Gastric Banding or Bypass?

 I think the advice I can give to you is to find a doctor that can give you an objective opinion on all surgeries possible for you, meaning one that will perform all of the surgeries.  I actually changed doctors 6 months into it (need 6 months dietary) and I feel that was the best decision I could have made.  My original doctor only performed the RNY and the Band.  And I was going to have the RNY.  I ended up transferring from there (southdale) because of my weight, to the U of M, and my doctor told me the RNY was not even an option because of my weight.  There would have been a high chance of the procedure failing down the road.  So that left me with the choice of the DS or the Band and I am one that doesn't want foreign objects in my body.  So the decision was easy for me, not to mention the benefits of the DS.  I think it all comes down to what you are willing to do to your body as for what type of surgery you decide.  Best of luck with your decision.

Get informed & then make your decision!

I got informed for 5 years. Don't let any one surgeon push you a certain way. He or she only does the cutting. You live with your decision/choice for the REST.OF.YOUR.LIFE!

Do I love my DS? YEP!
Does Elena love her Band? YEP!
Does Seashell love her RNY? YEP!

See where I'm going with that? Each one of us made a decision and we each love our decision.

I could tell you all the reasons to have a DS. Elena can tell you all the reasons to have a band. Et cetera. However, the final decision is your's & only your's. If you have specific health issues/concerns, then definitely your primary doc (or specialist) should be involved in the decision-making process, but you also cannot limit your decision because a surgeon only performs one or two procedures.

I also highly recommend to ALL pre-ops, that they attend the bariatric info class/session at each local hospital. This provides you with information on how each program is run, who the surgeons are, and what their pre & post op information/guidelines are. I only encourage that because it is what I did and it was the best decision & time spent. Plus, it helped me be 100% comfortable with my decision!

Best of luck to you. If your initial decision doesn't feel right, go with your instincts and keep researching!

Ditto what my fellow DSers have said!  You can't get DS info, though, from a doctor that DOES NOT do it - he/she will give you all kinds of reason that the DS is 'bad', and the majority of it will be untrue and uneducated.  Get the info on the surgeries from a doc that does them all - it's more balance and objective information.