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

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Old 02-19-2007, 08:07 PM   #1  
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Smile Lapband vs. Gastric bypass

My brother is considering the Gastric bypass. I think it is too drastic and am trying to talk him into the lapband. Any thoughts about either? Is it true you can only eat an ounce of food at a time and can't drink liquids with food?

Thanks
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Old 02-19-2007, 09:05 PM   #2  
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Each surgery has its pros and cons. The best thing to do is research each procedure and have a frank, comprehensive talk with the surgeon. If your brother has done his research you may have to support that. Each person chooses the surgery they do for a bunch of reasons - the bottom line is to work with the tool you choose.

Good luck,
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Old 02-19-2007, 09:34 PM   #3  
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Default 6 years post op gastric bypass

Not drinking liquids with food eally isn't a big deal. I don't really have the desire to drink with my food. It washes the food out of the pouch too quickly. I maybe ate 1 oz of food when I was newly post op and eating purees.

Now please note. Yes I am here because I need to lose weight again eventhough I did have the gastric bypass. The gastric bypass did not fail. It worked very well. It is not a magic cure. It still takes work. It is just a tool that makes the work a little easier. I lost 90 pounds which I kept off for three years before I became really ill with Crohn's disease and went through several years of high doses of steroids to control the Crohn's. I also had three major surgeries in the last two yearsas a result of Crohn's complications wich took me out of comission for two months at a time. I am now on a medication that has allowed me to stay in remission without steroids and now I am ready to once again take control of my weight situation. I never did gain back all of the weight I lost. I WILL get back to my 150 pounds and then I WILL have my tummy tuck. and I WILL stay at 150 pounds

Do I regret having the gastric bypass? Not for a second.
Would I do it all over again? In a heartbeat!
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Old 02-20-2007, 09:00 AM   #4  
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I can understand your worry but its really a personal decision and I'm sure your brother and his surgeon will decide whats best for him. There is really so much to think about with WLS.

I have the band and I can drink while I eat although they recommend you don't b/c thats only washing the food thru the pouch and defeating the purpose of the band. How much food can I eat..... I can eat a normal portion of food on most days... some days (usually when TOM is here) I can not eat alot. With the band it depends on how many fills you have.

Hope this helps
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Old 02-25-2007, 10:43 AM   #5  
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Yes, it is a very personal decision and chances are that he has read about both the lapband and roux en y before making his decision. There are my own personal reasons why I chose the roux en y, just as he has. Please respect his decision.

If you want to learn about my experiences feel free to visit my webpage.

This surgery has been SOOOO worth it.

Dawn
288/165.5/140
http://home.cogeco.ca/~diminishingdawn
Almost 8 months out and only 25.5 lbs to go!
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Old 03-08-2007, 03:18 PM   #6  
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Question lapband vs.gastric sleeve

hey all any thoughts/ reccomends on the gastric sleeve? any body had it ?want it ? thinking for myself the band is a good option mebe mexican (thoughts??) still doing my own research self pay and mexico is probably my route.so far i have seen 8000-9500$$ opposed to 11000 gastric sleeve.
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Old 03-08-2007, 07:51 PM   #7  
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(sorry so long)
I had gastric bypass 5 years ago, lost 200 pounds and have kept it off (I come to these boards to keep myself motivated and on the right path).
Others have posted about it being such a personal decision, I agree. My reasons for the gastric bypass instead of the band were:
1) "dumping" (nasty, icky feeling from eating too much sugar, did it once by accident, won't do it again!!). Yes, that is a great deterrant, if I had a choice between 4 oz. of grilled chicken or 4 oz of brownie I'm eating the brownie! Not with this surgery, tho! Banding has no dumping, only restriction of amount of food. I know myself, no willpower.
2) the thought of the "port" being there right under my skin and having to have "fills" just freaked me out (I do not like needles, enough said)
3) the surgeon I wanted did not do the band at the time, and I wanted HIM and only him to do my surgery

About the ounce of food....yes, at the very, very beginning. The first "real" food I had was a scrambled egg, and I couldn't eat it all! But now I eat pretty normally, if we go out to eat I either share a meal with my daughter or eat 1/3 to 1/2 of the meal and save the rest for later.
Not drinking with food is no problem. I thought it would bother me, but it doesn't. Do I cheat on that one? sometimes
Whatever he decides to do, support him!!! Both surgeries have their good points and bad points, but you have to decide what's best for yourself. Let him know you will support him no matter what, he will need that!
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Old 03-09-2007, 02:26 PM   #8  
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Thanks, I'm pretty happy with my results!
I won't say the surgery was a piece of cake, but for me, it was pretty easy. I've been very lucky, I've NEVER gotten sick from eating (I did dump once, that was all my fault - not paying attention to the nibbles I was taking from my dh's dessert - I KNOW I can only handle about 15 gms of sugar, but went over and PAID for it!)
Now, 5 years post op, I pretty much eat whatever I want, just not nearly as much of it as I did before. The only things I've found that I can't eat are pork chops and pasta (they seem to expand in my tummy). I just eat 3 small meals and a snack or 2 a day. I'm a teacher, so my schedule is pretty well set as to when I can eat. I eat mostly protein and veggies and fruit. I eat the protein first, then veggie, then if I am still hungry I'll eat a little starch. I use a small plate and a small fork (the other teachers would laugh at first, but 200 pounds later I got the last laugh!!)
I exercise - started out at Curves, after a couple years there I switched to a gym - but now I'm back at Curves.
Would I do it again??? HECK YES!
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Old 03-20-2007, 07:27 PM   #9  
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It depends on what is important to a person. I have the band-- I am only about a week post op actually. And I went with the band over the bypass for several reasons. I didn't want the malabsorption that comes with the bypass. I know its not usually a problem for most people and even bypass patients end up having perfectly healthy pregnancies and so forth but I do want to get preggies eventually and I thought the band would be better for that and most importantly is that I am on meds- a lot of them. Specifically I am on meds for narcolepssy. Due to the nature of the disorder and the meds that treat that I would really hate for malabsorbtion to mess up med dosages or anything-- I know people with the bypass who have had issues with that sort of thing. I also had other reasons for choosing the band but that was a big one for me. Plus the no cutting any of my internal organs. Compared to Gastric Sleeve I would also go with the Band hands down. The sleeve seems to have some things that are potential problems and the band at least is completley reversible so if/when something better comes along it can be converted to that, whereas with the sleeve they do remove most of the stomach. But it really does depend on the individual. Their own preferences, their insurance coverage, follow up perference, needs in terms of what the surgeries do, etc. Choices are good because we arent all the same.
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Old 03-21-2007, 10:51 AM   #10  
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I chose the Lap Band simply based on my personal physiology. Starvation diets work wonders for me. I lose about 15lbs a month just doing it by myself but with a regular sized stomach that just really sucks and isn't something I can do for long without going crazy with hunger. With LB, I won't have a regular sized stomach. It's the perfect setup. My body rarely goes into starvation mode and when it does, a few days or a week of eating higher calorie calms my body's concern over that or even mixing it up on a more regular basis... 500 cals one day, 1000 the next, 800 the next, etc and just take in a weekly average as opposed to sticking to an exact daily measure.

I'm afraid I would have issues with GB because I already have IBS and a very sensitive intestinal tract. I already have dumping syndrome when it comes to sugar, greasy foods, etc because of that. Does it stop me from eating those things? Not really, I just get strategic and make sure I'll have about 12 hours of 100% access to a bathroom at all times and then I go to town eating the bad food. I don't normally put myself through such torture but when I have to starve all day long (because who knows when I'll get an IBS attack and if I know I won't be close to bathrooms, I won't eat), it's not *uncommon* on such days that I go home and binge.

So, I think I'd be one of those people that would be sickly from it. Plus, I feel like GB is the last resort of the last resorts for me -- both in terms of the procedure and the cost. I can scrounge up $12K. I cannot scrounge up $25K. If I don't lose enough weight with LB, I will consider switching to GB after long talks with GI docs and my WLS surgeon. But I'm confident in the Lap Band that if I work it, it will work for me. I know a guy who lost 340lbs with the Lap Band... That is my ENTIRE body's weight!!! So, it doesn't have to be inferior to GB in overall pounds lost. I've read many other success stories where people have lost 120+ with LB. My aim is 150+ but Gee Whiz, I'd love to just lose 50-100 so I can be able to get up and MOVE again without hurting. I miss hiking.

Bottom line is if I'm not physially hungry, I can control myself and I can lose weight. My problem right now isn't WHAT I eat, it's how much I eat. I eat healthy stuff... but, you know, a whole bag of it won't do me any favors. But I'm constantly hungry, so

I can understand your concern and yes, any doctor will tell you that GB is more risky, but those are risks your brother are going to have to weigh against what he wants for himself. I think you should let your brother decide and speaking as someone who's gotten alot of negative (but sometimes well-meaning) crap from people over the surgery, just be positive and supportive. That'll mean so much more than giving him information off the internet. Unless of course, you plan to use that to give him tips to help him in a positive way.

I've been discouraged time and time again and even put off the surgery for a month or two because people kept telling me I won't lose much with LB and GB is the only way to go. I had a nurse tell me she see's alot of people fail with the LB and switch. But after the initial sinking feeling from the valued words of a medical professional, I started firing off questions like, "Did these patients just not lose extreme amounts of weight at first like with GB and get discouraged and quit or did they actually try it for a few years before deciding it wasn't working out?" and "Did the patients stick to the doctor prescribed diet afterwards, or did they go back to old habits?" and "Did they get proper fills, keep follow up appointments, go to the support groups?" She couldn't answer my questions.

I realize you are FOR the LB, but I'm basically trying to illustrate the idea of where any and all WLS patients come from on this journey. Regardless of the chosen procedure, we all get alot of the same reactions from people and have many of the same experiences.

Last edited by madscientist; 03-21-2007 at 11:01 AM.
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Old 03-21-2007, 01:49 PM   #11  
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I had an RNY gastric bypass attempt in September 2005, but once I was opened up, it couldn't be done, being I have a rare condition of my intestines being backwards, plus they also found my appendix on the wrong side of my body too (which was removed as a precaution). The lap band was then recommended for me, which I will be going into the hospital to have done tomorrow.
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Old 03-21-2007, 09:49 PM   #12  
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I opted for the RNY gastric bypass due to my concerns about the future, not the present. I had successfully lost 70 pounds on my own about 10 years ago. I was into Overeaters Anonymous and followed the 12 steps and went to meetings regularly. I lost the 70 pounds in less than one year and managed to keep it off for two years. All it took was one meal on an Easter Sunday. I had made homemade dinner rolls and my family was raving about them. I just had to try one. That set off a chain reaction that lasted ten years. I gained all my weight back and then some. When I decided to get the GB it was because I thought 2, 3 or even 5 years from now I was going to be tempting fate and be right back where I started. Despite all the health issues I was having, food (specifically sugar) has a hold on me that I can not fight. By physically altering my stomach and making sure not too stretch it back too far, I'll be able to control my intake. I've lost 90 pounds in less than six months and feel just wonderful now. My goal will be to keep the weight off permanently. I'm learning new eating habits now that I pray are going to last me a lifetime.
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Old 03-31-2007, 06:35 PM   #13  
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Default GB vs. LB

My husband had GB RNY in september. He has lost121 lbs. He would do it over in a heartbeat. His is 25 lbs from his goal weight. He needed immediate results so he would feel good about his decisions. He continues to drink his protein and eat right.

I had lapband in december. I did this because of time off work and I knew it would be slower plus my insurance would pay for it and not theGB. I would do it again too.
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Old 04-07-2007, 08:38 PM   #14  
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Hi everyone. I've been lurking these forums for a while.

I had my appointment with the surgeon just the other day and he said I was a good candidate for either the lap band or the gastric bypass. However, I am having a hard time deciding which surgery I should go with.

On one hand I really want to get rid of all my excess weight really quick (GB) but on the other I want to learn new ways to deal with my weight problems (lap band).

I'm also afraid of hanging skin and feeling sick all the time.

I'm really curious, too, about how you all felt after your surgeries.
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Old 04-07-2007, 09:19 PM   #15  
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I felt better than I thought I would after mine. I'm a little over two weeks out from having lap band done and already on soft foods, and in no pain at all. Granted I have to take vitamins and weigh/measure food, and of course have to chew very well once I reach solid food stage, but my recovery time has been very quick. My incisions are pink already!
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