which is better, lap-band or lap gastric bypass?

I have been recearching weight loss surgery for 2 years. I have been to 2 seminars and talked with many people. I don't have any problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes etc. but I have had both knees replaced, have arthritis, foot and ankle problems and basically hurt all over all day every day. I also have restless legs so I can't go the movies and I don't like to go visit. I want my life back, I am only 47! I just don't know which surgery to have. I will be self-pay because my insurance won't pay. I have heard that lap-band you are still hungry and you still have cravings, and that with gastic bypass you don't really want to eat at all. If someone can help me with info they have experienced please help.

Janet- Welcome to the VA board. Congrats on doing some research and wanting to do something to improve your quality of life! I'm sure others will respond, but in order to help a bit more, Amy Williams (an OH Staffer) posted on the Main Board a response to this type of question. You can view her post here: http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/a,messageboard/action,replies/board_id,4856/cat_id, 4456/topic_id,3199837/ I had mini-open RNY (Gastric Bypass) and I'm loving the results. I've heard (not really done much research) that it's easier to "beat" the Lap-band, but I've also read of people on here that have been very successful with it. I think it will come down to what you're comfortable with and the kind of follow-up care you want (with the Lap-band you need to get fills every so often I believe). I will tell you that with RNYGB that at first you have a hard time eating (desire, what you eat, etc), but that your appetite does eventually return. Either way you go you must commit to your new lifestyle...this is not a quick fix. It simply is a tool that you have and must work with to be successful. It IS possible to reach your goal and then regain it all back if you're not diligent. I look at my surgery as a head-start. It got me to a place where I was able to more comfortably exercise...but I still have to make the time to do that. It helped me start a new relationship with food...but I still have to make the right choices. Read some profiles...talk to others on the boards (if you click on the forums tab you'll find a board for RNY and a board for Lap-banders)...you'll find that lots of people have lots of different experiences. Best wishes to you as you make this decision. Please continue to post your questions. We have a great support network here. Christina S

Surgery is really about personal choice. I've seen some very successful Lapband patients and then I've seen some that were less than successful and ended up getting the Lapband removed and revised to an RNY. I'm not saying that Lapband is a bad choice. It's just not a good choice for everyone. I was a sweet eater. Sugar, sugar, sugar. Cakes, brownies, milkshakes, candy bars etc. It's what I wanted. If I had gotten the Lapband, I knew I would not have been bnearly successful. You don't have the fear of dumping when you are a lapband patient. I was also good at dieting, but bad at staying on a diet when I got frustrated. The malabsorption part of RNY helped me with that. I now, no longer crave the stuff I once gorged myself on. I figured if I was goin gto get an irreversible (you should think of it as irreversble) surgery that makes my tummy tine and re-routes my intestines I was going to do everything in my power not to fail. I think I would have been a lousy lapband patient. That being said. please do your research. Make sure you are making the right decision based on you and your dieting history. I think the Lapbanders that I see that are very successful are people who who were good at sticking to diets and wielded willpower. I didn't have that willpower. I was the kind of girl who literally started shaking when the "HOT" light came on at Krispy Kreme. Now, I physically can't eat that stuff at all. It's not that I don't really get sick, it's that It blows up like a wet sponge in my pouch making me miserable. I will say that with your diabetes, RNY may be a better choice. DS will actually be an even better choice but it's not always available to us.

I will agree with the other 2 posts, that it really depends on the individual on what works, neither will work if you don't have the mind set to do your part, a lot of folks think that WLS is the cure, but it is only a tool for us, we have to make a life change no matter what surgery type we choose, I personally had the lap band and I love it, you can read my profile for more information, but I will say now that I don't get hungry more and I have had no problems, I had 2 fills and I know where my cut off point is, I had the mind set going in that there were going to be foods that I would no longer eat and have stuck to that, in closing I would say that you should take in all the suggestions that you read, make sure you are ready mentally and choose the one that you think best fits, and most of all rely on God through your journey, if youre not attending a support group right now it would really help you to find one even now that you are just thinking about it and go to them and listen to first hand experience from these fine folks eye to eye. Good Luck. Keith