how many of you wish you had gone with a bypass rather than your band?

how many have scrapped the band and gone for a bypass?

i've read some regretful posts.

before i get my band, i'm wondering how common is this regret among bandsters.

thank you.

This is such a personal decision and on this board you will get votes for the band and on a bypass site you will get votes for bypass.

For me, this was the only decision. I needed to change the way I thought about food with some assistance. The other by pass route was to drastic for me....

As I said, this is a personal decision that you need to make. Do your research..... you will make the right decision.

Good Luck...

Had this procedure not been available, I would have never had another type of WLS. Indeed, it is a personal choice/decision.

are you happy with your weightloss so far?

Actually, I lost faster then I wanted..... 30 lbs in 5 weeks. I am exercising and I want to lose inches and tone at the same rate of weight loss so I am not all saggy. Don't know if it will work, but that is my goal.

If I follow the bandster diet and exercise I will meet by goal of 100 lbs .... not doubt in my mind. If I mess around, eat junk and don't exercise, I won't. Simple..... but not easy!

I got my band. Then, due to problems, I had the band removed and had the DS (which is NOT the RnY).

I'm sorry that I didn't "connect" with the data available at the time, which was that at age 55 and a starting BMI of over 50 (but lower at surgery time), I was not the best candidate. AND, that "success" is declared when 60% of excess weight is lost. (That would have left me on the cusp between MO and O.)

I'm not really sorry I got the band (except for the money), but I am sorry I waited so long to have it removed and to move on to another approach.

Sue

I wouldn't have had anyother WLS either. I'm really glad I didn't have any of the malaborptive things like the RNY, DS, etc., because as it turns out, I probably wouldn't have lost with any of those techniques either. I was diagnosed with Cushing's so until I get that resolved I won't be loseing much weight if any more at all.

So, that's my story. I'm completely disatisfied with my weight loss. I'm almost a year out and have lost about 25-30 pounds. But I'm completely happy with my band, because I feel like I would have died from my co-morbidities.

I am not one for elective surgery on anything! I'm a big chicken and a wuss when it comes to pain. So for me to decide on the band it had to include the following:

1. A very limited risk of death.

2. No cutting or rerouting my innards.

3. No long term side effects to deal with (malabsorption, smelly poo, etc)

4. Reversible if I decided it was a mistake.

5. The worst case scenario did not include long term damage to my body.

I couldn't be happier. I was not looking for some miracle cure to my obesiety. I was looking for something that could help hold me up while I tried yet again. My biggest fear of another diet was gaining back all I lost PLUS 20 more, which is typical for me. With the band, I know I have to be a responsible adult, make wise food choices, exercize and get plenty of Water. This is a no brainer. This is what burns off excess fat. And the band does not change that fact. It is merely a safety net for me.

The only thing the band has completely taken care of without my assistance is the elimination of breads and pastas from my life. Which is great! I'm a dough freak and got fat eating it. I'm thrilled at the opportunity to have something take that choice away from me. I never could manage it on my own.

If ever I lose my band, for any reason, I hope to have used it well and not to have leaned on it to such an extent that I cannot maintain a healthy lifestyle without it. I see some who keep getting tighter and tighter fills, frustrated because they still don't lose weight. Well, the truth is, you'd have to close off your stomach to keep melting chocolate, ice cream, and cookie crumbs from getting through. It will take some self control and determination to give up the old in trade for the new.

For me I made the right decision -- I love my band. No matter how slow the weight loss my eating habits have changed.

Loving the band!!!!!!!

Thats all I have to say about that.

I too would not consider any other procedure.

I am looking forward to being banded in July.

The lap-band was the only choice for me! My mother has had rny and I have watched what a hard time she has had. Complications have put her back in the hospital twice and her weight loss is less than I have had with the band. I am sure overall health and age have a lot to do with that.

For me the key reasons for choosing the band over gastric bypass (rny)...

1. the surgery is less risky

2. no cutting and rerouting of organs (my body still works the way God intended it to)

3. adjustable

4. reversible

5. slower weight loss (healthier for my body)

6. I have to change my life/bad habits.

#6 is key for me. I actually heard a rny patient say that she chose that surgery because she knew she could cheat and still lose weight. While this is true, it was a deterant for me. In order to have LIFE LONG health, I have to address my issues. If I had rny but never changed my habits, I would just regain the weight.

Just do your research and do what you think is right for you. Good luck on your weight loss journey!

As someone else pointed out this is a very personal choice.

Personally I didn't like the statistics that go with the band. The risk of death is greater and after a few years the weight loss is comparable. I had to try the band first, if something happened and I lost my band then I would have GB or some other form of WLS. I refuse to be 300lbs again!

No regrets at all....and that's coming from someone who has had many more complications that the typical bandster 'should have'. If I ever had to have my band removed, I'd do it all over again if they would let me. Like someone else said, the band has forced me to take my bad eating habits head on....not just relying on the surgery to "fix everything". I have been one of the lucky ones that has lost weight, but I never look at the band as my easy fix, because it's not. You must enter this journey prepared mentally to make long-term changes in your eating habits. The band won't do that for you, only you can do that for you.....NO REGRETS!!!

I think the adjustablity is a big plus for the band. I've seen others who's have ByPass and they loose a lot but get stuck at a size 14 - 16ish... Which is great but it's hard to loose that last amount because they are used to their stomach size. Anyhow if we get to that point with one or two more sizes or 20 - 30 pounds to loose we can still get an adjustment.

Choosing between Weight Loss Surgery ( WLS) procedures is a tough one for many people. This is an individual decision that only you can make. If you have narrowed it down to the Band vs the bypass then just know think about this. They are both two great procedures and for those of us who are forced to consider drastic measures to lose weight, it's important to see that each procedure has its own merits.

My story is a bit different from some others. I should probably brace myself for flack for this, but I will just be frank. I was literally on a path to achieve quite spectacular success with the LapBand. Quite honestly, that spectacular success with the band has not happened. And according to my surgeon who has given me a "Sorry, but you probably won't lose any more with the Lap Band.." letter, it may never happen.

I was banded five years ago {I sought to be approved for the RnY bypass but I really didn't want to commit to something quite so drastic, and I was impressed by Band success in Europe and elsewhere} and I have struggled. Now keep in mind, like all technology, things have changed & improved since 2001 and many people have gone on to oustanding results with LapBanding. So remember that this is my own story, and your results may vary. Lots of folks are now doing well with the LapBand - but those who don't are often shunned and don't openly participate in forums the way that those who have achieved remarkable success may do.

So here I am.

Initially I only wanted to lose 70-80 pounds max, I thought the Band could help me in my quest. Keep in mind, even before Lapbanding I ate no red meat or beef, nor pork, no ice cream, no chocolate. I don't even drink shakes or malts. So I thought with some modification I could succeed, and I definitely did all I could to make it work.

My results? Not very impressive, honestly. I've only lost about 51-52 lbs. and this is after 5 years. My pre-op BMI was about 38/39 and now after 5 years it's a BMI of 30.

So I wasn't one of the more successful ones, and my weight is still a major problem even five years later. Quite honestly, I've really struggled with having selected an option that included no malabsorption. Ironically, this same "lack of malabsorption" is what drew me to the LapBand but my weight loss has been so slow (and sometimes non-existent) I have certainly been frustrated at times and that can hurt.

As I've had the LapBand longer, I've gone through a few things that most newly banded patients won't suffer. I still think the LapBand is a fabulous option, but my original surgeon has now become quite frank about what my chances are for success.

I do recommend it but I do so for friends/patients who have lower BMI, and seem to be comfortable with the fact that LapBand weight loss is considerably slower than some of the other forms. In the pre-op period you're told LapBand weight loss takes longer. And sometimes it seems like "oh yeah, I won't care if it takes longer" but when you've paid your own money and watch other patients lose more and lose faster, sometimes you can start to second-guess it.

I am happy to be 51or more pounds lighter? You bet. I can wear things I couldn't before, and I look a lot better. But I haven't gotten near my goal of 70#-80# and now my own surgeon doubts it can be done with the LapBand. So I am carefully considering my options.

But if I had known the LapBand wasn't going to work for me (don't we all wish we had such foresight in life?), I would have definitely had another form of WLS

I'm tired of being fat. Period

Which form would I have had? Even with all the scariness, the complications and the lack of adjustability, I've have the RnY. (The RnY is drastic but for my needs the DS is way scarier. It's a lifestyle choice, plain and simple and I think the D-Switch is much too drastic for me. My friends who have DS have done well but they have been at a higher BMI, higher start weight and have had different lifestyles than me.)

I don't want a RnY bypass but I don't want to be Morbidly Obese either. So I can't join the "Oh, it was LapBand or nothing" choir - because I was fat for so long I needed something to help me. If the LapBand can't help me, I can't do it alone so I'll have to find a tool that is right for me.

The LapBand is a fabulous tool - it has adjustability, it is not permanent and it when it works, it does work well. But always remember there are other factors that can affect its' success and unlike other forms - there is no guarantee that your body will automatically lose weight (although we know many bypass type patients later struggle with keeping it off, very few of them ever actually don't lose weight initially) with the LapBand or that you will lose as much as you want.

Good luck with your decision - and happy WLS journey to you.