Hello, I am a 34 year old male, 6'04" 350lbs, I dont consider myself morbidly obease but according to the charts I am with a BMI of 42:thumbdown: I am starting my journey and have a initial consultation set with Dr. Mark Shina in Luoisville on 8-21-2008:thumbup: I am unfortunately a "self pay" patient because my insurance carrier "BC/BS has a exact exclusion for weight loss surgery with no possiblity of any help :thumbup: I would like some input from any of you that have had this surgery done, I am juggling between the lap-band and GBP. I chose the lap-band initially because of my insurance situation and the possibility of complications that they wont pay any part of, also the lap band is way less intrusive, so I read. Please throw me out some pro's and con's to both surgeries and what you guys (and gals) have experienced with either or both. Look forward to hearing from anyone.:biggrin2:

Thanks a bunch.

First off congrats on making the decision. Its a big step. Sorry that your self pay. That sucks but just think, it will be the best money you've spent in a long time.

I can't give too much insight on gbp b/c Iam banded. I do have 2 friends who had gbp yrs ago and lost their weight and are keeping it off. They struggle now with 10 lbs here and there but overall are maintaining healthy weights. I was banded 6 wks ago and although a huge change its the best thing I've done. Iam 5'6 and weighed 223.5 at time of surgery. I now weigh 204! YAHOO

At the time I went to my seminar my mind was made up that I was tired of being over weight. I knew I would give it my all. My dr is a bit aggressive and I got a fill at time of surgery of 4cc's in a 10cc band. At first I didn't know what to think b/c NO ONE on here was filled at time of surgery. NOW Iam loving the fact he is the way he is. I now have 5.5cc's and have great restriction. I do make a conscience effort to eat good foods, no sweets and not a lot of carbs! Those 2 things make me fat. If I do eat carbs like a half of piece of toast with eggs then its whole wheat. I do eat spaghetti but b/c of my restriction its only 3/4 of a cup. I like the fact that the band is adustable vs the gbp is not. Iam dealing with head hunger, but I think all those with weight loss surgery suffer from some form of head hunger. I eat these lil portions and think gosh I can't be full but my stomach is very full. Bandsters who have been banded a while say your brain does catch up to your stomach! I find myself wanting to eat a sugar free pudding although Iam not hungry. I realize its my old habits and I do whatever it takes to not eat unless Iam truly hungry. NOT head hungry. Its been a journey but Iam catching on. What amazed me most is that there was 2 very different hungers in my life. True hunger and head hunger. Iam proud to say Iam winning the battle against my head hunger with my decisions. I choose not to give in to it and Iam finding its getting better. The weight loss is reason enough to keep me going. I love being a size smaller. The band for me is exactly what I needed. Its great to eat a small NORMAL portion and be full. I have never had that before. If you want weight loss surgery to work it will work for you. Let us know how your consult goes on the 21st. The band takes some getting used to. With trial and error you will catch on. I would also assume the band is cheaper than gbp? Some people find they can't eat certain things anymore. I find yogurt makes me sick to my stomach now and roast beef doesn't go down so smooth. Sits in my chest. But I can live with never eating those things again! You may not have any trouble with any foods. Its also fact that men lose weight faster with the lapband vs women! I hope this helps?!

Welcome to the sight!!!!!

Bella.

i did a little research on the bypass, sleeve and banding. i ended up choosing the band.

what it comes down to is how quick you want to lose the weight. the bypass and sleeve will have you losing weight quicker than with the band BUT some bypass and sleeve patients get banded years later because they've stretched their stomachs back to a normal size from eating too much.

also, i think the bypass and sleeve patients have to take nutritional supplements for the rest of their lives because their food passes too quickly thru their stomachs.

i don't take any supplements other than my multi-Vitamin. i just went to my general doctor for a blood test to check to make sure my body wasn't being deprived of any vitamin or mineral but all my tests came back "normal".

i was self pay too and will be paying for the surgery probably for the next 4 years but it is SO worth it!!

Congrats on starting your journey. There are several threads on this site regarding pros and cons of different WLS. For me, there was never any decision to be made. I would never consider anything but the band. So far I've had good luck with it and it's completely reversible if I should ever want that. I don't like the idea of having anything cut and changed forever inside. It's a personal choice and for those who have chosen another route probably think their type of surgery is the best way to go. In my opinion, the best thing you can do for yourself is to really do your research and educate yourself. It took me a year to finally decide to do the band. I read everything I could get my hands on. One of the best books I read was WLS for Dummies. It talks about all of them and what you can expect. Very informative. This site is also a wealth of knowledge and experience. I also made sure I read the complications thread as well. I felt that even if something went wrong, I could at least say I was well informed.

You have to know that there may be some things you can never eat again and you have to be at peace with that. For the most part, the psychological part has been more challenging than anything physical. I finally had to decide that the foods I had to give up were not as important as my health. I can honestly say that I would do it again. It's all been worth it. I still have a long way to go, but I feel better knowing that I'll get there.

This site is great about answering any questions you might have. Just ask. Good luck to you and keep us posted on your decision and journey!

First off congrats on making the decision. Its a big step. Sorry that your self pay. That sucks but just think, it will be the best money you've spent in a long time.

I can't give too much insight on gbp b/c Iam banded. I do have 2 friends who had gbp yrs ago and lost their weight and are keeping it off. They struggle now with 10 lbs here and there but overall are maintaining healthy weights. I was banded 6 wks ago and although a huge change its the best thing I've done. Iam 5'6 and weighed 223.5 at time of surgery. I now weigh 204! YAHOO

At the time I went to my seminar my mind was made up that I was tired of being over weight. I knew I would give it my all. My dr is a bit aggressive and I got a fill at time of surgery of 4cc's in a 10cc band. At first I didn't know what to think b/c NO ONE on here was filled at time of surgery. NOW Iam loving the fact he is the way he is. I now have 5.5cc's and have great restriction. I do make a conscience effort to eat good foods, no sweets and not a lot of carbs! Those 2 things make me fat. If I do eat carbs like a half of piece of toast with eggs then its whole wheat. I do eat spaghetti but b/c of my restriction its only 3/4 of a cup. I like the fact that the band is adustable vs the gbp is not. Iam dealing with head hunger, but I think all those with weight loss surgery suffer from some form of head hunger. I eat these lil portions and think gosh I can't be full but my stomach is very full. Bandsters who have been banded a while say your brain does catch up to your stomach! I find myself wanting to eat a sugar free pudding although Iam not hungry. I realize its my old habits and I do whatever it takes to not eat unless Iam truly hungry. NOT head hungry. Its been a journey but Iam catching on. What amazed me most is that there was 2 very different hungers in my life. True hunger and head hunger. Iam proud to say Iam winning the battle against my head hunger with my decisions. I choose not to give in to it and Iam finding its getting better. The weight loss is reason enough to keep me going. I love being a size smaller. The band for me is exactly what I needed. Its great to eat a small NORMAL portion and be full. I have never had that before. If you want weight loss surgery to work it will work for you. Let us know how your consult goes on the 21st. The band takes some getting used to. With trial and error you will catch on. I would also assume the band is cheaper than gbp? Some people find they can't eat certain things anymore. I find yogurt makes me sick to my stomach now and roast beef doesn't go down so smooth. Sits in my chest. But I can live with never eating those things again! You may not have any trouble with any foods. Its also fact that men lose weight faster with the lapband vs women! I hope this helps?!

Welcome to the sight!!!!!

Bella.

Thanks for the input, I really think the band is right for me, I will definately keep you all posted on my progress, I am looking at 12,500 for the band and 20,000 for the GBP.

WOW I had no idea the price difference was SO huge. Either way you go do your research. Sounds like your leaning toward the band. I think you'll do great. You sound very ready. And since your self pay that's all the motivation you need to make it work. LOL My banding cost my insurance 20,000! I had to pay 2 grand myself. It was 22,000 total! NOT cheap.

Good luck on thursday.

Wouldn't you know it, I have to be in court on the 21st , lucky enough I can get in the next week, I guess I'll sit on my thumbs at work this week to avoid getting another subpeona. will keep you posted.

Are you a police officer?? That does suck. Iam cursing with you. Sit on your thumbs! Get to your appt!

Keep us posted.

hi and welcome!! Everyone gave you such good advice i really don't know what else to add. I knew i wanted the band, i didn't have peace about the bypass. My sister and friends of mine had the bypass about 5 years ago. What i see with my friends and family is they didn't change their mindset about food because they lost in the beginning no matter what they ate. Now, they are struggling with their weight. With the band, you are forced to change what you put in your mouth or you will still have a problem. It is not an easy magical fix, but it is a tool that helps you better control what goes in because of not being so hungry. I love my band and i would do it again in a heartbeat!! I'm learning to eat healthy and make good choices. I'm 2 months out and feeling great.

Congratulations for starting your journey. keep us updated on what you decide!!!

Good Luck :whatchutalkingabout

Yep, you guessed it, Im a po-lice-man, LoL It's hard for me now not to sit still at work weighing 350lbs, I cant imagine the drive I will have if/when I get down under 300 or lower :confused2: , In this picture (Im the one in the glasses with the black shirt), do I look like I weigh 350? I sure feel like I do but I'm told I "carry it well" but let me tell you, The older I get the harder it is to carry. Still on strong for the 28th. Will let you know soon afterward what's up. Ya'll have a great day.

BTW i'm not related to these people, this was a picture from South Padre Island this summer from our churches mission trip to Brownsville, TX, we had a little free time the last couple of days.

hi, welcome to LBT.