Been Freaking Out!!

I have been freaking out this last week about the RNY and I had decided last weekend that I wasn't going to do it and I was going to eat high protein/low sugar and exercise more and do it myself.  I tried so hard all week and walked more and made sure to do tons more around the house and not nap during the day, etc.  I lost a whopping one and a half pounds.  LOL  I also visited with my regular doctor on Friday.  I've known him a  long long time and really trust his opinion - he said it's just almost impossible for someone to lose a large amount of weight without surgery, especially someone with thyroid disease. 

So - I'm going to go ahead and do all the scheduled testing next week.  But, now I'm looking at the LapBand pretty strongly.  It is much less drastic and that's encouraging to me.  I eat pretty healthy already (we have young children and we make sure they eat healthy, etc) but have problems with portion control.  But, I also have 200 pounds to lose...is the LapBand for me?  I don't know...

What do you guys think?  Why did you chose one surgery option over another?

I can only tell you my opinion and what my Dr's told me...

At surgery day, I weighed 338...so I'm pretty big.  My surgeon recommeded RNY for me due to all the weight I had to lose and that I had problems with portion control.  Even healthy food is bad in massive quantites.  He told me that you lose a bigger precentage of your excess weight with RNY.  I researched it alot, read all about the pros and cons of both surgeries, and decided for myself on the RNY.  I know me, and if theres a small opening for cheating...I'm gonna take it.  And there seems to be alot of small openings for cheating with the LapBand.

You're already on your way to sucess with the eating healthy.  I had to lose 80lbs before I could have the surgery.  So I learned during that time to make better choices and to also became used to how much and what I was eating before I had surgery.  I think this had helped me tremendously.

There's a lady on here, Tiat, that has had VGS.  She may have some advice for you as well.  It's just a different WLS, apparently a better one than even RNY.  Shoot her a message and ask her to tell you about it.

Good luck
April

Thanks!  I only mentioned the two surgeries, RNY and LapBand, b/c that is all my insurance covers.  They still consider VGB to be "experimental."  Insurance companies are always slow to adopt new ideas.  ;)

I chose RNY for basically the same reasons April did. I originally wanted the lapband because it was less invasinve but as I did more research I decided there were too many ways I could, and would, cheat it. Plus I didn't like how many instances I was reading about lap band slipping or problems with it getting imbedded with the stomach. I personally know 3 people these 2 things have happened to.

My RNY surgery is Tuesday and I do NOT have any second thoughts at all.

I needed to hear this too.

I've had fairly good success so far, but I'm ready for another tool besides protein and exercise.

I vaccilate between the band and the RNY, which are my options unless I go self-pay. I'm on the fence about the band. I've also read about slippage and that it not usually recommended for high BMI folks. But then there are the success stores that contradict that.

I wish this was easier.

I chose the RNY because of the greater amount of weight that could potentially be lost, as well as the data on success after 5-7 years, versus the Lapband.
 
Also, the risk of slippage of the band and the idea of having actual artificial hardware--plastic and silicone--inside of me was repellant. And you have to pay for a fill every time you get one, which I think is lame.

You have to go with what your heart and your head are telling you. Any surgery is scary. If you have a laparascopic RNY done at a Center for Excellence, the odds are very good in your favor, and there's almost no sign of the surgery sites once the scars heal.

Finally, any WLS is going to cause you to have to change your lifestyle and eating habits--I think a lot of fear comes from the realization that a major source of comfort will be gone from your life. But using the tool you've been given and reclaiming your health delivers a lot of satisfaction, not to mention additional years of life! You have to commit to this as a lifestyle choice FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, or you will regain the lost weight eventually, even with a micro-stomach!

Excellent point about the fills. I don't want that hassle.

My experience was that I went in wanting the LapBand but my surgeon said she does not do LapBands for people with BMI's over 50.  She told me if you have a lot to lose the LapBand can not help you lose that much and you will be very unhappy with the results.  She told me how she had a patient who insisted she wanted LapBand, she gave her one, and then a year after she had only lost about 30 pounds and was so unhappy and then the doc ended up doing a revision to RNY a year later, and based on experiences like that my surgeon now wont do a LapBand for someone with that much to lose.  She said I could go here or there and they would do it, but if I stayed in the program I was in, it would RNY.  So I thought about it and agreed.  Now because of my hernia a month before surgery I find that her and her colleague have now decided to do the VSG because they may need stuff that is in the hernia and they would rather avoid it.  They say if they can figure out how to do the RNY they will do it but I probably will get "sleeved".  I have researched this more lately and I am kind of glad about it. 

But anyway, it is your descision to make, you have to live with it, but I think you should probably discuss it with your doc.  Ask him/her if you really can lose 200 pounds with the LapBand.  Because as far as i know, the answer not only is "No", but "not even close", but if you get a LapBand will you be happy may be only losing 50 or 60 pounds and having to go get fills all the time. 

The other thing to consider, although extremely difficult, most everyone here has managed to lose weight at one time or another, and some like me, significant amounts.  However, if you lost 100 or more pounds on your own, could you keep it off for the next 20 years?  How easy do you think that would be?  If you have not been able to do it now, what is different that would make this time work?  My only answer for this for me is WLS.  Do some more sole searching and do what feels right for you.  you have to live with whatever decision you make.  But if you are deciding to avoid some needles, IV's and pain in the short term, I think that would be a shame, because pain is fleeting, soon those tests procedures surgery will be in the past and brand new wonderful future awaits us all on the other side of this surgery.  PEACE!

I started out with a BMI of 60.

The lapband was my first choice. Between real world support group meetings where I got to hear lots of horror stories about problems with the band and OH, I had changed my mind by the time I actually got to see my surgeon. Fills would have been an incredible pain the rear (my doc's office is 90 miles from my house).

At that point, I wanted the sleeve. My insurance sometimes covers it, but my medical group's gatekeeper doc wouldn't put in the referral for that. Then I found out I was prediabetic. That made changing to RNY easier to handle.

You have to do what you have to do. But please research the band here on OH. Go to the lapband forum and lurk for a while. You might post there and see how successful folks with thyroid disease have done.

Lap band works for a lot of people, including some people with larger BMIs. But there are just so many people revising to RNY from Lap band, that for me personally, I couldn't see putting myself through the possibility of a second surgery.

Best of luck.

i thought i would add my 2 cents. im scheduled to get my lapband next month. i think you have to be more willing to change without cheatint with the lapband... i currently weight 350 and i plan on getting down to 150-180. you have to have exftreme self discipline for the lapband. i dont have 100% first ahnd advice because i dont have it. yes i know all about both. my mom, gma, uncle all had rny/gastric. so i know all about it. i also know that all of them hover around 200 and they cant seem to get the rest off. im not worried about fills personally i was but i will survive haha. i have a lot of weight to lose and with a young child i chose lapband as the best for me. but its only your choice no one can make it for you.