New to forum need advice

It is great that you are getting different points of view. I know people who are sorry they got banded and others who are sorry they had RNY and didn't lose their weight. Some people get bad advice from doctors who know nothing about their habits. I was fortunate to have an endocrinologist who knew that I was on the road to death with my out of control diabetes and told me that lapband was not restrictive enough for my eating habits. I needed to make food a lesser focus of my life and just have it as a path of survival. She was right...I don't see food the same way I did before. As for which to choose, if you have had abdominal surgeries, you may not have a choice in which procedure to use, however, both surgical procedures are similar (5 incisions) but in RNY you have your intestines cut and rerouted to your new "pouch" which is stapled shut. If you get a band, the band will be inserted to create a "pouch" with a tiny port in your abdomen creating a place for the tube to be attached for fills. the "pouch" can be expanded or contracted based on your needs. With RNY you have malabsorption which means that you absorb less calories than you consume and that's why you lose so quickly. Appetite and cravings (in most cases) disappear for 1 - 1 1/2 years so you don't desire or want the stuff that got you fat. By the time they return you are usually at goal weight and your mind has played catch up and you learn to maintain the weight loss with exercise and good eating habits. I understand that with the band you still have cravings and can manipulate the band to eat more and more often during the time of weight loss. I think it takes someone with strong willpower to have lapband and be successful. This is just my personal opinion. Again, you have to do what works for you and get several consultations with different surgeons before you decide. We are here for you. Good luck.

Thank you Sherri for posting and for the insight you have given me.   I appreciate hearing all points of view and being able to go into this with my eyes wide open.  I need to change my lifestyle.  I am eager to meet with the Doctor next week and have my consult and discuss my options.  I appreciate the time you have taken to post to me.  I will  be posting regularly as I am eager to learn and educate myself with all the information I can absorb. 

please email me at: firstsaturdaysupport@gmail as i often do not check the boards. i am off this week so i have a bit more time.

I have the Realize band, and I am very happy with that decision. In the 2+ years I have been in the “bariatric" world I have seen successful people with the band; bypass; sleeve; DS; etc. I’ve also met people who have not been successful, with the band; bypass; sleeve; DS, etc. I’ve known people who had complications with the band; bypass; sleeve; DS, etc.  And I met people who had the band and switched to bypass; or had the band put on top of their bypass; etc. What I am trying to say is NO ONE OPERATION is the 100% correct operation.

 

Please know the operation you chose was the right one. Why??? Because YOU choose it!! You know yourself, and you know what will work for you. The one reason I like the band is because the band early on forces us to “reeducates how to eat". No slight to the bypass folks, I give them all the credit for choosing what works for them. However (IMHO) in the beginning bypass folks lose weight no matter what they do and/or how they eat (I am not a dope, and I understand they need to follow rules too and they need to be meticulous in what they eat ). It’s not until weight stops that they start to “reeducates themselves how to eat". Many have a hard time with this. We as band patients BEGIN with the reeducation – so once our lost stops we’ve already had months of practice on how to eat correctly – hence we have less of a hard time keeping that eating style. (I hope I don't sound like a "band snob" or this reads as a "diss" or put-down to bypass folks. It's not meant that way. I respect EVERYONE who had a bypass. So if you find offense to the above statement, please don't. Print is cold, and my true feelings of respect and admiration may not be properly conveyed)

 

It is true you lose slower with the band compared to bypass, but to be honest I was diligent enough that I was losing weight at the same rate as a bypass patient was. Is this common, NO – but it is doable. And research shows in 3 – 5 years bypass and band patients usually lose the same amount of weight, AS LONG AS THEY FOLLOW THE RULES.

 

And remember, it’s not the operation that makes one successful. I know many Band patients who have failed. I know many Bypass patients who have failed.

 

I need to stress are a few things:

 

(1) RESEARCH before choosing either operation. Only you know you, and you know your eating habits. If your a sweet eater and can't control yourself, the bypass is probably the best choice. If you're a large volume eater, and don't care about sweets - then the band is probably a good choice. 

 

(2) This is a personal decision. While one operation has been successful for one person, it may not be for another. No one can choose for you. You need to know yourself.

 

(3) Stick to your guns. If you're planning on one operation, and a Doctor is trying to force you into another - walk away and get two more opinions. Some Doctors are comfortable doing one operation over the other, and will tell the patient operation "A" isn't good for you because blah-blah-blah. When in reality it's because they haven't had success or have been trained in doing the other operation. However if 3 Doctors tell you the same thing, then it’s probably right. Example, if you suffer from Type 2 Diabetes, the bypass is better at quickly addressing Type 2 Diabetes.

 

(4) Remember, either operation is only a tool. This isn't a cure all. You need to work at it. You need to change your eating habits. It will take some self-discipline and self-control. They put the tool around your stomach, not around your brain.

 

(5) In order to be successful with either operation, you need to be comfortable with your Doctor. They are a major component to success, along with revisits with the Nutritionist; getting support from either the board or support groups; reaching out to others.

 

Good luck.

 

Tom,

Thank you so much for your post.  I feel I am getting so much from reading all your insight regarding your decisions and I appreciate the time you have taken to express your point of view.  Like anything else, we all have our own feelings on our decisions.  So far, I am 43 years old and haven't always made the right choices.  I am looking into this decision in a positive way, a way that will change my life forever. I am choosing not to live like this any longer.  I will gather all my info and proceed in whatever way is best for me.  I am eager to go to the Dr and have my consult. Thanks again.

I met with Dr. Andrei and I had my intial consultation with him. He charged me $150 to meet with him. I was going to have surgery with him but the only reason I didnt was because Aetna didnt associate with him and wouldnt provide the coverage for him to do the surgery.

I had my surgery with Dr. Goyal who has 3 office in NJ. I in Union,NJ and the other 2 are in northern New Jersey. I would definitely recommend using him. Him and his team are excellent. I have no complaints what so ever. I actually felt more comfortable talking with Dr. Goyals team than Dr. Andrei's team. What I mean by this is, during the time I was working with Dr. Andrei's team, I felt like I was just a number. With Dr. Goyal's team, I felt like I was part of the team/part of the "family". With Dr. Goyal's team, I always feel welcomed and known when/if I ever call or go there. When I was working with Dr. Andrei's team, I felt like take a number to be served. But from what I hear, Dr. Andrei is a great surgeon and I do know several people who have been operated on by him. But for me...Dr. Goyal and his team gets my vote over Dr. Andrei's.

Dr. Goyal's website is: www.njbariatriccenter.com