Gastric bypass patients

[flower 2]

Just wondering has anyone regretted getting there band I met someone in a store getting jeans. she pulled up and 18 and said these are so big. I said I'll take them. She stated I was there once I had gastric bypass and have lost 110 pounds in less than a year. She actually looked really skinny and here I am losing 59 in little over a year I am discouraged it took alot of time to get proper restriction it feels that I have not done well I wanted to lose 100 in a year I am feeling that I made the wrong decision does anyone feel the same please reply

[Teresita 0]

Yep I feel that way ....sometimes.....but I have also made a decision, had the surgey and thankful that I have the band. I can see it being the best choice for ME especially in the future. I have learned to get my fills, exercise and am working hard on getting the portion and food right.:nervous

[Sunta 4]

Sometimes I do but then I stop and think about the side effects and issues that come from very fast weight loss: massive amounts of hanging skin, nutritional deficiencies, Hair loss, gall stones, etc. I'll take my 1-2 pounds a weeks and avoid all of that. I'm in for the long haul and there is no reason why the weight has to come off so fast.

[HeatherGurl 0]

I am only 6 months out, but I do not and have NEVER regretted my decision. As of right now I am EXTREMELY in love with my band.

[PhotoNut 7]

No regrets at all. Even if it takes 2 years to get the weight off, I'm much happier knowing I'm not all pieced together inside and that I'll look healthier for losing the weight at a reasonable speed. It is possible to lose 100 pounds with the band as well, you know. It just takes some self control and effort... and learning how to master those two things will help keep the weight off once it's gone.

[Marimaru 7]

I definately wish I'd lost faster (60 lbs in 20 months), but I don't wish I'd done a more invasive surgery.

The thing about making a goal for how much you want to lose in a year is that it's a crap shoot. Even if you make all the right choices and follow all the rules, your body is gonna decide how much it wants to hang on to that fat!

[3loves 0]

During my stress test today I was talking to the nurse about this very topic. She asked me why I chose the band and not gastric. I told her my personal reason for choosing the band was b/c I still had to make changes in my head (by making good food choices) and I feel that gastric bypass makes those choices for you. I am fully aware that I have an addiction and not only need physical changes, but mental changes as well. Please understand, I'm not putting down gastric bypass.....this is only MY PERSONAL view and opinion. I feel it's a wonderful choice to have for someone if it's for them. I have no idea of what the future will hold, but for now at this time in my life, the band is the right choice for me. I feel 110% confident in my choice.

[bushbaby 8]

I have had several friends and aquaintances who have had the bypass... I will tell you that for the most part they were sucessful. One was not. She gained all of her weight back. The thing for me about the bypass that scared me was the thought that I would die. I am not going to lie and sometimes look at my friend Kate who had the bypass the same time as me and now is a size 8, and wish this was going faster. But I haven't ever thought I wanted the bypass. I like the control I feel. I am not restricted up the yahoo. I have had all of two fills on an 11cc band. I know I could loose more and workout a whole lot less. But the funny thing is, Kate feels that she should have done it my way. She has lost her hair, and can hardly eat. She is misriable. Skinny yes, but misriable all the same. She can not go back. I have the choice. Which is another reason I made this choice. When I reach goal. I know it will be through hard work on my part and that makes my reward ever more sweet. I am not saying the bypass is easy. I am just saying I am glad for my journey needing to be thoughtfull. I needed to modify my eating habits. I needed to change the woman I saw in the mirror. That image and those habits have changed. I am glad I did it this way.

[S@ssen@ch 745]

I have not for one minute wished I'd had bypass over the band. Yes, I wish the weight loss was a little faster. But the fact that it is coming off is what's important to me. Slow is better than not at all or worse........gaining.

I never wanted my insides re-routed. I've seen the diagrams and don't like the thought of having a "residual stomach" that is there but is basically dormant. I don't want part of my intestines also there doing very little.

I'm glad the band gives me a wide learning curve so that if I don't make the best decisions today, I'm not necessarily suffering for it with something like dumping syndrome. Every day is a new day and over time I can learn these new eating habits. They're not necessarily forced upon me. Yes, I must learn to chew well, not drink with my meals and eat slow. But so far those haven't been difficult transitions. And, thankfully I can tolerate all types of foods. I have no restrictions to my diet.

All too often, with the bypass, if you don't learn and adopt healthy eating patterns your "window of opportunity" passes you by. Yes, you've lost weight initially. But then you start gaining it back because you didn't really learn how to nourish yourself in a healthy way.

Just my 2 cents.

[rachele 0]

I've had both. I was revised to DS bypass after my Band was in for 3 years. Don't regret your choice. You are losing, and you are doing well. You went the way that was best for you, or you wouldn't have chose that surgery. Patience. Thats what it takes. You'll get there, too, it's just alot tougher with the band. I lost well over 100 pounds with my band before scar tissue ruined it.

I hated my band. It wasn't the right surgery for me, and if something medically hadn't happened, I would have ate right around that band because I never felt satisfied. Filled up to my throat, yes, but my stomach would still growl. I never, at any fill level, got to the point to where I could comfortably eat good for you foods like chicken without slathering them in sauce or dressing which defeats the purpose! BUT THIS IS ME, AND EACH JOURNEY IS INDIVIDUAL. NOTICE I DID NOT SLAM THE BAND, I STATED WHAT MY INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE WAS, so don't knock me for that.

I know myself. I have no control, and to me, like a very wise person once stated, the band is like a diet with a choke chain. I don't do well with diets. I've tried for years to beat my head demons and never did, and they do surgery on your stomach, not your head. If I could have defeated them, I wouldn't have needed surgery not once but twice. :grouphug: I am an addict, and if a bypass is what it takes to beat it, so be it.

I am very happy with my DS bypass. It is perfect for me and I love it.

Remember bypass patients exchange one disease for another. We exchange Morbid Obesity for Malnutrition. Thats why we have to supplement Vitamins and minerals (which all women should be doing anyhow, at least Calcium) but that was a barter I was gladly willing to take in a heartbeat.

So, as someone here once said "Ride your own ride", don't second guess yourself. Your band seems to be working for you, in a nice paced way. It is healthier to lose it slower. I don't believe it has anything to do with the way your skin looks afterwords, not for a minute, but it IS healthier. You've never, ever heard a doctor say to lose more than 2 pounds a week. You know the old saying "The grass is always greener..." Don't be so hard on yourself!

[fiveholts714 0]

Sometimes I do, but to be honest i am relieved not to have my insides rerouted. It's just way too permanent and there are too many complications. But I alot of people do well with it, too.

[Carlene 12]

Good question! And my answer is "sometimes". I also had great expectations - 100 pounds in a year. It didn't happen. I did lose about 70 that first year, and 23 since.

I knew how much I hated taking pills and meds and realized that I probably wouldn't be very compliant as far as supplements, etc. I was also, quite frankly, scared of the bypass. My oldest son had a neighbor - young and healthy - who died about 3 months post-op. And I hated the idea of not being able to reverse it.

I thought the band would be sooooooooo easy. It hasn't been easy at all. But it's been easier than doing it alone (which was pretty near impossible).

Yesterday I found out that I have motility issues in my esophagus and have to see a GI doc. Of course, everyone assumes automatically it's the band (and it might be - at least partially). I swear, if I broke my arm, someone would blame the band! But for the last 24 hours I've been pretty anti-band. I hate the idea of getting unfilled, having a scope, then starting all over with adjustments, chasing that elusive "sweet spot". What a bother! But all in all, I think I made a good choice.

[Angie C 0]

This was the best decision I have ever made. I do not regret it not even once even though I have had a slip or food getting stuck or the times throwing up. For me it's just part of the process and now I am thin and loving life, a life that I have not know since high school.

3-15-04

290/176 goal

[j.s. 0]

You know, I had sort of the same thoughts. No, I dont wish I had the bypass, I think I just wish I lost weight LIKE i had the bypass. I too had a goal for 100 pounds in my first year, well that come and went I lost 76. Maybe that is our problem, being stuck in the numbers.... (personally I know that is my own private hell). But I am very happy with losing 76 pounds. It seems when I am getting really frustrated, scale is not moving, then I wonder... but when I am not thinking about the numbers I am totally happy. I like that I can eat regular food. I like that I am not rearranged. I know this was the only choice for me and one day I too will reach my goal.

[Elisabethsew 50]

I researched all the weight loss surgeries available and, based on health reasons and recovery time, decided on the lapband. Like many people here, I have lost and regained hundreds of pounds. I am now at the point in my life where numbers on a scale mean little to me other than a concrete validation of weight loss.

My "success" comes from being able to walk further with less knee pain, fitting comfortably into clothes that were tight, not being short of breath walking through the grocery store and feeling in control of my life. I have felt no restriction since 5 days post-op and can't have a first fill for 8 weeks from the surgery date but I refuse to let that "control me" and cause me to over eat.

I had a tough recovery from the surgery and I didn't go through all the testing, surgery, time off from work, etc. to fail. I knew the band was an aide to weight loss and not a miracle cure so that's how I'm treating it. Ultimately, if I fail, it's my own fault as nobody forces food into my mouth. I take the stance that failure is simply not an option and move forward one meal at a time.