HELP please... advice needed on bypass vs. lapband.

hi my name is nancy.. i started out wanting the lap band but now i am all kinda confused... i have been doing alot of research for the by pass surgery.. and i am now leaning more towards that. my surgoen suggest that the bypass would be a better option for me but the decision was fully mine. I am totally scared ... i was told that if i get the bypass i will have a large scare because i has a c-section before.. my family is against the by pass cause a friend of the family had a person pass away from complications due to the surgery.. but everyone is different.. i have been told my surgeon is wonderful and has had many sucessful surgeries... but i don't really know what to think or do...PLEASE anyone that has had good or bad stories with both of these please let me know... thank you so vey much....xoxoxo

Hi Nancy, my name is Robert and I had Bypass back on 4/2/07 and have lost 112lbs and I fee great and have had no problems with my surgery. I would do it again in a heart beat. With any surgery their are risks but then again crossing the street can be a risk also. Do your research on your doctor and how many bypass surgeries he has done and what his results are and if he has any deaths or alot of problems. Take care and good luck with your decision. Robert

ty so much robert... i did google him and find a profile page with alot of previous patients saying good things.. but i guess they really wouldn't post the bad ones... lol... do you know where i might go to research his past stats as far as positive vs. negative surgeries. and conplications and deaths?

Nancy, Back in 2002 I had the Lap Band done because I was trying to have children and had none. I had two Babies within 15 months of each other and both were C-sections and 7 months later since I was done having children I had the Lap Band removed and The Lap RNY done because I had no self control with the Band. I initially lost 80 pounds with the band but put it back on with the pregnancies. These are some of the things I think people should consider when getting the Lap Band: If you have over 90 pounds to lose or more than I don't recommend it. If you don't have a lot of will power as far as sweets don't get it. Remember that you will have to be getting fills and you want to make sure your insurance will cover ALL fills because they can get expensive. Don't mind needles to get the fills. All in all I can say I failed the Band and I have a much different mindset this time because this is my one and only chance. By the way I am 14 days post opt from the surgery and I am doing great. This was much less pain than either C-section. Good Luck in whatever your decision is just rememer no one can make up your mind for you its your body and your choice. If you have any questions you can email me I hope this helps. Again Good Luck. Tammy Ps My pre-op weight was 287 and I am 5'6

Hi Nancy - I had the same "fear" that you had. I considered both, but my doctor helped me to make the decision. I had the by-pass surgery. I have had several stomach surgeries, but still had a laproscopic surgery....and I think I had 7 small incisions. I have a cousin that had this surgery several years ago, and she passed away also. My mom was devastated when I told her I was going to have the surgery. I did a lot of research, I even researched the doctor. I had a lot of confidence in him. I also came to realize that my surgery was a matter of life and death. I was either going to die because I was overweight and my BMI was nearly 56. My blood pressure was sky high and my sugar levels were out of control. The bottom line is that I was only 55 years old in a wheel chair and using a walker to get down a grocery store isle. I was unable to get any exercise at all - so death was lurking nearby. The alternative was to get the weight off immediately. My surgery was not cosmetically based - it was based on health. I had to come to terms with that. The lap band was an alternative, but the weight would be slower to come off...so my husband, daughters (adults), the surgeon, and my internist agreed that the gastic by-pass was the better option for me. I think both the lap-band and the gastric by-pass are good surgeries. I think it depends on how much weight you have to lose, how fast you need to lose it based on your personal health issues and what your doctor suggests. There are risks in surgery....that is all there is to it....your decision is not an easy one to make, but it looks like your doing the right thing by asking questions of others, and researching. I am glad I had the gastric by-pass. I didn't have any major problems other than needing to have the esophogus stretched twice. I threw up a few times, but mostly because I made the mistake of not chewing my food well, or eating things that didn't work for me. I quickly learned what I could eat and what I couldn't. I am so glad that I had the surgery...but I am pretty sure that if I would have had the lap-band, I would be happy I had that too.....I am just so happy to have had the opportunity to lose the weight - I believe it saved my life....and my life is so much more than it was in past years. Good luck in making your decision! You'll be fine...just don't be afraid to ask questions, don't be afraid to contact your doctor or his staff is you have questions after the surgery.....that is the key. You don't need to be brave or not want to bother your doctor if you are having some side effects that are unusual....communications is the most important. I called my doctor and his staff several times with silly questions...but I was glad I asked!!!!