I don't want to start a debate, I 'm just confused and want to know what YOUR reason was for the choice you made.

I was all gung-ho on the band because basically, the whole idea of gastric bypass scares the crap out of me. But the more I read about people dealing with erosion, port problems, leaking tubes, disconnected tubes, infections, and having to fill and unfill, the more it seems like there's a lot more risk of things going bad after the surgery with LB than with GB. Then when the UCLA med center people told me they'd discontinued banding because of the poor success rates and problems with follow-up care, I started to get a little uneasy.

The idea of someone cutting me open and moving my organs around creeps me out, but once it's done, it's done. It's starting to seem like with the band, the surgery itself is less problematic and less dangerous, but then afterward you have to be constantly vigilant about things going wrong.

So now I'm starting to have second thoughts and am wondering if I should pursue GB.

any thoughts?

I know that my opinion here is not a popular one. I went with the lapband because that is what Medicare would pay for. If they would have covered the GB I would have had it.

Several of my family members have had great success with GB and I'm the first Lapband person. I am embracing the Lapband and will do my part to it work. There is no other answer for me now and I will be a success.

You might want to search this topic, since it is quite a popular theme for discussion.

I don't care that there is more maintence with the band. I'm perfectly fine with that. I'm aware of the risks of the band, and I'm fine with those too. I'm not fine with the malabsortion, or the "re-plumming." I know that many people are perfectly happy with their choice for a different WLS, that many people are wildly successful with their other WLS. I just feel that the other techniques are too drastic for me personally.

I had the band so I wouldn't die. I didn't want to choose a solution that seemed worse than the problem. If I lost my band, I wouldn't have a differnt WLS.

my two cents your milage may vary.

Exactly what Vines said. I had no problem with the ongoing maintenance--I WANT to be more mindful of my health and staying attuned with my band makes that happen. My body works fine, thanks, and I wasn't at all interested in having that changed while I am still so young.

My small children, too, were the most important factor in my decision. When things go wrong with bypass they can go VERY wrong, and I just wasn't willing to take such a big risk. Small though it may be, the risk of death with bypass is exponentially higher than it is with banding.

I wanted to gain health, not create a malabsorptive disease in my body that I'd be dealing with for the rest of my life. Who knows, my opinion may change down the road. But for now I'm EXTREMELY glad the band was available and I was able to have it done. And I'm glad I did.

I concur with both vinesqueen and Alexandra. Had there not been the option for the lap band, I would have not had any other type of WLS. This is a wonderful tool and I'm so happy with my decision.

Yes, the weight loss is slower, but I'm a working part of that process. With GB, I feel as though the weight would come off regardless of whether or not I watched what I ate or exercised. This is my opinion, mind you.

I also didn't want to deal with my insides being re-arranged, permanently. I find comfort in the fact that with the lap band, it's adjustable AND reversible (if necessary).

Honestly, I had rejected any type of WLS, until an orthopedic dr. frankly told me that if I was going to weigh 285, I wasa never going to have relief from ankle/other joint pain. The end. He suggest LB. I didn't research other types because I have a couple of family members who have had the more invasive types, and I wasn't impressed with their long-term results. LB fit for me, because it was adjustable and reversible, and involved a slower and (to me, anyway) more natural type of weight loss.

Ciindy

I was thrilled when I learned about the band. I have several family members and friends including my brother who have had the bypass only to gain back ALL their weight. One person I know lost over 100 with the bypass, got pregnant, had the baby and is now waiting to be banded.

With all the risks and/or problems with the band, I would do it again in a heatbeat.

Well in Australia they dont really do many bypasses anyway. But I wouldnt have considered it. The band is such a safe procedure, such low stats for surgical complications, it is removable and if any better obesity treatment should come along, you can have the band out and go for it. If I cant live with the changes it requires it can come out, not that I'm even considering that option.

For me, the Mortality Rate says it all

By-Pass - 1/200

Band - 1/2000

If you had a 1 in 200 chance of winning the raffle - you would buy the ticket, right? The chances of hitting that 1 in 200 are pretty good... or bad.

I wasn't willing to take the chance that I would be going to the Fat-Roach Motel

(Fat Roaches go in, But they Don't Come Out)

AND the complications of By-pass surgery can kill you after the fact, even years later - heart problems from the shock to your system, malnutrition related problems. It's potentially seriously ugly.

My insurance company would be THRILLED to cover a By-Pass for me - but I am fighting them for the safer procedure.

Have you ever seen any one "dumping"? Dumping is a process that GB patients endure when they eat too much or of the wrong type of foods. I saw a girl once lying on the floor waiting for her bite of hamburger to go down. She was red and sweaty and you could tell totally uncomfortable. Lapbanders don't dump and thats something I would not want to experience. We might have what's called a PB or productive burp. Something too large just comes up. But once thats done it's over. It's a trade off and I think a personal choice.

In a nutshell,

1. no re-routing of plumbing

2. no dumping

3. no dying (less often anyways)

4. no malabsorption

5. I also really like the idea that bandsters are SUPPOSED to lose 1-2 lbs a week instead of 60 lbs in two months. Every study about weight loss that I've ever read agrees that this is the safest way to lose. I'm in this for the long haul - I don't care if it takes a little longer.

The idea of erosion, slippage, port problems, etc scares the HELL outta me. But... I like the band because I think it is a healthier way to lose the weight. I think bypass achieves this through a starvation mode and I don't want that.

Both have their side effects such as dumping v. pb , vomit v. slimes, etc etc.

Also, the band was less expensive for me.

But.......... on the flip side, if anything were to happen to my band, I would get DS. But unless that happens, I will stay with my band.

The overall mortality rate for both stapling and bypassing was to high for me. The people I know with bypasses have begun to gain thier weight back after 5 years. I also dont like the malabsorbsion problems. That is the most serious long term problem between the two. The skin has a chance to compact better with the band, I like wings that flap on angels, birds and bugs, not on me.

Have you ever seen any one "dumping"? Dumping is a process that GB patients endure when they eat too much or of the wrong type of foods. I saw a girl once lying on the floor waiting for her bite of hamburger to go down. She was red and sweaty and you could tell totally uncomfortable.

Dumping is a process that RNY patients go through, they also have a pouch. My bypass was a DS and I do not dump, and I do not have a pouch. Dumping is a reaction to sugar dumping strait into the small intestine and not going through the pyloric valve. Since my pyloric valve is still intact I don't dump, I don't have a pouch, and I can eat more than bandsters and RNY patients..

I have tried several times to explain, I think noone else but Paula can see my post? All GB is not the same. I can see myself in every one of these post, but when you lose the band after 3 years, and start gaining back to the fat person you once were, you start considering things you wouldn't have before.

I'll supplement and be thin and healthy before I will sit on my arse and be fat. That's why I chose my DS after my band. The reasons I chose it are listed above and also it has the best success rate of all wls, with a very low instance of regain.

Of course my opinion will not be popular, but people need to know there is another viable and wildly successful choice out there besides Lapband and RNY.

I think another important ppoint to add here is that even gb is not maintenance free. It IS possible to regain weight, even with a gb. There is no one surgery that is a cure all-they all require diligence and maintenance to be successful in the long run. I also concur with another post that said we read a lot about slippage, erosion, and such on this site because it is THE place to talk about it. When people are living successfully with the band and continually losing, they may be less inclined to share on a regular basis.

Dumping is a process that RNY patients go through, they also have a pouch. My bypass was a DS and I do not dump, and I do not have a pouch. Dumping is a reaction to sugar dumping strait into the small intestine and not going through the pyloric valve. Since my pyloric valve is still intact I don't dump, I don't have a pouch, and I can eat more than bandsters and RNY patients..

I have tried several times to explain, I think noone else but Paula can see my post? All GB is not the same. I can see myself in every one of these post, but when you lose the band after 3 years, and start gaining back to the fat person you once were, you start considering things you wouldn't have before.

I'll supplement and be thin and healthy before I will sit on my arse and be fat. That's why I chose my DS after my band. The reasons I chose it are listed above and also it has the best success rate of all wls, with a very low instance of regain.

Of course my opinion will not be popular, but people need to know there is another viable and wildly successful choice out there besides Lapband and RNY.

Rachele, I think your list of reasons is on another thread. I have read it but it isn't above? Could you maybe do a cut/paste? That might help.

Most insurance policies cover RNY, so that's what most of us are thinking of when we post "Gastric Bypass". It's true, though, that there are several different bypass surgeries. I'm glad there are other options, especially post-band. I just don't know what I'd do if I lost my band or had problems and ended up where I was. Maybe I would do the DS. But I'd choose the DS over RNY because the pyloric valve is still in place and...no dumping!

Anyhow, it's less a matter of your opinion being popular. On the one hand, who cares what people think! It's just a banding message board. On the other hand, we like accurate info here! (I do, anyhow) so I really really appreciate what you and GeezerSue have gone through, and your experience is so valuable on this board. So thank you.

How are you, anyway? Feeling good? Are you eating normally now? How do you feel with your new "plumbing"? I can't imagine that it's all that different with the DS, just wondering what it's like for you.