Gastric Bypass Versus Lap Band or Sleeve

I am new here but am in the process of having WLS.  I see the surgeon next Tuesday (April 9, 2013) and then, due to my insurance, am on a doctor  monitored weight-loss program for 3 months.  After that I am able to schedule my surgery with insurance approval.  My questions is, I have already told the clinic that I want the lap-band as my husband and I believed that was the safest surgery and the quickest recovery - I have two babies and need to care for them.  After reading some posts on this site the lap band may not be the best for me.

Is the full gastric by-pass better?  Or the sleeve?  I would love to hear from people with all so I can make the best decision for me and my family.

Thank you so much!!

The lap band is not the best choice for most people. Read the Revisions forum and you'll see just how many people are desperately trying to have bands removed.  Save yourself pain, damage and disappointment and choose something other than the band.

Good luck to you. I hope all goes well for you, no matter what direction you go.

Thank you. 

Could you comment or someone else on their success or not with the sleeve and the gastric by-pass and why they chose one over the other.  I am trying to find all the info I can but it really helps to hear it from someone that has gone through it.  From the info the doctor provided it really sounded like the band was the safest and easiest but I don't think I want it now.  Thank you!

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/revision/a,messageboard/bo ard_id,5360/

If you read through the posts on the Revisions forum, you'll get an idea of some of the problems that come with the band (as well as other surgeries.)  I can only speak about the band because I did not revise to another weight loss surgery. The band was the worst decision I ever made. I still have tremendous damage from it. It's the "easiest" for doctors to perform. It's the "safest" in the initial surgery, but the most dangerous post operative, in my opinion. (And, by "safest" I only mean that it's a simpler operation for the surgeon.)

The band is  hard to live with and  it causes pain and damage. I've watched it over and over since 2003. I swear, it's just NOT a good option. I hope you'll research a lot.

Feel free to join the failed bands group as a preemptive strike, as well. You don't have to have a failed band to join. But you could speak with a LOT of folks who had the band and are now in the process of desperately trying to get them removed... or have revised to another WLS.

Good luck. I wish you the best.

You really need to look at WHY you have trouble losing weight.  If you can lose weight easily by restricting what you eat (dieting) but just have trouble keeping up with the diet, than a restrictive only procedure would probably work (sleeve).  If you find that it is very difficult to lose weight, no matter what you do, than you need the malabsorption as well.  The RNY only provides for caloric malabsorption for 12-18 months...and then you are back to dieting for life.  This works well for some people...they are able to adapt to the lifestyle and have no problem with maintaining.  BUT...you have to be truthful with yourself...will you be able to 'diet' for the rest of your life?  Low fat, low cal (sometimes having to restrict to less than 1000 cal per day to just maintain weight loss) forever?  For some it is not a problem.  For others, dieting is why our metabolisms are screwed up to begin with and the RNY adds to the problem.  I had the RNY in May of 2008.  Lost weight for 8 months, maintained for about 5 minutes and then started the regain...no matter what I did.  I had lots of problems with reactive hypoglycemia, strictures and food intolerance.  It was a miserable time for me.  I revised to the DS in April 2011.  Best decision I ever made for myself...wish I would of know of it sooner.  

So, there is a FOURTH option that you need to research.  The DS has the very best long-term stats for overall weight loss and  maintained weight loss.  You retain caloric malabsorption for life.  Resolution of type 2 Diabetes is very high.  Go to dsfacts.com to get a lot of good info on the DS.  You owe it to yourself to make sure that you research ALL FOUR options and choose what is best for you.  Don't let insurance dictate what is best for you.  If your insurance covers one WLS, they can more often than not be forced to pay for the others.  It might involve an appeal, but aren't YOU worth it?  There is a lot to consider with all types of WLS.  Weight the pros and cons of each....be truthful to yourself....and make an informed decision.  Good luck!

Mommydoo - I rarely visit this page because of the negative responses that you will get back on the lap-band, but I felt compelled to reply because I was once in your shoes. I was banded on Feb 16th, 2012 and I can say it was the ABSOLUTE BEST decision that I could have made for myself and the long term health as a mommy and wife! I started my journey at 328.6 pounds and I am currently down 112 lbs at 216.2 pounds! I know that not everyone is going to have the same story or the same journey, BUT I do know this.... if you work your band - eat the RIGHT things and have several accountability partners that can talk you through the rough patches you will do just great! The key is to make sure you are informed and make sure that the band works for your lifestyle. If you have food addiction issues - I would say it would be wise so start seeking help for that now, if portions are your problem.... then the band could be your saving grace! IF you want to follow my journey and see the ups and downs I have had in my journey... please follow me on YT @ jennasbandedjourney! If you comment on a video with questions I will always answer anything you may want to know! Best  of luck to you!

Thank you for sharing.  It is just so hard to make a decision that is so very important when all WLS have issues and those are the only people that seem to post.  Did you consider the sleeve at all or why did you not choose sleeve or bypass?

You should also know that a lot of people "love" their bands for the first year or two... until the scar tissue builds up enough to start causing massive complications. 

The complications that are so common with gastric banding usually start up around the 2-3 year mark. That's when the human body starts revolting against the unnatural presence of the band. That's when the esophageal problems start... or nerve damage is apparent.  A very few people make it past the 5 year mark without having undergone subsequent "corrective" surgeries.

Thank you.

While I never got the band I will tell you about my story.  I was always fat upwards to 345 in my 20's, 325 when I started researching WLS in 2006 when my mom died.  I actually saw a LapBand commercial (the greatest ad campaign I have EVER seen).  I was never ever going to get the RnY because of the fact they have a hole at the bottom of your stomach (stoma) that basically just dumps the food you eat into your intestine (where the term dumping comes from).  I have seen COUNTLESS people in my personal life and read who CAN have complication etc.  Please note that I say CAN because it's not guaranteed that anyone WILL have complication x, y or z, but they can.  Ok so I'm researching the all mighty LapBand (and that's how I felt) I needed a surgery that would HELP me the most, and I believe that I needed a surgery that would keep my stomach as a normal stomach.  Where the stomach acid helps digest and mix up my food, where my pyloric valve once the stomach was done doing it's job would open and let my food continue on the digestion road.  I wanted a surgery that would REDUCE the amount of food I could at at any one given time.

So research I did.  Now I saw the website where there is a (and I think back then in 2006 there was like a 50-60%) complication rate and you MIGHT not lose ALL your we ight but I also believe that given the right mental aspect of this surgery coupled with the restriction you can do almost anything so I kept on researching.  I came to OH thanks to a friend and well what I saw here made me nervous.  Instead of some arbitrary number on a website about complications I was seeing ACTUAL living breathing people with the LapBand who WERE having complications, some minor others not.  So I in total research mode started a pros/cons list.  I had page after page of "possible" complications with the Band and of course RIGHT next to it I had the "words/advice" of those who loved the band saying oh if you do this or do that you will NEVER suffer from these complications.  In my research I am ALREADY forcasting that I WAS going to be the PERFECT bandster.  Like someone already said I was aiming to be ONE of the LUCKY ones.  The more I researched the MORE I found people who were banded in like 05/06 with these complications and they were CLAIMING to have been "perfect" bandsters.  But STILL I did not want the RnY because of the false stomach, nor the DS because I just do not consume that much fat and I had NO medical issues.  THEN boom bam thank you Jesus a young lady on the LapBand forum asked Dr. Curry about the VSG and that her insurance (just happened to be MY insurance) suggested she get that instead of the Band.

WHAT you say girl.  There is a surgery out there called the Sleeve...what is this...tell me more.  Well you guessed it I started researching the Sleeve and OMG it "appeared" to have EVERYTHING that I wanted....normal stomach, food restriction and to boot there was a CHANCE that I would wake up from surgery and NOT be hungry because it removed over 1/2 your stomach and the hormone called Ghrelin.  Well tell me more all mighty Sleeve.  I then simultaneously was researching the Sleeve but not taking my foot all the way out the band camp.  I wanted to know EVERYTHING I could about the sleeve.  After all I was willing to say GOODBYE ADIOS to over 1/2 my stomach (NOT that my stomach ever did anything for me, I still am VERY fond of ALL my body parts).  I took my research AWAY from the WLS forums and researched Full/Partial Gastrectomies as done on people who have stomach cancers and ulcers which has been done for over 30 years or more.  I read about peoples LIVES after having a partial gastrectomy, What LONG term vitamins "may" be needed.  How they just eat way smaller portions then before.  How yes they would lose weight.  How yes they weren't really hungry.  How yes you could even live a full and productive LIFE even without ANY stomach.  How a family who had a history of stomach cancer voluntarily had their stomachs REMOVED as a preventative measure.  How people were LIVING life YEARS after their gastrectomies with virtually the same restriction and the "bonus" of weight loss.

Now the whole time I still had my pro/con list.  The Band one was LONG and extensive on the "possible" complications, slips, erosions, esophagal dialation, adhesions for IF the band had to be removed all the risks involved in removal.  The VSG after researching had a few questions/comments.  What size bougie would the surgeon be using?  How does the surgeon check for leaks?  After surgery I did research to KNOW if I did have a leak what SHOULD I be looking for in those weeks after surgery?  How long does it take the stomach to fully heal over the sutures/staples?  That was IT.

I was fortunate that my insurance DID cover the sleeve back in 2007.  Blessed if you will because back then Insurance companies weren't.  I don't know what I would have done in 2007 once I KNEW about the VSG, if my insurance would only cover the RnY or the Band.  To be honest I don't like the GAMBLE of either of those surgeries to NOT be one of the "lucky" ones.  For the VSG I took a gamble that I might still be hungry.  I did take a gamble that hey you could have a leak but as of yet I have not seen a VSGer die purely from a leak.

My reality after my VSG.  I woke up from surgery with INSTANT restriction.  I have been blessed with NO physical hunger.  I am almost 3 years out, still not hungry and still with restriction.  I have lost over 100lbs.  I COULD have gone lower then my current 192 and I'm working out it, but at 1 1/2 years out, I decided a little carbs here and there won't hurt, well they do and depending on YOUR body...well **** I'll say CARBS are the DEVIL.  I am referring to PROCESSED carbs, not fruit but yes fruit for some can be "danger Will Robinson danger."

I wish you well on your decision.

Ms Shell