Lap Band or roex Y gastric bypass

I recently went to weight loss surgery seminar with Lancaster General.  I'm 31 and have high BP and PCOS.  I keep going back and forth about which kind of surgery I want.  I know I need to talk with the surgeon, but I wanted some help from others as well.  My main concerns: I have IBS I would like to try to get pregnant after a reasonable time no matter which kind of surgery I have How will fill-ups or decrease in fluid for the lap band work if my surgeon leaves the area What kind of foods am I giving up forever Can I ever eat out again Any information would be helpful.  Thanks.

personaly i choose rny cause i know there is greater chance of ending going back to my old ways,  w/rny me getting sick is enough to keep me from eating the bad stuff that i shouldn't.  and the upkeep w/the band was just too much for me to take on i wish you the best of luck in your choice

I talked with my surgeon and with my sugar binges I went on every once in a while , with the band I could probably out eat the thing and end up heavier than before. I decided on the RNY because of the "fear" of dumping if I ate the wrong food ( sugar, too many carbs, etc ) I am now almost three years out. I didn't lose as much as some people ( me back to grazing at night....Bad Sandy ) but I am 100 lbs less than before surgery can play with the grandkids , tie my shoes, fit in lawn chairs without the worry of breaking the thing . I have to admit that I liked looking at the scale once a week and see it go down instead of up like before. From what I have heard the lap band you lose slower , I wanted to see a difference. Talk to your surgeon and find out the choices and decide . I know there is something called a DS but know nothing about that . There is a forum for that also http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/ds/ you may want to check that out too.

Sandy

Just a response from the other side of the coin.  I had the Lap Band a year and a half ago and never regretted my decision for one second.  I hit my goal within a year and have been maintining for six months now.   As far as the pregnancy goes, from what I understand, pregnancy can occur with either surgery, so that shouldn't be an issue. As far as fills,  if your surgeon leaves the area, you would just find another surgeon to do your fills.  The band is becoming more and more popular as people realize that although it might take longer to get to the goal..the chances of staying there, are as good or better (IMHO) than the bypass because you can ALWAYS adjust the band . With food, you might not have to give any food up, or if there is a certain food that gives you trouble when you eat it..you will naturally give it up.  To date, I have not had to completely give up anything..although I do avoid some foods. Eating out is something that I do quite often and don't plan on giving it up anytime soon.  You will just be eating smaller portions with plenty to take home at  another time. I hope I answered some of your questions..Good Luck on whichever you choose.  Chosing a surgery is a very personal decision.  Make sure you do all your research on whichever you choose!

When I first considered surgery, I was leaning toward lapband, because of the invasiveness of RNY, and having to give up sugar and fat.  After hanging around here, and praying about it, I decided that I had eaten my share of sugar and fats and that it was time to take care of this body God gave me.  I chose RNY, and have never regretted it in the past, almost two years since I had it.  The dumping syndrome prevents me from going back to the sugar binges I used to regularly partake of.   As for eating out, as long as there is a lean protein on the menu, and a veggie, I am fine.  I just take a carry out for the leftovers, and enjoy another meal or two, or three depending on the meal.   With either surgery, I believe, it is necessary to adopt life changing attitudes toward food and exercise.  For me, the surgery is not a cure, but a tool, in helping me get control of my eating behaviors, and learn new ways of looking at food.   I hope this helps. God bless. Trish

I into RNY and DS.  The band was never an option for me.  I choose the RNY for convienence and location of the surgeon.  Now that I am 27 mos. out, there are many days I ask myself if I made the right decision.  I still have almost 50# to go and the scale barely moves at this stage.  Had I gone with the DS I would still be losing or would have been at goal by now.  I don't regret having the procedure, but the appetite does return.  Even though you will be able to eat anything on an occasional basis, you will forever be on your best behavior with any surgery.  You need to read up on all three procedures, then make the decision that best suites your lifestyle.  Remember these three things: Lap Band only controls portion size, RNY controls portion size and puts you into a malabsorptive state, DS allows for drinking and eating together, puts you into an extreme level of malaborption and controls portion size to an extent.  The most successful people are ones that attend support meetings and follow the rules of the surgery.  ASK EVERY QUESTION YOU CAN THINK OF AND ASK IF THERE IS ANYTHING YOU DIDN'T ASK. 

I think you'll find most responders on here have had RNY, but the lapbander *****sponded made a very good case for herself as well. The bottom line is you will get out of either surgery what YOU put into it. Neither is a miracle cure for being fat - both require a strict diet and exercise regime. You need to get adequate proteins on both, and you need to watch sugar and carbs on both. I have heard that if you have RNY they ask that you wait 2 years post-surgery to get pregnant, but we do have some posters on here that have become pregnant before that and are doing just fine. Yes, you'll be able to dine out again - I'm 7 months out (ooh - today actually!) and I can go out to eat - no, I don't chow down on fatty fried foods or fries, but I can always find something to satisfy me and I've found that 99% of the restaurants I visit are very accommodating to my special requests. I had an open mind when I went for my initial consult keeping both lapband and RNY as options - for me, however, the lapband was not an option as my  BMI was too high. I don't regret for one instant having had the surgery - sure I've had ups and downs like everyone else, but the biggest 'down' has me losing 118 pounds so far, and I'll take that any day!! Good luck with whichever decision you make - this is a very active and supportive board and your questions, concerns and anything else are always welcome here. Kathy

i hardly come on here anymore...BUT...

 

if i die tomorrow i want to know that i did one good thing and that is stopped someone from wasting their time and money and the heartache with the Lap-Band...im working with insurance on getting mine out..after a year of NO WEIGHT LOSS i am actually now 5lbs heavier than where i started, its been fills/unfills....acid reflux that i developed with the surgery because your poor stomach is squeezed so tight that food sits there forever and acid starts comin up...please listen to the bypass folks and go that way or the DS...the band works for a only a limited amount of people....im apparently not one of them. If diets have worked for you in the past then defintely get the band...but...if not, i would highly suggest to stay away. its yet another diet with a little food portion restriction...and yes im being negative for a reason...life isnt peachy f*in keen with it!  but to some it is....just a suggestion from the other side of the tracks.

Thank you all for your responses.  I know a lifestyle change is in order for either surgery.  I think (will verify with my surgeon) that a lap band would be easier for a pregnancy.  I know gastric bypass can still support a pregnancy, but I've read it involves more doctor visits and if I can avoid that, yay!  I'm also concerned about making my IBS worse with gastric bypass.  I don't want to become more healthy and lose weight but be tied to the toilet. However, I don't like the idea of my surgeon leaving and not being able to find someone to do fills or let liquid out.  We just got someone in my area willing to do lap-bands.  I've called surgeons before just to ask about lap-bands and been hung up on!   Hopefully my surgeon will have some ideas, and I'll be able to make up my mind.

I'm a day late and a dollar short on this post, and I appologize for this. As far as the pregnancy goes, you can probably contact Heather Thomas on this board.  She just delivered a beautiful set of healthy twins, she is an RNY post op.  Also Karen is currently pregnant after RNY. I would be conserned with your IBS as well.  Although from what I understand, that is not as big as a concern as say something like Chron's.  This will need to be discussed in detail with your surgeon however. I personally am an RNY advocate - but everyone is different and everyone needs the correct tool to work it properly.  I knew myself after some deep soul searching.  I could easily "out eat" the band, and I understood that.  I was never a big volume eater (although I could if I wanted to be)  My problem was grazing all day.  I could easily still graze with the band. I can graze with my RNY, too.  But the fact is I'm almost 8 mos out and terrified to try things I shouldn't.   I understand that to much fat or to much sugar can make me sick, and I would prefer not to dabble down that road.  There are people whom sugar and fat do NOT make them sick - and I also don't want to find that out quite yet.  I want to be scared of trying those foods - those foods are what got me into this position in the first place. Kathy said it - there is absolutely no miracle cure.  The weight can come back with either surgery.  The first 6 mos of the RNY it's almost (keyword almost) impossible not to lose weight.  After that, though, the hunger begins to return, you are able to eat more, and it becomes scary because you can see how old habits can slide back.  I used those first 6 mos to completely change my lifestyle.  My extended family (whom does not know about the surgery) saw me eating at a party (I had brought my own food so I knew there was stuff I could have) and said "You are very dedicated to this new lifestely".  My response was "I have no other choice but to be dedicated" I do dine out.  Some weeks more often than others.  I generally get a salad with chicken or shrimp on it, chicken fajitas, or something along those lines. I never fini**** and probably the hardest part about dining out for me is having mutliple waiters and/or managers come up to me and ask repeatedly why I ate so little, was the food OK, did I have a complaint, etc.  I understand it's good business practice for them, but it does get annoying at times.  I definately don't enjoy eating out as much as I used to - but that's because I used to use eating out as an excuse to eat unhealthy foods.  Cheese fries with bacon?  Sign me up!  Follow that with a crock of french onion soup with all that gooey cheese.  My entree would be a bacon cheeseburger of sorts, followed by a dessert.  Not any more.  I've eaten my share of all those foods and no longer need them in my life. Wow - I wasn't planning on writing all of this.  I think your ideas and suggestions by others to read everything you can about all the types of surgeries and really discussing everything with your surgeon is key.  Spend a lot of time on this decision. Best of luck! Pam