Confused and unsure which surgery to have

Hi everyone,

I have been researching the different surgeries and I am totally overwhelmed and confused. I am 49 yrs old and I have been overweight my entire life. The doctor charts say I should lose about 100 pounds, but I would feel most comfortable losing about 80 pounds. I dont drink alcohol, smoke or take drugs, but food has become the thing I turn to when I am bored, worried, anxious, lonely or depressed/stressed.

I basically want something that will make it so that I am not hungry and will prevent me from eating too much quantity. Since I sometimes eat when I am not hungry, I want something that wont let me eat when I am not hungry or will actually make me have no appetite and not want to eat.

I dont eat fried food, but I am a heavy carb eater. I switched to whole wheat bread and pasta. I dont eat fish or turkey, I rarely eat beef and my choice of meat is always chicken. I could be a vegetarian if I didnt have to give up chicken. I love cheese (low fat) and I eat greek yogurt. I have been on Weigh****chers non-stop since January 2008. It took me 2 years to lose 71 pounds. I have gained half of it back in the past 3 years. I do belong to a gym and work out around 3 hours per week. I had never lost more than 40 pounds at one time, so Weigh****chers has given me my greatest success so far.

I feel that having another tool to help me will change everything for me. Since I have to exercise and watch what I eat for the rest of my life anyway, I might as well have some help from a surgical tool. I am leaning toward the lap band frankly because I am too afraid to have my stomach cut. I had considered the sleeve, but I just cant wrap my head around having part of an organ removed. I wont consider bypass at all.

I just wondered what those of you who have had the surgery think. Based on what I mentioned, do you think I can be successful long term with the lap band? I am afraid to do it, but I am afraid not to do it. I hope this makes sense. I just want to be healthy. Anything you can say would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

CHeryl

 

 

the lap band for me did not take away my hunger, I actually thought I was going to starve to death the 1st 2 weeks when I had to do liquids only. I was very successful with the band for 2 years and lost 85 lbs but am unfortunately having to do a revision due to sever GERD and unable to get my band filled for over a year due to same. I too an afraid of the sleeve but hey I look at it like this I had my gall bladder removed and people have hysterectomies, all organs and do fine....good luck in what ever you decide.

Thank you!!

Cheryl with what you posted it seems that you might want to look into seeing a therapist FIRST, so that you have time to Research a WLS that will help. because Honestly NO WLS will help with food issues  We have to learn to Break that Cycle. We have to learn that food is for nutritional//functional value only.

Some things to consider,  The sleeve works better on a Virgin stomach, people have portions/all of their stomachs removed for Cancer as well as other issues and lead full happy lives. 

If your able to consider the other WLS and deal with the supplements that are included then those might be options to consider. 

bottom line when your considering wls as I'm sure your aware of is how much do I need to lose, How do I handle food, will this be long term or will I need to revise at a later date if it fails? 

OH has allot of other forums that you can research the numerous WLS' available.

I personally WON'T/CAN'T suggest the band. It's NOT a lifetime solution, And perhaps you might get lucky and lose that 100 lbs but..what will you do in 3-5 years ,if complications arise? Failure rate is at least 50%. 

Some feel that not being able to eat anything,  or being very limited to what you can eat ,issues with reflux, shoulder pain, vomiting, constipation, Or eating one day or not being able to eat the next is something their comfortable with. PERSONALLY I wasn't. 

Then in 5 yrs if you need to have the band removed, I pray you have a surgeon that listens to your concerns, If not you'll struggle longer and when it does come out, CAN you revise? IF you even want to ?

If your looking for information you can join the OH Failed LB group. 

I Do hope no matter what you decide that It works for you ...GOOD LUCK

Hi Annie,

Other than my weight I have no medical problems except high cholesterol. I have tried every diet program, years of therapy and even tried hypnosis. For some reason I turn to food to deal with feelings and I cant make that stop. What I can do is have a surgery so that my body will be prohibited from taking in too much food. That is the help I feel I need. I am almost 50 years old and I dont have time for more years of therapy to figure it all out. I have an apt with a surgeon on Aug 15th and I will see what he says. I was leaning toward the sleeve and then I got scared and fell back on the lapband. Now I feel like I am hearing bad things about the lapband. I just dont know how to figure out what to do. All of this is causing me great stress and anxiety. My friend had the bypass and she barely eats anything, things get stuck, she has to take enemas to poop and there are certain things she cant eat. It looks sort of barbarick to me. I am just so confused. Thank you for your comments.

 

Cheryl

Hi Cheryl, 

Annie gives good advice.  I was a very successful Band patient but had to get my band removed due to complications with reflux. I am now considering a revision but the Sleeve is not an option for me because of my chronic reflux.  

I believe that therapy is an essential part of our journey even in conjunction with a weight loss surgery.  I did therapy and it helped but I still fall into the same old behaviors when it comes to emotional eating even when I had the Band.  It's a constant concern and needs a lot of attention and behavior modification to learn new ways to cope with stress and other emotions.

If I had it to do over, (and only had 80-100) lbs to lose I would probably do the Sleeve.  While still fairly new, it has better long term results than the band from what I understand.  If you suffer from consistent reflux now I wouldn't get the Sleeve as reflux is the number one long term side effect.

If you have a sugar/sweets addiction, RNY may be best for you. It's easy to "cheat" the band with candy, ice cream etc. because anything that turns to sugar or liquid in your mouth will go right through the band.   With RNY you may experience dumping syndrome when you eat sugar or fatty foods which is a pretty good deterent as I understand it.  However, not all RNY patients experience dumping from sweets, etc.

Bottom line, there is not perfect surgery that will take away hunger and stop you from eating or making bad food choices.  All of us must work on WHY we turn to food for comfort, boredom, etc. and then learn the necessary behavior modification tools to help us stop instead of over-eat.  I have a pretty devious food mind and can eat around any surgery if I'm in abuse mode.  But, when I choose to use the tools I've learned I feel powerful!  

Take a look at the post titled  "Before you Take the Next Bite..." on this forum just about your post.  It's a good one!

Best, 

Lisa O.

Thank you LIsa, I really appreciate your feedback. I am so torn. I have been to therapy, but basically I am told that I am just someone who turns to food for comfort. I am completely overwhelmed and i have some family members who want me to do it and some who do not. I cant decide for myself, its like I want someone to tell me what to do. Thank you so much for your thoughts, I will look at the post you suggested!

 

Best to you!
CHeryl

Of course you know we can't tell you what to do but I suggest that you make your decision without cconsulting too many friends or family. Everyone has a horror story about something the heard about WL surgery. Keep gathering facts from a wide variety of sources and then tell your friends why you made your decision and ask for their support. What can they say then? No, I won't support you?
All those side effects you listed for your friend with RNY can be quoted for a band patient. A diet high in protein will give you constipation if you don't take a fiber supplement. Food will get stuck and you will vomit if you eat too fast or don't chew we'll or over stuff your pouch. There is no perfect surgery. Please try not to stress. Hear what your surgeon recommends and keep studying. If you are completely honest with yourself you can pick the right surgery for you.
Lisa O.

Hi!  I am some one that had a band and have revised to the sleeve.  I am doing GREAT with the sleeve and found it to be much easier than the band me.  I did well with the band and lost 60 of the 100 pounds I needed to lose.  I than started to have medical issues.  After 2.5 years of problem (out of 3.5) I had to have it removed.

I haven't done as well as my sister and DD that had virgin sleeves but, I am only 7 months out and am down the 100 pounds to be just overweight instead of Morbid Obese.  With the band I never got out of the Obese range.

Therapy with a therapist that specializes with food issues is really necessary to success.  I started seeing one before I lost the band and am still seeing her even though I beat the surgery centers goal for me and my original goal for myself.

They remove 75-85% of your stomach with the sleeve but, the band can cause that too and without the benefit of surgery.  Erosion isn't as uncommon as they told us.

Great advise Lisa O.!