Nervous about WLS surgery decision....

Hi, all!! I'm scheduled for surgery 8/4, RNY. And after going thru the psych eval and NUT consult, I finally got to meet my surgeon. After talking with him, and after my insurance approved my surgery, I really enjoyed my conversation with him. He is wonderful!! The thing is, maybe too wonderful!!!   LOL  He explained every important detail about RNY surgery. But then he also went on to tell me about the Lap Band. I had never really looked into it and as I left the office with my husband, I thought that maybe this surgery would be best for me. I mean, people lose a good amount of weight, it just happens at a slower pace. And I can live with that, as I modify my behaviors and such. Now I'm sooooo scared that I have messed up. I don't want to upset my insurance since they already approved my RNY and scheduled me for 6/4; I don't want to fail.  I'm tired of failing...all those diets failed...Someone please help me decide what I am doing to myself emotionally!! I know I want and need the surgery, I just feel so confused with all the info!! Thanks so much!!

Hello.  I am preop in weight loss mode before the surgery myself but I will share with you my experience.  But remember, it is a big descision you have to live with for the rest of your life and only you can decide what to do for yourself.  I saw my surgeon Augst 2008 for a consult because I have an old incisional hernia and the med doc wanted the surgeon to assess.  I had at that point wanted to go with a lap band.  My heighest weight at that time was 491.  After talking with the surgeon I decided to do RNY.  The surgeon said she could do the Lap Band but she knew that I would not be happy with it.  She said I would not get the kind of weight loss that I was looking for and she didnt feel comfortable doing a lap band for me when she knew it would not give me the result she knew i was looking for.  She told me how she had had another patient near my size who ended up coming back after the first year and getting a revision to RNY after getting banded and from that experience with that patient she believes us bigger people need gastric bypass, not the band. 

I know it sounds scary but I have decided to take a leap of faith and go with what I feel I am being lead to do.  I talked with my surgeon yesterday over the phone and will be seeing her 9/3 and she says as long as I keep on the track I have been on (as of yesterday weigh in with the nutritionist am down 45 pounds) she does not see why I can't have the surgery by the end of September (she wanted me to lose at least 60 before my surgery).  And believe me, I am no longer scared, I am so psyched.  You should check out some of the successes of others on this site.  There are many people who weighed in the 4's and a year after surgery have lost 150 to 200 pounds.  I know that I want to be one of them.  I cant wait.  its your descision to make, but for me I am going to feel the fear and do it anyway.  I had cancer 3 years ago and I had a major operation and I did fine.  I will be having my RNY laprascopically and I know I will be fine.

Hope this helps. 

Hello! I am new to this forum. I have been signed up for several months, but have mainly just been reading everyone's posts. I too am scheduled for RNY in August. I have had a few doubts lately with whether or not I'm making the right decision, but I keep going back to why I made the decision ariginally. RNY is a stricter tool for weight loss. I have very little willpower and I just thought it made the most sense. Most of the before/after pics for Lap band and most of the people I've known who have had it done really haven't had that much weight loss with it. I know quite a few people personally who have had RNY and their results are amazing. I have just been praying about it and I feel this is still the right surgery for me. Hope this helps!

are you freaken kidding me? Your surgeon recommended a lap band for a SMO person? I'd fire him immediately. He is obviously a money hungry quack. The lap band is totally inappropriate for someone that has to lose so much weight. Even with the best statistics put out by the lap band companies, they admit that people only lose about 50 percent of their excess weight, so if you are 200 lbs overweight you will only lose 100 lbs, and long term the surgery fails 70 percent of those that have that surgery.

I'd highly recommend getting a 2nd opinion, and if possible get a 2nd opinion with a surgeon who does the DS.

Scott

PS the lap band sounds like a good surgery, but the statistics don't hold up to it's promises.

Just FYI....

I told my dr office, my BMI is 64, they told me that I would not be a good canidate for the Lap.

Just a thought.

I'm preop but I wanted to chime in- the heck with upsetting your insurance! They can go soak their heads. You are the one who will be living with the surgery you choose, it's YOUR body, and you deserve all the time you need to make up your mind.

One thing I'm finding helpful is to try out the lifestyle for a while. Just a few days so I didn't go nuts. For example, pretend you have an rny. Ok, no drinking with meals, really chew everything, low fat, low carb and no nsaids. Make a note to tell yourself after 2 or 3 forkfuls that you'd be finished now with an rny. Does it annoy you?

I don't know a lot about the band as I didn't like its stats. You could ask yourself whether you would hate getting fills/unfills fairly regularly, or if it'd be no big deal. Does your insurance cover fills? 

:)
ivy

I initially wanted lapband. Then I researched it. It really doesn't work super well for folks our size.

The second surgery I thought I really wanted was the vertical sleeve gastrectomy. Some people think this will eventually replace the RNY. The problem is that my insurance considered it experimental. So, no go there.

RNY wasn't my first choice. But I am at peace with my decision. I am a relative newbie, so you should take that into consideration.

Duodenal switch works for a lot of people. I didn't feel it was for me because they need so many supplements. (Remembering to take the supplements is a challenge for me with my RNY.)

You have to make the decision. Best of luck on your journey!

Here it is short & sweet. If you are wanting to have minimal life & diet changes go for the band.
If you are ready for all the Major changes & restrictions go for the RNY.
Personally between those two options I would go for the RNY b/c of the % of weight you can lose with the RNY. However, I am getting the VSG.

Thank you all so much!!! I really appreciate all the upfront information!! You all are wonderful and I'm so thankful to your comments!! I guess the nerves can get the best of us!! I feel so much better with my decision now!!

Banding just doesn't work well for the majority of SMO people.  Read the whole booklet (they should have given you one put out by the makers of the band.)  When you read the stats on BMIs over 50 and the band, you will about faint.  If I remember correctly, fewer than 10% of BMI over 50 folks lose 75% of their excess weight.  That's awful!

I personally chose DS, as RNY had issues I wasn't comfortable with (the pouch, higher rate of regain than with DS, no drinking with meals, etc.)