New Here

Hello everyone. I'm new.. I've been doing some research and learning about the bariatric surgery. There alot of things to learn and even more I don't know. I'm 325, 5'4", 30 yr old. I've got a consultation on July 21 in Carmel with Dr. Gupta. I'm not sure if I should do the lap band or the RNY. The RNY looks very very scary, and there alot of disadvantages to it, it looks. I don't know what to do... :-S Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated it!

Welcome Heather, The only great advice I have to give to you is RESEARCH, RESEARCH, and MORE RESEARCH. Make sure you have realisitic goals and expectations for whatever surgery you finalize on. If you aren't sure about something you read about any of the WLS procedures ask questions, questions, and more questions. Realize that with any wls procedure there are pros and cons, good stories and bad stories, successes and failures. I, myself, chose the band because I was a volume eater. I was eating good foods just lots of them. I had no idea what sadation was (feeling full) and so having the band has taught me what that feeling is and has given me the oppruntunity to develop some will power. I'll be a year out Aug 31 and I'm minus a total of 135 lbs from where I started the whole insurance approval process. Good Luck and remember RESEARCH RESEARCH QUESTIONS QUESTIONS

Thank you for the information.. I'm trying to find and do as much research as possible. It's very very very confusing!!!! and the horror stories and success stories on the RNY,, scare me.. But then again.. losing that much weight is super exciting also! I'm not sure what to do.. I'm hoping Dr. Gupta will be able to enlighten me.. The lapband was my initial thought to go with,, but I'm not sure anymore. The RNY sounds more popular though? But i'm not sure. See my confusion!! Ohhhh...

Hi Heather, When I first was researching surgeries I read allot I mean ALOT of profiles they are real they share the good, bad, and the ugly , there honest and truthful allot of them actually show's pictures ( which helped me out ). I'm 28 5'2 1/2 305pds. I chose the RNY , to me the lap was for someone that didn't have a ton of weight to loose , that's how I took it at a seminar . But then I came on here and seen people with all sizes has it done, however I still want the RNY it will be done laparoscopic , the down time is a little longer but worth it to me, noone can tell you what's best for you but YOU. So just keep researching , and watch the questions ask on main bored that's where I learned tons to. Good Luck With This ~ jenn

You are all soo great!! Thank you for the information.. I've heard that alot too, that if your bigger in needing to lose weight the lapband might not be the best choice...

Congratulations on the start of a wonderful journey. After meeting and discussing your personal history with your surgeon she may be able to give you some guideance as to which would suit your goals the best. I went for my initial consultaion thinking I wanted the lap band but after seeing the presentation on both the lap band and the RNY I decided the RNY-laproscopic would be best for me and my surgeon agreed. I'm 51 and started at 325 and I'm 5'4. I've lost 75# since surgery in January. I like sweets and fried foods (not much I don't like really) with RNY, most patients cannot tollerate sweet and fatty foods so that helps you resist falling back to those old habits. Either surgery is only a tool. You have to know your strenghts and weakneses then you can decide which would be best for you. Welcome to OH and come back often. Lot's of good people here with all kind of experiences. I'm glad I was able to have my surgery, I've not had any problems, but even if I had I'd do it agian. I'm so much healthier now. I can move, exercise and do things I wouldn't have been able to do 5 months ago.

Welcome Heather! I am having RNY on 7/18/06 with Dr. Cacucci. Which surgery you choose is completely up to you. I looked at the pros and cons of each surgery as well as the results people had and determined what was best for me. When I first joined this board, I asked tons of questions! That's the only way you will get a feeling for what is best for you. I also went to the April clothing exchange as a way to meet the people and see the results of each type of surgery first hand. It would be great if you could join us in Greenfield on Saturday, July 15th! Sam

Heather, Welcome to the OH boards! Research truly is one of the main keys. Discuss your concerns with Dr. Gupta. She is fantastic. You are in very good hands with her. Sherri

Thank you so much for all your words of kindness. I truly hope that she can give me some guidance,, the doctor that is. It'll be nice to know how to start and where to start. I know I'm ready to do whatever is necessary to lose this weight.

Hi Heather, Welcome. You will find a lot of very helpful, caring people here. Personally, I chose the RNY. But it took me a year to wrap my mind around the changes that would be made to my body before I could make my decision. At first, the change in eating patterns seemed like it would be overwhelming too. I had just been diagnosised with Type 2 Diabetes (8/04) when I began researching wls. I didn't even attend a seminar until 8/05. By that time, I had been changing my eating habits in order to control the diabetes (plus meds, but no insulin, thank goodness). I finally decided it would be better to eat differently in order to support significant weight loss than to do it to control a disease. (BTW, both my regular doctor and my surgeon assured me that my diabetes would go away if I could just lose weight. Happy to report I 've been off my meds since I got home from the hospital.) Take a little time to figure out what your priorities are. Research both the end results and the journeys of actual wls patients (read profiles, ask questions, read articles both on the web and in the news). It is a difficult decision to make, but well worth it. For me, the benefits outweighed the risks. Good luck. Cindy