Question:
Lap Band? or RNY?

I would like to hear the "Good, Bad, and the Ugly" on both of these wls. I had a plan to get the lap band after the seminar thought breifly about RNY then back to lap band. I received approval today for the lap band surgery. I attended a support group meeting this evening and once again I am seriously considering RNY again. I just think this has happened so fast for me from the time of my approval to start this process to the approval for surgery. It has only been around 40 days. I know each surgery will effect each invidual differently, I would just like to hear more personal stories on each one. Thank you so very much for your time.    — jenc10 (posted on January 13, 2011)

January 13, 2011
Lap band works for many people... it seems to me like it's better for people with a lower BMI to start with, as the ultimate loss is less than with RNY. I chose RNY because I had a BMI well over 50, plus diabetes and sleep apnea, etc. My wife had lap-band with an over-50 BMI, and it just didn't work for her. She lost about 20 pounds and was really disappointed. She recently had a revision to RNY and has lost 90+ pounds. It seems it's harder to "fail" with RNY... at least during the first year. Personally, I found the 100+ pound weight loss from RNY to be very motivating to do the very hard work we all must do, really: working on our habits, emotions, even addiction to food that got us "morbidly obese" in the first place. No one will be successful in the long term without a lot of soul-searching and hard work on your inside stuff, how you cope with emotions, etc. Bottom line: both surgeries work for many people... RNY is more "invasive" but is stronger support for the major life change we all must make. In other words, lap-band is harder work right after surgery... RNY really makes you lose weight with more FORCE & SUPPORT to the process. I never heard of someone who didn't lose weight with RNY... and I have heard of more than one person who managed to not lose much after lap-band, even with "fills." Hope these thoughts have been helpful. It's a very personal choice, and I wish you all good luck going forward. Good for you for working this hard on improving your health!!
   — Greg K.

January 14, 2011
I had the RNY. I did not like the thought of that foreign band inside me and having to get fills adjustments etc. I got the RNY 8 months ago and have lost 120 pounds so I am within 20 pounds of my goal weight. I know other who have had LB and it was not fast enough so they got discouraged and ate. But, the same can happen with RNY too, FOLLOW The RULES no matter what choice you make
   — tfqh99

January 14, 2011
I chose the lapband even though I had a rather high BMI (nearly 60) and it has worked beautifully for me. Or rather, I have worked the band beautifully. :) The band doesn't do the work, it only assists me. I started out at 383 and this morning I weigh 205. I was banded in March of 2009, approaching 2 years. Took me 7 months to lose 100lbs! This is not typical, I lost more like a RNY than a bandster. I still need to lose some and I will, but the loss is slower now. I count calories, I exercise, I log my food daily, I drink my 64+ oz of water, I weigh and measure my food when eating at home, I cook low fat & low carb. I follow MOST of the guidelines given by my doctor MOST of the time. I attend support group and/or participate in support sites online. Good: I've lost weight, I'm happier, healthier and told I look younger. Depression is much improved. Bad: I can't eat as much, food still tastes way too good. I fight "head or mouth hunger" a fair amount. Ugly: I'd like to have plastic surgery all over, don't know if I will let myself spend that kind of $$. I might get my arms and tummy done as those are the ones that bother me the most. Hope this is helpful to you. P.S. Both my surgeon and another doctor suggested the RNY to me, but I wasn't mentally prepared for it. The other doctor told me I would only lose 50lbs with the band. I get such enjoyment from proving him wrong!! LOL
   — Lisaizme

January 16, 2011
I had the BPD/DS, not the RNY, but my surgery, like the RNY, is malabsorptive and so provides support for weight loss that the Lap Band just doesn't. I worry that many of the people who would otherwise have weight-loss surgery are becoming discouraged and giving up on the idea because the Lap Band is so popular now and so many people are achieving underwhelming weight loss with it. As posters above have noted, the Lap Band requires discipline from the patient that the RNY supplies in the procedure--especially during the critical first year. If you're a disciplined, volume eater who reaches for the meat and the veggies, not the carbs and sweets, try the Lap Band. But few people who get to be 100 pounds or more overweight are disciplined, volume eaters. Many of us, through vanity, persuade ourselves--and are also persuaded by the Lap Band's pervasive advertising--that we can become disciplined eaters, and so we go for the Lap Band. Bad idea. Get the weight-loss surgery that fits the eating you really do--not the eating of the person you wish you were (who wouldn't qualify for weight-loss surgery, anyway).
   — Virginia N.

January 19, 2011
Have you considered the Vertical Sleeve? I was in the same situation as you until my surgeon gave me the statistics on the sleeve and said the success rate is just as good as the RNY. BC/BS even approved it as a stand alone surgery on November 1, 2010. I was thrilled. The VSG does not reroute the small intestine which means less surgery and there are no malabsorbtion issues. And unlike the Band, there is no need for fills and no port to maintain. I am 7 weeks out from surgery, lost 37 pounds and feel great. I couldn't be happier with this surgery. My BMI was 47.7 and now it's 41. Best of luck to you, whatever you decide.
   — Suane