Hey Michael, just wanted to take this time to respond to your post. I am 18 years old and I had the Lap-Band done as well on December 15th. Personally I had the band instead of the RNY for several reasons. The reasons I got the band are because it is less invasive, no re-arranging of major organs and quicker recovery time. The reasons I didnt get the rny is all the opposite reasons of listed above and the fact that I was a self-pay and the lap-band is half the cost of the rny. Each surgery is just a tool to help us get to losing the weight quickly, effectively and changing our lifestlye and mindset. If we dont change those things about ourselves then the "tool" might fail. ~*~Megan~*~

Hi everyone.... first sorry i have been MIA, lots or personal/work stuff going on in my life... i promise i will post more. Ok, to answer your question... i am pre op, but am going to have open RNY. I chose this because I am 24 (not a teen) and have struggled with weight my entire life. I dont think that RNY is a complete fix, but I was worried that with the lapband I would return too quickly to my odd habbits with so much freedom. i am a person who *needs* to have my limits set or else i go crazy... an all or none attitude i suppose. I wish i were having laproscopic, but since i weigh so much (i currently am 315, and have to be 300 for my Dr. to schedule me- and i am only 5'4" short on a good day, with high shoes;) and since i carry my weight in my stomache, I was told i had to have open... but honestly, there probably are less risks for me that way. But, each person needs to decide for themselfs, of course... which is best for them. But that is what i chose, and i am happy with the decission... hopefully i will be happy post op as well.

Hey Mike I Am Pre Op For The Lap Band...I'm Having Surgery April 11 But I Chose The Lap Band Because You Have More Choices In Life There After. It's Nothing Against RNY It's Just I'm Young Ya Know Im Only 20 And I Figure That Why Not Do The Lap Band If I Ever Need The RNY It's There. I KNOW That I Will Not Need It Because I Am Going To Do GREAT With The Lap Band But I'm Just Saying There Is Just So Much More To Get From It. The Only Difference In My Opinion Is That You Lose A Lot More And A Lot Faster With The RNY. Weight Loss Is Not Suppose To Be A Fast Paced Thing. It Didn't Go On It 5 Months So How Can You Expect Your Body To Adjust To 100 Lbs In That Time. I Don't Know Just My Opinion Nothing Personal Against Either Surgery I Just Felt That The Lap Band Is Better Off For Me As For You The RNY Was Better. I Hope Everything Is Going Well For You And I'll Keep Everyone Posted On My Lap Band. I Just Quit Smoking 4 Days Ago So Thats A Big Step For Me In General! Yay Nickster TTYL Nikki

ThAnK yOu! I feel SO old in the teenage forum and SO young in the regular forum. How far is Salinas from orange county? I need a friend in Ca!

I'd call and check your insurance before anything. Make sure you qualify in their terms, be it BMI over 40 or morbidities. Check for exclusions, some policies WON'T cover it. There's a forum where you can look up your insurer and get an idea what others on this site have experienced...just to give you an idea. Your PCP is required if it's an HMO policy, otherwise like me (I have PPO) I just went straight to my surgeon and was approved in 3DAYS! Surgery in 3 weeks! I have had almost every kind of insurance, so just email me. I also share alot of things on my profile, like photos, feelings, drama with relationships....all that fun stuff! BTW I'm 23 yrs old and just over 1 month post-op and finding my...can it be? Figure! 237/212/115..that's what both my sisters weigh!