Wanted to have the Lap Band but Ins. Co. approved RNY

Thanks for your reply Dave.  That is true that there can be complications with the lap band.  I have so much to think about.  Thanks for your help!

~Jodie

Jodie,

My advice to you is READ READ READ! Read websites, read online journals of people who have the lapband and people who had RNY. Read threads and profiles on OH. Surround yourself with positive people whom you can talk to and will be encouraging and respect your decisions. Do your homework. Ask your surgeon's office questions and make sure you are comfortable with and clear on the answers you receive. You have to trust your surgeon, and he/she should be a big part of the process of making sure that you are ready to do this, no matter which route you choose. I had my RNY on 05/02/08 ... I didn't have insurance at my previous job, and I worked there for eight years. So the surgery was just a dream for me until I got my current job and finally got insurance as of December 2006 - but I had spent all the time in between doing my homework and making sure I knew what I wanted and how I would have to live the rest of my life as a result of my decision. I started the process last April - saw my physician, had a physical and got referred to my surgeon, went to the surgical seminar, had the psychological evaluation, had my lab work, went to the surgical consultation, went to the nutritional seminar ... It seemed like it took FOREVER, but next thing I knew I had a surgery date! I was so excited through the whole process and right up until the surgery - I never doubted for a moment that this was what I wanted to do. When I woke up in the recovery room, the first words out of my mouth were, "I did it!" The nurse just laughed and said, "Yes, you did!" Let me know if you ever want to talk - feel free to send me a message or email me (thecutestone at gmail dot com).

P.S. I would do it over again in a heartbeat if I had to ... And to answer your other questions: I know a few people who are anywhere from two to ten years out from RNY, and they all drink diet soda at least occasionally. I still miss it once in a while - there are days when I have cravings - but it is way too soon for me to even think about trying it! I am hoping that by the time I reach a point where I *could* try it, I won't want to. As far as water goes, I am a guzzler - I always have been. I tried to do the sipping thing but I am finding that I still guzzle - I just can't guzzle as much, as fast as I used to. :-) And on the subject of eating and drinking at the same time, I am probably a bad example and I'm probably gonna hear about it from someone on here. :-) I NEVER used to eat and drink at the same time before my surgery. But now that I am not supposed to, I can't stand not being able to! I only drink water with meals, and I take tiny and infrequent sips while I am eating. I have not had any problems doing it this way, but I know everyone is different. I hope this helps at least a little!

Thanks so much for your reply.  I am a huge quzzler to.  Does it hurt when you drink too much at once?  I think I can get by without the soda I really only have about 1 can a day.  Have you experienced dumping?  If so what is it like?  I guess I have alot to think about before I make my decision.  Congrats to you on your weight loss!

~Jodie

It does not "hurt" when I drink too much, but it's uncomfortable. There have been a couple times that I was afraid I might throw it back up, but that has never happened. I haven't experienced dumping yet, but I think I came close one day. One of my coworkers brought me a smoothie made with all fresh fruit. After I had drank maybe about 1/4 of a cup of the smoothie, my heart started racing and I felt really weird. I imagine that was probably the beginning stages of dumping ... I tried it again later that night, and the same thing happened. I drank some water, hoping that it would "wash" the sugar out of my system. It seemed to work ... I ended up telling my coworker about it that night and she said, "Oops!" Turns out she had asked them to sweeten the smoothies. So not only was I getting the sugar from the fruit itself, I was getting whatever sugar they had dumped into it! Eek! You know, I really don't miss soda most of the time ... I try to remind myself whenever I have a craving that soda is part of the reason I ended up needing the surgery. I really do not want to end up repeating my old mistakes!

You might want to at least look at VSG. maybe your insurance will cover it.  Go to the forum here on OH.  Dr Q also performs that surgury it's on his website.

 

Thanks I will take a look at that!

~Jodie