Taking my first steps

I had my first meeting with my surgeon yesterday.  I went into the meeting hoping to get a lap band, but Dr. Wright said he thought gastric bypass would be better for me.  This was something I wasn't prepared to hear, so now I need to look at gastric bypass and decide whether or not I want to do it.  I'm 5' 1" and weigh 250 pounds.  I have had trouble losing weight in the past, and I was recently diagnosed with Type II diabetes and sleep apnea.  I go back for my meeting with the social worker and nurse practitioner on August 17th, and if I qualify, my surgery could be scheduled in about 2-3 months.

Did Dr Wright say why he thought you should have bypass instead of a band?  I would get a second opinion...wouldn't hurt.  Does he do lap-band?  Are you able to be compliant with the dietary restrictions BOTH surgeries require?  I was diagnosed with sleep apnea during my pre-op testing and my PCP diagnosed me with diabetes 2 in January.  I had my gastric banding 7 weeks ago and have lost almost 30 lbs...I was 275 at my pre-op appt and I am 5'5" tall...
Make sure YOU are making the decision regarding which surgery to have and that you are as educated as possible regarding all of the effects of both.  I suggest reading the WLS failures board and the WLS complications board...lots of information there.
Good luck!
Stephanie

Yes, he does both the band and gastic bypass.  He said that he thought the band would not be good for me because I have not shown in the past that I am capable of losing enough weight to make the band effective.  I think he was looking for more weight loss than I had put down in my initial paperwork.  I told him the most weight I had lost on a diet was about 20 pounds, which is true.

You are nearly my stats. I was (am) 5'1", 262.

I think the questions might be how much wt do you want to lose? how much do you want to keep off?

I lost 150-ish (160 at the moment) and that was 16yrs ago. I had bypass. I lost my sleep apnea, which was the one that was killing me. Lost my asthma in 30 days. I think I missed dsiabetes by only a year or so.

Had I had lapband, I suspect my wt now would be around 190 or so, had it been successful, according to long term european stats. Instead, I'm between 105-115.

It's up to you. No, it wasn't a free pass, but when I work my plan, it DOES work.

All I can say is if it were me I'd absolutely go RNY as you can see I have a band and all I lost was 25 lbs. No matter what I did that was it because I can't exersize enough to burn off anymore calories. I definately needed a malabsorptive procedure and fully regret going with the band.

Hi Mary!

Congratulations on taking your first steps.  I am over 1-1/2 years out now and have been at my goal weight for about 7 months.  I had type II diabetes and a pretty severe case.  This is why I had the surgery.  My blood sugars have been normal since the day after my surgery and have been ever since.

I've been in the U of W support group for about two years and what I've found is there have only been about 2 people who haven't had complications from their lap bands.  Granted, there are many more who have had gastric bypass but it appears that this seems to be the trend.  It also appears that people with gastric bypass will lose more quickly and a greater amount of their excess weight.

Is there a certain reason why you want the lap band?  Have you been able to attend any groups and talk with those who have gone this route?

I don't mean to sway you at all.  The decision is deeply personal and I wish you the best of luck.  Whichever way you decide to go, you will feel so much stronger and healthier!

Keep us posted!

Nancy

After further reflection, I have decided to not have surgery at this time.   Thanks to everyone for their advice.