The choice

What made you choose the type of WLS you had? Or wil have?  My sister has the band and went from 300 to 145, a neighbor went had open RNY and went from 330 to 130.  So what made you choose the type of surgery ?  Was it the drs idea, did you go in with one in mind....... Just curious.....

My wife and I like the way the band can be taken out if needed .with no side efacts. I just love the Band. I think if you can not control your Eatting this surgery is not for you . and it a lot slower wt loss and you have more time to adjust to the adjustments.

I chose RNY because I new my personality.  There is a reason I hit 381 pounds.  I made poor food choices.  This somewhat forces you to make good choices, especially if you are a sweet junkie.   My husband is looking at the lap band, but his problem is portion control. 

Great Question! I went into this process totally convinced that the band was going to be for me.  After I met with three surgeons and listened to the statistics, risks, rewards, etc... I weighed out all of my options and decided on the RNY for many of the reasons Pam.  All three surgeons I met with, suggested the RNY after meeting with them and asking me a lot of questions.  I also looked into the DS and decided that was NOT for Me.

My insurance only gave me two choices -- RNY or LapBand.  The surgeon recommended the RNY because I had a BMI of 72 at the time and he thought I'd get better results with that type of surgery.  I decided he was right, especially since I wanted a radical change with radical results.

Both my mom and sister had RNY, so I was the most familiar with that type of surgery.  They both had open RNY, but that was the normal back then (5 & 7 years ago).  I attended an educational seminar on the LapBand and did some research on that option.  It's advertised very heavily on TV so a lot of people think this is the only option - or the best option.  After researching the LapBand I realized it wasn't for me because it's basically a diet where your portions are controlled.  I was already able to do that.  I dieted for 24 months before surgery, eating 1200 calories and exercising like crazy... and didn't lose any weight.  So I knew I needed something that adjusted my digestive system.  Also I knew that if I had the Band I'd too easily sabotage myself with slider foods (milk shakes, ice cream, soda, etc).  I needed the dumping syndrome to keep me honest and on track. I had the Lap RNY 4.5 months ago and I've lost 70 pounds.  I'm very happy with my decision and feel this was the best thing for me.  I certainly listened to my doctor's advice, but he was open to either type of surgery ... so ultimately it was MY decision. Just a side note -- I did consider the DS as well.  But the malnutrition issues and extreme malabsoprtion was simply not the route for me.  I also saw the pill box of a DS patient that had about 12 to 15 pills for each day in it.... I couldn't face that the rest of my life. The decision about which type of surgery to have is a very personal decision.  Something that only YOU can make with the help of your doctor.  If you're still not sure which one to do, take some extra time and do more research.  Another couple months in the grand scheme of things isn't going to make that big of a difference --- but if you make the wrong decision because you're rushing will effect the rest of your life.  Pam

I wanted the RNY because you lose the weight faster and the dumping is a great deterrent to eating the wrong things.  Iam almost 4 yrs out and still dump if I eat the wrong things so it works! I did not choose the lap band becasue I did not want a foreign body inside me that can erode into my stomach and have to go get fills every 6 weeks or so.  It is removeable but if you remove it you gain your weight back...Plus the port  where they do the fill can flip as u lose weight and have lose skin so theres another surgery to correct it.  I am not talking down about lap band- but that is my PERSONAL take on why I chose the RNY. It is your choice ultimately- not your doctor's Shannon

I choose the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy because it felt like it was the right tool for me.  I wanted a restrictive procedure vs a malabsorption procedure d/t my volume eating.   Also with the VSG the part of the stomach that produces the hormone ghrelin (SP) is removed.  This hormone rises significantly when dieting and it has been found to stimulate the appetite center in the brain. The VSG is actually the first part of the Duodenal Switch.  This surgery started to be done on severely morbidly obese because it was too dangerous to do the whole DS.  It was used to have them drop 100-200 lbs before the DS.  Drs were seeing that there was a huge success with this surgery alone and smany did not need the DS. The procedure is one of the safest of all WLS.  The surgery is only about 45 minutes.  Post op complications are minimal. The only problem is that many insurance companys consider this experimental and will not cover the cost.  There are also no long term studies.  The longest studies are about 4 years out.  But there have been many studies on gastrectomy patients that had the major portion of their stomachs removed d/t disease and the sustained weight loss they achieved. I am 1 week post op and so far I am very, very please with my sleeve. Carole

Insurance played the key role, at the time I had my surgery, Lap band was not recognized as something BCBS felt would be reliable in the long run.  Therefore, I had no choice but RNY.  At the time, due to my father being chronically ill, I chose a hospital and surgeon close to home, and he only did open RNY at the time.  He now offers laproscopic RNY and his partner offers lap banding.  I am happy I had RNY and feel similar to many people here.  It is a tool forever and the dumping syndrome still works when I eat something I know I shouldn't.  Why do we do that?  Perhaps to test the system and make sure it still works. It's up to you, and unfortunately, perhaps your insurance company too. best of luck Stacey W

I chose RNY for multiple reasons. 1. My insurance only covered RNY or Lapband. 2. Patience. I am impatient and the weight loss is quicker with the RNY. 3. Long term results. I knew if I didn't do something drastic, I was likely to gain it all back. I needed something that would drastically change my mindset. Yes, I know that they operate on our stomachs not our heads, but with this it has made me learn how to use the tools given and when I see the results (goes back to #2) I know that I can get used to the lifestyle needed to maintain this.  4. The lack of long term data to support the band. I'm analytical and wanted to see more long term data. 5. My size. I was 365 (i'm 5'10") at my first visit with the program. The RNY was best for this situation based on the data I had gotten. I'm 5 months post op and would not hesitate to do this all over again if I had to.