Newbie questions.

Hi. I'm new here and hope I am posting this in the right place. I guess my main question is how did you decide which surgery to have. I am sure I will be a selfpay due to a cap of $4000. on my insurance for this.:crazy:. So I get my packet in the mail from Dr.Gibbs office with the cost list. Ok, other than the first office visit charge I am looking at aroung GB open: $16,300. GB lap $22,500. or LapBand $16,300. How did you decide between GB or LapBand and what decides if you have GB should it be open or laporscopic? The price diffrence between open and lap is $6,000. I know the diffrence in the procedures (I have done my homework on that one) but how did you decide which was best for you. Sorry this was so long. Thanks for any help you can give me. Tammie

Hi Tammie, I'm a patient of Dr Gibbs, and as far as open vs lap GB, he's the one who decides which procedure he will do. It's based on whether or not you've had other abdominal surgeries and other factors. Carrie, Dr Gibbs nurse is great at answering questions, you might give her a call. Have you gone to any of the Dr's seminars? The doctors who perform these procedures are great at explaining the pros and cons of the various procedures. After that, it's up to you which one you want to go with. A lot of it depends on how much you need to lose, how fast you want to lose it, and other factors. It's great you're doing your homework, when you do you'll know you're making the best decision for Tammie. Keep us posted, Susan

I am a patient of Dr. Gibbs. You need to attend his seminar and then make up your mind after that. When he explains the procedures and you actually look at them (powerpoint) you get a better idea. I know I did. As far as the Lap RNY, that depends, you can tell them you want that one and that is what he will do but Dr. Gibbs will warn you that one he gets inside of you that he might have to switch to an open and he also has to examine you in his office at that time he will tell you which is best.

HI Tammie: I am a Dr. Gibbs patient, my surgery is next Friday. The way I made my decision is I have absolutly no will power. And in Dr. Gibbs seminar he said if you have no will power the lap band is not for you. SO, that made up my mind to have the GB. As for having it open or laproscopic, I did not want a scar going from my breast bone all the way down to my bellybutton. I had a hystorectomy last year (which went from my bellybutton all the way down) and if I have this open that would mean I would have a scar straight down my abdomin (breast bone and beyond). I don't know if this helps, but good luck and God Bless Cynthia

Hey Tammie - I haven't had surgery yet but I'm in the same boat as Cynthia - no will power. I really didn't need the option of being able to have a chocolate shake anymore. Also, I read someones post that made sense to me - I have one chance to do this. I'm not going to get a lap band and then if that doesn't work have gastric bypass. I don't have that kind of money. I need to go ahead and have the procedure that has been effective for years for so many people. Just wanted to share with you what went in to making the decision on which procedure. As Susan said, after looking at the medical side of things - it really boils down to a personal choice. Good luck! AT

Hi Tammie, You have definitely posted in the right place, that's what we're here for. I, too, am one of Dr. Gibbs' patients. I had Lap RNY on 01/19 of this year. I chose RNY over Lap Band because I didn't want a foreign object in my body for the rest of my life. In my opinion, there is just too much chance of something happening to it, for example it can corrode over time, it can grow into the stomach tissue, it can slip, the port can malfunction and have to be replaced. I also didn't want to have to deal with getting fills and all that. Also, I knew if I had the lap band done that I would find a way to "cheat" it, I needed something that wouldn't allow me to do that. I knew I was only getting one chance at this and only having it done one time, why spend time and money on something that may not work for me? That is why I chose RNY, and yes it can be reversed, according to Dr. Gibbs. He will explain both procedures in detail at his seminar, you can pick up both packets if you want to look over if you haven't decided by then. Susan H. is right, Carrie is wonderful about answering questions and she will always call you back as soon as possible. I've never had to wait more than a couple of hours for a call back. I chose Lap over Open simply because of recovery time. I have had both procedures in the past, 2 c-sections and a Lap Gall Bladder removal, and I knew Lap would be much easier to recover from. However, I was not self-pay, my insurance covered mine. Some people will choose open because it is less expensive. If you tell Dr. Gibbs you want open due to financial reasons he will do it, but he prefers Lap. I think you just need to really think about it then go with your gut feeling. I knew, deep down, that lap band just was not for me. Good luck to you and please feel free to ask as many questions as you need to, we're here to help you! Take care, Denise

Hi Tammie, I guess I am one of the few lap band patients available on this board. I will tell you, Just because someone else can eat or drink milkshakes, doesn't mean you will be able to. The way the band is being placed now, it provides little room for corrosion and port malfunction, not that it can't happen though. Some will try to tell you the lap band is experimental, I't isn't! It has been around for 12 years in Europe and most of the European doctors prefer it over the GB. It is safer and you may lose weight faster with GB but the complications and the problems you have with malabsorption far outway the the lose being a slow one. Someone mentioned earlier that they didn't want to have to deal with getting a fill....Well for lapband people, if your weight loss declines and you find you aren't losing any more, go get a fill.. it will come off again.. you can continue to have fills till either you hit your sweet spot or the doctor tells you he can't cause your band is full.. or you lose all the weight you want. Gastric bypass patients don't have that luxury. When they are done losing, they are done. They can put their weight back on and then face revisions and hernia's.. Alot of bypass patients are now going back and having lap band's placed around their GB pouches. I know of two people in the office who are talking about having this done because they put their weight back on. I personally chose the lap band because I have Fibromyalgia and I was not sure how the surgery would effect my condition. I already live in pain and I don't want something else adding to it. I also like the fact that the complications were drastically decreased with the lapband over the GB. I was super morbidly obese when I started, I haven't lost all my weight yet but I am getting there a little at a time. Just do your homework on both before you make a decision. Only you know whats best for you. Amy

Hi. Just want to thank everyone for the responces. My seminar date is May 25th. I just dont get the diffrence in the price for open vs lap with a GB. You would think that it would take more time and effort to do an open. Maybe the cost is in the equipment used. Well anyway I'm sure I will have lots more questions. Glad I found such a friendly place go. Thanks again.

Amy, I saw that you are from Jonesboro. I'm from Paragould and I'm having Lap band done on July 5th with Dr. Jones.