Lap band versus Bypass

Is the Lap Band any better then the Gastric Bypass -- as in malabsorption problems and patients recovering quicker?

Dr. Blackstone was pretty clear that the only people who should be doing lap bands are those who are pretty good at self discipline (not me) who are no more than 100 pounds over weight (also not me) and who are not sugar and fat cravers (again, not me). Beyond that? I'd imagine that it would be a faster recovery. There's no cutting except to insert the band through your abdomen. And there is no malabsorption which I personally see as a disadvantage. What do you think you'll choose? Patti in Tucson RNY scheduled for 11/7/3

I was told by my surgeon that people with the lap band tend to lose only about 50% of their body weight while bypass patients tend to lose about 80%. The former is also less invasive. I chose to have the bypass as my insurance company won't cover the lapband. I also have more than 100 to lose and love sweets.

This comes from someone who is about to be banded (10/25). Go to Yahoo! and search for Bandster groups. There are several out there, local to your community and world wide. The two largest, I believe, are [email protected] and [email protected]. It saddens me to see such misinformation coming from people all over, doctors included, that are not familiar with the results of AGB. Stats quoted in the US are from the FDA study that was done by inexperienced doctors (makes a difference) and yielded skewed results. For REAL results, go to these groups, read through the archives and judge for yourself. RNY works for some, not all. AGB works for some, not all. There is no "window" for weightloss with AGB and the success you can achieve is based on getting adequate fills to allow the band to work the way it was designed AND you working this tool the way it was designed. There are many sweeth tooths who have been banded. There are several people on these boards who have lost over 200 lbs! One, Malcolm's story, is at lapbandtransformation.com (I think). He has lost 300 lbs, starting at over 500! Check out [email protected] to see other stories, too. I myself want to lose half my weight, about 120 lbs. Both of these procedures will do for you what you allow them to do. Research both fully so you can make an educated decision on which is best for you. Good luck in your journey.