Hi My name is Janine I am 39 years old and 328 pounds and I was wondering if anyone could help me. i was told by my surgeon that I should get the RNY because i have a high BMI but I am scared to death. I was just diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea and that's it. I have no other health problems.

I was wondering if there are people out there that decidedc to do the lap band instead and if you lost weight.

I was also looking for success stories to give me the push and know it can be done with the lapband.

Thank you so much

:drool:

You've certainly come to the right place. Check in the following sections:

"At or near goal"

"Before and after"

"200+"

There are myriad sucess stories on this board and so much support!

Good luck with your decision.

I found out after my surgery that my surgeon mentioned to my parents and sister when he went to see them after my surgery that he would have preferred to do GB for me. When I met w/him the first time, he asked me which surgery I was interested in and I told him.. when I started telling him my reasons, he said you don't have to tell me.. if that's what you want, that's what we will do. I figured he thought that I would do well. Apparently he would have preferred to do GB but he was willing to do the LB...I have done great so far... I weighed in at 358.5 2 wks before my surgery... since starting my 2 wk pre-op liquid diet, I have lost about 60 lbs... and every time I see my surgeon for my fills, he tells me how well I am doing... I would suggest you ask your surgeon WHY he thinks the RNY would be better for you... other then your high BMI.. I had a very high BMI... but every surgeon is different.. talk to him about the LB... see what he says.. give him your reasons for wanting to do the LB as opposed to the RNY... let us know what he says!! Good luck and congrats on starting your journey... I LOVE MY BAND!

Hi My name is Janine I am 39 years old and 328 pounds and I was wondering if anyone could help me. i was told by my surgeon that I should get the RNY because i have a high BMI but I am scared to death. I was just diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea and that's it. I have no other health problems.

I was wondering if there are people out there that decidedc to do the lap band instead and if you lost weight.

I was also looking for success stories to give me the push and know it can be done with the lapband.

Thank you so much

:drool:

Hi Janine, I started with a BMI of 54 on my surgery date of 3/27/08. I am now down 170lbs. I am going for my PS surgery on Friday. I was lucky my doctor was not concerned with my high BMI. I had not had children yet, so they told me that Lap band would be a better option for me, because I intended to have children after I lost my weight. I am now concidered one of the super stars of my surgery group. :drool: So I recommend looking into all of the options and deciding for yourself what you would want. I believe that you will have more success if you are personally on board with the decision that is made.

Katie K.

Hi My name is Janine I am 39 years old and 328 pounds and I was wondering if anyone could help me. i was told by my surgeon that I should get the RNY because i have a high BMI but I am scared to death. I was just diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea and that's it. I have no other health problems.

I was wondering if there are people out there that decidedc to do the lap band instead and if you lost weight.

I was also looking for success stories to give me the push and know it can be done with the lapband.

Thank you so much

:thumbup:

Hi Janine. I am 39 and started this journey at 324. G-Bypass wasn't ever in my mind to do. I had mild sleep apnea as well but the pulmonary doctor decided not to treat me prior to surgery because during my second sleep study my sleep improved little. ( i didnt have much sleep disturbance at all)

I have fair knowledge about nutrition and what works in my body. I have always been a healthy eater but had severe portion control issues and would binge when cravings would come over me. I was always active and never drank soda, candy or sweets regularly. But at my highest was 347! So...I say all of that to say, you are an absolute candidate for Lapband and I encourage you to seek out a surgeon who is open to what their patient needs are. best of luck!

Edited November 5, 200916 yr by steelergirl
stated wrong

Hello jmperry,

I started my journey last fall at 316 lbs. and my doctor told me the same thing that I really should get the bypass. I am 35 years old and did not want that. I told him that I did not want the bypass and wanted the band my mind was made up. He said ok but that the band only guaranteed 40% weight loss over 4 years as where the bypass guaranteed 85% in two years and that it would be hard work to get the weight off. I told him that I was willing to do the work and that I know I could do it.

Well one year after my band was in three weeks ago I went in for a yearly check up and he was shocked. I have lost 143 lbs. in one year. It is possible to do it with the band however it was ALOT of hard work I worked out alot and watched my diet. The band is not a fix like the bypass it is a tool. I am here to tell you at our weight it can be done but it is hard work and you need to be dedicated. If you know you can do it then go for it the mind is very powerful once it is set. :thumbup:

Good luck,

Rae

I started at 324lbs and I'm 5'9 I originally was going to do gastric bypass because I didn't know much about the lap-band but every doctor I went to see sugested the lap-band since I'm young and it's easier if I get pregnant in the future. I'm so glad I went with the band. I'm not even a year out and I've already hit my goal(and my doctor's goal) of 170. I'm actually at 167 now. The only doctor that thought I should have RNY instead of the band was my PCP. Maybe go and talk to a few different bariatric surgeons and see what they have to say. I know I saw 3 surgeons before deciding on my doctor.

Hi janine. When i first went to the surgeons office I went for the RNY. It is his policy to introduce both options to every patient. He told me about the two surgeries, the pros and cons of both and told me to come back in 1 month with my decision. The reasons I decided to go with the lapband are these: First, with the bypass you can never eat sugar again, and though I could've benefited from that restriction I did not want to never be able to even have a bite of my own birthday cake. Also, the band is reversible and for me that was the selling point. I was just too afraid that the bypass would not go well, or there would be some side effect that I would not be able to tolerate and I'd be stuck forever.

I was banded on September 8, 2008 and I'm 5 pounds from goal today. My weight loss has been slow and steady through the entire year with no real complications about which I could complain. Getting just the right restriction took a few fills, but that's the worse thing I can say about the band.

If you would like to talk to success stories first hand, I'd suggest you log into the chat room. Just click chat at the top of the home page on this site. There will be people in there that can share with you how much they've lost in how long. And believe me, there are plenty of people that had a bmi or higher than yours and have done really well.

I think that this is an amazing tool for weight loss, and I wish you well whatever you decide.