Lap Band or RNY

I am tring to decide which way I want to go. I thought I had my mind made up for lap band but, in the back of my mind I worry what happens if something goes wrong and I need RNY. Should I just go ahead and go with the RNY?? I work with Dr. Cook/Cox her in Hickory and he tells me it needs to be my decission ( I totally agree).If possible I would love to hear some feed back from other people. It is hard to ask my patients because when they come in our office I want the visit to be about them and how great they are doing! Open for suggestions!

Okay this is my personal opinion : I have heard the band can fail more often than the RNY --- also you have to have fil ins done ( more surgery ) ,,,, less success rate.... hummmm, I picked the RNY and glad I did. Continue to read all you can about both make sure you understand the differences.... RNY is a life time change not so easy to fool . When asked I will tell you RNY is the only choice for me.

i started to have the lap band and then i looked into it a little more and i found out that you dont lose the weight as quick and you do have to go in for saline adjustments.it just seemed to me that if i was going to be having surgery done anyways,i was going to go ahead and do the rny.little more evasive but i think it will be worth it.ive dieted all my life and i dont want to wait anymore so i decided i want the fat gone quickly so im choosing the rny. linda

Ok I know I am the odd ball here. I had the band and have lost over 100 pounds. The fills do not require more surgery it's done at the office visit, the stats are the estimated wls w/ the band is 50 - 60% of your excess body weight, I personally have lost 68%. (And still lossing, yes slowly some weeks its just 1/2 pound but it's still coming off.) Yes I was a big chicken and my DH would only let me have the lap-band. I am so glad personally that I did it. I know several by-pass people that are now getting the band. It's a personal choice and I don't think anyone can tell you which one is right for you. I will say there are hardly any band folks on her. I mostly lurk because I know I am odd one here. hehe. If you would like more info on how the band is worked and is working for me I will be happy share w/ you, just send me an email or something. Good Luck....no matter which one you go with it will be a great tool for you and you can't go wrong!!!!

Kim, Youre not the ONLY oddball!!! Kim, I wonder why so many people list getting fills as a MAJOR reason not to have lapband? My fills take about 15 seconds! And, they are painless. My advice is to do research. Make an INFORMED decision. Then, be ready to live with the negatives(for the rest of your life). All these surgeries have negatives. However, MOST times they are very positive surgeries, and lead people to much fuller, higher quality lives. Feel free to read my profile. It goes into my thinking process. Steve Que

ECU just started offering the lap band option. Most insurance companies in my area don't cover it, so it probably would be out of pocket. The reason they've begun offering it is that new studies are out showing that the 5 year average weight loss of both procedures are nearly identical. RNY loses faster, but in the long run they're about the same. Keep in mind those are averages. Conventional wisdom up until now was that lap band was for lighter weights. If you had a lot to lose, RNY was a better option. I'm not sure which one is the right answer. Studies come and studies go, a lot depends on how they were done. Please read up on both procedures and see what you are comfortable with. In the end, I chose RNY. It is the best choice for me. ~Ellen

RNY Rocks It is hard to decide but for me the amount of weight I needed to lose and the time it takes to lose it....RNY v Lap Band for me it was RNY. You just pray about it and do what your heart leads you to do. I am in your corner always. Hugs

I personaly wanted Lap band. My surgery was 3/9. Surgery was at 12:00... I was on my way back hom eby 5:30.

This is a personal decision and I can only tell the reasons I personally chose RNY. RNY is pretty much permanent. As far as surgeries go it is a major surgery and in a way that appealed to me. My health was failing pretty quickly and I knew I had to make a drastic change just to be able to live. People seem to have very specific reasons for choosing one type over another. Just educate yourself about this and go from there.

Hi, I really think that you have to look at the advantages and disadvantages of each, and measure those against your own particular situation...no one surgery is better for all people. That being said, I am choosing VSG instead of LapBand or RNY. After researching all of them (and others) I felt that I didn't want to risk the potential malabsorption of RNY (being a cancer survivor that was very important to me & my oncologist) and I had a port with chemo so I know about dealing with that, so the idea of having one with a band was not appealing to me. I found that VSG also reduces the hunger hormone ghrelin, which I thought was an important component. You really have to approach it as what is the best choice for -YOU- ! Good Luck! Best Wishes- Stefanie