i decided to get lapband surgery doctor prefers bypass?

ok so i stand at 325 pounds and i curently saw my surgeon got all sorts of test done, he said because of my weight he prefers i have the bypass surgery, but i decided on getting the lapband surgery because of the fewer risks. i  just need some of u guys opinions :/ very confused

You need to do what you want to do , not what the doctor wants you to , yes take his advice but it will be you that has to live with the surgery .

Make sure you do your research list the pro and cons and go from there.

I for one love my band.  I have to be honest I have had a very easy time with my band though. I have had good  restriction right out of surgery and have not had to mess with fills .  Part of it is good (maybe not the best some days )restriction and the other part is I just needed a reminder not to overeat at meal times and to slow down I use the band as a mental tool also . I got so tired of being over weight and that is all I needed was to be reminded of what not to do .   That is the main reason why I got the band and its doing exactly what I wanted the band to do.

But it might be totally different for you. Everybody is different.  We all can come in here and say how much we love our bands and yes people can come in here and say how much they hate the bands but  you never know how it will be for you and you alone .

I would personally never have another surgery done and this will be my one and only WLS done. I got the band to teach me how to eat proper portions, how to healthier , and how to eat my bad girl foods but in moderation and not so often.  That is what I wanted from the band also and I'm getting that from the band.   I have learned so much in the last 7 months of my journey its unbelievable .

This is how I feel though about the band and my personal experience with the band :o)

PS I started out much heavier then you. I was at 348 pounds when I had my surgery and now Im down to 292 less then seven months

I totally agree with my buddy, Steelerfan.

Choosing your journey, your WLS is like your religion.  Only YOU can decide what is right for you and what you feel comfortable with.

My start weight was not too far from yours at 333 pounds. 
The band takes a lot of hard work and dedication- more so with any of the WLS out there.  I personally chose the lap band after digging deep down into my soul and looked at my eating habits and what my needs were. 
I didn't have any other health conditions other than obesity and joint pains from all the weight I carried.  It took a lot for me to admit that I am a volume eater and an emotional eater.  I was not big into sweets.  I was mostly a savory girl, but oddly enough, I shoveled the food down my throat so fast, I didn't have time to savor nor taste the foods that I was eating.

I work with my surgeons and I keep in check with them all the time.  I follow the plan to the tee that their after care program has.  There have been several of very successful lap band patients out there, also several band patients out there that the band just did not work for them.  Read some of the good and bad but know ultimately, you have to be comfortable with the surgery you choose and if you are nervous about anything else, well, I think you have made up your mind.

Good luck to you and wishing you all the best in whatever you choose!
Remember, we are all here for you!

Take care!
Jan

ps... thank you Steelerfan (saw your shoutout about my pic in Jean's feed!)

HIJACK.. love the new PICTURE...

I guess I should change mine too LOL ..it's kinda old :)

thanks girl!  although, that pic was taken back in September... I may have to re-update again!  But yeah, you need to update your pic too! 

You need to be honest with yourself.. are you willing to diet (constantly) and exercise.. ... the band takes 80% effort on your part..

I'm not saying bypass is easier but the loss ration with bypass is better than lap band in the beginning because of malasportion but after 3 years lapband and bypass semi average out .. you have to make sure you make lifestyle changes because after that malasorption goes away if you don't want your intake you can easily gain weight back.. I would suggest going over to RNY board and reading some post.

I think you need to choose the surgery best for you. My insurance didn't cover much it was very costly to me to have RNY so it was ONE of the reasons I choose the band.. I have no regrets but I don't think 1 surgery is better than another .. I think it depends on the person .. your commiment to changing your life.. lets be honest we didn't get heavy by eating grilled chicken and veggies and hitting the gym.

Long term success regardless of surgery is the change you make with yourself and changing bad behaviors... food bad behaviors consuming too much and/or too many treats.. whether it be salty or sweet LOL

Good Luck in your decision

Your doctor wants to see you be successful and the stats on EWL with the band aren't great. I don't know any stats on RNY, but I wouldn't call the band low risk. Make sure you check out the studies on the rates of post-op complications associated with the band.

But this is your decision. Why are band and bypass your only two options? If it were me (and in full disclosure, my band started sucking in its second year and I had to revise), I would appeal to my insurance company for the sleeve if it is a restriction procedure you are looking for.

Best of luck to you,
Lindsey

I started at 385 at seminar, 383 day of surgery (no preop diet required).   My surgeon suggested bypass, but I was firm in my choice of banding.  He was willing to do the surgery I wanted, but he would've been medically negligent not to suggest what he felt would've been the better choice.  However, he doesn't have to live in this body after surgery and I do.  :)   I didn't want malabsorption if a surgery that didn't customize my intestines would help just as much, and it has.

I had more than one doctor tell me I would probably only lose 50 lbs with banding (these were doctors that did not specialize in bariatrics).  They are amazed to see me now that I've lost 200.  And I'm still losing, but slowly now as I'm getting closer to goal.

There's another girl who occassionally posts on here who started at nearly 500 I think.. she's lost 300lbs.

I don't know your age, but if you are anywhere near menopause (and even if you're not, you will get there one day), know that because of the malabsorption, osteoporosis can be a big problem for RNY (bypass) patients.  Malabsorptive surgeries work well for many people and I'm glad they're available for those who need them, but it's not my choice.  JMO.

Here are some of the fewer risks I had with the lap band.

 I was banded with my first band on June 19Th 2006. This band caused me to vomit multiple times per week, and suffer from severe esophageal reflux every night when I went to sleep.
I had to sleep in an up right position....Yet still I would awake with a mouthful of burning acid.

The acid was so hot that it actually burned the back of my throat and that lasted for a few days. My PCP had me on a PPI and even that did not stop the acid. There were many times I was unable to swallow my own saliva and/or swallow water. Even unfilled I suffered from the acid reflux and band tightening.

I experienced left shoulder pain from day one and it never went fully away. I listened to those on the Lap Band forum with their well meaning advice telling me it, " was just gas " or that I was eating too fast, or not chewing my food well enough. I followed their advice and still I kept experiencing esophageal reflux every night.

Left shoulder pain can be considered normal under certain cir****tances. For example :
After abdominal surgery ( WLS ) you will experience trapped gas in your shoulders, but that gas usually dissipates within a week or two MAX.

The only reason someone with a band would experience left shoulder pain months/years after surgery is because they are experiencing diaphragmatic pain. The diaphragm cannot feel pain and refers the pain to the left, right, and sometimes both shoulders, as well as the chest and neck.

This pain can be confused with cardiac symptoms and anxiety attacks. Your left shoulder, arm, back,throat,neck and/or chest will hurt like you are experiencing a heart attack.

If the band is not removed in a timely manner the damage to your diaphragm may become permanent.

My daughter who was banded the same day as myself had to have her first band removed for the same exact reasons I had to have mine removed.

Our bands had slipped.

I was banded with my second band in December of 2008. This was an unplanned emergency surgery, so I was not prepared to revise to another surgery without being fully informed. I regretfully chose to have a second band placed, as well as my daughter.

At this point I had loss 70 lbs the hard way. From 2008 to the time of my second revision. I was still able to maintain my 70 lbs loss. This was not because of my band. It was because I was determined to not gain any of my pre-op weight back. I had been through enough and I wasn't going to allow myself to gain any of that weight back.

I experienced even more left shoulder, back pain, and now was experiencing a whole new set of problems.  Esophageal Motility Disorder & Dysphagia.

"The esophagus functions solely to deliver food from the mouth to the stomach where the process of digestion can begin. Efficient transport by the esophagus requires a coordinated, sequential motility pattern that propels food from above and clears acid and bile reflux from below. Disruption of this highly integrated muscular motion limits delivery of food and fluid, as well as causes a bothersome sense of dysphagia and chest pain"

I woke up with my air passage fully obstructed one night. I tried very hard not to panic and ran across my room to the bathroom where I was able to bend over the toilet while using both fists to press in on my stomach. I was able to successfully dislodge the object from my air way. I could have died right then and there.

I knew my problems with the band were becoming worse, so I had to do something about it. I called my surgeon and was able to get in that very day. I was directly admitted to the hospital where I stayed for six days. They removed my lap band and performed a VSG on me.


My band had slipped again.

There are many who have been programmed into thinking by the makers of the Lap Band, Realize Band, and The O band that the band is " Minimally Invasive & Reversible " That is complete brain washing and anyone who chooses to go forward with having a band implanted for these reasons, needs to research more because as you can see just by mine and my daughters experience alone.
That our surgeries combined total altogether SIX ' Minimally Invasive " surgeries.

My band was not reversible....it was removable, but not until it had already caused severe nerve and thoracic pain which just may end up being permanent damage.

Only time will tell........

Do yourself a favor and consider a different surgery type. Also do not let the moronic poster that goes by the name of NaNa or Naomi spoon feed you any of her bull**** propaganda. The woman is a catastrophe waiting to happen.

thank you guys i have made my research and i know the band will help but so much. i have always struggled with my weight, i dont have the pictures from me ever being skinny cuz i always been fat. now im 24 years old at 23 i weight 368 pounds (my highest weight ever ) thats when i made the decision to start excercising and eating right,  i went down to 318. i was so excited, and even got pregnant, i had complicatios with the pregnancy not because of weight but .... then my doctor prescribed jaz the birth control she says its best for me to lose some weight before i get pregnant again. i got very depressed and started eating again and not working out, so here i am, i have gaine close to 10 pounds and decided i will do the surgery because i need that boost to make me get up and excersise. i know its not an easy task and it will take alot from me. but im ready, ready to not be obese for once in my life.
reason why i said lapband is the safest of all bariatric surgery is because to me it is. i work in a medical office in nyc and i see alot of people who have suceeded. i have no medical problems so i believe i will be fine, with the grace of god!!!

thank u girls and yall look fabulous................... will be like yall soon :)