How did you decide

which procedure was right for you?  Now that I have my appointment, on the 19th with Dr. Bertha, I have my nutritionist scheduled for the 25th and my therapist is doing my psych eval, this is finally starting to register for me that I can start looking forward to a skinny life!  My insurance is NJ PLUS BCBS (Horizon) and from what I can gather, I think I will be approved - my bmi is 42 and I need to lose about 115 lbs; I also have high blood pressure, GERD, depression and panic attacks. Now, I am reading about more than the lap band and I am curious about the other procedures and how you decided if one would be better than the other.  I think that the lap band will be best - for some reason the idea of re-routing my insides creeps me out.  I just want to make sure that I have covered all bases and know that my decision is one I can live with for the rest of my life. Thanks to all of you in advance for any insight.

Congrats on your progress through the system so far! As for what surgery is right for you, only YOU can decide that! I can give you an idea of what I went through.  When I started really thinking about having surgery, it was LapBand or nothing for me.  I was also "creeped out" by the idea of re-routing my insides. I went to my surgeon's informational seminar, and he said something that changed my life forever - literally! What he told us was that if you are a 40 year old woman, and you don't/can't get to the gym or exercise every day, then the band isn't going to be effective for you. Well, I was 39 at the time, and I didn't ever figure I would be exercising every day.  It was then and there, really, that I opted to have the RNY. I don't regret my decision at all.  I also researched the RNY and what I could expect post-op. I'm not trying to say that one surgery is better than another for you.  You have to research till you're sick of it and find out what each will require post-op, what your eating style is, where your real issues lie, etc. It's not an easy thing, but this could be one of the most important decisions of your life! Wendy

Thanks - you make some good points!  I don't exercise daily (or yearly) for that matter, but I can't wait to - I miss walking for great distances and bike-riding, so that won't be a problem.  I didn't realize how much I missed these activities until they became too difficult to enjoy. I have my bike ready for action - can't wait to start spending time with it!  I also can't wait to take my puppy for long walks and most of all, most importantly, I cannot wait to be active with  my daughter - and show her that excerise is good, and its even more fun as a family! Thanks for the advice - I can't wait to have my own little ticker too 

You have a great surgeon!  One of the best. No one can decide for you but I will tell you how I decided.   I looked at my eating habits and how each surgery would affect my eating habits.  I did not feel the band was enough as it just affects restriction and I did not like the idea of a port or a band around my stomach that could possibly errode.  Additionally, the weight loss tends to be slower with the band and that did not appeal to me.  I felt the RNY offered me the restriction and the malabsorption which would allow me to lose weight quickly and help me to drastically change my eating habits.  Whichever surgery you decide on you have to make a commitment to stick to the rules of the surgery so you can get the most out of it.  All surgeries have risks and a possibility of regain unless you are committed to working the surgery. 

Wow - thanks Hockeymom!  how quickly is your weight loss progressing?  I didn't know that one was faster than the other.  I like sweets and carbs.

I have lost about 60 lbs since the surgery. I am very happy so far with my results. 

I have the same insurance. I went with RNY because the band doesn't prevent you from eating sugar, the success rate is much lower, and I didn't want to be tied to going back to the doctor for fills all the time. I have friends who have the band -one lost some weight, but nowhere near enough, and another lost a decent amount but seems to be regaining. I really thought the RNY was a much better tool. I had a BMI of 60 when I started out and I knew I needed to get the weight off.

WOW - apparently I do have some work to do then.  Since that is my thing, maybe the lap-band may not work?  The RNY seems painful, too - is it?

I really didn't find it all that painful. I was up and out of the hospital in 48 hrs. After I got home I survived with liquid tylenol, and did really well.

You can also sit down with your surgeon and ask them what they suggest. I know the surgeon suggested to me that I would get better results with the bypass because of my weight.