6-17-13 Exploring options

[mojaleski 6]

Hi...I am new. I attended info session Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Ma a week ago and thought I was heading toward lap band surgery option.

Worried about all the complications I have been reading about. I am 70 years old and wonder if I am not setting myself up for possible further surgery at a time in my life down the road where I might not be such a good surgical risk.

Today I met with an old friend who had her RNY gastric bypass surgery 5 years ago. I had actually tried to talk her out of it at the time. I was active in OA, struggling along...and she had been told by the team she needed to lose weight prior to surgery. I said "if you can lose 20-30 lb. prior to surgery, why do you need surgery? Why wouldn't you just keep going?"

Needless to say I have put just under 100 of the 140 lb. I lost back on this body...and I know I need help to get my vitality and my body back before I am having to have knee and back surgery!!!

My friend is thrilled with her choice of this surgery. She has lost more than 100 lb. and kept it off. She looks FABULOUS and says food and weight are no longer an issue. She loves how she feels and strongly recommended I reconsider thinking of the lap band and get the bypass. After talking with her I am thinking this is a better option.

I will be meeting with my surgeon next Thursday, the 27th...and will have my mind open to whatever he tells me I should do. My hunch, right now is that the by pass surgery will be what he recommends .

Looking forward to any comments and to reading more in this forum.

Thanks.

Christine (my user nickname is mojaleski)

[SoccerMomma73 1,867]

The band is great or some but there's a large faction of us for whom t was total hell! I learned to live off liquids because my band was always acting up and making me miserable.glad you're doing your research and good luc!!!!

HW 312, pre-op (RNY) 255, current weight 210

[Ts1980 0]

I am in the beginning stages of having the bypass done as well. Like you, I went to the seminar thinking the lapband was going to be the route I went. The surgeon who did the seminar said that they don't even like doing the lapband any more because of all the long term problems that have resulted. My insurance won't cover the sleeve through the hospital I want to go through, so I am looking at the bypass. I've been reading and reading and reading everything I can find on the internet and am scared, but I know this is going to be the right decision for me. Good luck in your journey!

[tinyt 1]

I had the RNY, it was the best option for me. I have a co-work that had the lap band and he did not use the tool to help him succeed to have a healthier lifestyle and I had another co-worker who also had the rny and she lost over a 100 lbs. I am not saying one is better than the other because I have met others who have had both and have use the tool that was provided and lost and maintained their weight. Good Luck!

[BBdoodle 483]

Everyone that I know that has Lap Band has had problems, everyone I know who has had RNY have had no problems. I knew I wanted RNY because you lose the most weight with this choice.

[Lou:) 110]

I had true lap band and had to live off chips because that was the only thing that I wouldn't throw up. I had a revision to rny. It took 2years to lose 40 lbs with the band which I gained back when they loosened it due to complications. I am 9 weeks out on rny and have lost 31 lbs. This is great but I don't lose as much as first time rny patients because the band ruined my metabolism.

[Equestriangirl 11]

I'm going to be 55 yrs. old and am having gastric bypass on August 26. I went to my clinic seminar thinking that's the surgery I wanted because that it was the best long term statistic of loss of excess weight. That's because it uses the 2 modalities ( restrictive and malabsorption) But, you have to take a lot Vitamins and Calcium everyday for the rest of your life. After, my surgery consult, I knew that was the right surgery for me.

It's also important to find our how many surgeries has your surgeon has done, his complication rate and mortalities....

Best of luck in your journey.

[JustJenn 542]

I just read this I am thrilled for your friend! 5 years and still maintaining! That's motivating to me:) I was also a person who thought like that. I was so upset with my mom for getting rny 3 years ago because she lost 60 lbs before surgery... Why not just keep doing what your doing? It's hard! I now know better.

I know too many failed lap band stories that resulted in revision to rny.

Think about it. And I wish you all the best in your joinery!

Surgery date 7/25/12

[oldoneyoungagain 200]

Hi...I am new. I attended info session Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Ma a week ago and thought I was heading toward lap band surgery option.

Worried about all the complications I have been reading about. I am 70 years old and wonder if I am not setting myself up for possible further surgery at a time in my life down the road where I might not be such a good surgical risk.

Today I met with an old friend who had her RNY gastric bypass surgery 5 years ago. I had actually tried to talk her out of it at the time. I was active in OA, struggling along...and she had been told by the team she needed to lose weight prior to surgery. I said "if you can lose 20-30 lb. prior to surgery, why do you need surgery? Why wouldn't you just keep going?"

Needless to say I have put just under 100 of the 140 lb. I lost back on this body...and I know I need help to get my vitality and my body back before I am having to have knee and back surgery!!!

My friend is thrilled with her choice of this surgery. She has lost more than 100 lb. and kept it off. She looks FABULOUS and says food and weight are no longer an issue. She loves how she feels and strongly recommended I reconsider thinking of the lap band and get the bypass. After talking with her I am thinking this is a better option.

I will be meeting with my surgeon next Thursday, the 27th...and will have my mind open to whatever he tells me I should do. My hunch, right now is that the by pass surgery will be what he recommends .

Looking forward to any comments and to reading more in this forum.

Thanks.

Christine (my user nickname is mojaleski)

Mojaleski, I'll be 71 in August and had the lapband three years this last March. My cardiologist suggested it because I have dystolic dysfuction and needed to get the weight off from my heart and lungs. So I had the band, but I didn't do the research as well as I should have, so I think. The research is now coming in on the band and there are more complications than what they have thought even three years ago. I had my band out (never had a problem the whole time I had it and lost about 48 lbs. but it slipped. have 60 to go). On May 23 the band was removed because of this slippage (thank goodness that this was caught in time, there again didn't have a problem, because it could have erroded and I would be probably fighting for my life if that would have happened). I found out that my doctor had actually removed two other bands that day. So my research really started as now have to have yet another surgery for WL. I talked with the surgeon, he suggested either the sleeve or RNY, I then asked him what he would recommend for me. Since I'm a type II diabetic he stated RNY as the success of putting the diabetes in remission is in the 90% range. So more research. Since I didn't have enough information when I had the lap band I wasn't going to make a second mistake (surgery isn't on my bucket list), I looked at the sleeve but discovered not all the research has come in on that as it is a little newer than the lapband. So looked at RNY, which has been going on since I was in my 40's, and there is a lot of research there and that is why it is called the "gold standard". I want this to be my last elective surgery. Whatever decision you make I wish you luck. Just remember it is a tool, so as long as you follow the protocol for the rest of your life, you should be able to keep the weight off. Also on the lapband, you have to continually (somewhat) get fills or sometimes unfills, that will eventually stop though. With bypass, my doctor said after the initial year, you'll come back every year thereafter or we are suppose too. So good luck on your journey, I'm glad you have come on board, I felt lonely as haven't found another person our age. Stay posted and let us know what you decide we are here to support you whatever decision you make.