Question:
My Dr doesn't want to risk RYN (blood platelet prob) but will do a lap band
Obviously I am very disappointed , I am all cleared , even with my Hemotologist, but Dr G feels it is to risky, I have done a lot of reserach this weekend about banding, can anyone give me some data about your experience ..I have one last shot at RYN when Dr G calls my Hemotologist(who feels with a drug called DVAD i/2 hr before surgery and some platelets at any bleeding , that I will be "FINE")tomorrow I hope that blood DR will convey this confidence to DR G...meanwhile: All LAPBANDERS: How did you do ? The weight loss is supposed to be %less EFFECTIVE... — Linda R. (posted on December 14, 2003)
December 14, 2003
Some surgeons are very conserative. You might try a different surgeon. Mine
does all sorts of revisions and higher risk patients including Jehovah
witnesses. Sometimes you must shop for a surgeon.
— bob-haller
December 14, 2003
I had my band on 11-13-03 and am doing fine. Have lost 20lbs so far. If you
have any questions let me know.
— mary K.
December 14, 2003
I saw that Dr Garber is your surgeon. He has a wonderful reputation and is
considered from what I understand to be one of the best in your area. If he
thinks you should have lapband chances are you should. If you want a second
opinion then go ahead and have one but please go to a surgeon that has as
much experience and training along with a great reputation as Dr Garber
has. Good luck!!
— TheresaC
December 14, 2003
I had the lap-band put in about seven months ago, and I'm approaching a
loss of 70 pounds. So far I'm really happy with my choice to get the band.
:) Weight loss is slower with the lap-band (usually about 10 pounds per
month, so my loss is right on track), but I think in the long run (2-3
years down the road) lap-band and RNY patients end up with about the same
weight loss. If you look at the results for Lap-bands used in Europe
(banding has been popular in Europe for about 10 years now), the results
are a lot better than the initial reports in the USA, probably because the
USA surgeons needed time to learn the lap-band technique well. If your
surgeon is experienced with dealing with the lap-band, I think you have a
good chance of losing as much as an RNY patient. Good luck!
— K M.
December 14, 2003
I agree about Dr G's credentials, and I deliberatly went to him because of
his excellent reputation. ALL is not lost and Dr G has not said he will not
do it , he said he definitely would do a Lap Band and I am tryng to find
out from Lap banders how they fared..I dont want to go to another Doctor, I
feel Dr G will do what is best...for me.
— Linda R.
December 14, 2003
Thank You all..Mary Kirkley..can you e-mail me or provide a way to talk to
you ..Thanx
— Linda R.
December 14, 2003
Your doctor is concerned about how malabsorption will affect your blood
platelet problem. With any bypass-style procedure, you will have
malabsorption for life, so if there's a problem, you'd be in trouble.
The Lap-band is a very effective WLS...the FDA trials data doesn't
represent reality of the band's effectiveness, because the surgeons
involved with the trials were all in their learning curves (for both
placement and follow-up). Yes, the loss is slower, averaging 10-12 pounds a
month, but that's the rate recommended by the vast majority of the
weight-loss community for loss that is safe, not likely to diminish lean
tissue, and to stay off.
With any WLS, you have to completely relearn eating and exercise habits for
long-term success. Yes, it might be nice to drop 100 pounds in 6 months,
but if you haven't learned what you need to learn and made those changes,
it will not stay off. While all WLS starts out immediately post-op with
liquid phases, with the band you have to start making changes
immediately...there's no "honeymoon" period. Some people find
that idea daunting, but it's really not.
I've been banded 2 months and have lost 27 pounds. I have had 1 fill at
.6cc, eat a wide variety of foods, get full pretty easily and don't get
hungry between meals. I've had no vomiting, no diarrhea, no dumping, no
problems. Pre-surgery, I could easiliy eat 3000+ cal/day...now I average
around 1500-1800 and am full and satisfied. No one watching me eat would
think anything other than I'm making healthy choices.
So the band is not a "lesser" option...there are many who've
gotten to goal now; many who've lost over 150 pounds. And keep in mind,
that in Europe, where many of these WLS were invented and perfected it's
considered the "gold standard" of current WLS methods. The U.S.
is just lagging 10 years or so behind...
Ultimately, any procedure can be sabotaged...all WLS require patient
compliance and commitment. They are all merely tools and not magic bullets
and it's up to the patient to work their tool to the best of their
ability.
Nancy
10/17/03
394/367/180
— Nancy Degenmeister
December 15, 2003
I posted before but I thought of something I wanted to add. I had OpenRNY
on 7/15/03, as of today I have lost 60 pounds. So my weight loss is
consistant with that of someone having Lapband. No one can be sure how they
will lose with either surgery till they have it. I say as long as a person
trusts their surgeon then they are in good hands. :)
— TheresaC
December 15, 2003
You have got some good replies from Band patients here, so I can only add
that I am very happy with my band. Try not to go into this with the wrong
attitude about the Band. It is a wonderful tool. If you want to talk to a
variety of experienced Band patients, go to
http://www.spotlighthealth.com/common/SG/topics.asp?m=1&sb2=1&sb=25
Good luck to you.
— Jeanie
December 15, 2003
hi there... a little about me... i'm a 26 year old female with severe
asthma and sleep apnea. i'm 5'0 tall and my starting weight was 254. on
september 24 i underwent lap band surgery and to-date i am down to 224
pounds. i have not had a fill yet because my doctor thinks i am still
losing fast enough to not necessitate one. having done research on both
gastric bypass and banding for over a year, i came to the personal
conclusion that banding was a better option for me. banding is completely
reversable; there is no cutting and rearranging of your insides. there is
no malabsorption with this surgery, therefore i will not be on a lot of
suppliments for the rest of my life aside from my daily multi-vitamin that
i took before surgery anyway. the recovery time from banding is a lot
shorter. i was up and running (okay running is a little exaggeration)
about the hospital the next day. with banding you can pretty much eat
anything you want which could be viewed as a pro or a con. i think it's
amazing to me that i can try a little bit of this and a little bit of that
and still lose 30 pounds in less than 3 months without feeling the least
bit deprived. there is also no dumping with banding, so if you want to
indulge and have a piece of birthday cake with co-workers once in awhile,
you can. also, unlike the bypass patients, there is no window of
opportunity with banding surgery. we can continue to lose weight 2, 3 even
5 years out depending on how much fluid is placed into the band with
"fills." even more, the serious complications are few and far
between when compared to bypass surgery. with any wls, the sucess of the
surgery lies with the patient. your tool will only work as well as you
want it to. there are things with both surgeries that could be done to
sabatoge it. which surgery you get is a very personal choice. both have
cases of being sucessful and unsucessful. i think that because banding is
new, people are wary of it and don't think it works as well. however,
banding has been the gold standard in europe for the last 5-10 years with
amazing results. i believe when more surgeons in the US receive training,
it will become the gold standard here as well. good luck!
— Jeanie O.
December 15, 2003
I was banded on 07/01/03 and have lost 66 lbs so far. I started out at 311
and now weigh 245. There is another patient that was banded by the same
surgeon and has lost 135 lbs in 9 months so the American bandster stats are
starting to correlate with the European stats which show that Lap Band is
just as effective as RNY although USUALLY but not always the rate of loss
is slower but bandsters also lose LONGER because there is not the window of
opportunity issue and keep the weight off because when you start to gain
weight you simply have a fill.
As far as shopping for a Dr who will do what you want and tell you what you
want to hear, you would be making a DEADLY mistake, know too many people
who have done that and almost didnt live to tell about it. If your Dr has a
good reputation and you trust him you should follow what he says, there is
nothing wrong with a second opinion but dont be determined to find a
surgeon who is going to give you what you want just because you want it.
Good Luck
Lisa F
— Lisa F.
Click Here to Return