i met with the surgeon today and he is all for the bypass. he said that only 1 out of 6 people succeed with the band and that i will probably only lose about 50 pounds and i need to lose 140. he said that the bypass would be better and that hes not a huge fan of the band. now what? this whole time ive been totally committed to having the band and now he is trying to convince me to do the bypass. also my bmi is 49 and he wont do the band on people who is over 50 talk about being close. i went to work today and talked to my boss who also is a doctor and she told me today that she feels that the band wont work and that the bypass is the way to go and that i am taking the shortcut by doing the band. im so confused. i feel so disappointed with my visit to the doctor today. any comments?

andrea

Noted to add, think it's some kind of vengence for not agreeing with him that RNY is better, which is why he's being so stubborn on filling me up!

My doctor had the RNY himself, and was really a huge fan of it.

In my group meeting, I was the only one there interested in lap-band.. and he kept going on and on about how he thinks RNY is better.

But I chose lap-band, and he supported me on it.. He said he would rather give his daughter RNY than lap-band.

I asked him point blank, why?

And his theory was that lap-band is adding a foreign object to your body, which is risky, yadda yadda.

But my brain says.. yeah but at least my insides aren't mutilated and deformed.. Said lap-band can be removed, you can't undo all that butchering

If you WANT the lap-band, find a doctor who will support that decision.

The hundreds os stainless steel surgical staples that are used to close the incisions made during RNY surgery remain in the patient's body as "Foreign Objects" also.

thanks so much for your feedback. it helps more than you know, i called the head cordinator of the weight loss program and talked to her about my visit she was very helpful and she didnt take any sides, she said that i should go to a few more support groups and she was going to email some lapband patients emails so i could talk to them, i am not going to let this get me down. i still want and need to lose weight so i need to be positive even if other arent

andrea

time for another opinion. Every doctor has their preference.

I started out wanting GPB but there was one stat which made my mind up for me as far as band over GBP:

GPB Mortality Rate: 4%

Band Mortaility Rate: 0%

Losing weight is not important enough to risk my life if there is a less dangerous and equally effective alternative.

i am in the same boat. let me know what you will do.

my doc does both surgeries and presented the pros and cons of both and left the decision with me - actually I think he leans toward lapband - bottom line at the end your in the same place either way - the weight is off and now you have to maintain - bypass you have to learn portion control and right foods and excercise - lapband - you're already doing it

My surgeon does both surgeries and leaves it up to his patients to make the choice. He gives all the info on both, including a pros/cons list for both. My surgeon and his staff are very supportive, no matter what you choose. Find one like him!!!

I Would Get A New Doctor.

Just my personal opinion, see another doctor. The by pass is very major surgery. This doctor sounds like he may be in it for the $$$$$.

My doctor said that at first all he did was by pass. Now he says he will never do another bypass. The band is easier on everyone. Do not let this doctor talk you into anything. See another dr. This is your decision and only yours. Good luck. Let me know what happens.

Just another note. I do not know where you live, but the majority of people live within an hour or two of a major city. I would go see a dr., in some major city. It is your body and your money you are spending. What is a few miles to drive to get to see a good doctor. Now I will hush. Good luck

thanks for the feedback, there is another doctor here who will do the band but i heard that she is more for the bypass also, i may have to go further away, i just dont want to have to do the program all over somewhere else. ive had so many people tell me to get a new doctor so i should investigate. ill let you know what i decide.

andrea

I TOTALLY agree with the others... my starting BMI was 49.7 and like you.. my insurance company will not do surgery on anyone over a 50 BMI.. but my surgeon actually told me he would prefer the band for people my size... he likes to "save" the bypass for those who are seriously seriously overweight.. like who have 200-300 to lose.

If you really want the band let him know..and if he refuses..find another surgeon!

My primary care doctor told me that he WOULD NOT authorize lapband. I just faked the funk and waited to see the surgeon. The surgeon asked me what type of surgery I wanted and I told him lapband and here I am 3 days out from lapband surgery and feel real good.

Of course, it is noted that RNY patients lose their weight faster, but just like the above post, after 5 years the lapband and the RNY patient would had lost the same amoutn of weight they needed.

You just have to go with your gut. That's what I did.

I had a friend who got the bypass and she only lost about 30lbs before she started regaining. Now I have a gut feeling that she didn't and still doesn't eat right. What I am trying to say is that the bypass is NO GUARANTEE. Plus, when doing my research to decide lap-band vs. bypass, I had found that some people had gotten the lap-band after a FAILED BYPASS!!! I chose the lap-band because I am not done having children yet, plus with the lap-band my stomach and intestine are not cut and re-routed. Not to mention that with the bypass you drop weight fast and most people will tend to have to have reconstructive surgery to remove excess skin folds. I agree with everyone else, do your research, KNOW the pros and cons of both, and then make your decision. Both are a life changing event and with both you WILL have to modify your eating habits and behavior to make either successful. What turned me onto the lap-band is that it can be filled when you start gaining weight, and unfilled when you have reached and maintained your goal or when you want to get pregnant. I don't know if you are planning to have any/more children but look at Carnie Wilson, she had bypass lost all that weight and then got pregnant and is now working her but off to lose the baby weight. I say go with your instinct but do your homework. In the end if you feel bypass is for you, GO FOR IT! This step is for you and you alone, don't let a doctor (who may or maynot be persueded by $$) make the decision for you. A second opinion won't hurt.