Help please!

I have been surfing around the net for over a week :type: trying to gather enough information to decide whether I should get a lap band or go for a full gastric bypass. I'm 29 and have been overweight my whole life, currently at 308 lbs. (my highest ever) after losing the same 30 lbs. at least 10 times. My mom had gastric bypass in March and is doing really well, but I'm really freaked out about complications from such major surgery since I have no insurance. I found one site that offers insurance for complications up to $10,000 but what about other places? What happens if you have a complication that costs $5,000? Did those of you who had surgery save up extra money just in case? Did anyone have a complication that required extra payment and if so, did you have to pay before you left? Can you maybe share your reasons for going with either lap band or gastric bypass? Also, I feel kinda weird "bargain shopping" for surgery and when I called Dr. Rumbaut's office, she kinda acted like price shouldn't really be a consideration in my decision...but it would be at least a $5,000 difference after air fare and hotel and the price difference of the surgery. Did you consider the price in making your decision? Did any of you know people personally who had surgery done by the doctor who did yours? I'd REALLY love to talk on the phone to anyone who had their surgery done by Dr. Joya or Dr. Aguirre. Any offers? :-) Sorry for all the questions, I REALLY want to get surgery done but I just can't figure out how to go about it.

Hi Kimberly, I had my RNY with Dr. Joya on July 26, 2006. I had an awesome experience with him and his staff. If you want to speak with me my e-mail is [email protected]. Just e- mail me directly and I will be more than happy to speak with you. Good luck to you on your journey, and it is an exciting one too.. Take care. Tanya

Kimberly, I had Open RNY with Dr. Aguirre 6/20/06. He's great! His staff was great. The hospital staff was great (better than I've ever had in the States). The cost was $10,200 plus I paid $800 to stay (9 days) in the doctor's designated apartment with private nursing visits for 4 days. I chose Dr. A because of his experience and patient reviews. I didn't consider Lap Band. Feel free to email me if you have any questions. ~Michelle

Hi Kimberly, I had surgery in Monterrey with Dr. De la Garza. I was going to have Rny initially but had so many adhesions and scar tissue that I got the lap band instead. I also had my gall bladder removed at the same time. My surgery was on a Monday and I flew home on Wednesday. I have not had any problems at all. I went back this week to get my first fill though I could have had it done locally. I really wanted my good doctor to make sure everything was as it should be and it was. I am so pleased that I had my lap band surgery in Mexico. The doctors there are much more experienced than most of the doctors here in the states because they have been doing it longer. As for as whether or not I considered price I certainly did. My insurance has exclusion for WLS but also any complications from it. That was the kicker. The open RNY (because of previous surgeries)I was going to have here in Texas was going to cost $30,000 to $35,000. That was a lot but we probably could have managed it. However complications after RNY are sometimes a fact of life and the thought of being in the hospital for an extra few weeks (or even months) was very sobering. I don't think they let you pay a small monthly payment on a huge hospital bill. If you are iinterested in my doctor they will not think you are weird for asking prices. I initially wrote a note and asked how much it would be. I needed a revision so was quoted probably more than someone who had not been tampered with before and who did not need the gall bladder removed. Before surgery I did not speak on the phone with any former patients but I did email them and I also looked at pictures of the hospital and I read each review. I also took into consideration how many years experience he had. Those things and price are what decided me. If you are interested in Dr. De la Garza call and when they answer ask for Veronica. 1-866-357-5994 Her English is very good. The doc's English is probably better than mine. http://www.obesitysurgery.com.mx/portada.htm I wish you the best whatever you decide to do, Cassandra

I had LAP RNY March 13th 2006 with Dr Joya. I am very happy with the results so far. I was teated great by the Drs and hospital staff. The resort was wonderful.. I did have complications, another surgery and did pay extra while we were there. We used a Credit card (Visa) to pay for the extra amount. I dont regret the RNY at all. I am living again... prior to WLS I was merely existing. Feel free to email me anytime. [email protected]

Wow, thank you guys SO much for responding! I really, really appreciate it. Any other stories would be appreciated too! I'm especially worried about complications and how to pay for them if they happen.

Hi Kimberly. My husband and I both had RNY with Dr Rumbaut in January. Together we have lost over 330 pounds in 7 months. It's been amazing. Feel free to check out my profile for our story or email me. And I agree that 'bargain' shopping for surgery is probably not the best idea. My husband and I are definately not wealthy. We had to refinance our home to get the money for the surgery and go far into debt. But I wasn't going to go to a doctor I wasn't comfortable with to save money, you know what I mean? Dr R was the only doctor I was willing to trust south of the border and I have regretted my decision, for even one second. As far as RNY -v- Lapband. Well, I was 370 and had a considerable amount of weight to lose. My husband was 483. The weight does come off slower w/the band. We wanted faster results. Also, with a band you have to have fills. I've read where it can be difficult to find a US doctor to do fills on south of the border patients. And flying back to Mx for the fills can get expensive. It just wasn't an option for us. But you really need to research both surgeries and make the decision that is best for YOU. Good luck in your decision! Bridget

OMG Bridget, I can not believe your new picture. Haven't been on this board for awhile and you look awesome.

I'm going to be bluntly honest here and hope I don't offend anyone. Initially I wanted to have the lap band. Having a hiatal hernia excluded me from getting that, so I was "stuck" with the RNY. I think it's the best thing that could have happened to me. Over the last 3 years I have read lots of stories on here from people who have had the band. Overwhelmingly I have seen more people upset over their slow weight loss or lack of weight loss, not being filled properly (either too much or too little) and just growing discontentment. There are plenty of folks on the lapband forums who have done fabulously with the band, but I think there are a few factors that will help determine if it's right for you. First, I personally think anyone with more than 100 lbs to lose has one strike against them for the band. The band has less of a success rate in those with a lot to lose. I know 2 people right off the top of my head, and have read countless other stories, of women who had the lap band, lost 15-30 lbs and nothing else. The one woman was over 300 lbs (I think like me around 325) and she never got below 290. I wrote her not too long ago to try to see what happened to her since she had it around the time I had my RNY and she gave up on the band. She could never get the fills right, and she was tired of the struggle. In addition, I understand there are a limited amount of fills you can get with the band. Once you've used them up, you are done. So if the band has been pushed to the max, you have no other options. This part I have only heard a little about so I don't stand by this as fact, but only hearsay. The thing is, people who have the band need to come at this with a whole different perspective. They cannot compare their weight loss with those who have the RNY because for most people it will be incredibly slow in comparison. The weight comes off much slower, and you'll only make yourself crazy comparing the two. Also, the "great" thing that people who have the band will brag about is that they can eat anything...including sugar. That's great if you don't have problems with that. Some people "beat" the band because they drink milkshakes or sugary things...even juice. With the RNY you get built in negative reinforcement to keep you from overindulging in these things. There is nothing I 100% cannot have right now, 2.5 years out from my RNY, but there are certain things I will only eat a couple of bites of because they might make me dump. I feel this is the best answer for me....keeps me from bingeing on things that trigger me. What I have come to realize is that with the band, it is the least invasive tool, but it also takes the most work from the person. I don't say this to scare you away from the band though. I say this to prime you for the band if that is what you choose. Because there are times in our lives where we are at our sweet spot - ready to give it our all and diet. The band is more like dieting but with the advantage of built in portion control. You still have to decide to eat the right things and not try to eat around it. With the RNY you don't have as much of a choice about what to eat at first. The surgery demands that you start off with liquids then soft foods and boy will you get sick if you eat the wrong thing. Great aversion therapy. With the band, you walk in one day and walk out the next with ONLY a smaller food capacity. Even then, it isn't at the prime level - you have to go back for fills to get the feeling of restriction because it has to be done in stages. So if you decide to go band, make sure your frame of mind is right. You have to take more effort and personal determination to get there than with RNY. You CAN get to goal with the band. But you still have to put out more effort. If you are ready for that, it might be right for you. But some people fool themselves into thinking they can hack the band when they find out later they can't. I thought I could. But looking back, after all those years of dieting I was absolutely burnt out. I didn't have any effort left in me. I could only give the bare minimum because I had spent most of the previous 15-20 years on a diet. I think the younger you are and the less you've monkeyed with your metabolism by dieting up and down the better chance you have with the band. The older you get and the more you've yo-yo'd on diets, I think you need to bring in the big guns and get the RNY. I'm quite happy I had the RNY now. 2.5 years out I have enough aversion therapy to keep me from overindulging, but I can have a bite or two of something that I might otherwise have binged on. It still takes personal responsibility and you have to keep weighing yourself and nip it in the bud if you gain 5 lbs....because very quickly that 5 will become 10 if you don't make sure you get it off. So you aren't absolved of personal responsiblility. But it doesn't take as much effort as the band takes. Again, I hope I haven't offended anyone. I am just trying to be as open as I can about this. I think some people are prime candidates for the band, but I think there are less people who will be successful with it than with the RNY. And some people don't bother getting to know what is involved with the band before they get it...then they are sorry. They just think "I want it to be the least invasive." But they don't think about the details of it and they don't spend time getting to know what is right for them. That's a big mistake because although it is less invasive, it is still surgery, and there can still be complications for all different types. And it is also expensive for it to not work for you. This is why many insurance companies will pay for RNY but won't for the lap band. It costs a lot of money either way you look at it, and they don't want to fork over the $ if it doesn't have as high a success rate. There are some people I know who I would absolutely say they should go for the band. But because I know them personally and feel like they would make the best use of it and not expect the dramatic results of the RNY. I do not know you or your motivation factors, so based on your starting weight and your age, the only thing I can say is that I would tend to steer you toward an RNY. People who know you better might be able to say that you would be better off with the band. For that, I hope you do have people you know who you can talk to about it. Check out your local support groups and go there. They might be able to better give you a clear idea of what to do. Good luck - I hope this helped. Dina

Oh - and Kimberly - I know of 2 people besides myself in a 30 mile radius of me who have had Dr. Aguirre as their surgeon, and 2 others I know personally. There is quite a group of us in Oregon who have had him. He's got a stellar reputation and it is one that spans nearly 20 years. Dina