CONFUSED

I WAS PLANNING ON HAVING THE LAPBAND PROCEDURE UNTIL I WENT TO THE INFORMATION MEETING ON WENDSDAY, WHILE LISTENING TO THE DOCTOR, I WAS QUITE IMPRESSED WITH THE NUMBERS ON THE RNY, ESPECIALLY THE DIABETES INFO. IF ANYONE HAS ANY THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I GO ON THURSDAY FOR MY PSHYC EVAL. HOPE EVERTHING GOES BETTER. THANKS FOR YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS PROBLEM.

HI .... I looked over your profile and would have to agree that the RNY might be the better option for you. Especially with your BMI being in the 50 range. I have heard that there is longer success rates with the RNY over the lap band(with it being comparable to the VBG in success rates). I had the VBg and yes I did lose weight and kept it off for almost 4 years but I also developed major complications after the 4 years with scar tissue, which I have heard happening with the lap band. Have you checked into the DS(duedonum switch)? With your BMI your insurance might cover it! It has the least amount of side effects after surgery and you are able to maintain your ability to produce intrinsic factor which with the RNY you aren't able to do since that part of the stomach and duedonum is bypassed. You would have to do less supplementation with the DS, although I know of no surgeon's in the St. Louis area that perform the DS. There are several that do in Chicago and in Tennessee. I hope this helps...and if you have any questions please feel free to email me back. Good Luck... Dawn

When I was doing my research, my surgeon told me that I would have to do more supplementation with the Duodenal Switch because there is more malabsorption with the DS.

Your surgeon must have been misinformed. I had the DS over a year ago and the only supplements we take is extra calcium just like the RNY's and vitamins. Everything else we absorb no extra b-12 or iron which I know is a biggy with my RNY friends. Hope this helps set some ideas straight. Its hard when we are all working for the same goals that our doc's who should be giving the right stuff dont have it all down yet lol, i guess we shouldnt expect them to be perfect, but we do

He also mentioned that I would have to take ADEK vitamins if I went with the DS. Sorry, I'll go with my surgeon's word on this. I have no wish to get into a DS debate with anyone on this board.

Yes, most DSers do take ADEKs, at least in the first few months, because DSers only absorb about 20% fo the fat we eat, and A,D, E, and K are fat-soluble vitamins. After getting a few series of bloodwork done, some can drop them.

Hi Dee! Havent seen you around lately. How are you doing? I am hanging in there. I am having some other issues going on but nothing major anymore. What can I say, I am trying to keep a postive outlook on all of this, you know? Swing by the NY board we miss you! Tavia

Tavia Hi! Good to hear you're doing better and keeping a positive attitude. I'll swing by the NY board and talk to you over there

Donald, I would encourage you to do all the research you can. The lapband is a far safer operation particularily if you have a higher BMI. Please read this research artcle on the lapband. Because this is failry new in the US, you will be hard pressed to find good research done in the US. You will see that the lapband provides the same overal result over a 18 month to 2 year period compared with the other more risky operations. http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/183_06_190905/obr10369_fm.html This next site will allow you to read posts where people all over the world have had the lapband operation and provide their satisfaction/ dissatisfaction with the band. (scroll to the bottom to see their ratings) http://www.remedyfind.com/rm-3919-Gastric.asp Sure hope this helps you gain some insight. Be well!! Cristina

Seminars, for the most part, are sales pitches. One of the reasons my surgeon and her group do not do them. There is no reason to think the band will not work well for you as long as you have done enough research and truly understand what it was designed to do/how it works, and how important very experienced aftercare is. My BMI was 57 at the time of my surgery and I am by no means anywhere near the top of the BMI range that has done well with the band. There's a group on yahoogroups.com called Extraordinarybandsters where you need a starting BMI of at least 50 to join. There have been folks starting at 500-600+ lbs who've lost hundreds. It's very typical for the numbers for the RNY to be exaggerated. And they usually fail to disclose the true rate of serious compliations and regain. At the 2-3 year mark, bandsters and RNYers will have lost about the same % of excess weight, however, bandsters can more easily continue to lose beyond that point, whereas it's a struggle for most RNYers to maintain the further out they get. Carnie Wilson's struggle is pretty typical, I'm afraid. But please, do your own independent research and don't rely on others to just tell you what you need to know...read read read, search search search. Nancy 394/260/180