Which to pick

I would appeal to my insurance to get the surgery I want. Many have been successful and this is a decision you will be living with for a long time.

I would pick nearly anything but the band. You can click on my recent posts and read through them if you want to see my many recent posts on this topic. Or PM me if you are interested in my story.

Best of luck to you!
Lindsey

Do not let your insurance dictate to you what will happen with your body. Your surgeons office should be able to help you appeal if you feel that another surgery will be more appropriate for you. My low BMI (35.8) precluded me getting a sleeve and even the surgeons miracle working insurance person said she had never gotten one approved with that bmi. I didn't want to spend the time arguing with Blue Cross. My osteoporosis kept me from RNY or DS. While the surgeon thought I could probably supplement enough to still do it but I know I am not reliable with my vitamins or at least not enough for that degree.

I researched the band carefully, read the positives and the negatives, read all the medical studies, knew the ins and outs and decided to go ahead. I love my band (most days), don't find the lifestyle difficult (most days), have lost all my weight, am in much better health, have had no complications. My surgeons practice has a complication rate of 

Hi Rainie.

There are pros and cons with each method and really, it comes down to what you and your surgeon feel is the best option.  If you are a grazer throughout the day and are too tempted by sweets, RNY might be the option for you. 
I had my banding 3 years ago and the only issue I've had is that we got it too tight so I was plague with acid reflux, vomiting, etc. We pulled all the fluid out, gave my tummy some time to heal and as of today, started back over again slowly.

I totally understand the whole "one shot at it". I was also very apprehensive about the massive invasion process of a RNY, so I get exactly where you're coming from. If insurance would have covered my surgery, I would have gone with the bypass. But since I was self-pay, I went with the band.   Looking back now, I do wished that I would have gone with the bypass, but dad-gummit, I'm going to make this band work for me this time!

Good luck to you!
Linda

Very personal decision.  I've known several people whom the RNY works very well for, one of them is one of the bariatric nurses at my surgeon's office.

I asked her once why she chose the more "drastic" surgery over the band as she was no where near the weight I was when I started to investigate WLS.  She said she chose RNY because she was a big sweet eater and felt that she needed the discipline that the possibility of dumping would give her with the RNY.  That makes perfect sense to me, as the band won't keep you from eating sweets.. it has to be self-discipline.

The band works for me as I was mainly a volume eater, and a lazy cook (meaning that I'd fix nacho's rather than a healthier meal.. or buy takeout).  Sure, I like sweet things and I have something sweet (but healthy) almost every day, but I very rarely get out of control eating sweets.  Carbs like crackers.. that's another thing.  I still fight food battles, but with my friend (my band) helping me, it's a whole lot easier and I win more of the battles now.

You may also want to consider whether or not you have health issues that the malabsorption of the RNY will complicate or potentiate.  I have a family hx of osteoporosis and am post-menopausal, so a malabsorptive surgery wasn't the best idea for me.

When I was first banded, and the weight was slow to come off, I had a few regretful thoughts that I didn't conquer my fears and have the RNY... but I soon came to the decision that I had made a choice, so instead of sitting here feeling "shoulda, woulda, coulda".. I was going to give the band every chance to work for me.   And it has, remarkably well.

Whichever you eventually choose, if you follow your surgeon's guidelines as closely as you can, you have great potential for doing well.  Best of luck to you.