i wrote on here about 2 weeks ago to ask for advice because he wanted to do the bypass. so many of you were shocked and told me to find another doctor. as i stated before i only have one other choice and shes the same way( likes the bypass better). anyway ive been emailing my doctor. i made the mistake of asking a few questions about the bypass vs the band. i did tell him that for one year ive only been focusing on the band and that the bypass scares me. he wrote back today not answering my questions but stating that in my situation the bypass is the best choice and that i would have better results. now the only situation that i have is that im overweight 140pounds according to him. i dont have any other health problems. i told him that on this website ive read that people have lost more than 50lbs and that it can be done. he did say that he would support me no matter what i choose. the only reason why i even put the thought of bypass in my head was because of the surgeon and my co workers pushing it on me. i just want to make the right choice and have success not just at first but long term. my doctor is calling me tomorrow so any feedback would be great

thanks

andrea

I also had only the choice of two Dr.'s My first choice (did my moms) said he did not do banding he didnt see any benifits to it. So if you wanted to be banded you have to go to the other dr. to do it.So I considered just doing the bypass. But that little voice in the back of my head was telling me diffrently so I met with the other dr. And it confirmed for me that the band was what i wanted to do. The band is what iv been thinking about for the last 2 years but when the dr. puts that little doubt in your head it sucks! I'm 150 lbs. overweight with not other heath problems so I think the Band is right for me because i dont medically have to go so drastic with bypass to lose weight fast for my heath. I have time to lose. Hope I made so sense. Go with the little voice in the back of your head cause thats usally the ansewer. good luck

Have you seen this sticky? http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/who-has-lost-over-100-pounds-16050/ Losing 100+ pounds has been done many times!

thanks, ever since ever i went to the surgeon and having my co workers pressure me i felt like crap and depressed so i kind of knew that the bypass wasnt for me. my gut was telling me no, its sounds good at first but if you really think about it its so drastic and theres no turning back. for me this is my one and only choice, i dont want to have more than one surgery. so i need this to work.

andrea

This is YOUR body that you have to live with for the rest of your LIFE!! This is YOUR decision....not your surgeon's and not your co-workers'. Remember that.

well my surgeon did call me yesterday and we talked. i told him that i feel scared about the bypass and really feel good about the band, he said that he doesnt want to push anything on me but the bypass would be better. he said that it is a trial and error with the band and that i have to be patient especially when it comes to fills it may take a few before it works and for me not to expect alot of weight loss. i felt better telling him my decision but now he may not be able to operate on me for awhile because he needs another patient to do us both on the same day because he needs a proctor to supervise. ( hes not certified in maine yet he just got here 1 month ago)

andrea

well my surgeon did call me yesterday and we talked. i told him that i feel scared about the bypass and really feel good about the band, he said that he doesnt want to push anything on me but the bypass would be better. he said that it is a trial and error with the band and that i have to be patient especially when it comes to fills it may take a few before it works and for me not to expect alot of weight loss. i felt better telling him my decision but now he may not be able to operate on me for awhile because he needs another patient to do us both on the same day because he needs a proctor to supervise. ( hes not certified in maine yet he just got here 1 month ago)

andrea

Andrea,

I understand you may have to travel, but I'd consider finding another surgeon. Likely if your surgeon needs proctor, it MIGHT be that he hasn't placed the new AP band and he needs a proctor to go over placement with him (it's a little different), but it may be because he isn't certified by Inamed yet, period. And that's okay, he's not necessarily incompetent, he's may just be brand new to banding. He may have done tons of various laparascopic procedures and maybe has done hundreds of bypasses, but he likely hasn't done many bands.

Given the history of his pushing and pushing you to have bypass done, I'm leaning toward him not having done many bands. Do you want to be someone's first or second band ever? I *might* if I was comfortable and confident with the surgeon when I interviewed him. Based on what you've told us of your conversations with him, I would NOT be comfortable with his confidence in his own abilities or his own willingness to learn and try the latest advancements.

Seriously, GO FIND ANOTHER SURGEON. I know you have kids, many of us do. I understand you may work, many of us do, I know it must be hard to arrange, but Andrea, this is your body and your new life you are dealing with here. Find a day or two that you can set aside to travel to an appt. Really think about this, please.

From what I understand being Allergan/Inamed (allergan is the new name) certified to place the band is not state by state. It's one time. You can call Allergan and ask them if your surgeon is certified. The website is lapband.com and you should be able to find a link to look him up. What is his name, BTW? You can look him up on obesityhelp.com and on tha American Society of Bariatric Surgeons (asbs.org) to see if he's a member. Please do these things, or PM me the name or post it here and we'll see what we can find out about him to see how much experience he has.

I know it might seem difficult but, I have two small children (4,2) and could not find a dr. within an hour of where I live. So I started looking for one in my state that I could be comfortable with. I can tell you from prev. experience you need to be totally at peace with your choice in a Dr. About two years ago I had a breast reduction and had the Dr. my insurance recomended. I wasn't comfortable but there was only one other in the town I live in. Well now I can't even stand to look in the mirror, and you can forget about my hubby seeing them. When I asked why I was disfigured he said, " You had a reduction for medical reasons (my back) correct. Do you still have those problems? ( I said no). Then I did what I was supposed to do. The insurance company only paid to have the medical problems taken care of." Since then I am more careful with who I choose and you should be also. I traveled 3 hours to have the band done, but I am fully confident in my Dr. Yes it takes alot of time (the travel) but it's my body and health and I want to take care of it. Hope this helps. Find a doc that you know will take you and your feelings and support them.

The last thing I would want would be to be someone's training guinea pig.

From what you have said, my choice would be to either do the gastric bypass with him since he has experience at it or travel to another city to have the lap band.

I would not let anyone do either surgery who you do not have absolute confidence in and the only way to have confidence in them is if they have an extensive and exemplary track record.

his name is dr.peter lalor, he used to work at the cleveland clinic i do need to find out more he did say that he did lapbands for two years there. i am a little nervous being his first one here. i may see if i can get the other surgeon who works here. i heard that she is mostly for the bypass also but i do know that shes done over 45 bands here in maine. some of my friends think that dr.lalor is a good doctor because he emails me and has called me but so many on this website have told me to find another doctor.

andrea

You would not be asking these questions if you were comfortable with him. If you are not comfortable with him, then find someone else.

I totally agree. I am in the process of switching surgeons as well just because I didn't get good vibes from the psych he uses or his nurse. Very snippy. Yes it will take longer but you have time. Start trying to do a little dieting in preparation for your surgery and excerciseing and at 57 I know time goes fast but I still want to wait till I find someone I like and am comfortable with. A lot of people travel to get Lap-band done and even though you are busy if this is something you really want you'll figure out how to get it done right.

thank you for the feedback, i have been asking alot of questions about my surgeon because i want to be sure hes good. when he called me he asked if i had any questions but i forgot to ask him some things so i decided to get some info on him from someone else. i am trying to get info from the internet but am having a hard time finding any. i am realizing now that i shouldnt hurry just because my insurance is running out soon. if i have to get other insurance then wait for approval than thats what i have to do. i am a little up and down on things lately i feel all over the place because i just want to do whats best. i know that there are other doctors out there if i dont feel comfortable. at first i was discouraged because the surgeon talked down about the band. he told me that the band can be successful but it takes alot of work and is slower and there may be ups and downs, i can deal with this ,it sounds like he is telling me the facts, thats alot better than our first conversation that we had when he preferred doing the bypass. i do feel more confident in him since weve talked, at least hes willing to talk to me and is willing to answer any questions i have. some doctors meet with you once and then you dont see them until surgery so at least i can get a better feel for him by talking to him. again i really do appreciate the feedback it makes me sit back and think whats important in a doctor and what to expect.

andrea

YOU DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO! First of all, you are doing the RIGHT thing by being on this website and getting advice and feedback. Don't do the surgery (either one) until you are 100% sure of which one you want to do.

I found that a lot of surgeons did not know enough about Lap Band, since its so new in the US. Gastric has been done over and over. I could sit here and tell you the pros and cons about each, but I'm sure you've already done that research. The guy I'm dating is doing Gastric-Bypass, I had Lap Band. Everybody is different and it is an individual choice.

The reasons I had Lap Band over Bypass:

1) My eating patterns were perfect for a lap band patient. I worked all day long and never ate. I'd get home and gorge on a 3,000 calorie dinner. I wasn't a snacker (which they say is more along the lines of a bypass pt).

2) It's reversable. I know there will be so many new surgeries and techniques out there in 10 or even 15 years. I want to know that if something better comes along, I'm not stuck with the band. With bypass, your stomach is gone.

3) I'm really bad at taking Vitamins. Bypass pt's MUST take a TON of vitamins because malnutrition has been such a big problem. Many bypass pts find themselves in their doctor's office having to get B12 shots due to lack of nutrition.

4) Non-invasive surgery. There's just something about reconstructing my anatomy that seriously scares me. Lap Band is a safer surgery.

Now, here are some reasons why my 'friend' is doing Gastric Bypass:

1) He has Kaiser. They do not have enough surgeons that know about Lap Band and they are scared of the procedure and the aftercare. (costs?).

2) He doesn't want to have to have 'fills'. Once bypass is done, it's done.

3) He has very poor eating habits and Snacks all day long. Bypass is a better choice for him because the only restriction is the size of his stomach. He can still eat whatever he wants.

4) He needs to take the weight off faster since he's over 400 pounds. None of this, "It's more healthy to take it off slow..." It's not, if you're so over weight you might die. GET THE WEIGHT OFF NOW!

5) No chance of erosion, slippage, rejection of an implant, etc.

***********

So, these are just some of the ups and downs, pros and cons that arose in my life. Hopefully that will help you a little. Do some research, ask people, keep a tally going and weigh the options for yourself. You'll know in your heart which surgery is right for you!

GOOD LUCK!

faithmd i just went on the obesity website that you told me about and found out some info on dr.lalor it didnt say much. one thing that i have to find out is if he is board certified. it said that that info wasnt available,(thats weird) it also said that the was a general surgeon. i emailed the director of the program with some questions but i hope she doesnt email them to him like she did before. he probably thinks that i am difficult because i ask so many questions

andrea