I am just starting this journey, and was initialy just considering the lap band. Now, after reading LOTS of posts on here and other boards, I am concerned about the lap band, and the SLOW and difficult road it is to loose weight with it. If I wanted it to be that slow and hard, I woudl try once agian to do this on my own. MAybe I am afraid that I will go to this drastic measure, and even it wont work. It seems Gastric Bypass has a more dramatic, easier result, although it is a much more invasive procedure and not reversable like the band.

I guess my question is: Who is on the fence? If you decided one way or the other, why, and are you happy with it? I am really strugling right now, and I want to make the right decision for myself, and my future. Thank you, Jodi

Jodi, this is a completely personal decision. If you are female and young without children, I would probably choose the band. Pregnancy with the band is probably a much healthy alternative. Also you should consider how much weight you need to lose. If it is a lot more than 100 lbs, gb may be a better choice for you.

For me, the invasiveness of gastic bypass scared me. I have known 5 people who had bypass and they all had to return to the hospital, most of them from malnourishment. They are, however, fine now. My dad is going to have bypass in the next 6 months. He would be unable to eat following band rules. He knows this and has over 200 lbs to lose. The band would not be a choice for him. Think about all of these things and make the decision that is right for you. If you have any questions regarding my band experience you may ask here in the open forum or by private message. Good luck with making your decision.

Hey Jodi, I had the same concerns up until I had my first fill last week 2/18/09. I was banded 1/5/09. I stressed that I would slip it or just not loose the weight. I have 220lbs to lose so post surgury. I have lost 35lb so far and that is w/eating poorly still. In the 3 days since my fill I have stuck to the 900 - 1200 cals per day and it is pretty satisfying with the restriction I have with a 3cc fill in a 10cc VG band.The fact is that the band or bypass your are able to get about 1-1.5 cups of food down each meal. Its u[p to you what you put in that 1-1.5 cups, crap or nutrients. You'll be told over and over, but it is true; weight loss surgury of any kind is a tool to he you eat healthier. It will not make you lose weight. There are ways to gain weight with the band, bypass or sleeve. Being worried and afraid is normal just talk about it and it gets better...

I agree it is a personal decission & only you can make it jodi, probably talk more to your doctor, they should guide you with what will be the best option for you, It would be great if we could take a pill & wake up thin the next day, but that just doesnt happen even with the bypass, yes it might be quicker to lose the weight, but for me i just wanted the banding & my surgeon said i didnt fit into THEIR criteria of having the bypass & i wouldnt want to handle more surgery, this time of having excess skin removed..

Rome wasnt built in a day, one step at a time, good luck into what you chose, im sure it will be right for you

There are SO MANY MORE potential bad side effects with bypass. I don't mean to be negative or harsh, but it is just a fact. People down the road have many more GI problems. Realize the stomach is closed off and left inside to sit there and make acid. And because it's closed off (sewn shut) drugs can't get in there, cameras can't get in there...that's just one small area of problem.

The lap band does require work, but it is a great weight loss tool. It is EASIER to lose with the band than on your own, but you are still doing the work.

Bypass does seem more passive, but it has it's toll, too.

In the end, it is a personal decision. Just remember neither is a 100% sure thing. Bypass patients can gain it back if they don't change what and how they eat, just as surely as band patients or dieters. Bypass patients can stretch their stomachs (the small part left to process food) and then they are stuck with it or face more surgery; we have other options.

If you want an "easy" 100 % guarantee, get the duodenal switch operation. Of course, you'll have diarrhea 5-7 times a day but you'll lose, no matter what you do or how you eat!

It is a hard choice; you're right to explore all the options. Just make sure you look at the downside to each surgery (they all have them) not just how fast you lose.

I try in most of my post to say I'm PreOp that being done. Like everyone said it's a personal decision. Both are just tools and my understanding is that you have to work with both of them. I personally didn't want anything inside rerouted. Have you discussed it with your PCP or gone to a WLS seminar both are a good place to start. Good luck!

I researched both and I will admit the lure of losing the weight quickly with the by-pass was strong, but in the long haul (studies have shown this) the band and bypass end up with the same results. I have know people who have had the bypass and yes they have lost the weight but the toll it took on their bodies was not worth it as far as I was concerned. I also took into account that if I needed to have the band removed for any reason I could. That was the deciding factor for me.

I am 365 pounds and I am having lapband March 24.

I decided that I did not gain all this overnight so slow and steady is fine for me.

I also do not want to deal with the dumping syndrome that comes with bypass.

I have read many sucess stories from those who have lost what I need to lose

So I hope to join them.

Good luck with your decision.

At first my insurance would only cover GB-RNY. I was desperate and almost did it. I knew the whole time that if I did the GB there was never ever any turning back. I cried a lot b/c I really did not want to do it..but again I was desperate.

I even subscribed to this site and bought a bunch of products I would have to eat/drink for the rest of my life! OMG, after 'walking in their' shoes and literally trying to NOT eat any sugar -- I could not do it!!

http://beforeandafterhelp.com/

After much soul searching realized that paying the 17K out of pocket was really the only choice I could live with.

The things I could not reconcile with the GB was:

1. What if I got cancer and had to go thru chemo - At least with the band I could unfill it, take all the meds and eat all the high calorie good I could get down. You can not do that with GB.
   
2. what if...I wanted more babies... you never know what life has in store for us.
   
3. You have to go dang near sugar free for the rest of your life..
   
4. Every single GB patient I know personally, has had to wack off their hair they look like chemo patients or their hair is so frizzy thin it is awful.
   
5. It is not reversible unless you are willing to pay thousands and find a surgeon who will do it.
   
6. I cried when I saw you tube videos of RNY patients with regrets (everything from complete mal nutrition to seizures.
   

..anyway those are the main reasons I chose the LB...it is a personal decision you will have to make.

I was offered RNY about 4 years ago, the only surgery my surgeon did a the time but had to put it off due to some famliy issues. Then I went back to my surgeon when the time was right to go through the surgery and at the last minute I chose lap band over RNY because I was afraid of the dumping syndrome and the drastic nature of RNY. This time lap band was part of his repertoire.

I finally did have my surgery in 8/07 and as most of you know who have read my posts it did not work for me and it was removed last October. My daughter had her RNY the following 5/08 and has since lost over 140 lbs. Not without a few complications which to me were always tragic but she got through it and I got through it and the change this has made in her life has been remarkable. I don't know if she'd still be with me right now if she had not had the surgery. She was that distraught.

She also had to decide which surgery to choose and it seemed easy to her as she wanted one that she could be a success with. So far so good. She's never had "dumping syndrome" and she is young which I suppose is a good thing and may make a difference in her success and health. I can only hope she'll continue to be healthy.

I know it's not an easy decision and sometimes it's easier to pick one for the wrong reason like I had. I'm now in a situation where I'll be meeting with my surgeon again this time discuss having the RNY. I had to decide will I be happy with myself in a year if I do not do anything even if I risk complications due to my age and drastic side of this surgery.

At this point in my life I'm more afraid of being miserable in my own skin one more year than having RNY. Go to as many sites as you can and read as much as you can and I wish you luck on making the right decision your first time! Nancy:smile:

You really just have to look at both surgeries and the risks and complications associated with both and determine how much of a risk you are willing to take. Deciding on either surgery is up to each and every individual and I would tell you I would have my LB again in a heart beat but I would never have bypass...You have to remember that both are just TOOLS in weightloss and you still have to work hard to lose weight!

I would suggest going to seimnars on both that way you can meet ppl who have had both and see what you think from there! Good luck on your decision!!

I'm young, I have no children. I'm going to go for the band if I go for WLS.

If it doesn't work, if I have problems with it and it has to be removed, I can try to beg my insurance company to let me have it revised to an RNY -- that is, if the time with the band isn't sufficient for me to lose enough weight to be healthier.

There is no going back from an RNY. I still would gladly go through the complications the people I have known with RNY have experienced than suffer the health consequences of morbid obesity, though.

I also struggled with the decision between GB and Lapband. I really liked the idea of the dumping syndrom. If something makes me sick, I am a lot less likely to eat it. In the end, I decided on Lapband. I felt a lot more comfortable losing the weight more slowly. I also liked the idea that when you lose motivation (even a couple of years down the line), you can get a fill and get the motivation back. You don't have the option of an adjustment with GB. Once I found out that the overall weight loss was the same for both surgeries after a couple of years, I was sold.

Good luck with your decision.

I personally thought the Sleeve might be the best choice. I was never tempted by by-pass. The seminar I went to, the ONLY reason many switched over to by-pass was because insurance didnt yet cover the sleeve, but covered by-pass.

You might look a little more at the Sleeve. Its been around for a long time for cancer, but only about 5 years here as a WLS.

I can probably add a little perspective to this....

I have had both operations, Lap band and Gastric Bypass.

There are certainly plusses and minuses to both surgeries. Some of what has been posted here as far as the side effects of GB has NOT been my experience; I have had other side effects that have not been mentioned. I will say that the period of time between my surgery last May, and November, were some of the most difficult and trying days of my entire life.

Actually, I was going to wait a while before I talked about my GB too much; I wanted to wait a full year from the date of the surgery, and give a kind of "one-year experience" update here.

I will say that, as I write this, I am sitting here at a completely normal weight for the first time in about 25 years. I have plenty of energy (tons of energy, in fact), a very positive outlook on my future, and for the first time in a quarter-century, I am enjoying shopping for clothes - nothing with XXX in front of it. I have met my weight goal EXACTLY. My weight is now perfect for my height/build.

But it has been a long, long difficult road, and my circumstances were somewhat outside the norm.

What you decide in terms of WLS (IF you decide on WLS, and you need to keep exercise/diet as an option) is very personal, very dependent on your physiology, your family situation, your insurance, your medical history, and many, many other variables.

Either choice will get you the weight loss you desire. The Band is a little more work on your part, but don't make THAT a part of the criteria. You need to be prepared for doing some work for EITHER procedure. It's just a different kind of work.

If you have questions, feel free to ask....I don't know if there are any other members on this Board that have had both Surgeries, but I'd like to offer you the benefit of my personal experience, if that will help. But PLEASE note: with ANY surgery, weight Loss or otherwise, EVERY Surgery is a very unique and personal experience. One person will have a major success, another will have a major failure, even with the same surgeon. One person's success/failure will NOT mean the same result will happen for ANYONE else.

HH

I guess my question is: Who is on the fence? If you decided one way or the other, why, and are you happy with it? I am really strugling right now, and I want to make the right decision for myself, and my future. Thank you, Jodi :w00t:

I was totally on the fence when I first started the process. I started January 2008 and thought I want gastric banding. But as I read the posts on this forum, I thought I better go with gastric by-pass.

Then I started reading medical journals on WLS procedures and from those reports, I thought I would be better off with the band. I was going back and forth with my decision.

Talk about being scared about my decision. With my insurance you get one procedure for life. So if the band does not work for weight loss, my insurance will not cover the expense to have another type of WLS procedure. And vice-a-versa.

I attended support groups and informational seminars too! When it was all said and done, I decided I wanted the band for several reasons:

Less evasive

Quicker recovery

Slower weight loss

No issues with Vitamin deficiencies

No cutting up my insides

I am very happy with my decision and I have no regrets so far!

Good luck with your decision!