Hi, I am still thinking of which surgery to choose. It would help me a lot to here from you all your choice and your reasons for that choice. I want to know all the factors that are or were involved in your choice of surgery. Also if you already had the surgery I'd like to here how you are living since you had the surgery. THANK YOU!!

If you really want to know everyone's reason, start by reading about them in past threads and posts. There are thousands of stories on here. That will provide you with much more insight than the few responses you might receive to this one thread.

Same goes for post surgery life style. Happy reading. Try the search too.

the lap band chose me. I went into surgery planning on a gastric bypass. I was having the bypass because of my high bmi and diabetes and my health in general. but due to adhesions and scarring there wasn't enough small intestine to pull up and connect to the esophagus. but all my health issues have gone to the wayside. I no longer even take my blood sugar any more. and before surgery I was on a lot of insulin. I no longer have to take bp medication and I was on 3. so all my health issues are mostly gone and I didn't have to have anything re routed. I am happy with the band.

I choose the best surgeon and practice in our area, and I listened to his advice. He strongly advocated the lap band, based on my age, weight and other health issues. My wife had the sleeve, but was considering the band. Again, the surgeon made the suggestion as to what would work best. But, you really have to trust that the surgeon is experienced and knows his stuff.

I had RNY gastric bypass. I had acid reflux and this was the best option for me. This type of surgery had one of the lowest revision rates. If I undergo the surgery once, I do not want to repeat the process again. It also provided the greatest weight loss the quickest and those that underwent the surgery had sustained weight loss over time.

On the negative side, my stomach is no longer able to synthesize many of the Vitamins my body needs so I am required to supplement several vitamins for the remainder of my life.

My primary physician referred me to the bariatric clinic when I asked if I might be a good candidate for a lap band. My older sister had a gastric bypass years ago and had complications with an abdominal infection. What surprised me was that there was a third option called vertical sleeve gastrectomy, which I had never heard of. I liked the idea that there was no re-routing of my intestines, and no abdominal port like with the band.

So, I took the option of the sleeve and do not regret it. I am over halfway to goal and feel better because my spine (which was collapsing under my weight) does not have to bear such a burden. My internal systems are much happier with my healthy Protein - rich diet. I have been dropped from two medications related to pre-diabetes. I am very happy with my decision and would do it again.

The decision for surgery is personal for all of us. What is right for one may not be right for the other. I chose RNY because I thought it would give me the best results based on the amount of weight I needed to loose. Whichever surgery you choose will be the right one for you.

Best of luck!

I chose the RNY bypass because I was diabetic, had high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. I also had over 100 pounds to lose to get to a normal BMI. I am 8 months post-op and have lost 105 pounds with 5 more to go. No complications and I can eat everything I want in just much smaller amounts. I do try to eat healthy and exercise every day. Life is good. No regrets!

Oops! I do try to eat healthy and exercise every day. Life is good, no regrets!

Hi Risky Girl,

I'm very new here also, but have been doing a lot of reading recently - have not had surgery yet. My surgeon recommended the gastric sleeve to me. He said he would not recommend the lap band, as he has had to take more out lately than he would like. It seems that even those with lots of extra weight do get the lap band and have great luck though. My thoughts were: 1) Go with what the surgeon recommended 2) I didn't really want the maintenance of a lap band (going in for fills) 3) I wanted a reduced risk of dumping syndrome which I think is more common with the lap band? 4) I wanted to aim for a longer term solution than the lap band might offer 5) I did not like the idea of re-routing my small intestine - just personally seemed too much fiddling around with my insides! 6) A guy at work just had the gastric sleeve and he is thrilled with the results.....Those are just some of the reasons, but I'm sure you'll find many more as you read.

Best,

Janet