RNY vs Lapband
Fancee, I too had the Rny, I am 1 1/2 yrs out, would not change a thing. I can eat, of course in very small amounts, and I'm very picky should I say about getting a hold of sugars, another reason is, I'm still a diabetic, but I'm not on 4 shots aday, like before just the pills and still have the pric on the fingers. I too, wasn't ready for fills ( shots) in my tummy, after wanting to get away from that. But do take in as much info as possible, you won't regret it. Check out each one of the surgeries. Make sure which one is for you, this is your life's new journey and congratz on your decision. 
Barb
Barb 
I'm not going to advocate for either surgery. All I can suggest is that you look at the pro's and cons with an unbiased opinion. Don't let anyone try to sway you into one or the other. There are wonderful things about each surgery... yet there are also some negatives that aren't so pleasant.
I had RNY. Would I do it again? I am not certain. (Some may be shocked to hear that). But, the farther out from surgery I get, I read stuff that alarms and frightens me... I have had my share of complications. And, perhaps I still face more complications down the road... While life is good, don't get me wrong... but sometimes I do wonder what longterm affects I will have to endure as a result of RNY.
Don't go into it with your eyes half open/half shut only seeing what you want. Do your research. Ask lots of questions. Even get on the internet and look to see WHAT CAN HAPPEN so that you know there are negatives out there. I did the research, and all I had on my mind was getting rid of the weight and being healthy. But now that I face some possible deficiencies due to malabsorption, I think maybe lapband could have been a good way to go also.
I know people who have lost a lot on lapband, and others whose lapband didn't do so much for them. I know people who had RNY and lost a lot, and others whose RNY didn't do so much for them... it all depends on the person and how hard they are willing to work the program.
Denise M.
on 6/30/09 6:32 am
on 6/30/09 6:32 am
It is very cool to see the thought processes we each use to determine what will work best for us when it comes to choosing a weight loss surgery. It's a very individual process and it's something you have to live with for life. So it's quite important you do what works best for you, as everyone has said.
That being said, I chose the LapBand and am very happy with it. Most days I can't even tell I've had WLS! Hmmm, is that a good thing or not???
Yes, it is very easy to cheat with the band and I've had my bad moments for sure. I'm almost 3 months out and on Sunday I had a friend say, "If I didn't recognize the outfit you were wearing, I wouldn't have known who you are." I'm down about 25 pounds from surgery and down around 60 from my all time high.
The band is also much slower to lose with and oddly enough, that's what I wanted. I just didn't think I would be able to emotionally handle losing 100 pounds in less than 6 months. To so rapidly go from one physical person to a completely different one. I needed time to adjust mentally as my body does physically. On average, Bandsters end up at the same place as the RNYers about 3 years down the pike. Or so they say. We'll see.
One of the biggest reasons I chose LapBand over RNY was reactive hypoglycemia. Read about Melting Mama if you want additional information. My diabetes nut says that if you have diabetes pre operatively, that increases the likelihood of having reactive hypoglycemia after. Also, your food choices can play a huge role. From what I understood, if you eat something with too high of a sugar content, the food ends up rapidly emptying into your intestines, your blood sugar shoots up, then your body dumps a lot of insulin into your bloodstream. That can send your blood sugar dangerously low. Melting Mama has pictures of her blood sugar meter with readings in the 40s. That can kill you. I'm single and if I were to have rapidly dropping blood sugar and didn't have someone there to make me drink juice (or whatever), I could go into a coma and die. I just kept seeing more and more posts about people experiencing this and it was something I didn't want to risk dealing with, between my PCOS, diabetes and insulin resistance issues. No point in making things worse if I don't have to!
Plus I know I'm not the best at remembering my supplements and there's no malabsorption issues with the band. (popping a calcium lozenge!) Jaime said that they only do bloodwork on the bandsters once per year. You don't have absorption issues, but you can still have problems just because of the smaller quantity of food that you're eating compared to before. It just takes a lot longer to throw yourself out of whack, ha ha! My mom has osteoporosis so bone loss was a concern for me.
One of the biggest reasons I chose the band was I simply wanted a stop button. Like those turkey baking thingies that pops up--You're DONE! I'm still not the best at reading the signals, but I'm learning. I want to be able to eat whatever I can, just in REASONABLE quantities. Not bowls or plates bigger than my head.
It is normal to have doubts and to second guess your surgery choice. In the end, do your 1% doubts (no chicken or steak? no cake ever?) take priority over a healthier life? If someone said you could never have another steak again but instead you could be at a healthy weight and not have the side effects from that weight, which would you choose?
You'll make the right decision. If you rarely eat cake, what difference will it make if you eat it even more rarely after RNY?
Good luck!!!
Denise
That being said, I chose the LapBand and am very happy with it. Most days I can't even tell I've had WLS! Hmmm, is that a good thing or not???
Yes, it is very easy to cheat with the band and I've had my bad moments for sure. I'm almost 3 months out and on Sunday I had a friend say, "If I didn't recognize the outfit you were wearing, I wouldn't have known who you are." I'm down about 25 pounds from surgery and down around 60 from my all time high.
The band is also much slower to lose with and oddly enough, that's what I wanted. I just didn't think I would be able to emotionally handle losing 100 pounds in less than 6 months. To so rapidly go from one physical person to a completely different one. I needed time to adjust mentally as my body does physically. On average, Bandsters end up at the same place as the RNYers about 3 years down the pike. Or so they say. We'll see.
One of the biggest reasons I chose LapBand over RNY was reactive hypoglycemia. Read about Melting Mama if you want additional information. My diabetes nut says that if you have diabetes pre operatively, that increases the likelihood of having reactive hypoglycemia after. Also, your food choices can play a huge role. From what I understood, if you eat something with too high of a sugar content, the food ends up rapidly emptying into your intestines, your blood sugar shoots up, then your body dumps a lot of insulin into your bloodstream. That can send your blood sugar dangerously low. Melting Mama has pictures of her blood sugar meter with readings in the 40s. That can kill you. I'm single and if I were to have rapidly dropping blood sugar and didn't have someone there to make me drink juice (or whatever), I could go into a coma and die. I just kept seeing more and more posts about people experiencing this and it was something I didn't want to risk dealing with, between my PCOS, diabetes and insulin resistance issues. No point in making things worse if I don't have to!
Plus I know I'm not the best at remembering my supplements and there's no malabsorption issues with the band. (popping a calcium lozenge!) Jaime said that they only do bloodwork on the bandsters once per year. You don't have absorption issues, but you can still have problems just because of the smaller quantity of food that you're eating compared to before. It just takes a lot longer to throw yourself out of whack, ha ha! My mom has osteoporosis so bone loss was a concern for me.
One of the biggest reasons I chose the band was I simply wanted a stop button. Like those turkey baking thingies that pops up--You're DONE! I'm still not the best at reading the signals, but I'm learning. I want to be able to eat whatever I can, just in REASONABLE quantities. Not bowls or plates bigger than my head.
It is normal to have doubts and to second guess your surgery choice. In the end, do your 1% doubts (no chicken or steak? no cake ever?) take priority over a healthier life? If someone said you could never have another steak again but instead you could be at a healthy weight and not have the side effects from that weight, which would you choose?
You'll make the right decision. If you rarely eat cake, what difference will it make if you eat it even more rarely after RNY?
Good luck!!!
Denise
This is to the post above me.
The reason that we have WLS is because prior diets have failed. Regardless of the type of surgery that you have, the end result is the same - being healthy.
Any type of surgery is a TOOL. This tool is used so that new choices in food can be made and a new lifestyle is to learned.
I would hope that no one choices one type of surgery over the other because they don't want to give something up (sugar, soda, fried foods, etc).
The prior post sort of eludes to it. I hope that it does not, but to me it sort of eludes to it.
These type of things made us fat in the first place.
I am not defending or advocating any type of surgery either, however when we have surgery we HAVE to make the changes in our like in regards to food to be sucessful.
If any one thinks that by having ANY type of surgery is the "magic bullet" then they will be HUGELY sorry.
Michael.
The reason that we have WLS is because prior diets have failed. Regardless of the type of surgery that you have, the end result is the same - being healthy.
Any type of surgery is a TOOL. This tool is used so that new choices in food can be made and a new lifestyle is to learned.
I would hope that no one choices one type of surgery over the other because they don't want to give something up (sugar, soda, fried foods, etc).
The prior post sort of eludes to it. I hope that it does not, but to me it sort of eludes to it.
These type of things made us fat in the first place.
I am not defending or advocating any type of surgery either, however when we have surgery we HAVE to make the changes in our like in regards to food to be sucessful.
If any one thinks that by having ANY type of surgery is the "magic bullet" then they will be HUGELY sorry.
Michael.
You hit the nail on the head, Bob! Denise M.
on 6/30/09 9:12 am
on 6/30/09 9:12 am
I personally chose the LapBand because I wanted a tool to help me with portion control. I am a volume eater. I generally make good choices, though I am not perfect, nor will I ever be. But my biggest issue by far was eating too much, volume wise. I never felt full, ever. The band is a good option for volume eaters because with restriction, you feel full quickly and the sensation lasts for hours.
I did not choose RNY because I did not want a fear-based (my perception) tool. I did not want to never look at cake again because I was terrified of dumping. I lived the first 35 years of my life in fear. I choose to not be terrified of food for the rest of my life and look at it as the enemy, out to get me. One bite of a forbidden food and I am doomed to regain all my weight. I want to improve my relationship with food so I am in control, not my impulses. Co-exist peacefully.
I also did not want a life of total deprivation. I want balance. Eating healthy a vast majority of the time with little splurges on occasion (that are not going to make me violently ill). SF pudding for the rest of my life is not going to cut it. I like sweets and will have them from time to time (not ALL the time). However, I have also found that the longer I go without, the less I enjoy the sweet stuff. I used to be one of those people who never said, "ooh, that was too rich." Now I don't even like peanut butter anymore because I find it too rich.
I never alluded that any surgery was a magic bullet. If you've read my posts you would know that I frequently talk about working your tool. I often say you get out of your tool what you invest in it. I chose a less drastic tool than you did on purpose. It fit better with my life, my goals and my expectations.
We definitely have to make changes and I have changed a lot. However, you do not have to be rabid food police to be successful at weight loss surgery. It's a lifestyle change and there are many changes that need to happen in order for success, such as exercise, supplementation, dealing with emotional/mental issues that got us fat in the first place and so on.
Food didn't make me fat. My behaviors and my choices made me fat. That realization is important because surgery won't fix that. All you have to do is take a peek at the revisions board to realize we will be grappling with this for the rest of our lives. No weight loss surgery is infallible.
This process is much more to me than to have surgery, never eat a bite of cake again and I'm cured. Food is a part of it. Surgery is a part of it. But they're not the whole thing. Actually, surgery is just like a wedding day. It's just one day. It's what you do with the rest of your life that matters.
My point to the original poster was that the sacrifices to be made are worth it. Some sacrifices are more difficult than others. Yes, you will have to give up some stuff forever. I have not had a Diet Pepsi since February. I do not plan on having another one, ever, nor do I miss them. I drank about 6 cans a day for 20+ years. If I was asked the question: would you give up Diet Pepsis forever and have surgery, or keep the Diet Pepsis and not have surgery? I would choose to give up the sodas AGAIN in a heartbeat.
I'd much rather have my 60# weight loss than a can of soda any day. It is up to the OP to figure out what sacrifices she will have to make and what surgery will work best for her, keeping those sacrifices in mind. Personally, I just think she has Getting Close To Surgery Second Guessing-itis. She's going to get her RNY. It's just those anxiety through those mental food gremlins trying to mess with her head--steak! chicken! don't leave us!
Again, I did not tell her to get the lapband so she can eat steak and chicken, if that's what you're thinking. What I said was, If someone said you could never have another steak again but instead you could be at a healthy weight and not have the side effects from that weight, which would you choose? The implied choices were weight loss surgery (of her choice) with necessary sacrifices OR to eat steak, not have WLS and continue to suffer the ill effects of obesity.
I did not choose RNY because I did not want a fear-based (my perception) tool. I did not want to never look at cake again because I was terrified of dumping. I lived the first 35 years of my life in fear. I choose to not be terrified of food for the rest of my life and look at it as the enemy, out to get me. One bite of a forbidden food and I am doomed to regain all my weight. I want to improve my relationship with food so I am in control, not my impulses. Co-exist peacefully.
I also did not want a life of total deprivation. I want balance. Eating healthy a vast majority of the time with little splurges on occasion (that are not going to make me violently ill). SF pudding for the rest of my life is not going to cut it. I like sweets and will have them from time to time (not ALL the time). However, I have also found that the longer I go without, the less I enjoy the sweet stuff. I used to be one of those people who never said, "ooh, that was too rich." Now I don't even like peanut butter anymore because I find it too rich.
I never alluded that any surgery was a magic bullet. If you've read my posts you would know that I frequently talk about working your tool. I often say you get out of your tool what you invest in it. I chose a less drastic tool than you did on purpose. It fit better with my life, my goals and my expectations.
We definitely have to make changes and I have changed a lot. However, you do not have to be rabid food police to be successful at weight loss surgery. It's a lifestyle change and there are many changes that need to happen in order for success, such as exercise, supplementation, dealing with emotional/mental issues that got us fat in the first place and so on.
Food didn't make me fat. My behaviors and my choices made me fat. That realization is important because surgery won't fix that. All you have to do is take a peek at the revisions board to realize we will be grappling with this for the rest of our lives. No weight loss surgery is infallible.
This process is much more to me than to have surgery, never eat a bite of cake again and I'm cured. Food is a part of it. Surgery is a part of it. But they're not the whole thing. Actually, surgery is just like a wedding day. It's just one day. It's what you do with the rest of your life that matters.
My point to the original poster was that the sacrifices to be made are worth it. Some sacrifices are more difficult than others. Yes, you will have to give up some stuff forever. I have not had a Diet Pepsi since February. I do not plan on having another one, ever, nor do I miss them. I drank about 6 cans a day for 20+ years. If I was asked the question: would you give up Diet Pepsis forever and have surgery, or keep the Diet Pepsis and not have surgery? I would choose to give up the sodas AGAIN in a heartbeat.
I'd much rather have my 60# weight loss than a can of soda any day. It is up to the OP to figure out what sacrifices she will have to make and what surgery will work best for her, keeping those sacrifices in mind. Personally, I just think she has Getting Close To Surgery Second Guessing-itis. She's going to get her RNY. It's just those anxiety through those mental food gremlins trying to mess with her head--steak! chicken! don't leave us!
Again, I did not tell her to get the lapband so she can eat steak and chicken, if that's what you're thinking. What I said was, If someone said you could never have another steak again but instead you could be at a healthy weight and not have the side effects from that weight, which would you choose? The implied choices were weight loss surgery (of her choice) with necessary sacrifices OR to eat steak, not have WLS and continue to suffer the ill effects of obesity.
Boy oh Boy! It got heated in here! I didn't mean to start a "who's surgery is best war!" lol
. Like, I said and Denise reiterated, these are my 1%doubts. The Pre-Op jitters if you will. Everyone's post was their own personal story. Just that! My experience, which ever surgery i choose, will be just that mine. I just wanted to know why other people made the choice they did and if they were having the same concerns that I was pre-op. That is it! I really appreciate the honest answers that people gave. I realize that your choice to have surgery and the type you have are very personal, private decisions that alot of people feel very passionate about. Thanks again for sharing.
. Like, I said and Denise reiterated, these are my 1%doubts. The Pre-Op jitters if you will. Everyone's post was their own personal story. Just that! My experience, which ever surgery i choose, will be just that mine. I just wanted to know why other people made the choice they did and if they were having the same concerns that I was pre-op. That is it! I really appreciate the honest answers that people gave. I realize that your choice to have surgery and the type you have are very personal, private decisions that alot of people feel very passionate about. Thanks again for sharing. 
Denise M.
on 6/30/09 9:16 pm
on 6/30/09 9:16 pm
Tee hee! This is not a surgery war thread--it's a we all feel passionate that you have to make the right decision for you thread!
Hopefully each and every one of us puts a lot of thought into the surgery we choose and not just, well, that's what my surgeon does and I'm so desperate I'll choose anything to try and get me out of this boat.
Like I said, it is totally normal to have those 2nd guessing doubts. The part of us that uses our fat for emotional protection (our fat brain) doesn't like the part of us that wants to be the person we were put here to be (healthy brain). That healthy brain person wants to step outside the comfort zone and the other part doesn't like that one bit! So our fat brain tries to get you confused so it can stay safe and protected.
Trust your decision and know that you're going to do fabulously!!!
HUGS!!!
Denise
Hopefully each and every one of us puts a lot of thought into the surgery we choose and not just, well, that's what my surgeon does and I'm so desperate I'll choose anything to try and get me out of this boat.
Like I said, it is totally normal to have those 2nd guessing doubts. The part of us that uses our fat for emotional protection (our fat brain) doesn't like the part of us that wants to be the person we were put here to be (healthy brain). That healthy brain person wants to step outside the comfort zone and the other part doesn't like that one bit! So our fat brain tries to get you confused so it can stay safe and protected.
Trust your decision and know that you're going to do fabulously!!!
HUGS!!!
Denise
Read and research, read and research, and then do it some more. Talk to your primary care physician about the surgery options and get his or her opinion. After all, they know your medical history, your personality traits and may can offer some insight. Find some folks who have had the different surgeries and talk to them in person if you can. See how succesful they have been and what their experience has been.
Good points have been made for the various surgeries. People decide on one over the others for different reasons. As has been said, all of the surgeries are tools - not magic cures. They all take hard work, determination, committment to folowing the "rules" and dedication on the patients part to be successful. And ANY surgery can have complications. I had a friend who died from a blood clot after having his tonsils removed. I chose RNY because, for me, I felt it was the best option and would give me the best chance to regain my health and get life back. Bottom line is that what type of surgery you decide on is totally your choice - you have to live with it - no one else does. Good luck in your decision.
Good points have been made for the various surgeries. People decide on one over the others for different reasons. As has been said, all of the surgeries are tools - not magic cures. They all take hard work, determination, committment to folowing the "rules" and dedication on the patients part to be successful. And ANY surgery can have complications. I had a friend who died from a blood clot after having his tonsils removed. I chose RNY because, for me, I felt it was the best option and would give me the best chance to regain my health and get life back. Bottom line is that what type of surgery you decide on is totally your choice - you have to live with it - no one else does. Good luck in your decision.
BamaBob54 
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