Question:
I am very confused as to which procedure would be best for me
I am really scared about making the wrong decision as to which procedure to have. I would love someone to give me there feelings about the procedure they've had ...pro's & con's. I'd like to hear from anyone who has had the lap band surgery & someone who has had the by pass surgery. People have told me w/the lap band surgery the weight takes longer to come off & you don't loose nearly as much weight as you do with the by pass. Both of those things are OK with me. I am concerned about a foreign object being in my body the rest of my life & wonder if after I loose the weight I can have it removed. I know the by pass is non reversible so once you have it that's it. Also if someone can tell me what foods they've had & gotten sick from after surgery & things like that. I'm just so scared but I've made up my mind I'M DOING ONE OR THE OTHER. Thanks for any info you provide . maryet — Maryet (posted on February 15, 2007)
February 15, 2007
I have not had surgery as of yet, but am scheduled to have the Lap-Band on
the 12th of March. I cannot answer most of your questions about RNY
because it was never an option for me because of having kidney disease. I
can answer the part about losing your weight faster with that over the
Lap-Band though. From what I understand, there has just been a study
released that shows that five years out from surgery that bypass and
Lap-Band patients have fairly similar results. Basically, it does take a
bit longer to lose with the band, but in five years you should have lost
about as much as someone with a RNY. I do not know if this helps or not.
Just an interesting bit I recently read about.
— fluphystuph
February 15, 2007
There is a third option which is the vertical sleeve gastrectomy. Go to
the forum and there are lots of people and information there...good luck
— BlueNagi
February 15, 2007
The doctor who performed my RNY surgery does lapband for select patients.
If you have food issues and think you will find it hard to give up things
you like, you will have a problem with lapband. The reason people are
successful with RNY is the malabsorbtion issue which you do not have with
lapband. So, essentially you can have the same amount of calories with
both procedures but you will lose faster with RNY and you will not overeat
or eat the wrong things because you absolutely cannot. I cannot even tell
that I have staples in my stomach or that my intestines were re-routed.
Why would you want to have your surgery reversed anyway? I think you
really have to research both procedures and speak to your doctor about
which one is right for you. In my case, having diabetes, lapband was not
an option....in addition, it wasn't restrictive enough for me.
— Sheri A.
February 15, 2007
I didnt have wls yet but like the RNY because you can lose up to 60-70
percent of your body fat were the lap band is 40-50. I know with the lap
band you can get it out for health reason, but for my understanding you are
not be able to take that out after you lose your weight cause tissue from
you stomach grow on it not cover.
— griffith
February 15, 2007
My Aunt had lapband surgery and I had RNY which is the bypass surgery. She
is over a year out now and has lost only 50 lbs and has had to have several
adjustments. I had my surgery on the 9th of January 2007. Prior to surgery
I had taken off 32lbs and since another 27 in 5 weeks for a total of 59
during my journey to date. As for the staples they disolve over the healing
process. If you have RNY they shorten your intestine so you have less of a
digestive tract along with the small stomach which makes it a faster weight
loss process than the lap band. With lap band you still have your entire
intestine. I have not gotten sick from any particular foods. Anything I
could not eat before surgery I did not try after surgery. I am just now
eating real food and it is going down just fine. I chew well and eat only
the portion I should. Right now I am concentrating on protein anyway. Most
of what I take in is protein. I hope I have helped you. Please talk to your
Dr. to make your final decision as your personal medical conditions play a
big part in what you should do. Good Luck njkbutton
— njkbutton
February 15, 2007
Hi,
As a person you had both procedures done, I will tell you that the lapband
did not work for me. I like to eat meat and after a few fills that just
could not happen anymore, also you can eat sugar, which is also a problem.
i lost and gained 25 lbs in a year that is it, had the RNY done at
christmas and the band removed, I am a slow loser I guess but am down over
30 lbs already in less than 2 months. I fell better and can eat alot more
choices, such as meat and fish that I could not with the lapband. Hope that
helps, please email me if you have any questions. One more thing, do your
research, most if not all insurance companies now have a "one per
lifetime" limit on WLS, this is why I had mine done before the end of
2006 to get in under the wire, so take your time as most will not pay for a
revision later. Good luck to you
Diane P.
— noboat4u
February 15, 2007
I just had the lap band done in Jan 23 and I opted for it because of not
having to have plastic surgery which when you lose with RYN surgery you
lose so fast that the body does not have time to catch up..and your staples
do not dissolve they are there for a lifetime..if you go back to the way
you were eating you can pull the staples out and the pouch will stretch out
and cause problems and sometimes the intestines have to have corrective
surgery on them...so you need to talk to your PCP and discuss the pros and
cons of RYN and lap band...so far as the lap band and the foreign object
there..you don't know that it's there and as I said..you will lose slower
but the lap band IS A TOOL to help you learn how to eat smaller portions
and you DO HAVE TO EXERCISE with either of the surgeries but walking 30
minutes a day is what they want you to work up to and after you do get your
some of your weight off you tend to walk farther and feel better...so you
need to go messages forums and I went to Hartford Hospital lap band and
seen the procedure done on camera and knew what the lap band is all about
before I made the right decision for myself...as far as having the lap band
taken out..why would you want to when later down the road you might have to
a slight adjustment (which all adjustments are done at the dr's office and
part of the fee with the !st lap band. surgery.you do not have to pay for
ANY adjustments...I will lose slower but I will not have to eat vitamins to
keep my hair from falling out and my weight will be slower but I opted for
lap band because it is not sudden and I can keep up with my body changing
and perhaps no plactic surgery unless you can get a dr to say that you have
folds on your body and causing problems and sometimes insurance will pay
for that...so again I studied for 2 years before I made my choice and you
need to go over all the facts and your healthproblems to be sure of which
surgery is BEST for YOU...email if you have more questions and any way that
I can help...just email [email protected]
— shortskirt_ky
February 15, 2007
This is such a personal decision. I see alot of info in other's answers
that are "opinion". I am 11 weeks out RnY. I originally wanted
the Band, however I was afraid that I would somehow sabotage myself. (even
though you could do this with either surgery) Read the boards, profiles,
whatever you can to gain info. Talk to your doctor. Like a light turning
on, one day I just knew which was right for me. Now that it is all done, I
think I could have had either surgery and been ok. The facts I tossed
arround were that Lap Band is less risky, but you have to go for fills and
find the right point of restriction. I have a sweet tooth, and with the
band you can still eat sweets. RnY is not reversable, the risks are
higher, but I knew more successful people who had this surgery. I wanted
something that I had the least possibility of failure. Read, educate
yourself and you will be able to decide. I was told 3 years out band and
bypass weightloss are the same. (sometimes I wonder if I made the right
decision) The other plus I see to the band is that it is adjustable, so if
you are not having as much restriction, you can get a fill.
— robinmarra
February 15, 2007
The Lapband works best for those who are disciplined enough to avoid sweets
and high-fat foods on their own but need volume control. So if your
problem has been not what you eat, but how much you eat, you might lose the
weight you want to lose with the Lapband. My problem was both how much I
ate and (especially) what I ate, so the Lapband would not have worked for
me. Because the Lapband is a specific product, with a specific
manufacturer and marketing campaign (just look at all the banners all over
this revamped website), I worry that the Lapband is being pitched now to
everybody who inquires about weight-loss surgery, on the ground that it is
"less invasive," without regard to whether it is the surgery that
is the best match for the person's eating style. Most of us who came to be
morbidly obese didn't get that way from eating too much lean meat, whole
grains, and vegetables. Be honest with yourself about the way you eat or
you may find yourself two years from now looking for a revision that your
insurance won't pay for. Oh, and there is another alternative to the RNY,
Lapband, and sleeve gastretomy: the duodenal switch. Good luck to all.
— Kay B.
February 15, 2007
I had gastric bypass done Jan 16, 2007. To date I have lost 38lbs. I know
with gastric bypass you cannot over eat b/c it will make you sick. You
cant eat certain foods b/c it will make you sick. I'm suppose to be doing
my soft diet this week. I'm finding things that I can eat on the soft food
diet, alot of it I cant yet. Which its only been a month. The foods I can
eat with no problem is soups, chili, jello, pudding, applesauce, scramble
eggs, string cheese and mashed pot. After surgery I am now latose
intolerent. I try grilled fish last night and I dont know if I'm not ready
yet or I did not chew good enough but it felt like it couldnt go down to my
stomach. One night I had meatloft and did fine. The next night I threw it
up. The best thing is to research about both surgeries and discuss it with
your doctor. I'm very glad that I decided to do the bypass. I thought
after surgery I would still crave to eat even though I'm not hunry, but I
dont. Good luck with your journey.
— barfiep01
February 15, 2007
Hi Mary, thanks for asking. It is important to do a lot of research on the
pros and cons of every surgery you are considering. It is good to ask
questions, and get advice from others, but I strongly encourage you to
research sites like this, buy a few books and be sure you are well informed
on what you are getting into. I am almost 3 years post op from a Lap RNY
(Bypass). It was hugely successful, and I am a size 4/6. I love it and am
so thankful for my choice in having surgery. I have been part of our
support group for almost 3 years, and I have seen many men and women who
did not have the success that I have. Obesity is a head issue with a body
consequence. You can be determined to have surgery and never get what you
want because you won't deal with the head issues. Losing weight with
surgery is not easy. No matter which surgery you choose, there are pros
and cons for each one. My only real complication is a gastric ulcer that I
take medication for. Many don't get one, but I did. I can eat anything I
want, except very rich foods, but I eat is much smaller portions. You
start with just a few tablespoons, but at 3 years out, it is more like a
1/2 meal for most meals. I choose NOT to have the lap band because I
believe that I needed the mal-absorptive quality of the RNY surgery, and I
was correct. I think that if I had the lap band that I would cheat myself
into not losing. The complications of the lap band can also be bigger than
you think. It can imbed into your stomach, it can cause some slipping
problems or tubes can become dislodged. There are benefits, but I think
the risks are different, but they both have the same type of risks. You
have to be sure that your surgeon has the expertise and experience to do
these surgeries successfully. Things can happen, but you want one that has
many surgeries done and successful. Do not go with a novice surgeon, you
put your life at risk when you do. For me, the biggest part in making my
decision was on my knees. I prayed a lot and asked God for support and
guidance. He gave me that through my husband and God's Word. I got the
peace about the surgery that I was looking for, so I just went forward when
it was time. I waited 9 months for surgery and researched right up to the
last week. Went to classes every month and support groups and listened. I
even read all the memorials on this site to respect those who had tried and
lost their battle. I respect death, and accepted that some do die in
surgery. I forgave anyone I needed to and made sure I had a will and an
advanced directive. Put all my "ducks" in order and had my
surgery. God spared my life and gave me great success. Surgery is great,
but there was no greater thing than having peace with God about my
salvation, and about my surgery. Let me know if you have any questions
that I can help you with, about salvation or surgery. Take care. Patricia
P
— Patricia P
February 15, 2007
Hi Mary,
First, let me say that no matter which you choose, you will be on the road
to a healthier you! I had the RNY in Nov 2006, and originally I chose the
lapband due to no mortality etc, but then I had one of my friends pose the
question of-do you want to go in for fills forever? I didnt-cause I dont
like going to the doctor, and I would have to travel 5 hrs one way to get
the fills to have it done in my dr ofc. Then there was the port under my
skin-and I am just not lucky with things like that! One other thing I didnt
like was that you may get over-filled or under-filled and you dont know
until you play with the fills. I just wanted to personally go get it and
have it done. The RNY CAN be reversed, but its pain staking and you need
to make sure its what you REALLY want because its a huge surgery and not
one to be taken lightly. The band can be removed, but its still a
procedure. There is more freedom w/the band and food than there is the
RNY....cant say what one person can eat afterwards will affect someone else
the same way-because everyone is different. I cant eat soup to this day
(almost 3 months out) and its on the list-but it makes me dump-big time. I
can eat steak, if its cut thin and I eat it slowly-and a lot of people cant
who are 2 years out-so everyone is different. I would make an appt with a
bariatric specialist and speak to them and they can give you ALL the
affects of ALL the surgeries and you can make your decision then-at least
your on your way and GOOD LUCK....Jan
— want2luv2bme
February 16, 2007
I was banded on 5 Feb, so exactly 11 days ago. I can tell you that I had
no pain, no soreness, and no gas issues what so ever. My recovery has been
fantastic and I could have easily returned to work this week. Foods that I
have experimented with so far have given me no trouble, I've had beef
brisket, mashed potatoes, chili, lentils, bratwurst, brownies, applesauce,
yougurts, eggs, cheese, all types of cream soups and regular soups, and
chicken.
For me the choice was easy. I was too scared about having my insides cut
up and rerouted. I think of the lap band as nothing more than a rubber
band that could come out if it had to.
The weight loss is slower than with the band, but I wanted my weight loss
to look normal. I hardly told anyone about my surgery, so having that
discretion works for me. To lose 1 - 3 lbs a week could be from 52 to 156
lbs in a year, which is still very significant. And I believve that the
skin does better with a gradual weight loss and doesn't sag as badly was
with RNY. I know 5 people that had RNY and they have either all gained
back their weight or have had nutriotional problems. I know 3 that have
had lap band with no issues. It's too soon for me to say how my long term
results will be, but so far it's been a smooth ride. I've lost 1 lb a day
and am down 12 lbs since the day of surgery.
Whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck on your journey.
— Annetta
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