Question:
has anyone heard any statistics about the

i had a friend who had the vgb several years ago and it worked for a while but she didnt work with it so it failed she had no problems except a little depression i worry that the rny isnt as safe as the vgb    — blank first name B. (posted on October 15, 2001)

October 15, 2001
i'm not a dr. but i would think and have heard that the rny is the best way to go. i was told that the band sometimes comes loose and can cause more problems. you should do somemore research and speak to your dr about the best choice for you
   — LAURA G.

October 15, 2001
Hmmm. . . I'm having trouble with the word "safe": compared to what?? Being obese for the rest of our lives and experiencing all the life crippling and life altering and life ENDING co-morbs (and I'm not just talking medical co-morbs here guys!) that we can expect to endure if we continue to "try one more diet" to lose this weight?? Why don't you find yourself interested in the RNY or DS? Why the band? Especially if you have watched (as many of us have) a friend fail with it or have the band itself fail in spite of all your best intentions. You still want to gamble? WLS works. You may find it a little more "invasive" compared to the band, but, (and correct me if I'm wrong, fellow members) it's a much more complete "fix" for what's wrong with us. Another poster said to talk to your Dr to find out what's best for you, well, the only way for you to find out what's best for you is to do RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH, on your own, here or other sites, read everything and anything you can about the different procedures, read lots of profiles of all different surgery types and look at lots of before and after pics. Do not let your Dr tell you what procedure to have. This is YOUR body and your decision for the rest of your life! If you can, and you want a Dr opinion, find one that can do ALL the different procedures, otherwise you are allowing your Dr to tell you what is best based on what he can do for you. . .if he doesn't perform the DS (for example)he honestly can't tell you anything about it because he really doesn't know. Spend as much time as you can reading thru this site and maybe some of the Yahoo! groups that deal with the different procedures and then let your heart make the decision that's right for YOU!! Blessings, Good luck on your journey -
   — ChristiMNB

October 15, 2001
You won't get a real picture of the successes of the VBG here - you need to join us at www.yahoogroups.com and join the VBG group to get the correct info. Hundreds of successful VBGers. Not "slipped bands"...And, if you will do your research thoroughly, you will find many successes also with RNY, DS, etc....but, also just as many problems and failures as the reports seem to attribute only to VBG's....All of the procedures have pros and cons...they all have many successes and many failures - you have to be educated (by facts - not opinions) and make the choice, along with your Doctors, for what is best for YOU.....
   — Cathy J.

October 16, 2001
I think that among surgeons the rny is the preferred method... it's safer, more effective and the weight loss is "permanent".
   — [Anonymous]

October 16, 2001
Something to research.... http://www.mywls.com/body_duodenal_switch/body_duodenal_switch.html. Good luck to you....
   — [Deactivated Member]