My name is Luke and I'm 31 and have been over weight my whole life. I have just been approved through my INS to get the weight lose surgery. I'm still undecided on either the Lap Band or Gastric Bypass but I'm leaning towards Lap Band.

My highest weight was 385 back about 5 yrs ago. I am currently on a low cal diet and I weight 345.

Luke

Hi Luke, welcome to the site....I can only tell you how much I love the lapband, but I know some people that had the gastric bypass done and have done really well...they lost weight faster than I did.

I wish you luck with whatever you choose, let us know!

later, Joanie :biggrin:)

Hi Luke! I'm still healing from my banding, so I can't offer much advise as to living with it, or anything. I can tell you my reasons for choosing the band over bypass. #1, I was wary of the bypass procedure, #2 Needed the lesser healing time and lower risk I'm a single parent) and #3, while I know the band is meant to be permanent, I know that if need be it can be removed--bypass is permanent.

I know people who have succeeded (and failed) with both. Maybe you should sit down and write a good old fashioned pro/con list?

Good Luck!

I like the fact that the Band is not permanent but I like that you lose the weight faster with the Bypass.

I like the fact that the Band is not permanent but I like that you lose the weight faster with the Bypass.

I am in the process of awaiting insurance approval. My brother has gastric bypass 10 1/2 years ago. He did lose an extreme amount of weight in a short amount of time. He was healed from being an insulin dependent diabetic. His cholesterol normalized in 4 months. He never regretted getting GBP done, but he did have some really severe things happen to him. He had problems maintaining his minerals ie calcium, iron etc. He had severe dumping syndrome ir he ate even a hint of sugar, even fainting and having severe cramps after even a small amount of sugar. When I continued to suffer with physical complications with my weight and began to consider WLS, he refused for me to have GBP..lol. I had considered it but as I have continued through this process, I personally have felt more comfortable with Lap Band. Like the other people on this site have told you, make a list of your pros and cons...you have to do what is right for you.

This is what scares me about the Bypass.

My doctor told me that although initially bypass patients lose weight much faster, at the end of 2 years, bypass and band patients tend to have about the same amount of weight loss. I figured that with the amount of weight I had to lose, I'd be doing this for at least 2 years. I started out pretty much where you are weight-wise and I lost 105 lbs my first year. That was fast enough for me!

I went to one seminar for the bypass and knew it was not for me. I wasn't comfortable with the permanence and the malnutrition. I have never regretted my decision.

Good luck with your decision. I know some very happy bypass patients. It just wouldn't have been right for me.

Cindy

I have my first appointment with the Weightloss Doc this Thursday @ 9am.

Im Trung ! Hello everyone. Excited to be a member of the forum. I love the content of this forum. So, I hope to get more useful information people share. Thanks a lot.:thumbup:

Hi everyone,

I thought I'd weigh in on this topic. As everyone said there are pros and cons to both surgeries. I am a long-term successful lap band patient. So I must admit I'm biased now with my 20/20 hindsight. I was really confused and wondering whether Lap band surgery was for me. I flip-flopped about whether I wanted band or bypass and struggled with which would be best for me. I ultimately chose to be lap banded because it was the least risky, and 3-5 year outcomes for band and bypass patients are pretty similar. For me it was all about the long-term. I was great at dieting. I was just never able to take weight off and keep it off for more than 5 minute...Now in my fifth year, I've been maintaining a normal, healthy weight since late 2007. It's really important to learn what YOU NEED TO DO, to be successful with this tool. I've written a lot of what I've learned on this jouney about how to use the tool and what it takes to be a successful lap band patient. You can find it by following the links below. Good luck on your journey!

Edited October 1, 201015 yr by atgoalgal
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