Watch Video then answer True or False

[Gaffer 1]

I'd like to remind you all of a doctor who for 30 years everyone said was crazy. Now you ALL follow his advice, if not to the letter, his main idea. His name was Robert Atkins. Anyone still thing Bagels and spaghetti are health foods out there???

By-pass is a valuable and successful surgery. Over time we will see which surgery is better in the long haul. That he does a variation of by-pass is great. That is how science moves forward. Maybe his variation is not an improvement, maybe it will be the only surgery done in ten years.

I don't like the blaming of the patient here. We all got to be morbidly obese. We all tried many things that didn't work. You know there are complications with the band, it isn't a fit for everyone. I personally have had a much harder time with my band than most of you do.

To the woman who asked the original question...learn what you can, do a pro and con chart, and make your best decision. What is important is that you have surgery (assuming you have tried all the other blah blah). To me, which kind of surgery is a toss up.

I dont think anyone is bashing other WLS. What I am bashing is this Dr.'s tactics to try and market HIS own specialty by using false information from a lapband failure who was clearly not following the guidelines neccesary for the band to work.

We can rest assured that when this patient eats the same way she did to cause the band to fail, her MGB will fail also. No matter what WLS this lady has, and I am not adressing anyone except for the lady in the video, she is bound to fail unless she changes her eating behavior. It is not a case of the tool being faulty but rather the user.

A

[jason2116 0]

see i totally relate to patient. while i have been sucessful with my band (so far), i have the same problems she does. meat and veggies get stuck, carbs go down. if i loosen my band a tiny bit, i have no restriction. as she gets more and more hungry from lack of any healthy food, especially Protein, she is more vunerable to the evil lure of junk food.< /p>

about the doctor??? i don't know, is he passionate about his beliefs? or is he a money grubing scammer? you know in another video of his, he states that the popularity of the band is going down in europe, and by-pass is going back up. remember, we really just got the band. a huge percent of banders were banded in just the last two years in the U.S. I'm so curious to know if what he says about rates in europe are true.

[MCOBandita 0]

There doesn't seem to be much information on the Mini Gastric Bypass online. After looking at some illustrations on Dr. Rutledge's website it looks like a surgery which the initial Doctor I consulted with once used. He said that the staples which would be formed to the right could be pulled out if this area was stretched by food. He told me that he only performed about 20 of these surgeries before switching to the lap-band.

There were some key positive aspects of the lap band which made me choose to go with it vs. other WLS: the surgery is less invasive, the fact that the lap-band is reversible, you are less likely to lose hair and suffer from malabsorbtion, and you can have the band tailored to your needs through fills and unfills.

Watching my closest friend struggle with Gastric Bypas over the last 18 months also influenced my decision. She lost a tremendous amount of weight in the first 6 months - close to 100 pounds. But since then she has gained and lost and cannot seem to get any lower than 265. I think she has learned eating habits to avoid dumping syndrome. She picks at small amounts all day long so she avoids any pain and discomfort. I also think she made a mistake when she ignored her Doctor's instructions and started eating whole foods (chicken wings!) a week after her surgery. I believe that she stretched her new stomach pouch that way.

Ultimately it is a personal decision. Obviously there isn't only one surgery to work for everyone. I think it is important to dicuss all of your eating habits and any physical conditions with your Doctor and let them advise you on your best option. I also found it helpful to talk to several different Doctors to understand the differences in pre-op and post-op support that they offer.

Here is some additional info which you might find useful:

Illustration of Mini Gastric Bypass:

http://clos.net/mgb_drawing01.htm

Article on Lap Band Weight Loss vs. Gastric Bypass:

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/lapband/cmsID,8222/mode,content/a,cms/

Article on Mini Gastric Bypass:

http://www.newsweekshowcase.com/healthcare/clos-gastric-bypass.php

[stacyrtl 0]

Man, I watched that video, and I also thought it was a joke. Every single person on here who has had success with the Lap-Band, is a testimonial to the fact that this surgery works.

Even though I am only 7 days post-op, I have no hunger. I feel completely satisfied. I just wonder if she was drinking enough, maybe she was confusing hunger for what was actually thirst.

Stacy

[Elisabethsew 50]

What I would have liked to seen addressed more fully pre-op is the frustration of getting to a proper level of restriction. Gastric bypass patients begin losing right away whereas lapband patients have to go through a healing process and get a first fill 4-8 weeks post-op. Because I have the largest band and because my surgeon tends to prefer 6 weeks inbetween fills, it took me until now to get proper restriction.

Patience is definitely called for when you opt for the band but I don't regret opting for it over gastric bypass.

Do your research and ask LOTS of questions.

[White06 0]

I think if you try hard enough you can find something bad in everything. We all have had some sort of problem with the band. You have to change your thinking or it wont work. Head hungar is a powerful thing but with the band as a "tool" we can overcome it. Look at all the positives.....inproved health and happiness, improved self esteem!!! Those are all worth this journey of self improvement, dont you think!!!!!