Weight Loss Surgery If you've had it, or are considering it, share your discussions here

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Old 07-01-2005, 08:35 PM   #1  
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Default I'de like everyones opinion on Lapband vs. Bypass from personal experience.

I am constantly seeking knowlege about this operation, so I just had a basic couple os questions-Which surgery do you support? What is your personal experience with it? If you could change which surgery you chose would you? Anyone with bad experiences that would not do it again? Thank you everyone for your constant insight!
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Old 07-01-2005, 09:07 PM   #2  
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oh honey. none of us [i think!!] supports one surgery over another. each of us looked over all the options and decided on the best course for US.

there are situations where rny is the best answer, and others where the lapband is. still others believed that the duodenal switch offered them the best chance of long term loss with a risk that they could accept.

and that's what it comes down to: how do you want to live for the rest of your life? DSers don't have the throwing up that RNYers do, but they have a different set of nutritional deficiencies. lapbanders live with the under-the-skin apparatus for the fills and other adustments.'

there are also other long-term risks with each surgery. research them carefully.
'
i was too heavy and too sick for a lapband. that had been my first choice, but i was very very seriously ill and could not afford to lose weight as slowly as the lapband was expected to work. no regrets.

chickadeedeedear considered other factors in her decision, including the fact that as long as she lost, she could take her time with it. and she's done spectacularly well.

other people choose the bypass out of simple finances - they can't afford to self-pay the lapband, and insurance won't cover it.

hope others chime in. you've raised an excellent question, but one that only you can answer for yourself!
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Old 07-09-2005, 09:06 PM   #3  
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I had the lapband, in all honesty I wish I would have had the bypass (it wasn't an option though). I have a bad time trying to get the band adjusted to where I can fuction. Right now it's too tight. If I drink a big gulp of water or even swallow a spoonful of yogurt that might be a little too large I have to force it back up. I had my surgery in eroupe, germany to be exact so the way they did it is different then how they do it here in the states.
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Old 07-09-2005, 10:32 PM   #4  
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now you've done it tiffy!!!! ya gotta tell us the differences! i think most of us have heard that the early results from europe with the lapband were better than the results in the US, and not a single doc i've talked to in the US could explain why. and the medical literature didn't help, either. but you're saying that there are differences - sooo

DISH, GIRLFRIEND!!!!

from your stats, it sure looks like you've done great with this... congratulations!
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Old 07-10-2005, 10:55 AM   #5  
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My band is placed at the top of my stomach, so instead of making a small pouch for a stomach it just makes the food harder to get to my stomach. The idea is to slow down my eating. I have to take very small bites, no bread, most meat is a no no for me, even potatoes have a hard time passing the band. Any thing that my expand once in my throat.

I have a portal right under my left breast which causes alot of discomfort for me. I still get just as hungry as I did before the only difference is that it takes so long for me to eat anything, after awhile my food is cold and I just lose interest.lol..My weightloss has been alot slower than it would have been if I was able to get the bypass. At the time I had my surgery in Germany, you had to have the band before the bypass, if the band didn't work then you would be able to get the bypass.

In all honesty I would not reccomend the Lapband, the portal alone is to make me want to run from it. If anyone has any question on it I will do my best to help.

Tiffany
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Old 07-11-2005, 09:01 AM   #6  
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I had originally wanted the band, but at the time (2001) they still only offered it in connection with a trial program (in the US). Plus, then I found out that my insurance would pay for most of my surgery if I had gastric bypass. That pretty much made my decision.

Although, now that I've had a chance to live with my surgery for a few years and have come to grips with the reality of my food addiction, I'm grateful for this anatomy changing surgery.
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Old 07-12-2005, 04:58 PM   #7  
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Hello Goils,

I've been away for awhile (fabulous vacation, lotso relatives visiting), but now I'm back!

tfarah, I think Ms. Jif's answer was spot on. You have to choose the surgery that best fits you. I have a lapband that I could not be happier with. And, as Jif mentioned, I don't mind losing weight more slowly than bypass people do. For a while, I thought my only option would be open RNY, but it just didn't ever feel like a good choice for me. I've had no trouble or pain with my band and no regrets whatsoever and fortunately, my insurance covered it.

I think you absolutely have to take your lifestyle into consideration. You have to be completely honest with yourself about what you are and aren't willing to do to lose weight. I remember at the beginning of this process, thinking that any surgery would be just fine as long as I got it. I considered it a magic fix that I would go to any lengths to get (which I think a lot of people do if they're being honest with themselves). There is a certain desperation in that way of thinking that I think is potentially harmful. You have to really, really consider your options and truly think long term.

My life is pretty on-the-go at times and I thought a band would work better for me. I hate, cannot stand, will not eat anything with artificial sweeteners and am not totally willing to give up carbs and "bad" foods. I worried that if I had RNY and was one of the people who dump after bypass surgery, I might go totally nuts. What if I grabbed something to eat on the way to a softball tournament that made me wretchedly ill? What would I do? With my band, I try to eat healthily (is that a word?), but I haven't dieted yet and hope I don't have to. Some foods don't work really well with the band either, but if I eat slowly and am careful I won't be sick. I've learned to work quite well with my wonderful little tool.

If I had it to do over again, I would happily choose the band, but would also research DS surgery.

Tiffany - I'm sorry your band experience has been so difficult. I wonder if they place them differently in Germany than they do here or if your surgeon had a different method? It sounds like mine is placed lower on the stomach than yours - it forms a small stomach pouch. My port is under my right breast, just below the ribcage (which I can now feel, thank you very much!) I forget it's there unless I'm pressing down in that area for some reason and then I just feel a lump. Have you had another doc look at your band placement? Just wondering if it could be repositioned. I also still get hungry, but the band allows me to feel sated much more quickly than I did pre-band.
Sheesh, I stay away for awhile and when I come back, I feel the need to write a novel!

Later Gators,
The Chick
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Old 07-12-2005, 07:23 PM   #8  
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Since being back in the states I have had someone look at it. They are thinking of atleast moving the portal down lower so I can atleast wear a bra without it being so painful. It didn't hurt at first but the more weight I lose the more it sticks out and the more painful it becomes.
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