Question:
i am considering gastric bypass, is it safe?

I am 28 and healthy BMI index 38. I went to my first app. and the dr. scared me , he prefers lap band, but i want gastric bypass. Is there alot of risk?    — HLC027 (posted on August 25, 2006)

August 25, 2006
Hi Stella: I am a newbie looking into gbs...the decision to have lapband should be up to you, not the doctor. You need to be qualified to get it and then you should decide. First off, how much weight do you need to lose? If your BMI is less than 40 and you have no co-morbidities, I don't know if you will be approved. It is a slower weight loss with the band. You don't have to drastically change your eating habits as you do with gbs. You should research the two types of surgery before you decide but first find out if you are a candidate for any type of WLS. I went to several doctors already and I still have not made up my mind who I will be using.
   — Sheri A.

August 25, 2006
I had the opposite problem; I had my mind made up for LapBand, and the surgeon's internist is a RNY man thru-and-thru. What it boils down to, either way, is what is right for YOU? Nobody is an expert on you, *but you*. Make sense? Take a very honest look at yourself and your lifestyle, your eating habits, how much you are willing to sacrifice, and how much work you want to put into it. If you've done that, and you know what you want and what will work for you, stick to your guns. You're the one having to live with it, not the doctor. Best of luck! :)
   — Jeanie

August 25, 2006
And so I realize that I did not answer your question. There's risk with any surgery; so the answer is yes. Do your research. I believe the risks are far lower now than they were when I was researching, but the best thing to do is to make sure your surgeon is very experienced and ask him/her about his complication rate. Don't be scared to ask. You need to know.
   — Jeanie

August 25, 2006
I absolutely HATE seeing things like this... particularly the attitudes of some of the doctors. The question is NOT "which surgery does the surgeon prefer" The question is "Which surgery is right for YOU" LapBand surgery is ONLY useful for people who are what is known as "bloaters" or "bingers". People who sit down to a meal, eat a HUGE meal, and then dont eat anything until the next meal. If you like to munch all day... you're a grazer, and lapband will not help you. If you REALLY like your sweets, or love to drink milk shakes... you're a sweeter, and lapband will not help you. WHY won't lap band help you under those circumstances? Because Lapband has NOTHING to help you fight/control/discourage those behaviors. It PURELY limits the amount you can eat in one sitting. It doesn't stop you from guzzling milk shakes all day, or munching your way through a 5 pound bag of m&m's or crunching on potato chips all day. If your doctor things lap band is good for everyone, please PLEASE find another doctor. As for the risks... there are risks with ANY surgery. There are risks just going under anestesia. Heck... there are risks in crossing the street. Everything has risks. The question then becomes, are the risks worth the potential rewards? Only you can answer that. Yes, there are potential complications, and yes a percentage of patients die... but the percentages are no greater for bypass patients then for patients undergoing ANY other form of surgery. However, as someone else said already... with a BMI under 40, you may have trouble qualifying through your insurance, particularly if you have no comorbidities. Talk to your insurance company about what your policy covers, and what conditions you have to meet to qualify. Good luck to you.
   — liatha

August 28, 2006
Denise summed up the real question concerning risk evaluation. If you need help deciding whether to have surgery to cure your disease (obesity is a disease), visit the National Institutes of Health website to review the alarming mortality rates the morbidly obese face from medical conditions not typically associated with obesity (http://win.niddk.nih.gov/statistics/index.htm). Then, compare those very real risks of inaction with the risks from surgery (almost all of which are minimized by using an experienced bariatric surgeon-- regardless of the type of weight loss surgery chosen). Good luck in making the decision that is best for you.
   — SteveColarossi