undecided about which surgery to have.....

i keep going back and forth about which type of surgery to have....my bmi is 41 and a size 18-20 so if i have the vertical band gastro i would probably only lose 60-70 lbs...and not have any of the dumping or vitamins for the rest of my life.....i'm leaning toward this one for those two reasons alone...then i read that most of the patients that have this either regain all there weight or have the other surgery later......so i'm looking for some advice...the doctor thinks i should just go ahead and have the roux-en-y...but said it was my decision and she would preform either...... i'm also having a little trouble with the expression you cant gulp your water . even when i sip i still gulp...(i think ) so i"m not really sure what that means...or maybe i dont know really how to sip...i've been slowly drinking to try and get use to it but i cant really get it.....

Lauren, Hi! The best advice is to research all of them as much as you can, and weigh the pros and cons of each one. It is kind of like seeing a doctor, if you ask different people of their opinion, they will all say something different (good or bad). This is a life-changing surgery with any one that you choose, and it is also a decision that you have to make for yourself. I haven't had surgery yet, but I am anxiously awaiting it. I have chosen the roux-en-y (lap) procedure. I have had another lap surgery (gall-bladder) and healed well from it, and I would rather go with it then the open because of the healing time and it being the least invasive one. Although some people choose the open because they can't find a surgeon in their area that does the rny, or they don't want to wait to get in with one that does. Good luck in your decision making. I have a friend that had the surgery 3 years ago, and she said that putting a teaspoon full of crushed ice in her mouth and letting it melt slowing kept her from gulping at first. Or you could try medicine cups to sip from. Take care, Michele Davisson [email protected]