Why did you choose lap band over bypass? I went to the doctor and he suggested bypass instead of lab band because I had diabetes and sleep apnea. My BMI is 36.5 I am worried about possible complications with bypass, but if there is a medical reason, I would do it. I think rapid weight loss was his reason to do the bypass. I think I have the option of chosing either. I need your input , those of you who had the choice and why you chose one over the other. Thanks:confused_smile:

Weight loss is faster with GBP, but is a riskier procedure. Was this the surgeon that recommended GBP or your PCP? Maybe your PCP is just not very familar with the lap band results. Many patients are able to lower their diabetes meds within a month or two of being banded.

Search around the forum for more info or ask the lapband surgeon for some typical results for diabetics and you can relay those results to your PCP.

Most people with sleep apnea also get improvement with weight loss.

Good Luck

The surgeon was the one who suggested it. I was just so surprised that he suggested the other procedure that I just half listened to why he preferred the bypass.

the reason I choose lapband over bypass was very scientific.

1. With the lap band on a doctor can reduce the preasure and send a scope down to look in your stomach for ulcers and cancer and such.

With the gastric bypass they sit a large part of your stomach to the side and staple it closed. there is no access to this stomach. It just sits there and produces acid and drops that acid into your intestine. So if you get an ulcer or cancer there is no way to send a scope down your throat and look in this second stomach.

2. lapband is reverseable and the other surgeries are not....

I knew a person who died of stomach cancer and my grand father had stomach cancer so i want the doctors to have access to my stomach for the future incase I have any problems... or for early diagnosis

the reason I choose lapband over bypass was very scientific.

1. With the lap band on a doctor can reduce the preasure and send a scope down to look in your stomach for ulcers and cancer and such.

With the gastric bypass they sit a large part of your stomach to the side and staple it closed. there is no access to this stomach. It just sits there and produces acid and drops that acid into your intestine. So if you get an ulcer or cancer there is no way to send a scope down your throat and look in this second stomach.

2. lapband is reverseable and the other surgeries are not....

I knew a person who died of stomach cancer and my grand father had stomach cancer so i want the doctors to have access to my stomach for the future incase I have any problems... or for early diagnosis

wow, that is honestly something I'd never thought about.....adding it to my list!

For me, it came down to the fact that the band is adjustable....there was a post this morning from a bandster who is two years out and struggling....went to the doc, got a fill...and voila, back on track...that just isn't possible with GBP.

I have heard of diabetes being cured simply by having GBP....seriously, like the day after surgery....I can't remember what the scientific basis is for it, but that may be why your doc was leaning towards it.....

Ask him WHY, take notes....listen carefully and then weigh out the options...it's your body, but don't discount his knowledge!

I also had the h pylori and I always feel as if i have

so small sore in my stomach and I weigh 338 pounds.

So my stomach has went through a lot of abuse and has

seen more than its fair share of use. So i dont want it

sitting over to the side just making acid. I want to be able to

put a little milk in it or put some tums in there if necessary.:grouphug:

Thanks so much to you who have responded. I am of the "old school" that thinks the doctor knows best, but I guess we are all responsible in the end for the decisions we make and you all have strengthened my resolve to have the lap band. My instincts told me that was the way to go, but I just needed to have you all reaffirm my decision. A quick question-What is "sliming? It sounds gross!

I'm going to be compeltely honest. For me, Gastric Bypass was never really an option. I'm terrified of surgeries and really wouldn't be ok having a sugery that seems quite a bit more complex than Lap Band.

If I were diabetic, however, I might have to do some more research. I know a gentleman who used to work with me who had lap band and developed diabetes after the surgery. On the flip side, however, I also know a person who had lap band a year ago and has since stopped having to take meds for her diabetes.

If I were you, I'd get a second opinion. Your doctor might be completely accurate in his suggestion, but it's important to realize that gastric bypass is much more expensive than lap band, more perminent, and non-adjustable. But I hear it also produces faster results.

Why did you choose lap band over bypass? I went to the doctor and he suggested bypass instead of lab band because I had diabetes and sleep apnea. My BMI is 36.5 I am worried about possible complications with bypass, but if there is a medical reason, I would do it. I think rapid weight loss was his reason to do the bypass. I think I have the option of chosing either. I need your input , those of you who had the choice and why you chose one over the other. Thanks:confused_smile:

After two years of daily research, I chose Lap Band. My original intentions for contacting the Surgeon I did was because he had been doing Bariatric surgery for over 20 years. I called and asked about Gastric Bypass, the answer I got was quote: "Dr. Fox is not currently performing Gastric Bypass, because he has seen a greater success rate with Lap Band and has decided to focus his entire attention on Lap band patients." I was further offered a free educational seminar from the surgeon. I attended and I left a believer that was October of 2007. I took the next two full months extensively researching lapband and scheduled a consultation in January. Once I sat down with the surgeon one on one. I knew this was the right thing to do.

With all of the testing, dealing with nurses, schedulars, appts., precious time off work and every other person giving me their two cents about how this surgery will not work for someone my size. I feel that this will create the best result.

1: No cutting of internal organs, completely done laporascopically.

2. much shorter recovery time, so I can get back to work.

3. and with the new Allergen AP band, the results have come back more successful than Gastric bypass.

Please research research and know exactly what you are getting into. It has not been an easy journey, and it will not be easy... but no matter which one you choose YOU CAN DO IT!

I have lost 14 lbs 6 days into the pre op diet. I can only imagine the results post surgery!

Hiya!

Julie:thumbup:

i wanted short recovery time and no cutting. quick and easy. i didnt mind that the weight loss would be slower. i think it is healthier to lose slower. some of the people who lose really fast , in my opinion, dont look so healthy. they look tired.......

Please remember that doctors are human...... they have personal biases... for instance my doc only does bands... he told us in his seminar that he trained in other WLS but he preferred the bands.

The docs on Big Medicine do both....... their view is that if your BMI is over XX that the Bypass is best.........

I chose the band because I've watched two of my best friends battle the ByPass.......... they both lost 120lbs in the first year but now 4 and 7 years out......... they are fighting regains and continued issues with malnutrition... a lifetime of Vitamin b-12 shots and bariatric Vitamins.... intolerance to certain foods and both have had bouts of depression and marriages have suffered...... they both think their choice was best.. and for them it was.. but for me............ no.

Surgery on Thursday back to work the following monday.

MAINTENANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know if I had the bypass I would be fightin regains and with the band.. I will simply go get a fill if I start eating too much.

Can be turned off in time of medical need.

ALL my innards are in tact...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE MY BAND! fickle as she may be.. I love these size 12's that I'm wearing today.

I am glad you are coming here for our input. Let me give you the stats for the lapband and the bipass. The lapband is roughly 62% of your excess weight the first year followed by about 90% for bypass. That beign said, at year 4 they are the same at 62% . That means that bypass patients typically restretch their stomachs and gain back 25-30% of their weight. I have seen this happen countless times. With the lapband the weight loss is a lot slower. But at 36 BMI it sounds like you don't have too much to lose. The lapband is so much better for you. I specifically didn't choose the bypass because the surgery is easier for lapband #1, its adjustable and removable. I love being banded. I've been banded for 21 months and am 10 lbs away from having plastic surgery. I am so happy with my lapband. good luck.

I love my band, and knew it was my choice. I thought about bypass and researched ... came out of research with the band being the only one for me. Good luck and great health to you.

i chose the band because it was the least invasive surgery. i also have diabetes type 2 and after 3 months with the band my endocrinologist told me they are calling the lap band the cure for diabetes type 2. i am also off my insulin with my weight loss so far.

Everyone I have ever known that got the bypass gained all of their weight back over time. That is what is so nice about the lap band. It is adjustable so it can also help you keep the weight off.

I know a couple people who had bypass and had terrible complications, so for me the band seemed a lot safer. I liked the idea that it was adjustable and could be removed if necessary, and less invasive. This sounds silly, but I also thought that if the band didn't work, there was always the possibility of a gastric bypass or other wls as a backup.

My HA1C numbers dropped very nicely after banding, but I was never on insulin or any other med to control it. My cholesterol also dropped, thankfully, as my doc wanted to put me on cholesterol-lowering meds.

Good luck choosing!