Do any of you Banders wish you had gone with the RNY?

Do any of you ladies and Gentleman wish that you had gone with the RNY? or do any of you have to have a revision and if so how long ago did you get the band? I am looking at WLS and I am contemplating the two options and have recieved lots of feedback from the RNY group and would like to hear the Banders side of things. Thanks!!

No, but I do think that if I were to begin my WLS journey now, I would choose VSG instead of the band.

the band has been a great tool for me but I worry that it will fail at some point as so many do.

i never wanted malabsorption, I need to be able to take NSAIDS periodically, I have personally seen some RNY regain and vitamin deficiency and do not want to deal with those issues.

IF band or RNY were my only 2 choices, i would be very conflicted.  I would consider co-morbidities and beginning BMI , I would attend local support groups and talk to people in person, observe their 

lifestyle, weight loss success health issues, etc and then make my choice.

Thank you for your insight! I know several people who have had the band and personally my mom has had the RNY. I feel like I could handle the challenges of the RNY and I am starting to feel that the band might not be the right thing for me (like you said a good tool but fail at some point) I do look forward to hearing more of this groups opinions and or stories. The Malabsorption is the part that worries me the most about the more invasive procedures. I know they can be handled too. Thanks again for your insight...Very much appreciated!!

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/vsg/VSG works in much the same way as a band (restrictive) without malabsorption.  Check out the forum here. I would choose VSG today over Lapband.

My insurance doesn't cover the VSG. They will only cover Lap Band or RNY. Which is lucky seeing as how those are the only two proceedures my surgeon does. But thanks for your opinion as it still confirms that you could choose differently if possible.

My answer to this and similar questions is always the same. Even 9 years after my surgery, I am still glad that I chose the band and probably still would. It is the only procedure that does not involve removing or resecting parts of my GI tract, which I still am not comfortable with.

Well if you asked me this question 2 years ago I would have said an unequivocal YES.  But as my struggle in the beginning turned in my favor and I was able to turn my struggle into a victory I am now able to say no....I would choose my band...and here's why.  I am a lazy person when it comes to diet and exercise.  I tend to give up easily.  I know if weight loss came too easily I would never have started exercising like I am now and I would never have put any real effort into changing my lifestyle I like had to.  After 18 months with the Band I had only lost 40 lbs and felt like a complete failure!!!  I was forced to look at myself and say "ok you can roll over and give up or get off your ass and do some thing about it!!!"  I had to see the person I am and see the horrible choices I make and attitudes I have and know that it is me not entirely the band that is at fault here...me I am an obsessive freak when it comes to food!!!   

I started to exercise like a mad woman and never stopped.  I slowly made changes in my diet and lifestyle. 

I don't think I would have done any of this had I gone with RNY.  I was forced into a corner I guess you could say...I thank God for it.  My 4 year anniversary is next month and I have lost about 175 lbs.  I am about 20 lbs from my goal weight.  I am so happy and grateful for this weight loss.  I almost feel like it's all a dream and I will wake up and I will be 355 lbs again.  I feel great and my life has improved in ways that I couldn't have imagined 175 lbs ago.  I feel like I was in a prison of fat and now I am FREE!!! 

So I would like to keep my band...forever.

Thanks Everyone for your opinions/stories...it is very much appreciated. Thanks!! Anyone else can feel free to answer my question as well.

I am  a pre-op as well and am planning to go with a band for several reasons:   It is the only procedure that is 100% reversibile if for some reason there is a major complication.  It tends to have a quicker recovery time and getting back to work is also very important to me.  I am the breadwinner in my household.  There is no dumping syndrome.  And bands can be adjusted for many, many years.  Once you have one of the other surgeries, you have what you are going to get.  I know that the weight loss will be slower and I will have to work a little harder at it but I can live with that.  

I think you really need to continue your research if you feel the Band is 100% reversible.  It is not.  Permanent damage is often times done and you can have the Band removed BUT you can never get your stomach back to the way it was.  There are many very serious complications that can alter your anatomy forever.  Reading your words tells me you haven't done your research.

The recovery time for the Band was the same as the Sleeve.  Also, once you have the Band, you have to be in the vicinity of your surgeon for the rest of your life.  If you move, you have to return to have your adjustments or you have to find a surgeon who is willing to take on your care.  My Band surgeon retired and I had to find a new surgeon at a much higher cost to do my adjustments, BUT alas, my Band had already damaged my stomach so even without an adjustment, I had such tight restriction, I was vomiting daily.