April 30, 2010

Surgery options...

I a m wondering if any of you who have had the surgery have ever had someone try to persuade you to do the gastric bypass instead?  I get a strong feeling from my drs office that that is how they feel.
I have also been watching videos on the internet and see alot of people who wish they would have done gastric bypass instead because of how slow the band works...
Do any of you feel this way?

6 comments:

  1. My surgeon told me up front that he would prefer me too do gastric bypass. When I started this surgery journey the only way I was willing to do a weight loss surgery was through the band. I knew up front I would never consider the gastric. To me it is just way to scary! I am a huge medical chicken and just even the thought of having the lap band is a huge step for me!!! When my Dr. said that it kind of took me off guard. He told me my BMI was border line for the lap band???? My BMI is 53 and I had NEVER heard that before. I just explained to him that if he only wanted to do the gastric the surgery was going to be a no go! He then said he would do the band no problem :)

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  2. I am frightened of the gastric surgery as well. I always wonder what happens as you get older. I like that the band is a more crastic step, but not so crazy that you are removing half your insides! Does that make sense?
    When I was at my preop meeting though, the lady in charge kept saying things like... "well youve got a long road ahead of you"... and "the one bander we have in here has it much rougher than those of you with the bypass..."
    They made it seem so much harder... and almost like I was making a mistake that I would regret.
    I wont do gastric bypass though, so Im the same... it's this or nothing.

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  3. I was also a person that pretty much wouldn't even consider bypass. I like that the band is reversible and that my body and anatomy are still intact. I like that my intestines can still absorb nutrients. I like that the band works with pregnancy, too. I also like not having a ginormous incision down my abdomen.

    I know of/know 14 people that have had bypass and only 1 has been successful. 2 have died. The remainder have had complications like crazy causing them to either stop losing weight or gain it all back.

    I'm fine with slower, too. Gives the skin a little more time to adapt. Which is not to say that skin isn't an issue with lap-banders. But slower, from what I know, is generally more effective and safer for our health, too.

    My surgeon actually showed us what few statistics there are for cross-correlating banders keeping weight off and bypassers keeping weight off. The band is still so new, so not a lot of data here, but it appears that the band is going to be the best bet long term.

    Just a few things I thought about. My surgeon did not do both, he swore of bypass about 6 years ago and now does only lap-band. My PCP wanted me to consider both but when I told her all these things she said 1) she's going to do her own research (GOOD!) and 2) she will not recommend bypass any longer if she reads what I said. I saw her a little while later - and it was all true. So she does not suggest bypass any longer unless people are way over a BMI of 50.

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  4. I as well would not choose RNY... and my doctor was very honest about some of the challenges with the band. He explained that you really are the one in control but believed that with proper follow up I could have just as good results.

    I was okay with slow... I mean 72 lbs in almost 8 months is fine with me. I plan to get 100 lbs off at my one year mark, and I don't think I will have any issues doing it.

    My doctor also thought I was making a good decision with the band because I was young and if I ever decided to have kids (not really in my plan but plans could change) it is ideal.

    I had complications with my band... had to have my port revised a month out and then had problems with wound infection from that surgery... that slowed down my restriction/weight loss and I still think I have done great.

    I love my band!

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  5. That's too bad that you feel that way. You might want to tell the staff that they are making you uncomfortable. RNY just seemed to invasive to me. And like LDSwims said, now that the lapband has been around longer, statistics show that while people tend to lose weight faster with RNY up front, ultimately people with the band lose as much - it just takes a little longer.

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  6. My surgeon also seemed to be suggesting I have gastric bypass instead of lap band. At the time, that made me start second guessing my decision to have Lap Band as well. I understand why he made that suggestion--my BMI was in the "super morbidly obese" category. Gastric bypass was much too invasive of a surgery for me. The malabsorption of nutrients terrified me. I do not regret my decision to have Lap Band at all...and you shouldn't either!

    My only suggestion is that you fully understand going into the surgery that the Band is not magic. The Band is merely a tool to help you lose the weight. The weight loss is not going to happen over night. It takes a long time and it requires a lot of hard work. You are going to have to make good food choices, and you will have to maintain an active lifestyle--if you don't, the weight won't come off--guaranteed!

    I had heard this many times pre-op, but didn't fully understand what it meant until about 3 months post-op when the initial weight loss slowed down.

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