Band vs Gastric Bypass

Hi, I am planning on having weight loss surgery. After reading about the problems with the lap band, was wondering if maybe going the gastric bypass routine would be better. Anyone have any suggestions on which route I should consider?   Thank you.

This is only my personal opinion but I would try for the VSG before going with the RNY. It depends on whether you think all you need is restriction or if you think you will need malabsorbtion too. I would never suggest a band for anyone now that we are seeing so many issues with it. There is also the DS but I am not that familiar with it. Read all you can on here and research all the options.

 Neither. The sleeve is less problematic than the band if you only need restriction, and the DS is more successful than RNY (bypass) if you need malabsorption. 

Only you can look at your diet history and factors like insulin resistance, cholesterol, and eating styles to figure out what would work best for you, but I'd look to the two better choices.

 
RNY, DS, VSG. All of those would be much better. I would not wish the band on my worst enemy!

Here are my 2¢ ..

All these operations are successful, and all these operations have failures. There are no guarantees in any of these. These are only tools, and you need to be ready to make changes in your life and WORK to be successful. The operation isn’t going to do it all for you.

If you go on the various boards, you’ll find success and failures on all these operations. Some failures are caused because the person didn’t follow the rules; other times the person did everything that was required, and still failed because of the operation and/or device.

For me, my band has helped me lose over 200 pounds; got me off all my meds; help me get to my goals; gave me my life back; and when asked I recommend it.

Please do your research before you decide on a particular operation. Know the prons and cons. Also as important as the operation is, make sure you Doctor has a good “support" system in place. Follow-ups are KEY to being successful. If something doesn’t seem right, make sure the Doctor you choose will be willing to answer/address all concerns.

Good luck, and know we’re here for you!!

Had nothing but trouble with my band and wouldn't recommend one to anybody. Have had it out and now looking at sleeve gastrectomy. My doctor is hardly doing any bands anymore - he says research coming out in past couple of years shows fail/complication rate is just too high. Since he is very experienced in both, charges same for both procedures and band is an easier surgery to perform (ie he has no ulterior motives) I trust this opinion.