Heres my story. After 41 years of being obese and 6 months of waiting for an appt with the surgeon I felt like I was being talked into bypass vs. banding. Although he didnt come out and actually say I should take the bypass route he asked if I would be happy being 200lbs (I am 260 now). He said with bypass I could get down easily....but the average banded pateint doesnt get to thier goal. He also doesnt do the bypass laproscopicly...he feels that the risk os greater and he opens the patient up. I am so confused and let down...I know I should probably see another surgeon but I dont want to wait another 4-6 months...HELP!!! Advice????

My surgeon said that he also recommended the bypass. I wasn't AT ALL comfortable with that. Ethically as well as risk wise. I just flat out told him no. He shrugged and said okay..... That was that.

To tell the truth I'd think twice about going to a dr who won't do either surgery laproscopically anymore. Is he trustworthy? My Dr does both like this (laproscopic). If you are cut opened you are subjected to more potential problems, major scarring being one of them. Sounds like he'll make more $$$ from the RNY.

Band vs RNY - my dr told me the major difference in the weight loss is the time and not the amount. It will take longer to lose with the band but after a couple of years the outcome will be the same. I hope she's right.

I was also told I should have bypass because I am diabetic and bypass is more effective on diabetes. I said no, I wanted banding. I was told that I wouldn't loose as much weight. I started at 273 and after 23 months, I am at 159. Also my diabetes has gone away. Stick to your guns and find another surgeon who does banding laproscopically.

I must not be normal cause I am only 1 lb from goal after 9 months, lol and if a lazy butt like me can do it............, Seriously, my surgeon tried to gently sway me to bypass also and I flat out refused. Does yours do the band laparascopically or does that have to be open also?

I wouldn't do any surgery open. My doc was more toward RNY (having had it himself), but he didn't tell me I was wrong for wanting the band, just threw out those statistics. I have lost 60% of my excess weight so far!

Every once in a while I do wish I had done RNY just so I'd be at goal already.. but then it passes, and I'm glad I did it the safer, reversible, etc. way.

Just my two cents, I would not opt for RNY given a choice. But that being said, I was prepared to do an open RNY 4 years ago, but was denied by insurance.

Both surgeries can be very successful, but both require carefully following the rules.

As for the cost, RNY is more costly upfront, but the band ensures the surgeon will keep seeing you for years upon years, so long term, he/she will probably come out ahead on the band.

There are certainly times when RNY or sleeve are better choices. When I had my surgery I had to stay overnight (due to distance). The lady in the room had RNY. We had the same surgeon and I knew he preferred the band or sleeve. But this lady traveled out of the country frequently and the doctor thought the RNY would be better for her. I would guess, that was in case she had to have an emergency unfill. Another quess here, she had insurance and I don't think any insurance is covering the sleeve yet, so that's probably why RNY.

Heres my story. After 41 years of being obese and 6 months of waiting for an appt with the surgeon I felt like I was being talked into bypass vs. banding. Although he didnt come out and actually say I should take the bypass route he asked if I would be happy being 200lbs (I am 260 now). He said with bypass I could get down easily....but the average banded pateint doesnt get to thier goal. He also doesnt do the bypass laproscopicly...he feels that the risk os greater and he opens the patient up. I am so confused and let down...I know I should probably see another surgeon but I dont want to wait another 4-6 months...HELP!!! Advice????[/quote

Kim

Ok you are only 10 lbs more than I was in July (and I am 12 yrs older than you) when I had lapband laproscopicly - ck out my ticker - your suregon is WRONG - go to the July 2007 thread - ck out bragging pictures - Your surgeon is WRONG.

I would find a new doctor - and they all don't have 6 month waiting list do they? I would find a new doc even if I had to wait another 6 months.

There are many people on this site who have lost 100% of their excess weight - Your surgeon is WRONG... Go to at or near goal thread.

Good Luck on your journey

I

my surgeon asked my why not bypass either, and at first I was pissed off, i had taken a long time to make up my mind and then he questioned me???? then I realized it was a test. The bypass essentially does the work for you and the band is just a tool. He wanted you to think long and hard about whether or not you were prepared to work for it as well as have the band. good luck. you'll make the right choice.....

Same story--my surgeon told me my acid reflux could be enhanced by the Band and with the bypass, I could "lose 100 pounds in a year" (he does mostly bypass). (Note: my acid reflux is GONE!)

Hey, at my age (60 then) I didn't want anything so invasive, and I've read it will take us 3 years to lose as much weight as the bypass patients lose in one--so what?!!! No dumping syndrome or any of the other problems associated with non-laproscopic surgery.

So I'm taking my good old time--losing an average of 2 pounds a week and working out 4 times a week--who's going to have the saggier skin?? Not me says I!! :glare:

PS Check with your insurance company and find another surgeon who will do it laproscopically, m'dear!

Thanks everyone...I actually have call in to a different surgeon..one my step sister and her friend see. One had the band for years...didnt do so well with it...took a year and half to loose 70lbs and then it slipped...so she had bypass 2 weeks ago and says she wished she had done bypass to begin with. The thought of waiting a few more months makes me want to cry but I want to make to right choice. I dont want to waste another year with the band if it isnt going to do the job. I see some have done wonderful with it..and if I cold be gaurenteed a seat in that club then my choice would be clear. But there are no gaurentees with the band. I appreciate the feed back everyone. Youve all helped....I will keep you posted with my decision!!

My doctor only does banding and bypass lapascopically. I would find a surgeon that does both that way. That being said, the stats are around 60% weight loss of the band and 90% bypass the first year. At year 3 the stats are the same at 60% due to bypass patients stretching their pouch. You also have to think about malabsorption with the bypass. My doctor told me during my last fill that there are a lot of foods you cannot tolerate a lot of foods. Good luck.

My surgeon just told me to be prepared not to lose as quickly as bypass patients. He wanted to make sure that I was ok with that, which I was because I in no way wanted RNY. It scares the hell out of me, I know too many complications from it. I had a good friend from my local support group pass away the day of my surgery from complication from her RNY the week before.

We all know the risks......but I wanted the least risky. I also knew I wanted to be a part of my weight loss, so having a TOOL verses the bypass which basically just causes the weight to fall off because of malabsorption I said no.

I am thrilled with my deicision......I saw my surgeon for my 3 month post op yesterday and he said I am doing fabulous and am on track to meet my goal weight by my band anniversary. He said I am above average in my weightloss but he thinks it is because I am so regimented in my program. I don't allow anything to deter me from it. I do not cave in to temptation for one.

With all of that being said I do have a bite of this or that when I want it, I just boost the workouts on those days. It has worked for me to the tune of 43 pounds lost in 3 months. I have 104 pounds to go. WOO HOO!!

I'm not sure why surgeons push the bypass. I am really beginning to think it's a matter of THEIR success and not ours. A sort of bragging rights. And money. It doesn't make sense to me. My surgeon said that for someone in his family, he would recommend the band over bypass. But when I accompanied a friend to his info seminar just a few months ago, bypass seemed to be pushed in favor of the band.

I can't see how long-term RnY is better. I just can't. I know too many RnYers in my life who are now having a miserable time trying to quit gaining weight after an initial 12 - 18 months of losing. I know many who eat more, and more frequently, than I could ever dream of with my band. Of the longer-term RNYers I personally know, none of them look "healthy" to me. That's hard to describe. Their coloring is off, they look sallow, even when they're still fat. And they are having their own regrets. A good friend of mine who is about 5 years out from RnY and has gone from a 28 to a 10 still regrets her choice and can only say, "I wish I'd known about the band..." And I should say that she (the one who's a 10) is the only one close to her goal weight.

There are situations for which I would advocate the bypass, but they're few and far between. I just don't see how it's a good thing.

But that's why I'm here, and not at gastricbypasstalk.com I guess.

I have to say I see in almost every RNY I know (and pics I've seen online), do look sickly at goal compared to LB. I have always noticed that, when I debated RnY years ago, I thought about how sickly I may end up looking.

My Doc pushes RnY I think because he had it, and you're gung-ho (mostly) for whatever it is you had. And he's been doing them a lot longer. I guess he's with the tried & true.. and the statistics of the band aren't super. He said if his daughter wanted WLS, he would give her RnY (I guess that's assuming she didn't have an opinion).

I even told them, well, I'll show YOU how accurate your statistics are. I was determined to prove to him that the lap-band is just as good as RnY. Still workin' on it. But they were super-impressed that I was down 60lbs last time I was there, after only having my band fixed for 2 months. Down 32lbsish since then, mwhaha! I cancelled this month's appt. since I don't need an adjustment.

RNY had too many complicatons for me, plus having my stomach cut and re-routed, no thanks. The malabsorption was another big issue for me. A friend had gastric bypass and is now troubled with anemia. What happens when a GBP patient gets to 70 and 80 and suffers from malnutrition?

A Dr. that doesn't do laproscopic? Is he old and not trained in the new ways? It's much more invasive for you to have an open procedure. Trust me I had open gallbladder surgery before they did it laproscopically and my band was so much easier. Recovery was four weeks with my gallbladder and I was much younger.

I have no problem with people that think GBP is a better choice for THEM, but open vs. laproscopic just doesn't make sense. It's like going back in time. There can be reasons they have to change a laproscopic to an open procedure while the surgery is being done, but to say right off the bat, that's how it wants to do it doesn't seem right to me.

On big medicine, even super morbidly obese patients have been done laproscopically and they are more difficult patients.

I would see another surgeon.