Gastric Bypass or Lap Band?!?!

I had my first appt. today in Columbia.  I went in knowing I wanted the Lap Band but after talking with the doctor I am leaning more towards the Gastric Bypass as well as my mom and husband.  But it is scary to think about and that was the reason I wanted LB but I am afraid I wont get the results I am looking for with LB...I talked to my grandma and she is like you could die and so on...My question to you what made you decide Gastric Bypass or Lap Band I am so confused....Thanks for your help...
Nikki

Good morning nikki.i wanted the rny because you cannot get the same result's with the lap band.with a lap band you can still pretty much eat what you want to.you can still have milk shake's.i wanted to get rid of my blood sugar problem's.i wanted to be more healthy.i was having a lot of trouble walking from knee pain.i can walk better now and i feel better.i no longer take insulin or blood sugar med's.i know with the lap band i would have been able to have what i wanted and still have high blood sugar number's.i was afraid at first too.but you will come through it ok.you have a lot of friend's here on the board who will support you.we are praying for you.anymore question's please just ask.have a good day.susan.

Nikki
 I was like you I was getting the lb and that was that, no way was I going to have the rny it was just to dangerous. Thank God I changed my mind I love my rny.
 My doctor told me I wouldn't lose enough weight with the lb and it would take me a long time to reach my goal weight if I did at all. My health started going faster and faster and my pcp told me I really needed to lose as fast as I could so I switched to the rny. It's the best thing I ever did.
 I had a friend do the lb a couple months before my rny and she wishes now she would have went with the rny for many reason's but mainly because she can still eat whatever she wants, she hasn't lost as much, she is out all that money for each fill (which they have trouble finding the port every time making it painful).
 Really the choose is up to you, nobody can tell you whats best for you because this is life changing (for the better). Please know which ever you do we are here for you.
Love and Hugs

Nikki, I had the EXACT same thing happen to me.  I was all about the lap band, it was easy to do, not a big surgery, no big deal. Heck Dr. De La Torrre invented the procedure to put it in.  No way was I having the RNY, that's scary.  But then I went to Dr. Suttmoler and he talked to my husband and I and was like you need to loose 160lbs to be a normal weight.  With the lap band you might loose 50% of that in 3 years.  With the RNY you will loose 80% in the first year. I know people that have the lap band and love it, and I know people that hate it and had to have it out.  Its the same with the RNY.  Some people have trouble and some never do. I don't know why this is the case.  Its a totally personal choice.  When we left that day I got in the car and said to my husband.....what the hell just happened?  I signed up for the RNY!!! I told my mom when we got home and she cried, she was upset, but after we did some digging, Dr. Sutmoller was right for ME this was the best option.  You can go on this web site to get info too.  There is a lap band forum and also a RNY one too.  At my last appointment I thanked him for helping me make an informed decision.  Like I said its what's right for you.   ;) Lou

Boy, if I could only go back to where you are now...

I would settle for NOTHING but the DS!  One main reason is that you can take NSAIDS after DS and not after the RNY Gastric Bypass.  If you have ANY joint trouble, you will suffer after RNY.  That's only ONE reason.  I have hundreds.

Good job asking!  Happy researching!

~m

PS  You should visit the DS board here at ObesityHelp.

this is really a touchy subject to a lot of people and i wasn't going to answer you but here i am putting in my two cents worth....OK as far as problems after wards there are those that have had the lap band that have had problems also slippage, attaching , breaking, and infection from the body rejecting a forgein object ...some have even later went ahead and had the RNY since they didnt get the results they wanted....i do think the lap band has a place with young girls that arent much over weight and that have good self control   but if you had good self control you wouldnt be overweight in the first place right? i know i dont and the only thing that keeps me on point is the RNY and the fact that i CANT eat too much or the wrong things withoutgetting sick...
if you have a lot of weight to lose and want it off quickly and get on with your life then the RNY is the one...if you dont care about how fast you lose and dont have a lot to lose then go the lap band. and it is a false statement that if you lose 150 pounds slowly that you wont have as much wrinkling and sagging ...not true....if you exercise exercise exercise daily for about 2 hours and all it might help some, but it wont keep it all from happening no matter how slowly you lose it.
my main reason for not doing the lap band was the fact that i didnt want something like that inside me and to have to go back and go back and go back to have fills and now they charge you for everyone of them....can get expensive and insurance doesnt cover those.  and i wanted the fat gone and gone fast...so i could walk and move around.... hope some of this helps you decide afterall it has to be your decision. my surgeon has quit doing lap bands because he says they arent worth the money people have to pay for them and they dont get the results they wanted.

Thank you so much for everyone for you information I am so glad there is a place out there like this that has such wonderful people...Again Thanks :o)

I went to Dr. Hornbostel's seminar intending on getting a lapband.  However, my insurance would not pay for a lapband.  Then I discovered Dr. H would do the RNY  laproscopically; that sold me right then and there.

My only regret was not getting it done sooner.

Patty

Here's the abridged version of what I tell patients at seminar.  If your weight is caused by carbohydrate eating (breads, pastas, chips, crackers, pretzels, potato chips, fries, corn, etc) then you really should pursue bypass over band.  You CAN take NSAID's after bypass; many of my patients do.  They are simply advised that if they develop stomach upset with NSAID's, they have to stop.  If you have type II diabetes, you MUST choose bypass over band.  Bypass will cure diabetes now about 85-90% of the time, typically within one month after surgery!  Band will cure diabetes only about 40% of the time, and requires weight loss to cure the diabetes.  Bypass cures diabetes without any weight loss!  The long-term effects of band are only being realized now:  it can CAUSE hiatal hernia and slips, dilated esophagus, and in rare cases a band can actually impair the swallowing mechanism.  Band has been around in Europe now for about 20 years, and most surgeons in Europe have given up band, and gone to bypass.
Duodenal switch (DS) produces the greatest weight loss of any procedure, but with a significantly higher risk of complications both short-term and long-term.  I tell patients seeking DS that they need to plan on moving to the city where they have their DS so that they can be followed carefully long-term.  DS is currently not available (to my knowledge) anywhere between Chicago and Denver in the midwest.  Oh, and the complication profile for bypass, at a center of excellence (including Roger's program in Columbia, mine in Sedalia, and the two in St. Louis) is almost identical to that of gallbladder surgery.  You're in good hands with Roger, and will do well with a bypass.  Best wishes!  Sincerely, Phillip M. Hornbostel, M.D.

Thank you for the encouraging word both about the surgery and the Doctor I have chose...Nikki