Gastric or LapBand?

[hayleylamas 74]

I am in the very beginning stages of perusing weight loss surgery with Kaiser. I haven't started the 12 week program of classes so I am still in the dark on all my options. My own research has led me to believe that Gastric seems to result in more weight loss than LapBand. I was wondering if you have been banded, how did you decide to go with that versus gastric? Are you losing the weight you wanted? Does it come to a stop after a certain point? Any information and personal experiences will greatly help! Also are the long term effects less severe with the band?

[Zingythingy 210]

Hi there I'm frances. I considered like you the bypass and the band. I opted for the band in the end. I was concerned about hair loss and problems with Vitamin deficiencies. I have pernicious anaemia (I don't absorb b vitamins) and other Vitamins are slow on the uptake..

I had 170llbs to lose. As of today I've lost 90llbs. My operation was july the 3rd. Its not a miracle cure but its a fabulous tool to help you if you commit yourself to a healthier lifestyle. I can't advice you one way or the other.. My only opinion is that the bypass is permanent I believe so if you have problems there's no options. My band has given me my life back. I could hardly walk, needed help washing and couldn't wipe myself properly after going to the bathroom.. I was a prisoner in my own body.. Now I'm free. It may take longer with the band but I'm a huge fan of my little silicone friend.. Good luck with your decision.

Sent from my GT-S5830 using LapBandTalk

[Zingythingy 210]

Hi there I'm frances. I considered like you the bypass and the band. I opted for the band in the end. I was concerned about hair loss and problems with Vitamin deficiencies. I have pernicious anaemia (I don't absorb b vitamins) and other Vitamins are slow on the uptake..

I had 170llbs to lose. As of today I've lost 90llbs. My operation was july the 3rd. Its not a miracle cure but its a fabulous tool to help you if you commit yourself to a healthier lifestyle. I can't advice you one way or the other.. My only opinion is that the bypass is permanent I believe so if you have problems there's no options. My band has given me my life back. I could hardly walk, needed help washing and couldn't wipe myself properly after going to the bathroom.. I was a prisoner in my own body.. Now I'm free. It may take longer with the band but I'm a huge fan of my little silicone friend.. Good luck with your decision.

Sent from my GT-S5830 using LapBandTalk

[Zingythingy 210]

Hi there I'm frances. I considered like you the bypass and the band. I opted for the band in the end. I was concerned about hair loss and problems with Vitamin deficiencies. I have pernicious anaemia (I don't absorb b vitamins) and other Vitamins are slow on the uptake..

I had 170llbs to lose. As of today I've lost 90llbs. My operation was july the 3rd. Its not a miracle cure but its a fabulous tool to help you if you commit yourself to a healthier lifestyle. I can't advice you one way or the other.. My only opinion is that the bypass is permanent I believe so if you have problems there's no options. My band has given me my life back. I could hardly walk, needed help washing and couldn't wipe myself properly after going to the bathroom.. I was a prisoner in my own body.. Now I'm free. It may take longer with the band but I'm a huge fan of my little silicone friend.. Good luck with your decision.

Sent from my GT-S5830 using LapBandTalk

[Zingythingy 210]

Hi there I'm frances. I considered like you the bypass and the band. I opted for the band in the end. I was concerned about hair loss and problems with Vitamin deficiencies. I have pernicious anaemia (I don't absorb b vitamins) and other Vitamins are slow on the uptake..

I had 170llbs to lose. As of today I've lost 90llbs. My operation was july the 3rd. Its not a miracle cure but its a fabulous tool to help you if you commit yourself to a healthier lifestyle. I can't advice you one way or the other.. My only opinion is that the bypass is permanent I believe so if you have problems there's no options. My band has given me my life back. I could hardly walk, needed help washing and couldn't wipe myself properly after going to the bathroom.. I was a prisoner in my own body.. Now I'm free. It may take longer with the band but I'm a huge fan of my little silicone friend.. Good luck with your decision.

Sent from my GT-S5830 using LapBandTalk

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

Ultimately, the best thing you can do is research both and decide which is the best option for you.

As for weight loss with the band, how much you lose is entirely up to you and what you're willing to work for. It's a myth that you won't lose as much with the band, in fact studies show that though weight typically comes off faster in the beginning with Bypass or the Sleeve, at the two year mark the amount of weight loss is comparable for all three surgeries.

On a personal note, I lost over 230 pounds in 20 months with the band. Ironically, I have lost more and faster than anyone I know with either the Sleeve or Bypass, too. I chose the band over the other two surgeries because I could not logically justify rerouting my intestines or hacking out 80% of my healthy stomach. I could not be more thrilled with my decision- my Lap Band not only gave me my life back it also saved it.

Best wishes on whatever you decide is best for you.

[cflick 303]

The reason will be different for ea of us. But as for myself I wanted a tool to help me in my new lifestyle forever ( in other words if something happens later pregnacy illness etc and i need help to get back on track i see dr for an adjustment)... also bc the band was the least envasive of the options. . I was banded april 3 of this yr... weight was 273 I am now 175.1... no doubt in my mind I will hit my goal weight. W that said I do my part...don't rely on the band to work magic... I excerise every day of the wk..and twice a wk I get 2 daily work outs in and I monitor everything I put in my mouth. I own my bad days as well as my good one. Good luck in yr journey!

[MandaMom23 684]

I researched all options excessively for a few years before pursuing the band. For me, the other options were just too invasive. I also liked that the band is removable if absolutely necessary, and I can have it adjusted as needed for the rest of my life. With the sleeve/bypass, if you stretch your stomach back out there's no simple adjustment to fix that, and once you're insides are cut out/ and or rerouted, you can't just put that back.

As for weightloss, I'm 9 months out, and have lost 120lbs. The weight I'm at now, was where I wanted to be after 2 years.

For me, the band has been an incredible TOOL. No matter which surgery you go with, you have to remember that you're responsible for making the right choices food wise, and it's up to you to put in the effort to make the weightloss happen. There's no quick fix, and at the end of the day, you have to decide what will work best for you.

Wishing you the best of luck with your decision!

[catfish87 3,471]

My intentions are not to badmouth any other WLS procedure here, just offer what I see.

I've had my band for a little over four years now...and had NO band caused problems. So, yes I'm thrilled with my choice.

What I will pass along is this:

I attend a local support group meeting in my area when my work schedule allows. There are RNY, sleeve, and band patients there.

There are successful and happy people with each surgery...no question about it.

The one thing that always stands out to me when someone that has had bypass or sleeve shows up saying they are no longer losing, or have started to regain even.... all the support group experts can offer is to tell them to diet. So sad as we've been doing that for years without success. For band patients, its "get an adjustment!"

Easy decision for me...I'd do the same procedure again tomorrow in a heartbeat! But would look at adding plication.

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,722]

do what works for you...any wls is a great resource.

and whatever you decide to get, follow the dr's instructions for best results.

[NewMeDebbie 196]

I am only 5 weeks out from my lap band. I did a lot of research but my sister who has a master's degree in nursing and nursing education and the bypass 7 years ago. She is the one who recommended the lap band for me. The bypass is much more invasive and you do have to deal with mal-absorption of nutrients and loss of hair (she lost alot of hair) but she did reach her goal weight and has kept it off. I did not want something that invasive. Although the lap band does seem to make you lose it slower, it is healthier and safer in the long term. At least from what I read and researched. Also, I must add that I have the Realize band - not the original Allergan LapBand. Another contributing factor is cost. My insurance did not cover bariatric surgery so lap band is much cheaper because it is less invasive. Out-patient surgery. I was home within hours of my surgery and back to work within days.

You ultimately have to make your own decision on what you think is best for you though...Good luck with your journey

[NewMeDebbie 196]

My intentions are not to badmouth any other WLS procedure here, just offer what I see.

I've had my band for a little over four years now...and had NO band caused problems. So, yes I'm thrilled with my choice.

What I will pass along is this:

I attend a local support group meeting in my area when my work schedule allows. There are RNY, sleeve, and band patients there.

There are successful and happy people with each surgery...no question about it.

The one thing that always stands out to me when someone that has had bypass or sleeve shows up saying they are no longer losing, or have started to regain even.... all the support group experts can offer is to tell them to diet. So sad as we've been doing that for years without success. For band patients, its "get an adjustment!"

Easy decision for me...I'd do the same procedure again tomorrow in a heartbeat! But would look at adding plication.

here is an analysis of the plication. It's a little dated but shows it to not be very effective...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21938578

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,722]

its effective to me...am very happy my dr offered it to me..

[NewMeDebbie 196]

its effective to me...am very happy my dr offered it to me..

What is effective? The lap band or the plication? or both? And how do you know?

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,722]

What is effective? The lap band or the plication? or both? And how do you know?

because i have the lap band and plication...17 months post op...145 pounds loss