fact that if LAP-BAND® doesn't work for me, I can always go back for bypass. You can't do it in the opposite order.

Most insurance companies won't cover the Sleeve. Make sure you check with your before wasting your time researching it.

Ditto all of this! It is certainly part of the journey to be unsure at some point as to which surgery is right for you. And, I ultimately came to the same conclusion as the above poster.

One thing that made a difference in my decision, too, was that I learned that dumping (sugar aversion) only stays with you for the first year or two w/bypass. So, eventually, even w/bypass, you will have to deal w/your sugar issues. The reason why some bypass patients gain back is because they are counting on the bypass to prevent them from eating sugar. And, it really does for awhile, and very well. But, eventually, you will have that looming that you will need to control it on your own after you no longer have the dumping.

Also, w/the bypass, my surgeon says you should really NEVER drink ANY alcohol again. I know there are many bypass patients who still drink, but they are taking some significant chances w/their liver. The stomach is the first line of defense against toxins in the body. And, the body does recognize alcohol as a toxin and the stomach does significant work to metabolize that before it actually ever goes to your liver. When you drink alcohol after bypass, it is like injecting alcohol straight into your system. The stomach has no chance to detoxify it at all. For me, this is scary cause I really do like my wine. I am cutting it out for the first 6 months or longer just because it is empty calories, but when I imagine a 'normal' life after reaching goal, part of that means that I can have a glass or two of wine occasionally as long as I am exercising enough and eating healthy enough to maintain a healthy weight.

But, bypass is a lot better if you have Type 2 diabetes. The bypass will cure that immediately.

Personally, I think the sleeve may be the very best choice of all, but my insurance doesn't cover it right now.

[dyingtobethin 0]

Well i read what you had to say then read three more post that people with the bypass tend to gain it all back so my question is which is it they lose to much or gain it all back. I think some go to far and lose to much and I think some do gain it back. I have read so many stories and it seems like everyone has a different opinion which only causes me more confusion. I will meet with my surgeon and discuss with him and then make a decision. Thanks for the input.

[dyingtobethin 0]

Thanks I will ask my insurance company if the band fails if they would then cover the bypass.

if it fails after I hit a normal weight I do not think they would then because I would not qualify. I will check with them though. Thanks for your input.

[dyingtobethin 0]

Bristlecone thanks for being supportive no matter what decision I make so many people in the lapband forum here seem to be almost nasty to you when you mention bypass. I have herad a lot of good and bad with both surgeries so it is a personal decision.