Ok convince me, realize band is better than RNY...

I just had my psych eval at my surgeon's office, and the MSW was showing me the realize band.  I told her I had done my research and would rather have the RNY.  She then told me that there were no malabsorbtion issues with the band like the RNY and that my surgeon reserves the RNY for his diabetic patients, and likes to band all others.  Since I am not diabetic, I will have to convince him that I really do want the RNY UNLESS you all can convince me that the band is really better.

EDITING TO CLARIFY:  He WILL do RNY on non-diabetics, but only as a second option with a good argument/research by patient.  He prefers the band, and really emphasizes that.

Pros of RNY over band:

quicker weight loss
no fills
instant restriction, no playing around
many bandsters have revisions to rny eventually anyway


Now you tell me the pros of the band....


Thanks!

If you know what you want , and your doctor refuses to do it for a reason other than "I don't want to", get another doctor.

it's not that he won't do it for someone without diabetes, it's that he perfers them to have the band instead unless we have a very good argument why we want the RNY... I feel I have some valid concerns about the band, just want to make sure I'm not missing something and not seeing the entire picture. 

Well I can understand that. Everyone is different so I can only tell you that my sister had bypass surgery and I had banding.  She is now several years out and is gaining weight again, not a ton but she really has to watch it.  I chose the band because it is WAY less dangerous than bypass surgery and it was a lot cheaper (I had to pay for myself).

Extreemly rapid weight loss can cause all kinds of problems both physically and mentally.  At least that's what people say.  I would consider the slower loss with a band better if that is true.  Not just for the physical reasons but also to give your mind time to adjust.  You will change and your life will change a lot and I think people underestimate the impact that can have on your mind.

My sister had a wicked time adjusting, she went from huge to smal in a relatively short time.

thanks for your info.  I too have a friend who had the bypass and gained back.  She is WAY out of compliance (she out eats me 5 years post op and me being pre-op!)  I also had a friend pass away at 37 due to complications 3 years out.

Unfortunately, knowing myself the way I do, part of the reason I'm afraid of the band is because of the slower loss.  I do really well on regular dieting, but get frustrated easily.  I don't feel like I would be successful if banded.  Having the ability to readjust and not having the constant/steady restriction wouldn't be a good thing for me....

I know everyone is different, but can you tell me what the average time frame is for finding the "sweet spot"?  I've heard everything from right away to as long as 6-9 months out....

please don't hear this the wrong way, but if you realy believe that you could not comply with 'band rules' what makes you think that if you have RNY and lose the weight quickly, that you won't go back to eating the way you do now (or did to get where you are).

For me, part of the reason I DO want the band is because I really think it requires more participation from me -- and a slow enough weight loss that I will learn how to eat better and smaller portions -- and be able to do that (with adjustments) for life.

There are many people who are successful with RNY (and many who are successful with the band) -- one big difference is that RNY people can stretch their pouch with poor choices and then their only option is another surgery.  Band people can be adjusted for life.

to truthfully answer your question, I'm the kind of person who cannot make an appointment for a hair cut, it has to be walk in.  It has to be NOW.  I feel the same way about my weight loss.  I've been successful on exactly TWO diets in the past, and both times lost tons of weight.  The problem was I fell off the wagon due to some devastating personal things and gained it all back.

I have since tried the exact same diets, and they didn't give me the same results in the same timeframe.  I got frustrated and quit.  It was then that I realized I needed a tool to help me get the weight off once and for all so I could stop sabotaging my efforts.  I'm afraid the band won't be quick enough....

I'm afraid with the band, I will have that "I"M NOT LOSING" frustration and not be patient enough to deal with it.  I am also a huge ice cream fan and know I can eat that without consequence with the band.  That in itself is going to sabotage any attempts at changing my eating.  With the RNY, I will have a physical deterrant to stay on track as I retrain myself to NOT eat what i know I shouldn't have.

Knowing that I can be adjusted also scares me in a sense.  I know that I'd be tempted to not go for a fill if I want to eat because of "this occasion" or "that birthday", you know what I mean?  With the RNY, I won't have a choice.  It's DO IT or suffer.  

unfortunately I don't think there is an average time, sorry. :(

Some doctors seem to put in a lot of fluid on the first fill and I'm sure that gets people there faster but it seems dangerous to me.  It took me 5 fills I think before I really started to feel like I was in the right place.

I had similar thoughts to yours about a year before I made up my mind to get the surgery.  By the time I made up my mind I was ready to change my life so the safer banding procedure was a no brainer because I was in the right state of mind.

I'm sure others will chime in and have more to help you with your question.

thanks so much for your reply.  How long did your doc have you wait between fills?  Again, this is something that seems to be different with every patient/doc, so just wanted to get an idea what your timeframe was...

After I healed, I had a fill every two weeks.  Now that I'm just over 3 1/2 months out I'm switching to once a month but I can go in early if I think I need it.  One thing my surgical group has told me is that I can come in any time I think I need another fill. I just schedule the appointments in advance because it makes life easier.