Today Show interveiw

Hello all.... My mother saw the Today show yesterday and she said that there are new techniques to the Lap Band surgery which make the weight loss outcome much better now. Has anyone here had the Lap-Band surgery? I would much rather have the banding then the by-pass, but after reading some results from the banding, I sort of changed my mind because I saw that people were gaining weight back. Now, I'm not sure if this was because people weren't changing any of their old habits or what. All I know is that if I'm going under the knife and I'm changing my behaviors that led me to this, I want to be sure that I'm chosing what's best for me, ya know? Do the surgeons in RI perform Banding? Any information from people that have had the procedure done recently, I welcome your input. Thanks Megan B

Hi Megan. This show has really generated alot of people not having the surgery to confront those planning on having the surgery with the same statements. It happened to me 2 times yesterday. Everyone must research and go with what the feel most comfortable with. That is most important. I myself have chose bypass. Reason being -- it has been around much longer and has been researched much longer. With bypass malabsorbtion is part of the weight loss process. This is not the case in the banding. Bypass is more permanent than the banding. Banding may need to be adjusted in the future. Keep in mind that there are ups and downs with both. My feeling is that there is much more information out there on the bypass, but you need to go with what you feel good about. From what I understand, the only doctor that is a member of AABS that does the banding is Dr. Pohl out of Roger Williams Hospital. He is an excellent doctor! There may be others, but not members of AABS (American Association of Bariatric Surgeons). Go with your heart. Good luck. Denise

Hi Megan, I had the lap band done the end of May by Dr Pohl, and I am doing well. So far to date I have lost 30 lbs. I have had one band fill so far. I am not one of these people who will say one is better than the other (lap band vs RNY). I think they both are important and beneficial. My decision to go with the band was 1) I had 120 lbs to lose 2) I felt comfort in knowing that if something went wrong it was reversable 3) the weight loss was slow 4) my recovery was quick 5)if I got sick like with the flu and had to take in more food I could have saline released from the band. As far as the RNY goes, I am no expert, but it is also a great tool. People have good results. It is permanent. One of my dear friends had it done and she looks great and has no regrets about her decision. There are things that I eat that make her ill, there are things that she eats that if I try them it clogs up my passage. But we're the only ones who truly understand what we're going through. With any surgery, you can gain back the weight. You still have to abide by a structured nutrition plan. I think in both instances although you take in much less, it doesn't stop you from eating things like ice cream which goes down the hatch quite smoothly(although I know my friend is lactose intolerant since the surgery), or sugary carbs loaded with calories.(I have a nasty reduced fat Cheeze Its addiction). I think you just have to really look at both options. I had a quick recovery. The procedure was done laproscopically.I was in the hospital for 24 hours and went home. I have had one band fill which was pretty much painless. My weight loss hasn't been rapid, but I have consistently gone down, and when I hit a plateau I got a fill, and got back on the weight loss track. My self esteem has gone through the roof, my clothes are loose, I'm down 2 pant sizes in 2 months time. The cons, I personally can't eat bread or pasta, but I think others have had no problems. When I go out to a restaurant, I have to be careful to chew and be careful with my menu selections. If I eat too fast or don't chew well enough, the food gets stuck and I have to wait for it to pass or up it comes. To me the pros outweigh the cons. I do hope that whatever decision you make brings you the most success and a healthy life. There is a lap band forum as well as an RNY forum under communities. You may want to check them both out. Let me know if I can be of help, if you can get to Dr Pohl's seminar (might be tomorrow night, I think the second Thursday of the month) at Roger Williams Medical center you'll be able to learn about both procedures. Take Care Megan, Stephanie

Thanks for the responses.... I am going to the seminar tonight with Dr. Pohl. I talk a great deal about my mother because she has sooooo many questions and she's so nervous about me going through this. Also....I trust her opinion. Mom is going with me tonight and I hope she asks a lot of questions too. Either way....she's going to support my decision. I totally agree that it is up to the person having the procedure. I have done a lot of research so far but I still have a lot more to go! Again, thanks for the feed back! It's always helpful. Megan B