Hi -

I hope I'm posting in the correct forum.

I am pre-band. I've gone through all my tests and am waiting for a surgery date. When I had my behavioral assessment, the assessor recommended I see a therapist to deal with so many changes in my life (new baby, new job, new city, etc.) because I was feeling overwhelmed.

I met with the therapist yesterday and she is a RNY success story. She said she was nearly 340lbs and now she's a size 8. When I told her I wanted to have the LB, she didn't say anything, but said that I should look closer at RNY because I have "control" issues and she thinks that I may fail at the LB.

The internist at the surgeons' clinic also recommended RNY because of so many life changes. I'm getting confused. Especially because I thought having the LB would reduce the amount of loose skin (which I'm discovering is not the case), and because I am honestly fearful of the idea of having my organs re-routed.

But since the therapist has also recommended RNY, and cited my own thought processes as the reason I may fail, I don't know what to do.

How do you know which decision to make? How do you know that the LB vs. RNY is the right decision for you? I am 287lbs and want to get down to about 170. Even the surgeon said I probably wouldn't get that thin because of the statistics.

Thanks in advance for your feedback,

Nathalie

wow thats a heavy to put on you isn't it. Of course the rny therapist is going to oped for you to have what she had. PCP's know more about the rny than the lap-band so they tent to favor that only because of lack of knowledge.

I met a women a few months ago that had the rny I have no idea what she weighed, but she sure needs it agian.

Both surgeries are good if you willing to work. neither is a fix it for ever treatment unless you THINK about what your doing, what your putting in your mouth.

Over all weight loss for both surgeries is between 75-100 according to my pcp after that it is up to you.

I asked my surgeon if his wife was having WLS which one would he want her to have. His answer after waiting a few minutes was if it was her or myself I would have the lap band first. If it didn't get the results I wanted then I could always chose the rny. It is the safest non-evasive surgery out there.

Ask your surgeon. You have to decide if it is going to work for you no matter which surgery you chose.

For me my major thing was I didn't want the risks that came with the rny. It just isn't worth it to be to be thin and sick and perhaps die. I would rather stay fat. So when I heard of the band I did lots of head thoughts and research and prayer.

I am 11 months out. I haven't gone on the scale in about 5 weeks but last check I was 73+ pounds down. I am the type of person that needs the check ups witht the Dr to keep me on task. I don't mind the fills once in a while and I like the fact that I can eat just about anything I want.

Good luck and keep us posted as to what you do. Either was we are here to help support you.

Dear Nathalie,

I heard that from the professionals in my program as well... including doctors, nurses, and therapists... however, RNY was a definite NO for me, so they finally agreed to do the lapband. (Though I could tell by the looks I got that they didn't think it would be very successful.) I was going through some major changes in my life as well and had struggled (and I mean struggled!) to get just nine pounds off before the surgery. (They would have been much happier with more weight loss before surgery, and I probably have "not very compliant" written somewhere all over my charts! LOL)

Well, I am eight months out and down 91 pounds and still losing! YAY! YOUR determination is what will make it work for you. I didn't want to compromise my health with the RNY and I AM SO GLAD I didn't. My "gut feeling" (no pun intended! LOL) was to do the lapband. Everyone is different, and many do better with bypass, but for me, I KNEW I didn't want to go that route and I was determined to make this work and it is! YAY!

It really is YOUR decision. Their advise is helpful and certainly to be considered, but in the end it is YOUR body. SO, READ, READ, READ everything you can get your hands on so you can make an informed decision for YOURSELF!

Blessings to you,

Mary

I don't think you can fully trust a therapist that is a successful RNY patient with this decision. The therapist will always be slanted toward the RNY and will see things in you that would push you to RNY. I would get a view from a therapist that isn't a WLS patient but that knows both options and compare recommendations.

I was a binge eater, pre-band and I still have major control issues. Many docs think that a binge eater won't do well with the band. My doc thinks that binge eaters do great with the band because it stops the binge -- and that binge eaters are expecially made for the band (because we eat pretty well most of the time but can't stop the binge until we're banded). This has definitely been my experience. Also, I feel like I'm in control of my food for the first time (maybe in my life), which is rewarding for a control freak like me. With RNY, I'm not sure I'd have that control. At the very least, it would not be adjustible, which was the winning factor for me.

I do think RNY is the right choice for many people, but I wouldn't rely solely on someone who had been successful with a particular procedure in making my own decision.

Thank you all so much for your replies.

I have done the research and LapBand is what I chose after reading and reading and reading. The surgeon and the behavioral assessor agree with my decision and fully support me. That makes me feel better.

I know that I will be successful. I am a binge eater - and I also know what happens to my stomach when I can't eat a lot! While pregnant I had complications that seriously restricted the amount of food I could eat at one time. I lost 90 pounds from the day I got pregnant through the week after I delivered. I've (unfortunately) gained most of that back. But I know that if I can get to that point again, I will make healthy choices, exercise and lose weight.

I still can't help thinking "but what if" - do you all get that? But what if I fail? But what if I can't stop eating? But what if I fall into a depression and don't follow through with my doctor. I suppose I need to find a close knit support group (online and in person) to share my success and help me through my struggles.

I am crying right now - thank you all so much for helping me clear my head. It's such a desperate thing for me - I've always been dead set against surgical options thinking I had enough control to diet and exercise myself thin. I can't do it. But with some help and some friends I know I'll make it.

Thank you for sharing your success and your opinions. Thanks, too for the PMs.

Big Love to you all!

Nathalie

I met with the therapist yesterday and she is a RNY success story.

DO not let her cast any doubt in your mind. Of course she will want you to have th RNY because she did

How do you know which decision to make? How do you know that the LB vs. RNY is the right decision for you? I am 287lbs and want to get down to about 170. Even the surgeon said I probably wouldn't get that thin because of the statistics.

I started at 265 and 18 months later with my band I was 164, it is possible do not let any Dr. or anyone else tell you otherwise. I will say this, the band is not a magic wand, you will have to do some of the work and not rely on the band to do it all. You do have to have your "head" right. I got my head right for the first time in my life with my band. If you want this band enough you can get your "head" right.

Don't race into any decision until you explore and UNDERSTAND all the options available to you. Many people will have opinions but it's YOUR body and it's ultimately YOUR decision.

I chose the band because I have seen too many people who had major complications the gastric bypass. For me it was the band or just give up, and I knew I couldn't give up. The possible complications from the band were just more in line with what I was willing to accept. It's a very personal decision for every one of us. Keep researching and reading here until you are very sure which surgery is right for you. Best of luck~

Emily

Hi -

I hope I'm posting in the correct forum.

I am pre-band. I've gone through all my tests and am waiting for a surgery date. When I had my behavioral assessment, the assessor recommended I see a therapist to deal with so many changes in my life (new baby, new job, new city, etc.) because I was feeling overwhelmed.

I met with the therapist yesterday and she is a RNY success story. She said she was nearly 340lbs and now she's a size 8. When I told her I wanted to have the LB, she didn't say anything, but said that I should look closer at RNY because I have "control" issues and she thinks that I may fail at the LB.

The internist at the surgeons' clinic also recommended RNY because of so many life changes. I'm getting confused. Especially because I thought having the LB would reduce the amount of loose skin (which I'm discovering is not the case), and because I am honestly fearful of the idea of having my organs re-routed.

But since the therapist has also recommended RNY, and cited my own thought processes as the reason I may fail, I don't know what to do.

How do you know which decision to make? How do you know that the LB vs. RNY is the right decision for you? I am 287lbs and want to get down to about 170. Even the surgeon said I probably wouldn't get that thin because of the statistics.

Thanks in advance for your feedback,

Nathalie

Nathalie,

I too am pre-band and want you to be be very, very, very careful. I have spent a lot of time in this and the www.obesityhelp.com forums and the trend is that the surgeon lays out the options and then the PATIENT decides. Now, sometimes the insurance carrier will only approve certain types of weight loss procedures and excludes lapband from their procedures list. However, it doesn't sound like this is the case for you.

What I will tell you is that right now the push for many hospitals is to earn the "Center of Excellence" designation. I don't know all the criteria for the designation, but I wouldn't be surprised if the number and type of procedures performed is one of the criteria.

When I specifically asked my surgeon which one she recommended for me. She said it was up to me, but given that insurance coverage wasn't a factor, she always suggests the lapband first and the RNY as the last resort. She told me that the gastric bypass has been the U.S. gold standard for many years and some surgeons prefer to perform that surgery exclusively.

Considering surgeon's input, the extensive research I've done on both procedures, what I know about myself, what I'm willing to change, and what risks I'm willing to take with my life, I chose the lapband.

Bottom line . . . this time it's not about what the surgeon wants. You're the conductor of this train. So, if the lapband is what you want and their still pushing you towards the bypass, find another surgeon or surgeon group that can talk to you openly, honestly and without bias about BOTH procedures. That way you'll feel confident you've made the right decision for Nathalie.

How do you know that the LB vs. RNY is the right decision for you? I,

Nathalie

My daughter had the RNY several years ago and has been sick ever since. Her intestines twisted and she had to be hospitalized. She has intestinal problems, severe malapsorbtion, right now so is so anemic that if she can't turn it around with Iron etc she will have to be hospitalized again. Dumping is a real problem too, if too much sugar is eaten you get sick.

At the time the surgeon told her it was the "gold standard" but we sure wish she had gone to Mexico and had the lapband.

The lapband doesn't cause malnutrion because of malapsorbtion nor dumping or the other unpleasant and severe problems of the RNY. You should stay completely healthy with it. If you splurge a little on sugary things you won't suffer for it.

You can control the lapband - how much restriction etc. It is reversable, or you just leave it without a fill if you don't need it, not a surgery where organs are cut and rerouted.

You can always have the lapband and if you want to later on have the RNY, if you find you cannot work with the band.

After living with my daughter and seeing the side effects of this surgery, there is no way I would ever have the RNY.

Mary

Speaking as someone with control issues...I get what she's saying, but for those same reasons the RnY would not be my choice. Both the band and the RnY deliver immediate negative consequences for "breaking the rules." The DS (the surgery I now have) also provides negative consequences,but they are not immediate...kinda like getting fat isn't immediate. (LOL)

Some friends and I were joking that we all wanted a doughnut...but the banded friend would plug up and start sliming and the RnY friend would start dumping and that I would--the next day--have two extra trips to the toilet.

I don't know WHY having negative consequences the next day is less objectionable to my psyche, but--for me--it is. I guess because I CAN eat what I want to eat...where the band kept me from doing that.

Pick whichever surgery you can live with...because you are the only one who has to live with it.

How do you know that the LB vs. RNY is the right decision for you?

Dumping is a real problem too, if too much sugar is eaten you get sick.

I am going for lapband as I do not qualify for RNY Ny dh had RNY and he has done GREAT. NO dumping NO anemia, NO limit on sugar- too bad it would help his diet if he did any of those!!