I need to do something before I die from being fat. No doubt. What? i am a bit afraid of the bypass. So, I was thinking about the band. Then its what one? Realize, Lapband, Lapband AP??
Does anyone know anything? I think you lose better with bypass, but, its riskier......band is risky too......sos staying fat.... Advice?
babysteps ~who is now 340 something
(obviously I have not staarted the whole babystep thing!)
First, find out what your insurance will pay or not pay. Then start reading everything you can about all types of WLS. Of course, some people are partial to their certain type of surgery. Me.....I say go with what you like, has less complications and make the best of it. My insurance would only approve two types: lap and RNY. I chose RNY because of my poor diet history and I'm an old dog. Many here have Lap and are very happy with it. Some DSers, some VSGers and some nuts!!! I'm teasing about the last part. Ask any questions, someone here can probably answer it.
I agree--#1, find out what your insurance covers (or doesn't cover).
Also, research ALL types of weight loss surgery. Most people think the only options are band or RNY gastric bypass, but the vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) and duodenal switch (DS) are also very viable options.
You say the RNY scares you and is riskier, but it depends on how you look at it. From my research/reading/talking to WLS patients, this may be true initially, but more band patients tend to need additional surgeries later on (erosion, leak, port issues, slippage, etc.), and many have difficulty reaching the right amount of restriction through fills and unfills (and be careful with insurance--sometimes they cover the initial band surgery but not the fills/unfills--stupid but true). Not to say the band doesn't work--I've seen some people do AWESOME with it! But make sure you know 110% what you're getting into with any procedure.
Also, examine the habits that got you to 340 pounds. Different procedures work for different people. The band works best if your main problem is eating large portions. It won't help much if you just nibble/graze throughout the day, nor will it help if your main problem is junk food (I've watched people gain weight with the band because foods like ice cream and potato chips slide right through).
Also, be honest with yourself about what you can commit to for the rest of your life. Can you commit to taking vitamins supplements every day (even multiple times a day)? Can you commit to eating protein first and other things only if there's room after the protein? Can you commit to going in anually (at a minimum) for follow-up blood work to check your vitamin levels?
i'm not really sure that it matters which lapband brand you take - they're pretty similar. the REAL issue is your surgeon's experience, track record, and post-surgery support
*The best thing to do is research! Read Read Read...online, WLS for dummies, etc.
*Any of these surgeries are not the be all, end all, eat-what-ever-you-want-and-still-lose-weight...easy way out of ANYTHING.
*What ever surgery you are looking into (band for slower, smaller % of weight loss in the end...GBP for higher % weight loss, higher complication rate, more malabsorbtion, vitamin deficancies and Dumping...DS for larger amounts of weight loss needed, even more malabsorbtion and vitamin deficancies, etc.), it's a life long commitment...very important to know that it's a TOOL to use to get to a goal...not a magic procedure.
*It was a sober decision and a forced lifestyle change, something I needed to get my weight down and something I would do again a hunderd times over!
Good luck honey...keep un informed...we're here for ya!
Angela
Last edited by missangelaks; 10-31-2008 at 05:01 PM.
I have not personally had surgery, but I have a couple of family friends who have had bypass. Both have had nutritional problems and depression problems (worse than when they were fat) that could probably be just an extension of their nutritional problems. I think the fact that you're leaning towards the band is definatly a good thing.
Also, often you'll have a natural weight loss period the doctor will prescribe before the surgery- maybe you'll find that with doctor supervision, you could do it the old fashioned way.
Either way, good luck. Trust your doctor, but not enough that you don't ask questions!
Definitely a decision you have to make after a lot of research. Personally I chose the band because it wasn't so invasive and it’s reversible. If and when technology changes I can change too.
The psychology of why you are the way you are, is way more important to your choice than you realize. Bottom line is that many people here will tell you both surgeries are just tools to help you lose weight. They will not succeed unless you work hard. Look at the percentage of failure for both surgeries, I bet it will be higher than you imagined. I was shocked when I read the #’s. Good Luck!!! Remember there are tons of great folks here to help you.
The psychology of why you are the way you are, is way more important to your choice than you realize. Bottom line is that many people here will tell you both surgeries are just tools to help you lose weight. They will not succeed unless you work hard. Look at the percentage of failure for both surgeries, I bet it will be higher than you imagined. I was shocked when I read the #’s.
I agree and want to add that, in the world of weight loss surgery, "success" is defined as having lost 50% or more of your excess weight. So, if you have 100 pounds to lose, and you lose 50 pounds, you are considered a success. Keep that in mind, too, when you see the success statistics--some people are included as being a success even though they are still obese.
Please check out www.obesityhelp.com. This is the site that I recieved the most help from. I thought that I wanted to have the band at first and after finding this site and going to the different forums I realized the a Vertical sleeve Gastrectomy was the best procedure for me.
Most surgeons have informational meetings that you can go to.
What ever you decide, good luck. This has been a great journey for me.
Carole
I had wanted Lap Band from the start. Then when I checked with my insurance said they would only cover Gastric. I had done a lot of reading and sole searching and have finally decided on Gastric. I am sick of being fat and not being able to do what I want with my Grandkids. I went to the mall yesterday and was out of breath trying to keep up with my daughter. Had to tell her slow down. And I really did not walk that far.
I have been told by many Gastric people that if you follow what your Dr tells you and take care of yourself, you will do fine.
Read all you can and do a lot of research. I remember in one of the groups that my surgeon held he said that he sometimes would refuse to do lap bands on patients that were wanting to lose over 100 lbs as his research had shown that many people who were shooting for that goal and did not reach it with the lap band were very disappointed. Not only were they unable to reach the goal 2 years after surgery, but but it took them longer to lose than if they had the bypass. He did state that if a person wanted the lap band and did have more than 100 lbs to lose but was in otherwise good health he would still do the lap band, but for anyone who was already having medical issues he would prefer to do the bypass so that they could drop the weight as quickly as possible and hopefully resolve or at least help some of the health issues they had to begin with.
Once I found out my insurance would cover either procedure I went to the library and ordered every book I could on WLS- You will find that a lot of them share the same information, but it seemed like each book had at least something small that wasn't found in any others. So please read, read, read!!!
Best of luck in whatever you decide to do
Band..bypass...what to do?
