Do you wish............

For those of you who had rny, do you ever wish you went lap band and those of you who had lap band, do you ever wish you had rny? If so, why? This information will help me make a decision. Thanks, Joanne

I am still pretty new pre op so it's hard for me to say but I am really happy that I went with the lap band so far. It is a bit discouraging when I go to the August boards and people that had RNY surgery the same day as me have lost 40, 50, or 60 lbs and I have "only" lost 20. For a minute I wish I had the bypass but then I remember that it might take me a little longer to lose this weight than your average gastric bypass patient but I know it will come off. this time. Forever! I just have to be patient. This whole process has taught me a lot of patience! And if it turns out that the band isn't the tool for me, then I can always consider having RNY sometime in the future.

I am glad to hear that you are happy with your decision. You are right, the hard part is watching the rny patients lose so much faster. But I am hoping after 18 months I will be at the same rate as an rny. I am hoping to have surgery soon. My appt with the Dr. is on 11/16 and then they schedule the surgery

I was the first patient offered to have a lap band at Middlesex Hospital. At the time I was 48, a BMI of almost 40, and although loaded with comorbidities was in pretty good health. VERY Active. As time came on, I chose the RNY because of two reason alone. The first reason was the documentation of how well one surgery works compared to the other. Both surgeries (as presented by Dr A.) were 90% effective at the one year mark. However, at the 10 year mark, the RNY was indicated to be still 90% effective, where the lap band was only 50% effective. I could not afford to wait 10 years, damage my body more and then try to live a full life. The second reason is that I already had an example of what life was like with a RNY. My wife had it done 15 months before I did, and since then my oldest daughter had it done 7 months later and the youngest had it done 11 months after that. Do we know how to keep insurance companies busy or what Given the choices, I would not change what I did for anything. This has been a wonderful journey, and I am glad to have so many years left to tnjoy the trip. Peter

Hi Joanne, I went into the process thinking I wanted the Lap Band. I liked the ease of reversability compared to rny, how it would be easier to have another baby, and that I could continue to get fills for my entire life. To be honest with you, the reason I did NOT have the Lap Band was because my insurance does not cover it. Honestly, in hindsight,I would never go back and have the Lap done. My weight the day of surgery was 344 with a BMI of 53 and I needed something, quick, drastic and permanent. Now, one year ago (TODAY!!) I have forever lost 154 pounds, went from a size 4x or a 32/34 to a 14/16 pant and Large top. But thats all minor compared to the new life I lead! I can chase after my son, hold my head up high, shop anywhere, do physical activities with my DH, you name it, I can do it. And yes, I can still have a baby if I so chose with rny. Best of luck, -Deb

Deb, How is your apt for plastic surgery? Kathy K

My 1st appt is Oct 20th. I have the pictures of my rashes, the letters from my Doc's, everything is hopefully in order to give to the PS to get insurance approval. Ohh, I sure hope so!

I am newly post op (12 days) and at first I really wanted the lap-band. Pretty much the same reasons as Deb, and I also went with the RNY because that is what my insurance covered. During my decision proccess, I did a lot of thinking, and realized I was already looking for ways to cheat with the band (i.e. no dumping after sweets). That helped me to realize that the RNY would be better for me, the temptation to cheat is seriosly diminished because I don't want to risk dumping! I have never been big on sweets, but I know I would "cheat a little" if I could! It really is a personal decision. Good luck, Carmen

I you have a few minutes, read my profile for thoughts on Lap Banding & RNY, as I had to choose too. I, at first, wanted to have Lap Banding, mostly because I was scared of the permanent change to my physiology. In retrospect, knowing what I do today about my habits, psychological food issues and long term behavior as an almost 2 year post op, I made the absolute BEST decision. I would NOT have succeeded with Lap Banding in the long run. But, that's just me. Good luck in you decision making process. Best, Lisa C

Nope . . . I'm delighted with my results, and I had a wonderfully talented surgeon God Bless, Kathy Bilodeau Lap RNY 12/3/03 -101 lbs.