Can't decide... Lap band or Bypass?? HELP!

So I've been on this 3 month diet program my insurance requires and I have my last appointment tomorrow before I can schedule surgery. I went into this whole thing gung ho on getting a lap band but have been persuaded towards the bypass by my surgeons/dieticians/ and basically everyone out of Scottsdale bariatric. I'm still on the fence though. I am scarred about the extra skin thing and hear it is worse with the bypass. I want to lean towrds the band because I feel my problem is really a "lack of self-control" problem and feel it is just the right tool for me. But I do weigh 475 which is why I am being recomended the bypass over the band. I can't decide. Anyone that want's to share their experience on this matter would be greatly appreciated. PLease and thank you all in advance.

Both lap band and RNY will help you lose weight if you use the tools correctly. 

I had Lap Band and have been very succesful with it but I know quite a few people who have not been.  It all comes down to what you want out of the surgery.  In my opion if your problem is self control then you may be better of going the RNY route instead of the lap band.  RNY has more physical consequences ie "dumping" that may help you correct those bad behaviors.  Lap band does not have the dumping and there are more slider foods that you can eat and get away with such as Ice Cream.  If the volume of food you eat is your only problem and not sugary foods and carbs maybe Lap Band is the way to go.

Knowing what I know now about WLS I think if I had to do it all over again I would actually choose the DS.  Have you looked into that surgery at all?

As far as the extra skin is concerned I don't think it really matters which surgery you had the extra skin will be there when you lose the weight.  Of course that varies by person and elasticity of skin but when you stretch out your skin as much as most of us have there is no getting around the fact that when you get rid of the fat your skin will sag.

Bottom line is that choice of surgery is a very personal decision.  Ask a hundred people and you will get a hundred different opinions.  Just try to choose the one that is best for you and your lifestyle.

Good luck.

Todd

   From everything I have read and heard from people on this site, the folks at Scottsdale Bariatric are not steering you wrong.  At that weight with that much to lose your odds of being succesful are MUCH greater with a bypass.  That is just based on the numbers.  I was originally exploring both surgeries and they would have let me go with either but ultimately I decided the bypass was better for me.  First of all, I wanted the malabsorptive components of the bypass to help me with the initial weight loss.  Secondly, the thought of the fills and unfills to hit the band "sweet spot" really seemed like more of a burden than I wanted to deal with.  Also, the thought of a foreign object in my body creeped me out a bit as did the needle stick for the fills.
    My weight issues were really derived from a lack of self-control as well, I just liked food and wanted to eat lots of the yummy goodness.  My bypass has given me back control of my life.  I wasn't really hungry for the first 6 months or so, just ate at my prescribed meal times to get in my nutrition.  Now at a year and half out, I eat like a normal small person which was all I wanted out of this surgery. 

   As mentioned by somebody else, you're gonna have the extra skin no matter which surgery you choose, I think the only reason it might be seen as "worse" with the bypass is you lose weight faster so it will be noticeable faster.  I think in the end a couple years out from goal weight, there isn't more or less skin depending on your surgery type.  If you're gonna have it, you're gonna have it and there is nothing to be done about it except wait and see.

   Good luck in your journey.  The doctors at SBC are amazing and I would trust them but ultimately it is your decision.

Rebecca

 

Hey,
If all are saying that skin is worse with the bypass then BINGO!  That means you've deflated it better.......lost the fluff!  Lossey goosey skin is a badge of success!  LOL!   Our journey is about tradeoffs.  We trade up for loose skin and then trade up for some well hidden plastic surgery scars!

I had Rny......been in the biz for years and have seen hundreds of lapbanders.....unfortunately...neither can guarantee long term success.  Like Paperboy, I would have had a DS if  I could start over......best long term stats, easiest post-op lifestyle.

Good Luck!  Let us  know how we can support you!

Yep

Hard choice to make, you might wanna check out mens forum  & even check out some of the support groups that are open to everyone.  a lot of men go to them and  since men loose differant from woman I would ask them about their experience.

Also - you have to look at other things .. head issue's ,  surgery choices, ultimate goals - skin  should not be an issue - overall health should be a bigger issue. - just my opinion

Thanks for the comments everyone. I do realize this is a very personal choice I just am interested in having the opinion of people that have had the surgery. All I hear from are doctors and people that "know someona that's had the surgery". Not from people that have been down that road themselves.I haven't even heard of the DS but I will look it up right now. Maybe that might be a good choice. I'm pretty sure at this point though that the band is not for me. I need a tighter leash...lol.

 what did dr. blackstone suggest..... ask for her input.... 

I got a lapband in march of this year.  If I could do it over I would do a sleeve honestly.  I'm one of the .02% of people who are having complcations.  Funny enough I befriended the girl who had surgery before me and she just had her band out last week due to similar complications.  That being said I love my band and have lost 82lbs.  However my weight loss has really slowed down and is getting much more difficult (i'm sure the problems and all the fills/unfills are not helping with this).  The surgeon I'm seeing now (I've been through a whole bunch) won't even put a band in someone with a bmi over 50(mine was 53 before surgery) and doesn't feel the band is effective for the more massive weight loss.  I'm tending to agree after a lot of research and support group meeting attendence.  a lot of people seem to get stuck at 50-70lbs loss and stop there.

I'm looking at a possible revision now still the bypass scares me.  I don't like the rearranging of the anatomy and all the problems with that.  However the thing I want less is regaining the weight so...

I don't know if that made sense but I believe you could be succesful with the band but it will be more work and the statistics are better for the rny I believe.  also there can be a lot of complications post band.

I totally agree!

I think the high BMI peeps are best served with a Dudenal Switch (DS).  Dr. Schlesinger is the only doc in AZ who does them.

Good luck!

On November 12, 2009 at 7:49 AM Pacific Time, JRinAZ wrote: I totally agree!

I think the high BMI peeps are best served with a Dudenal Switch (DS).  Dr. Schlesinger is the only doc in AZ who does them.

Good luck!


But there are doctors outside of AZ that actually do it well and you know it.