Hi Everyone, New Here (LapBand or RNY) Which would you choose

I just wanted to say Hi (waving hand) to everyone on the boards. I am going for my consultation on Monday. I am not certain whether I should try for the lap band or RNY. I presently weigh 376 and I am 5 foot 4 and 47, soon to be 48. I would like to hear from both sides if possible. I also would like to know what kinds of questions they ask on the Pysc evaluation? It has taken me a long time to get to this point of finally going thru with the consultation. I have been so scared to do anything surgical. But I am so tired of living my life in this body. Struggling since I was 10 yrs old to diet and lose weight. Only to find myself bigger and bigger yet. I would love to hear from anyone that can share their experience, strength and hope about both WLS. Hugs, Linda

Dr. Jan was my surgeon (the Legacy Obesity Institute at Good Sam in Portland). He told me his clinic preferred to do the lap band on larger patients. The risks of the surgery are better and the band is reversable if there is any problem. Since there is less cutting, there are fewer chances for complications. The choice is something you and your surgeon have to make together. I had the band and have not had any problems with it. I've not lost as much as I would have liked but I'm getting there. I might have other medical issues going on (I have hypopituitarism and my hormones are in terrible shape) that still need to be evaluated.

hi Linda, Check with your insurance, mine didn't cover Lapband, but it did cover RNY. I have been reading that if you have more then 100 lbs to lose the best option is a RNY... but of course I'm sure there are different opinions. good luck

Hi Linda Only you can decide which surgery is best for you. During my searching, I looked at each type of surgery and decided the Duodenal Switch (DS) was the best for myself. I took almost 4 years to get the surgery and am willing to head to Brazil to get it done. My insurance will only pay for the RNY and I'm not going to settle for a surgery that isn't right for me. I also tried to lose weight from my 1st surgery date, 4 years ago, until this past January when I realized I had gained weight instead of losing. For my surgeon, he accepted a medical/psych eval from my PCP. Sooo glad I didn't have to actually do a psych evaluation. Good luck in your journey Nancy