:redface:Hello everyone,

I have been on here for a few months really preparing me for surgery... My surgery is Monday - I can't tell you how happy I was to finally get a date! So Friday I went to see my surgeon to sign the consent form... and I was waiting for a really long time in the waiting room... I was surrounded by gastric bypass patients... they were just thrilled with their sugery... everyone was soo happy and had lost tons of weight with what seemed to be great ease! Long story short when I finally got checked in... I started to question my procedure and the nutrionist chimed in as did the surgeon and told me that they really think I would do fine with either surgery, but overall with my diet the bypass would be the best option for me... I am soo confused.... I was so set on the band and now I'm in limbo... Please weigh in with your comments... I need some guidance...

Shannon

I would go for what you planned on going for Lap Band. Besides it's safer and less to go through. It's up to you but, in the long run I think you should stick with what you picked. Good luck.

I'm really surprised they were trying to push the bypass on you when you only have 75 pounds to lose.. that's usually a really drastic surgery for people who have over 150 pounds to lose... If you've done the research on both surgeries, then you have the facts. I love my band and I've seen my friends who've gotten the bypass gain their weight back and deal with dumping syndrome for the rest of their life. I've seen my banded friends have babies... and maintain their weightloss.. is it even possible for a bypass person to have children? can a child get enough nutrients? a bypass is malabsorptive procedure, which means your body does not get everything it needs..... yes, you do lose weight faster, but how healthy is it to lose 20 pounds a month or more? don't let the doctors bully you into getting something you don't need, especially with only 75 pounds to lose.

You are right... I wondered the same thing... I asked about children because I don't have any yet and they said with some extra vitamins the baby will take what it needs and that I should be just fine. I think the office is pro bypass...I don't know that they really have a lot of what they consider "successful" bandsters... The main reason I think they told me to side with the bypass is that I like sweets and they think if I have a rough day or am feeling depressed I will eat around my band... therefore not seeing the results.

I agree. I was bullied about the bypass, but I had NO DOUBTS about the procedure I had chosen. I had an ethical problem of disposing of a perfectly funtional organ, and rearranging what GOD provided for me to be thin. Ridding yourself of your stomach is extreme. You will NEVER EVER be able to eat sugar of any kind. If you do, you will run to the bathroom with the dumping syndrome and have diarreah running down your legs. I personally couldn't live like that. I wanted to be a NORMAL thin and HEALTHY person. NOT one who can't absorb vitamins, be in poor health and have to take Vitamin B-12 shots for the rest of my life. What kind of life is that? Most of the bypass patients in my support group have pastey skin and look sallow. The more I researched, the more I was convinced that I had done the right thing. I also know a few bypass people who are suffering so much that they wish they had gone with the lap band. Now for the biggie. If you don't like the band and the sacrifices you have to make, it's REVERSABLE. It can be removed and you're back to the way you were. That was important to me. I wanted the options. I also worried, if I was ever in an emergency situation or in an accident, my band could be loosened to accomodate feeding tubes etc. If I were a young woman, I would be VERY concerned of any resulting pregnancies if I had a bypass and could not get the proper nutrition to support a fetus. That's just downright cruel to the infant to have them start out at a nutritional deficiet. With a band, you can have it loosened for the pregnancy and tightened back up when you've given birth. I just like the options. Bypass doesn't leave you with many.....

It's very common to second guess your decision, especially being so close to your surgery date.

Of course the by-pass patients are excited about their weight loss, however they are potentially setting themselves up for a host of new issues. Malabsorption issues are not fun, a lifetime of B12 shots, low blood sugars, anemia. Trust me the list goes on and on.

Remember back to when you made the decision to have the band, what was the defining factor for you. Was it because it was less evasive, could eat your favorite foods with moderation, quick recovery time?

This is a personal decision and one only you can decide what is right for you.

I celebrated my fourth year of being banded yesterday and I don't regret my decision for a minute.

I wish you the best of luck. Please let me know how I can support you.

I'm new to this, I was just told my my Doctor that I should consider the Lap Band, can't say that I'm thrilled about it after reading all the dietary restrictions. SO at this point I'm looking into it. I have severe obstructive sleep apnea, and not doing well with the mask, high blood pressure, high cholestrol, borderline diabetic, have had back surgery and still have problems with my lower back. I need to lose 140 lbs, and my doctor says that the chances of me doing that alone are slim to none.

I agree and my vote is for the band.. It can be adjusted and REVERSED.. plus you have so so many more options with it ...

Keep us posted on what you decide.

Thanks everyone... Those are the exact reasons I chose the band! I mentioned those concerns and was told basically I was a surgeons dream for either surgery... young, very healthy, able to exercise, etc. Then he said with the band I would expect in a year you would get down to maybe 165 (which usually thrills me to death), but a year later with a bypass I could be 135... I said I was in middle school when I weighed that! It was like dangling a cookie in my face... like do it, do it, you know you want to, you know you like it! Ugh!

Then I asked about complications and he said with the bypass the complications are up front and basically if you make it out of surgery you will be fine... but with the band the complications come later, slippage, port problems, infections, esophagus (sp?) problems,etc. Now as I mentioned I have been coming on here for quite some time and it seems like the problems are really minimal in comparison. Ugh! This is so frustrating... I wish I was never in the room with all those people for hours... they all said they eat what they want, they don't experience dumping syndrome,etc. I wow really surprised by their reactions.

Thanks everyone... Those are the exact reasons I chose the band! I mentioned those concerns and was told basically I was a surgeons dream for either surgery... young, very healthy, able to exercise, etc. Then he said with the band I would expect in a year you would get down to maybe 165 (which usually thrills me to death), but a year later with a bypass I could be 135... I said I was in middle school when I weighed that! It was like dangling a cookie in my face... like do it, do it, you know you want to, you know you like it! Ugh!

Then I asked about complications and he said with the bypass the complications are up front and basically if you make it out of surgery you will be fine... but with the band the complications come later, slippage, port problems, infections, esophagus (sp?) problems,etc. Now as I mentioned I have been coming on here for quite some time and it seems like the problems are really minimal in comparison. Ugh! This is so frustrating... I wish I was never in the room with all those people for hours... they all said they eat what they want, they don't experience dumping syndrome,etc. I wow really surprised by their reactions.

I'm very glad I didn't pick a doctor who does bypass surgeries as well. I don't know how a doctor can do both and be supportive of both surgeries.. either they believe in one or the other. My doctor doesn't believe in the bypass so he doesn't do it. And, your doctor's comment about only getting to 165 is silly. There are tons of people on here who have made it to 135 and below... my friend Dawn, who by the way just had her healthy 8 lb baby boy yesterday! wahooo... was banded three years ago and she started at 235 and got to 130 in about 15 months.

Of couse the office staff is going to recommend bypass over lapband. It cost twice as much money and has less follow-up. You just decide for yourself which you think is the best option for your health, not their pocketbook.

Check out this video of a Gastric Bypass patient. She is very open and honest about her journey. This might give you the answer's your seeking.

"Melting Mama" aka Beth

Hi, I'm from Woburn Ma...If you don't mind me asking, Who is your surgeon?

I'm new to this, I was just told my my Doctor that I should consider the Lap Band, can't say that I'm thrilled about it after reading all the dietary restrictions.

There are really very few dietary restrictions. Some people want to be tight enough that they can't eat certain things but some people choose to be looser and can eat everything they ate before, just in smaller portions. That's the great thing about the band, it's adjustable so you can make your own choices about how you want to handle life as a banded person.

Then he said with the band I would expect in a year you would get down to maybe 165 (which usually thrills me to death), but a year later with a bypass I could be 135...

So then ... he lied? Because studies show that bypass patients lose more weight at first but at the 3 year point, they have no more weight loss than banded patients on average.

If his patients are doing better with bypass than with the band on average, I would blame his program, not the band.

I'm very glad I didn't pick a doctor who does bypass surgeries as well. I don't know how a doctor can do both and be supportive of both surgeries.. either they believe in one or the other. My doctor doesn't believe in the bypass so he doesn't do it. And, your doctor's comment about only getting to 165 is silly. There are tons of people on here who have made it to 135 and below... my friend Dawn, who by the way just had her healthy 8 lb baby boy yesterday! wahooo... was banded three years ago and she started at 235 and got to 130 in about 15 months.

My Dr. does bypasses but he said that he only did bypass for people he felt didn't have two to five years to lose the weight, but that lap band was what he felt was the leading surgery today. They both work, but it is very individual. You have to do whats right for you. I think we both did this.

I think that people need to do the right surgery for their particular needs. I feel like I have made the right choice, but just decide what works best for you OP and go for it. Good luck with your decision

One of my best friends recently had bypass surgery. I don't know how typical she is but she has not lost a ton of weight and has to work at making the right food choices and exercising just as band patients do. She was diabetic and ate an amazing amount of sugar - she just could not stay away from it. Now, she eats a very small amount of sugar - no more than 2 small bites and she does not dump but any more than that and she will be sick. She is happy with her decision but I think for both surgeries the key is to change your habits. I am still sold on lap-band but respect other people's choices. She only has to take one multi-Vitamin a day as the bypass is not as extreme as it was years ago.

Good luck with your decision. I am sure you will be fine either way.