New here and confused

Hi everyone, my name is Wendy. I've been going through the bariatric program at the hospital and am scheduled to meet the surgeon in two weeks. That is the last step before surgery, and I still don't know what surgery I want to have. At first I was thinking of RNY but the risks scare me so much. My only other choice (for insurance and hospital availability reasons) is the lap band. I feel a lot better about that, but still nervous. The slower weight loss worries me since I have Type II Diabetes, sleep apnea and high blood pressure. I've heard you can get around the band and eat the wrong foods so you need more discipline, which I obviously don't have or I wouldn't be 328 lbs right now. I'm really confused. I don't want to live like this anymore, but I'm scared something will go wrong with my surgery and I won't be there for my 3 year old son. I'd love to hear about your surgeries and how things have gone with all of you. Thank you.

Hi,
I too was nervous and originally was going to do the lap band.  Because I do not have discipline either, I decided to have the RNY, that was on 4/16/10.  My surgery went very well and I had an easy recovery.  I am now 2 months out, down 70 lbs and no longer take blood pressure pills (I was on 3 of them), diabetes pills or pills for my liver (I have been having high liver enzymes for about a year).  My primary care told me on 6/15 that my A1C is perfect (diabetes is gone), my BP has been running 120/80 (which I have not seen in probably 15 years) and my liver enzymes are normal.  I feel great.

Which surgery you have is up to you but don't let all the possible risk scare you too much, there are risk with even the simplest surgery.  The risk scared me too, but in the end I chose the surgery that I felt was the best choice for me, knowing how I am.

Good luck with your decision, I hope everything goes well.

Lisa

thank you for your response. Congratulations on your weight loss and the huge improvement with your health. That's great.

I have a lot to think about. I know if I didn't have my son I'd quickly decide on RNY, but the thought of something going wrong and not being there for him is what scares me the most.

I was in a similar position and decided on the RNY. After speakig to the director of the program he explained it kid of like this. There are risks with every surgery but more often than not they end with zero complications. However there are always complications with diabetes and that in one way or another would almost certainly be the death of me. Hope this helps.
D

Hi Wendy, I just had my surgery June 15Th.   so I am just seeing your post.  I have 2 teen age boys and I understand the worries we all have with leaving our children alone.  When my husband went through this last year our youngest had questions for Dr, Gens and he asked "What are the odds I am not going to get my father back" not what I expected but Dr. Gens sat down and told him the odds were greater for us to be in the car with him learning to drive than to have this surgery.  He explained a lot to us and put us all at ease.  There are risk's with any procedure and none should be taken lightly, but  for  me that made my decision easier.  I am now 5 days out and getting better everyday.  Hope this helps and I second everything Lisa says she is truly an inspiration to me.  Good luck and feel free to message me if you have any questions or you just want to talk. 

I was in the same position as you when I was choosing which way to go. RNY scared me to death but with my grazing habits I worried the lap band wouldn't work either.
In the end, I went with the lap band. I came to the realization that either way you go you need to change habits. While at first RNY will force you to change in the long run, you can eat your way to failure with either procedure. Both are tools to work with you help with weight loss so no matter which way you go you have to be willing to change for success.
I had my surgery at the end of December and am down 70lbs, which, for the band is pretty good if I don't say so myself!
Good luck with the decision! Its defiantly a hard one... but either way it will change your life!

I agree with the previous post! I too was scared to death of RNY and the risks that come with it during surgery and later on and like someone said before eventually you can eat your way back from RNY just like you could the band the band helps me because I am less hungry and when I feel myself getting more hungry and having a hard time eating smaller amounts I can get a fill! I had my surgery Dec 30th and am down 80 pounds! I did lose 26 pre surgery but it has been coming off steady ever since! I know its a huge choice and its great that you ask for input from everyone! good luck and keep us posted!

Hi,

Well, as usual, I thought I would put my two cents in also.  I too was very afraid of RNY, and because of my job, I did not have a whole lot of time off for recovery.  I had basically decided on the band from the beginning.  Actually, going through Jeff Wagner's classes solidified my decision to go with the lap band.  He told us that given enough time, anyone, band or RNY could eat enough food to "eat around" the tool that we chose.  I knew that I would not be successful unless I changed my eating habits, and learned self-control.  It has been very difficult, I have serious issues with emotional eating.  I knew that behavioral changes were the key for me.  Remember, whether you choose the band or RNY, you will have to learn new behaviors, because at some point in time, you will be able to eat just about anything.  I know my choice was the right choice.  Although I still struggle with emotional eating, it is no where near what it was two years ago.  I am almost two years out, I have lost a total of 67 pounds.  I have maintained that weight loss for over a year.  It has been, and will continue to be a struggle for me to lose my last 25 pounds, but my quality of life has improved dramatically, I have been off high blood pressure meds for over a year and a half, and I am learnint new behaviors every day.   

You have said it beautifully Martha. I had RNY and 2 years later I can eat whatever I want with no issues. If I did not change my behaviors I'd be on the way back up I'm sure. This is a very personal decision and only you can make the right choice for yourself. Think about you and be honest with yourself. Are you ready to make the changes that are necessary to be successful? The surgery provides you with a tool but it is only one piece of the puzzel.
Good luck on your journey.