Bybass or Banding?

Hi everyone, I'm Heather from Vancouver, BC. I've finally decided to have the surgery and am in the process of researching options. I'm looking at surgery in Washington because our waiting list up here (one doctor in all of southern BC!) is a matter of years. I would love to hear why you chose the bypass over banding or vice versa? What made your decison, pros and cons, etc. Much thanks. Heather

I chose the band for a number of reasons. The first person to nudge me in that direction was a nutritionist I saw during my last pregnancy. She said that she would never reccommend a younger person to have bypass unless there were serious health risks requiring very fast results. Her reason was all the malabsorbtion issues. She said as a young person you have a whole lot of life left to live to be missing out on a lot of important nutrients. Even with proper supplementation it can be a problem. Because of her advice I started researching on my own & realized there were a whole lot of reasons I liked the band better for me. I didn't want the malabsorbtion issues, I didn't want my insides cut & rearranged, I didn't want dumping syndrome, I wanted a shorter recovery time, I wanted something that could be reversed if for some reason it was neccessary, I really like that the band is adjustable. That way if, God forbid, I were to get pregnant again it can be adjusted to allow for the calories neccessary for pregnancy & breastfeeding. I also really like that I will lose a little slower with the lap-band. Studies show that long-term the weight loss is essentially the same as with bypass, but hopefully the initial loss being slower will give my body more time to adjust & hopefully I won't need as much if any plastic surgery. You are able to cheat with both surgeries. If you like to drink your calories & won't be able to stop doing that or if you eat a lot of sweets I think it's easier to do that with the band vs. bypass. I'm not one to do a lot of either of those I just eat too much, so for me the band is a perfect fit. Off the top of my head I think I've touched on all the reasons I chose the band. It's a tough decision. I've seen a lot of people on both sides have success. If you want more info you can visit the lap-band board here: http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/surgtype-forums/LapBand/posts.html Good luck! Gen Banded 4/14/04

Thank you so much, Gen - that was great info! Heather

I have researched the wls's as well, but find the RNY to be the most successful. The concerns that had me were, not losing all the weight, being able to eat anything form the start and not learning to self-control, stretching your tummy out even more....I dunno, what Gen had to say sounds somewhat true, but I have seen pupils in adolesence who have had the RNY done and have had great results. With proper nutrition and dedication it can be done. It's so important to take you supplements and vitamins EVERY DAY or any of those issues could happen to anyone. As with any WLS you must know what you're getting into and you should discuss all of the options with a health care expert. They should be able to help you on your journey- best of luck...it's a long road, but from what I have seen and heard from others it's so worth every step.

I went with the RNY because I found it to be the most reliable . Less chance of weight regain and I needed additional restrictions...