Hello...Looking for advice!!!

I am new to posting, I have a consult with Doctor the Monday after Thanksgiving (YEAH!!!!) I was at first looking into the Lap Band but 3 people who have had Gastric have told me not to do the Lap Band...HELP!!!! Please let me know some feelings on this...all the advise is appreciated!!!! Thanks, Ginger

It's a very personal choice that only you can make, myself I am having RNY and my daughter is scheduled to get the Lapband for her own personal reasons. My advice is research, research, research and choose what you feel is right for you, I pay no attention to others opinions about my choice. Good luck on your decision!!! Stephanie

Just wanted to say great advice, and that it's nice to see another Lusby poster. Best of luck on your journey and tell your daughter the same. TraciL

I second that research, research, however each type has pro's & con's. I have research the bypass and I am going with that.

Hi Ginger, We have some of both RNY and Banders who post on this board but I think more RNY-ers. There is a lap band forum that you might pose your questions about banding on. I agree that this is a personal issue. I chose RNY because I felt uncomfortable with the idea of a 'foreign' object being in my body and I also felt that RNY was a better long term fit for me. Best wishes on your WLS journey. Hugs, Mo

Hey Mo! That's funny. There are a lot of people who feel funny about having something foreign in their body. You know I'm a bandster and I never gave it a thought until AFTER my surgery! hehehe I told my husband that now I have two "implants". I don't mean boobs either. I have an IUD and now my band. LOVIN' my band! I'm down 12 pounds as of yesterday morning. Not bad for a little more than a week out. Heather

Thanks....You know you reasearch and reasearch and think you have it figured out then you find something else out and then debating again!!!! Like Victoria said also Pro's and Con's with both...and I do have to make the decision which is best for me! Just wanted to hear others feelings about the two!!

Hi Ginger - Welcome!!! Please feel free to join us anytime! I had laparoscopic rny in 8/05, after researching/kicking the idea around for about two years. I never considered any other type of surgery, I don't know why, I just didn't. But I'm extremely happy with my decision and have never regretted it one bit. Having said that, I wanted to put my 2 cents in about choosing a doctor - if you don't feel comfortable, don't choose him. I went to two different surgeon's seminars, didn't feel comfortable with the first one, and ended up choosing Dr. David Von Rueden at GBMC. I cannot say enough good things about him. In fact, if you'd like some looonnng reading, scan back on the Maryland board to my post on 8/2/05, which is my surgiversary. It chronicles how much my life has changed for the better!!! Again, it's an intensely personal decision, one that must be well-thought out. Good luck, Teresa

Ginger, I don't know if I would tell you not to get the lap band, it's a very personal decision that only you should make. I would however say that you should research both procedures and get as much information as you can. I chose the laproscopic RNY for my surgery because it fit ME. I personally needed the discipline that the tool came with. I needed something that was more than just restricting of my diet and I personally wanted to concentrate on a new lifestyle and better food choices without having to be interrupted by the aftercare of getting fills and tests for fills when they couldn't find the port. Also, I knew that a big motivation for my lifestyle change was going to be losing weight quickly. The worst part of dieting for me was that losing weight slowly was not motivating and with the lap band everyone proved to me how slow the weight loss really was. I found some people who gave up after losing 50 pounds, which was a great loss, but their goal was something like 150 pounds and out of frustration, they gave up. I didn't want that to be me. When I was researching, I found several people who had gotten the lap band and eventually had another surgery to proceed with the RNY, but I never found anyone who had RNY and wished that they had gotten the lap band. So do your research, get the facts, and decide what's best for you. Best of luck.