RNY VS. LAP BAND
I am 24 years old and weigh 349 lbs. My BMI is 53. I had my 1st consultation with my surgen yesterday. Everything went very well. I only have to get an upper GI test, meet with his dietician, have a psych eval. and thats all he wants. I was able to set all that up for the next 2 weeks. I had always on considered the RNY. My Aunt had it 3 years ago. My mom is having it done on June 28th. But when I saw the surgen he suggested the lap band because it is safer and has less complecations. It also can be loosened if I want to have a baby and what not. I really hadnt looked into this procedure and I am finding myself in a confusing situation. I really wanted to drop the weight fast, but that doesnt usually happen with the band. It is much slower than the RNY, but in the end they come out the same. You can also eat more stuff and dont have the malnurishments that are associated with the RNY. I just dont know what to do. I was hoping to get some feed back and some pros and cons from some of you all who had either one and why you chose that one and how successfull it has been along with some of the complications. I have been on the RNY and Band board but I would like feedback from my own age group.
Thanks so Much !
Beth
hi Beth, I am becky 22 yr old, I first walked in the dr's office wanting Lap, but he didn't really support that surgery cuz they don't have as many years behind it as they do with the RNY so he easily changed my mind and I am having the RNY done on July 20th, good luck, I personaly think its better to have a dramatic change instead of going nice and slow, just my opinion
good luck and whatever you pick will be right for you
Becky
Hi Beth...Well I just had my RNY on Monday and everything went good...I had chose this route b/c -well 1st off its a major surgery and if I am going to go through with something so life changing I want to know for sure it will be the exact tool I am needing...I have never considered lap for that reason...also the fact I know personaly like 20 people who have had the open and I dont know anyone...besides ppl on here who have had the lap-so me, I dont know the pros and cons on the Lap...but RYN-it seems to give great results......also, you are still able to have children..actually, when I went to my gyno. a few months back and told him I was scheduled to have the surgery -I had talked to him about having another baby, and he told me that he has 3 other patients who have had this surgery and they ALL THREE had twins! they became even more fertile....and I can also speak for a family member on that, she had it done 10 years ago and she had three children since then-2 of them twins....lol Not that I am wishing for twins, but alot of ppl say you cannot get pregnant ...I know it may be a hard decison and I hope you make the right one for YOU!!!! different strokes for different folks ya know..what may be good for one may not be good for another...so this is something so major you really have to do what you feel led to more!!! Good luck with it!!!!!
Brooke
I had the band on 5/2/06 (i.e. 6 weeks ago) and I have lost 41 lbs. since then. RNY complications, not only on the day of surgery, but for years after, are much more critical than the band. The band is an easier recovery. Also, your window on the RNY to lose is only 18 months. If you haven't changed your eating habits permanently, it is very easy to regain, and then you are SOL. With the band, you can ALWAYS get it adjusted. I recommend seeing the lap band messageboard on this site, and also checking out www.lapbandtalk.com When I first saw my surgeon, I wanted RNY to get the weight off (starting bmi of 51.6), but when I researched it, I realized that the band is the way to go for me. All in all, since my first consultation, I've lost 59 lbs. I know many people who have lost 100+ lbs. in one year with the lapband.
I just had RNY this past wed got home friday morning. I am doing great a little sore but other than that great. But I will say that even though Lap band is obviously the sager route I was in the hopstil with a lady who had lap band on the same day I had my surgery and didnt get to go home untill Friday when I did. I dont know exactly what happend but she had some complications, so there is the proof that either surgery has it's risks. The best way for you to decide which surgery is right for you is to recognize what kind of eater you are. If you are a grazer ( which means you eat and snack through out the day ) then the RNY is gonna be best for you. But if you are a Benger (which means you just east alot at meal times) then maybe Lap band would be good for you. But if you are both then RNY is gonna most likely be the best. Now I am no doctor or Nurse but this is how my surgeon and his office helped me decide what was best for me. Hope it helps.
Hi Beth! 
There are many aspects to consider when choosing between RNY and banding. I think that if your BMI is high, like yours, that there has been more success with the RNY than the band.
Here's what I know:
How liberal is your insurance? Will they even cover the band? A good number of insurances still consider the band to be experimental and won't cover it.
With RNY there is "dumping syndrome". Dumping is when you put too much fat and/or sugar into your system and it gets "dumped" into your intestine too fast causing you to be sick. I had some sugar free ice cream a while back and dumped from it (yes, even SUGAR FREE. Still has "sugar alcohols" in it -- may as well be sugar). I haven't touched it since. You can consider dumping to be bad or to be good -- I kind of like that it's there because it encourages me to not make any bad food choices. Between that and trying to make sure I get enough protein (I don't know the protein requirements of the band), I scrutinize EVERYTHING I eat these days.
Lap Band has no dumping.
Are you planning on having a baby SOON? With RNY you can still have children, just not right away. Most surgeons suggest waiting at least 18 months, preferably two years. That's so that your weight stabilizes and you're eating ENOUGH (you do not always eat incredibly tiny portions -- my sister is 18 months out and eats on the small side of normal these days -- this is AFTER a 180lb loss.)
How often would you like to visit the doctor? I know that with the band you have got to go in once per X weeks. With RNY, it's 1 week postop (to get rid of staples and check you out), 1 month postop, 3 months postop, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year, and once a year thereafter (or some variation thereof). If you want the band to work continuously, it's a lot more doctors visits. And what happens when you get to goal? Would you still need to go in for fills? If you didn't, would you still eat "normal" portions even though your stomach would be relatively unchanged since your preop days? Or would you go back to what you ate before? (I really have no idea about this)
With the RNY, you have to be dedicated to taking vitamins, too. FOREVER. AND EVER. There have been stories on the boards recently of people who are way far out, like 4 and 5 years, who don't take their vitamins as they should, and are having serious problems. That's from the malabsorption, of course. Malabsorption to me is almost like dumping. It's not what you might want to happen necessarily, but it can have good side effects. I like the fact that my body does not absorb all of the calories that I am eating. I am willing to bet that this will come in handier when I'm farther out and able to eat more.
Surgery is risky no matter what you're doing. Yes, with the band, there is no dissection of your internal organs. But complications can come up from ANYTHING. When I went over them with my surgeon, the list was long and sometimes funny because some of those things happened one in every 800,000 cases. But I was glad that I was told of them. (and now I can't remember what they were).
When I had my initial consult, my surgeon almost flat out told me that I was not a good candidate for the band because of my high BMI (was in the low 70s, still is in the 50s). Told me I would not lose as much excess weight.
With either surgery, you should not be concerned with "eating more stuff". Eating more stuff got you where you are today. When you have WLS, you have to change your attitude towards food or it will not help you at all. RNY *OR* Band.
Julie
27 years old. 8 weeks out.
399/371/316.8/160
initial/surgery/today/goal
There are many aspects to consider when choosing between RNY and banding. I think that if your BMI is high, like yours, that there has been more success with the RNY than the band.
Here's what I know:
How liberal is your insurance? Will they even cover the band? A good number of insurances still consider the band to be experimental and won't cover it.
With RNY there is "dumping syndrome". Dumping is when you put too much fat and/or sugar into your system and it gets "dumped" into your intestine too fast causing you to be sick. I had some sugar free ice cream a while back and dumped from it (yes, even SUGAR FREE. Still has "sugar alcohols" in it -- may as well be sugar). I haven't touched it since. You can consider dumping to be bad or to be good -- I kind of like that it's there because it encourages me to not make any bad food choices. Between that and trying to make sure I get enough protein (I don't know the protein requirements of the band), I scrutinize EVERYTHING I eat these days.
Lap Band has no dumping.
Are you planning on having a baby SOON? With RNY you can still have children, just not right away. Most surgeons suggest waiting at least 18 months, preferably two years. That's so that your weight stabilizes and you're eating ENOUGH (you do not always eat incredibly tiny portions -- my sister is 18 months out and eats on the small side of normal these days -- this is AFTER a 180lb loss.)
How often would you like to visit the doctor? I know that with the band you have got to go in once per X weeks. With RNY, it's 1 week postop (to get rid of staples and check you out), 1 month postop, 3 months postop, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year, and once a year thereafter (or some variation thereof). If you want the band to work continuously, it's a lot more doctors visits. And what happens when you get to goal? Would you still need to go in for fills? If you didn't, would you still eat "normal" portions even though your stomach would be relatively unchanged since your preop days? Or would you go back to what you ate before? (I really have no idea about this)
With the RNY, you have to be dedicated to taking vitamins, too. FOREVER. AND EVER. There have been stories on the boards recently of people who are way far out, like 4 and 5 years, who don't take their vitamins as they should, and are having serious problems. That's from the malabsorption, of course. Malabsorption to me is almost like dumping. It's not what you might want to happen necessarily, but it can have good side effects. I like the fact that my body does not absorb all of the calories that I am eating. I am willing to bet that this will come in handier when I'm farther out and able to eat more.
Surgery is risky no matter what you're doing. Yes, with the band, there is no dissection of your internal organs. But complications can come up from ANYTHING. When I went over them with my surgeon, the list was long and sometimes funny because some of those things happened one in every 800,000 cases. But I was glad that I was told of them. (and now I can't remember what they were).
When I had my initial consult, my surgeon almost flat out told me that I was not a good candidate for the band because of my high BMI (was in the low 70s, still is in the 50s). Told me I would not lose as much excess weight.
With either surgery, you should not be concerned with "eating more stuff". Eating more stuff got you where you are today. When you have WLS, you have to change your attitude towards food or it will not help you at all. RNY *OR* Band.
Julie
27 years old. 8 weeks out.
399/371/316.8/160
initial/surgery/today/goal With lap band, you go when you need a fill. When will you need a fill? That depends on a number of factors: how much you have to lose, how quickly you lose, how much you depend on the band to help with portion control, etc. Some people go the first few months without a fill, losing all the way. Some people don't lose until they achieve restriction, which can be on average 3-5 fills, but it can also go much higher (8, 9, 10). Also, the amount of "fill" you need is for your CURRENT weight. So at 315 lbs, you would need more of a fill than you would at 195 lbs. (The reason is that there is a smaller fat pad around your stomach. The fat pad adds restriction). So once you are on maintenance, you shouldn't need fills, because you will be the same weight. So how often will you need to go to the doctor? Maybe it will be once a month for 6 months. Maybe it will be 3 times in the first year. It's too individual to tell.
With the band, you also can unfill, if you are going to be travelling out of the country (because it could be difficult to unfill at your destination), having surgery, or just want to indulge for a week. (Not saying I recommend it, obviously. But if you're years out and at goal and let's say getting married, that's your own decision)
Bandster portions are anyway from around 1/4 c. on the very small end to 1 c. at the large end per meal. You eat protein, then veggies, then fruits/carbs. (I usually only make it to veggies). I take a multivitamin daily, but its just a centrum chewable. I don't need to have protein drinks/supplements, because I can eat enough protein.
So, you should make your own decision based on what you want out of surgery, how you want it to affect not only your weight loss but the rest of your life, and your complicated relationship with food. Good luck.
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