Introductions?

I’m not sure if this is the correct place to be doing this, but I’m new 8-}   Hello all: My name is Carrie…I am in the process of determining if I am approved for WLS. My BMI is 37 and I have high cholesterol (on medication) pre-hypertension (on medication), incontinence, sleep apnea, joint pain/degenerative disk disease (on medication) and the general depression. When I started this process, I assumed that the lap band was the right choice for me. However, since I informed my sister about what I was planning, she has been encouraging me to look into gastric bypass instead. She had bypass surgery approximately 10 years ago and is doing great. She has maintained her goal weight +/- 5 pounds. My question to you all…Why did you choose lap band over bypass?

I'm only 6 months out, but I chose lapband after going to a seminar.  I liked the fact that I didn't have to have anything cut away or rerouted.  You do have to think, however, that you will have foreign parts in your body, and it takes maintainence.  My doc is about 40 minutes away, so it's not an issue for me, but doctor location is a problem for some.  It is not just an easy fix, you have to be willing to do the exsercise and correct food choices.  From what I understand lapband works best on patients who are volume eaters in that it helps restrict the amount of food you eat when you are at the correct fill level.  Remember, all WLS have failures, and the lapband is certainly no exception as I'm sure you will hear.  Please do your research on all surgeries you're considering.  Know how many surgeries your doctor has done and his particular statistics with complications and failure rates.  I love my band at this point, but I wish I would have come to this site a year before I had the surgery, instead of 3 months.  I don't think it would have changed my mind, but I would have been better informed.

Thanks for the information...Im pretty sure I would not get approved for bypass because I am not 100 pounds overweight. My concern with the bypass surgery is the fact that I would be changing the physical anatomy that I was born with. I work at a hospital and have worked in the medical field since 1996. Ive seen ALOT. I have known many people that have had bypass surgery, but only one person with the lap band. This site is a great way for me to gather info 8-)

Hello Carrie, You are going to find this question is a very flammable subject. There are hardcore believers in all 4 corners of WLS. Everybody has their own reasons for their choice. In my case, My insurance only approved 2 kinds RnY or Lapband. I was not morbidly obese and did not feel that RnY was a good choice for me because I am mainly a quantity eater. I don't have a junk food issue and you probably know that the band is easily cheated. You can eat around it with ease. I got WLS to lower my BP and general health. I do not have any serious issues so I chose the band and so far...13 month out, I have no band issues. I am down almost 60 lbs and passed my DOT physical with flying colors BP went from 159/86 to 118/72.. so I have achieved my primary goal. I could have lost more, but I must admit I am very lazy and do not exercise enough to loose more weight, I am below 200 and wear a 16, down from 22..So I am happy with that also.

Good luck with your adventure
And please do not take what you hear here for gospel....

Petra

Thanks Petra...Glad to hear you have had no serious issues. I have been weighing the pros and cons with both surgeries, and Im thinking the band may be the right fit for me. I am a big research nerd, so everyone's opinion is very intersting me to me. I appreciate your words of encouragement ..

Do yourself a favor and look at the negatives also. Don't take this as the only input..I belong to the Failed Lapband forum..not because It has failed me, but to stay informed of what can go wrong and what the symptoms are...

Have you considered the sleeve ?

If you want me to I can send over MULTIPLE people who would be willing to share with you their reasons why they would encourage you to not get the band, but I'll only do that if you are interested in hearing about the negative side of this surgery.

Lisa

Hi Carrie,
Your surgeon will be an important resource in guiding you which surgery is best for you, but you're doing the right thing...researching all the options available to you.

You will hear a lot of feedback but I encourage you to check out the RNY board as well as the Sleeve and all the others. 

Personally, I chose the band because I was concerned, (and a *****icken), about the RNY surgery it's self.  With that said, if there were no other options available to me I'm sure I would have done it.  I was 330 lbs at the beginning of my journey, fed up and desperate.

I ended up choosing the band because my insurance didn't cover the Sleeve at the time, (that was my first choice).  Luckily, the band worked great for me!  I lost 104 lbs in 9 months, but haven't lost much more than that in the last year and a half.  Still, my health issues are all resolved and I'm living the life I dreamed of!

Pros: 
The band is removable if issues develop
It's adjustible allowing me to determine the level of tightness and therefore what and how much I can eat.
The mortality rates are the lowest of all the surgeries
There is no need for a lifetime regime of vitamins because it's not a malabsorbtive WL surgery, (otherwise, your body keeps all of the nutrients it gets through food).
I'm fairly diciplined and believed that I could change what I eat if the band would help me control portion size, (which is does for me).

Cons:
There is a lot of maintenence involved because of the need for regular fills over-time to keep the band properly adjusted for maximum benefits.
There are many foods that I no longer tolerate at all, like pasta, bread and many fruits and veggies.  (Anything that is doughy or very fibrous does not go through the band well)  This is a personal thing though, and it varies greatly between individuals.
You have to eat very slowly and chew very well or you may regurgitate foods that get "stuck" because they won't go through the band.

With all that said, I have absolutely no regrets!  I love my band and it's been a good tool for me.  None of the surgeries are full-proof.  I believe you have to choose the one that's best suited for your lifestyle and eating and emotional behaviors.

Keep researching and make the choice that's right for you.  Be sure you're ready to do the work and change not only how much you eat, but what you eat. 

WLS can be life changing, (it was for me), but you have to do your share and that includes dealing with any emotional eating behaviors you may have.  Therapy has helped me a lot and I knew early on that it would be part of the key to my success.  If you turn to food for comfort, that doesn't just go away because you had surgery.  There is no magic cure!

Best~
Lisa O.

Great post!!

I chose the Lap-Band b/c I fell for all that "least invasive" B.S. :-( True..........the band is the least invasive and safest DURING the surgery. With the band all the probles seem to occur after the surgery, and the long term stats do not look good!

Another reason I chose it was b/c I did not have insurance. I was concerened about having a different WLS and having a surgical complication and ending up with an astronomical hospital bill.

That being said...........knowing what I know now, would I still choose the band? Hell NO! It has been a complete waste of time and money.

Please read on the revision forum and see how many ppl are revising FROM the band!

Good luck!!!