confused and not sure what to do

hi everyone, I'm new to this site and hope I can find some answers from some of you.  I had my first consult  to discuss lap band surgery.  I thought this would be the least evasive with minimal complications if any.  I was very excited about having this done. Since reading  what many people on the web site Lapbandtalk. have said about experiences with the lap band  I'm not so sure anymore if this is the best way to go.  I knew some people have slippage, corrosion and some other things but I read about so many cases where this happened or they didn't loose weight or just had to have it removed because their body rejected the band that I'm not as confident about my decision anymore.     I thought lap band was the only one that is reversible but have since heard about the Mini gastic bypass .I don't know as much about this procedure except they said it is reversible, takes about the same amount of time as the lap band and pain, healing/and/or complications are minimal. Does anyone have any info about this?  Also if my insurrance approves this I have Dr. G. Roye doing the surgery.  Does anyone have any info about him(success/problems etc).   Any help or info anyone can give me would greatly be appreciated.  I' m still trying to research the mgb and don't even know if Dr. Roye does this one .  HELP!!

Hi Sue, I don't know anything about the min gastric bypass wanted wanted you to know that any surgical procedure can have risks.  You might want to check if Dr Roye offers an informational session on the different procedures and you should post and ask questions.  I don't know much about the community on the lapbandtalk site, but find that on the lapband site we not only have new people, people with trouble, but also sucessful people with the band.  I would suggest you check them out... http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/LapBand/ Do as much research as you can about all your options.  In the end, you and your doctor are the only ones who can determine which procedure is right for you. Good luck!

Hello Sue, Dr.'s around here don't do the mini yet.  And your insurance probably would not not cover it - they may think of it as experimental.   I know Dr. Roye has done a lot of these surgeries, but don't know the #. While lap bad is reversible, it's not that easy.  And they're all invasive. I borrowed some books on this topic from the public library & brought  "Surgery for Dummies." Sometimes your Doc will make a suggestion.  Mine told me that I could go with either lapband or RNY.  My sis had the mini bypass (she lives in Fla.).  It's actually quite similar to the RNY & no more or less reversible.  It worked quite well for her, so I have more confidence in the RNY than the lapband.  But that's me. Hope this helps.

Thanks for getting back so quick.  I know everything has risks and I have been doing a lot of checking into lap band and gastic bypass.  II don't know if you have spoken to anyone closer to my age(55) that has had  gastic or lap but I think that is the biggest reason I'm so concerned. My niece had gastic at 27 and its been great for her.  I don't know if age will be a major consideration as far as complications/healing.  I did check with Dr. Roye's office and the secretary said she doesn't  think they do the Mini.  So my only choices at this point will be lap/gastic. Do you have Dr. Roye?  I'm not sure how this works so if you have any suggestions I'm open? I told the nurse pract. on my consult  visit I wanted the lap band.  Now if I change my mind or want to discuss my options more do I wait until I hear from them again or try to reach someone now? I'm still waiting to see if my insurance will accept(they should). Have you had gastric yet?  If so how did you find it.  Any problems?  If you have any further info or comments about this please let me know.  In the mean time I will be doing a lot more research. Thanks

Dear Sue, I am 59 & my sis was about 50 when she had the mini.  She did fine. There is a forum for those over 50 if you are interested. Just check in the forums link above (More Forums). I had originally wanted lap band.  Then when I said that my sis had sucessfully had another kind, the surgeon said to take my time & call the office when I had made up my mind.  She said that if I changed my mind later, they would have to reapply for approval. So I called them about a wk. later & said that I definitely wanted bypass. When I rec'd noticed from my surgeon's office  that B.C. had approved surgery it said "for bypass/lapband."  So I'm assuming that at least under my insurance, the approval works for either. So I would call & check if you're not 100% sure yet. My Dr. is Beth Ryder.  She is part of the same practice as yours.  I have finished all my testing & have a second appt. to see her in about 3 wks.  I would hope to hear the results of all my tests & receive a surgery date soon after this. So my sis has had no major problems.  She looks great & is extremely healthy. I hope the same results hold for me - I have a little less to lose.  She was my "guinea pig." Good luck!

Hi Sue, I would suggest making a followup appointment with Dr. Roye to discuss all of your options and concerns.  I had lapband and have had no issues (I am 36)...my mom had the gastric bypass and had no issues.  We have both been successful with our losses and both feel we made the best decision.  You might also want to consider going to the Weight Loss support group meetings held at RI Hospital.  But your best bet is to get an another appointment with Dr. Roye. Good luck..

You should get a consultation with Dr. Roye's office and direct all your questions to them.  They will be honest with you.  You can also go to "Find a Bariatric Surgeon" on this site and it will give you testimonials on the surgeons in the area including Dr. Roye.