Hello,

I met with a surgeon for an initial consult last week. Before I met with him I was confident that I'd be going the band route. He's really pushing me toward bypass. Said only 4% of his surgeries are bands anymore. I know there are potentially more long term side effects and the results are slower, so i'm not going into it blid, but I just don't know about the bypass route. How do you all feel? How did you make the decision for a lap band and do you regret not going the bypass route? I'm still leaning toward the band.

Thoughts?

I was also on the fence about the band, sleeve, or bypass but I elected for the band because in my opinion the risks were lower and if I had complications it is reversible and since for my age (21) I wanted something that is reversible and I like the fact that you can control how much weight you loose.

I was also on the fence about the band, sleeve, or bypass but I elected for the band because in my opinion the risks were lower and if I had complications it is reversible and since for my age (21) I wanted something that is reversible and I like the fact that you can control how much weight you loose.

Hi Tilly,

Im NOT banded yet, finishing up pre-testing...I decided on the band with plication because it has lower complications from surgery, is reversible if necessary, and most importantly I did not want my anatomy changed permanently as with other WLS.

My surgeon does lots of bands...if you are not happy that your surgeon doesnt do that many or is pushing you towards something you dont feel in your heart is what you want....keep searching for someone who will listen to what YOU want and help you decipher the pros and cons!

Good luck to you!

I was originally scheduled for Gastric Bypass. My BMI was a whopping 72 and the surgeon insisted I'd never lose enough weight with the Lap Band. As the day got closer, I had more and more doubts. Ultimately I canceled the surgery at the last minute.

I then went out and did some more research on the band- including a different bariatric surgeon who wasn't biased against it. I knew the band was right for me and luckily I found a surgeon who supported my choice. I had the Lap Band surgery 18 months ago and it's the best decision I could've ever made for myself. I've lost almost 220 pounds and I'm still losing- obviously the first surgeon who tried to tell me I'd never lose enough with the band was wrong.

This is strictly my opinion and why I made the choice for the band: I simply could not justify permanently re-routing my healthy intestines without trying something far less drastic first. I also didn't want to deal with malnutrition, malabsorbtion, and dumping.

Here's an interesting fact: Gastric Bypass patients may lose faster than Lap Band patients right away after surgery, but long term data shows that ultimately the weight loss is comparable between both surgeries. It also shows that the serious complication rate of the Lap Band by no fault of the patient is only 5%. http://www.futurity.org/health-medicine/weight-stays-off-long-after-lap-band-surgery/

Ultimately, you have to do what is best for you. Best wishes on whatever you decide.

If I was starting from scratch I would consider either the band or sleeve. I've seen too many people with bypass either not lose much, gain back, or lose too much and look sickly. I've been happy with my band but it has definitely been a pain in the ass sometimes. If someone were to put me on the spot right now and ask me if I wanted sleeve or band I'd probably lean towards sleeve but I'd be just as happy to have the band again. Honestly, I haven't researched the sleeve enough to know what kind of pain in the ass side effects it has so maybe if I had it I'd have the same annoyances I have with the band. The good thing is, I can live with annoyances. Lol.

I chose the band because of lower complications and reversible. I feel what I needed was a constraint/restriction. I am 4 days post-op and things are going swimmingly, not that some problems aren't ahead, but feel with the band restricting my food amounts, I think that I have a good chance to succeed! One of the worries is that I could not lose the weight before and the band does not do it for you! But I still feel what it will do is help me! So it's more of a tag team match against my obesity. I did not want the inside of my body changed without the ability to restore it! We all want to change the outside!

I have my surgery to get the lap-band next month. I had several surgeons I could go with but I picked the one I did because of the follow-up program he has. Plus every single person that works in the clinic with the exeption of the surgeon has the lap-band. If your surgeon doesn't do many lap-bands and that is what you want I would really reconsider surgeons. I think that the follow-up care and sticking with the program post-op will be key to success.

My surgeon wanted me to do the vertical sleeve, but with my research I decided the band was right for me. She told me that I could expect to lose 40-60% of my excess weight whatever surgery I chose, and I decided the band had less risk of initial complications and food issues. I didn't like the sound of dumping or never actually feeling satiated, along with the longer recoveries involved with bypass or sleeve.

Really it is a personal decision and you need to weigh the pros and cons of each type to make an informed decision. You know your body and your own weight issues better than anyone else.