Bypass over Band.....what made your decision easier?

I met a new friend on this site and she told me to do some more research before I had the band. I have consulted my surgeon, did research online and visited many forums on this site. I want to get more opinions now.........I have one more clearence to do before my paper work is submitted to the insurance company! I want to make the right decision before surgery actually occurs. All suggestions and opinions are welcome

I think the most important thing here is that YOU are happy with whatever surgery you choose.  They all have pros and cons and you need to weigh them all out on how they work with your life.  I personally am happy with the type I had but other people might say their surgery is better.  So what I am saying is that you need to research, talk to people, talk to doctors, and figure out what is going to be the best decision for you.

PLEASE!!!!! CHOOSE ANYTHING BUT  THE "BAND"!!! TO ME, IT'S THE DEFINITION OF INSANITY: DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND EXPECTING A DIFFERENT RESULT!!    IF YOUR BMI IS 40+ YOU DEFINITELY NEED TO TAKE GETTING A BAND OUT OF THE EQUATION!!!       Do your research...


Please continue to do your research until they wheel you into the Operating Room!!! ****think twice CUT once!!!

OK Sugah. Time for a big girl pill.  This may not be what you want to hear but...   Your profile says your bmi is 60+.   That is too big for lapband.  If you've met with Dr. Duncan, I can't imagine him not telling you that, especially since he is very much a fan of rny :-:


Now, I can't tell you why I chose rmy or band, BUT I can tell you why I felt neither was good enough for me!  I chose DS, which I see you haven't mentioned as an option. Does your insurance cover DS? It is a great choice for those of us with super high bmi.

1.  I was FAT!  I was 333 pounds with a bmi of 54 pre-op.  I needed the surgery with the BEST success rate of getting the most weight off.  With DS you will lose the MOST weight.

 2. I needed something that would work FOREVER to get the weight off and keep it off. DS does that.  My insurance only covers 1 wls per lifetime. NO revisions. I had 1 shot at getting this right.
I needed this to work the 1st time.

3. I am the world's worst dieter :-).   I can diet for like a day before I break down and have an Oreo!   Lap-band and rny requires you to diet  the rest of your life. If you do not diet you WILL gain weight back.    PERIOD!

4. I like food!  I like good, rich, fatty, crunchy, savory, saucy, ooey  gooey, yummy, scrumptious, delicious FOOD!   DS allows me to eat EVERYTHING I WANT.  Yes, if I overdo carbs, I will be a gassy mess, but I have learned my carb limits. I know I can have 2 McDonald's cookies, but 3 is too much..I know I can have a small sundae, but a large is pushing it.  I know I can have a big slab of birthday cake if I scrape off most of the icing. 

I love a greasy burger!

I love a sausage biscuit and strawberry jam in the morning.

I love a juicy 6 oz steak and salad with full fat ranch, and a baked potato with a sinful amount of butter and sour cream.

I love 8 slices of bacon and cheese n eggs, and a few grits.

I love fried chicken, and mashed potatoes and gravy!

I love mac n cheese!

I love 3-4 slices of meat lovers pizza minus most of the crust off 2 slices.

I love a big hunk of cheesecake.

I LOVE FOOD!!!! and my DS allows me to eat the foods I love and still lose weight AND it will stay off FOREVER!  It is baffling, but it works! It really works!!!

                     I AM A FAN OF SELF INDULGENCE, NOT SELF DEPRIVATION!!!

Pre-op,  I was not a FAT ANOREXIC!  I got 333lbs because I love to eat.  I wanted a wls that would allow me to eat like a normal person, and have a normal weight.


I eat a NORMAL sized portion like a NORMAL person should.



5.  I wanted a WEAPON, not a tool.   DS does most of the work for you to keep the weight off through malabsorption. Meaning all the fat you eat is not stored in your body.  It also means all the protein and nutrients are not absorbed, so I have to take vitamins, and eat a protein rich diet.  Since I love meat, cheese,  dairy, this was perfect for me.

In comparison, band, and rny are tools that  you will use to limit the volume and types of food you eat.  BUT, if you abuse it, you WILL break your tool.  Your pouch WILL stretch over time. You WILL be able to fit more food in your tummy.  You CAN train your body not to dump, and may eventually be able to indulge in sweets again with rny, or you may be one of the  MANY that NEVER experience dumping syndrome.

Rny and Band give you a window of time early out to lose your weight. it is up to you to train yourself to maintain the new lifestyle if you want to keep it off. It is a battle you will have to commit to FOREVER.   I didn't want to fight with food forever!  I didn't want to diet anymore. I didn't want to feel guilty about eating what I love.  I just want to be normal.



6. I'm pretty good at taking my vitamins.  I knew I was signing up for a wls that required vitamins the rest of my life. Rny has a pretty strict vitamin regime too. Lapband is a little more forgiving,  but ALL wls patients should be supplementing! So don't get it twisted.   Here are my vitamins:

1 vit d 50,000 iu from vitalady
1 vit a 25,000 iu from vitalady
1 e 1000 iu from vitalady
1k 1000 iu from vitalady
2 multi vitamins wal mart
2 calcium citrate wal mart
1 b12 nasal spray 1x per wk pharmacy

So, I take 8 pills a day. I was taking about the same pre-op, but instead of pills for diabetes, swelling, lower back pain, pcos,  I am taking vitamins to stay healthy.

 I don't feel like it's an insane amount of pills. I spend less than $20 a month on my vitamins. I find it very manageable. I keep them in a pill divider to keep up with them and to make sure I don't skip a dose.

My labs are GREAT. My vitamin levels are better than they were pre-op.  I am health, happy, and thriving. I am full of energy and life!


7. I was scared of having a foreign object in me.  What if something happened to my band and my insurance stopped covering wls?  MANY banders have to have a re-operation because of complications, or have to have it removed.

I hate needles and I didn't want to have to go in for fills.  People say band is less invasive, but in some ways I think it's the MOST invasive wls.  Just because they have commercials and billboards doesn't make it better.

8. I didn't want a "blind stomach" . With rny they just staple off your tummy to create a pouch, the rest is just hanging out in there. You can develop ulcers, cancer, etc, and it could go undetected.  The blind stomach can't be scoped.  If you were ever in a traumatic accident, an er DR can't put a scope or tube in. You should get a med alert bracelet to warn them of this.  With DS, the unused tummy goes in the chitterlings bucket and away to wherever they dispose of them :-)

9. I want to eat when I drink and use a straw.  Not doing this is just weird.  Now you can train yourself to do this with rny or band, but it will stretch your pouch, also can make you vomit.

10. I want to be able to take nsaids.  I don't have any restrictions on which meds I can take. I have a normal functioning tummy. My pyloric valve is intact.


11. I NEVER WANT TO BE FAT AGAIN.... NEVER!!!  My DS will work FOREVER. The malabsorption works FOREVER. There is no honeymoon period.    It will ALWAYS block the amount of food my body absorbs to store as fat.  I knew deep down inside if I had rny or band I would regain my weight.  Going to support meetings and meet n greets I have met MANY people who've gained it back.. In fact, it seems rare to find someone with band who doesn't gain it back.
 
It's not impossible because there are some neurotic people that stick to the book and never cheat and are poster child model rny / banders.  I knew I WAS NOT that type of diva.


       I Lve MY DS!!!





I have people I love and care about that I've met in support groups and OH, that have band/rny. I respect the choice they've made for themselves.  I just couldn't do that to myself though.


Whatever wls you choose,  work it and be the best you can with whatever is available to you.


                                                      


 

I have to agree with LaShelle.  There is no way that you should even consider the band.  I know that my insurance company will only approve a patient for a band if their BMI is no higher than a certain amount.  I can't remember what that is but I know that the cutoff is lower than 60.

If you consider the band you are only setting yourself up for disaster.  I agree that you should cnsider the DS if your insurance covers it.  RNY and the sleeve are also viable option but the band is the worst possible choice that you could make.

My starting BMI was 40 but when I looked at the statistics, I realized that the chances of me losing all of my weight were slim.  I heard too many horror stories about erosion, slippage and failed lapband surgery in general.

I just hope that you make the decisiont that is right for you.

I definitely wouldn't do the band if I were you. I did the band January 2008 and lost 50 pounds, I was considered successful. The day I had surgery I weighed 275 and I definitely wanted to weigh less than 225. So, I just had revision to RNY on June 8 I just wished I didn't have to go through surgery twice. Just please do your research, I vomitted everyday with the band and got very little nutrients in. Whatever surgery you chose I wish you luck!

Wow Christy,

You went all the way to Memphis for your revision?  I am sorry to hear about the problems you had with the band.  Unfortuantely too many people say the same thing.  Glad you didn't give up and decided to get the right surgery this time.