Gastric Bypass vs. lapband

[cjcookie]

I was all set to have lapband surgery and I went in for an EGD today. I asked my gastroenterologist his opinion on lap band. He was against it. He would rather see his patients have gastric bypass. I was shocked. I thought he would pick lap band but he said it was putting a foreign body into a body and then having all the fills done. Also he said people only lose about 40 percent of the weight they need to lose with the lap band vs. a lot more with the bypass.

Anyone want to comment that has gone through either or done more research than I guess I have.

Thanks

 

[budmickl]

First things first, your choice of puppies is outstanding! I totally agree that your male dog saved your life, simply because I feel my Shih Tsu's saved my life more than once. I had Bud and Mick (hence, my screen name) but they are both gone now. Sam is my life line now.

I had gastric by-pass surgery in Jan, 2003. It was one of the best decisions of my life. I lost over 115 lbs. Due to my inability to follow the rules, I have gained back about 12 lbs. I never go down to my goal weight loss due to the same inability - ate the wrong food and lack of exercise.

If you choose the gastric by-pass, just make sure you are ready in your heart and soul (and wardrobe) to make the necessary changes.

budmickl

 

[scarletstang]

My daughter had a gastric bypass about 3 years ago and her surgeon said the exact same thing, even though he offered both procedures. There are risks to everything. My daughter has not gained any weight back and continues to lose. She loves meat and eats it regularly; a rare prme rib is her favorite. Milk is about the only thing she can't tolerate at all, yet she can eat cheese. Sugar is not tolerated very well, but again, she knows what she can tolerate. Good luck with whatever you choose. I wish I had the nerve to do it.

 

[celeste1226]

Hello,
I had a gastric bypass in 2001. it is going on 9 years. I lost 120 lbs. and have only gained back 10lbs. I would recommend it to anyone. It is a life change. you can still eat your regular foods. just not as much. Like Scarletstang said I am lactose intolerant i cannot drink milk but I can eat cheese. weird huh. I guess its the sugar in the milk or something. I do eat anything and everything. and as far as the meat getting hung up in your stomach. that is not true. I eat any kind of meat I want you just need to chew it. not just swallow it. since your new stomach (pouch) does not have he digestive juices to dissolve it you need to chew. many people gain their weight back because they nibble all day. and eat the unhealty snack foods. which is easy to eat. i am also guilty of doing that. but i catch my self and go back to my regular eating. It is a hard decision to make. you have to ready mentally ready for it not just physicaly. i too have known people who have had the lap band and the bypass. people i know who have had the lap bank have more problems with eating foods and vomiting than people with bypass surgery. with lap bank the weight comes off very slow and harder to keep off. since you have a small pouch and dont get the "dumping" effects from carbs and sugars then lap band people will tend to eat more starchs which keeps the weight on. with gastric bypass when you eat sugars and alot of starches ( pasta, breads, cereal, milk, etc) you get whats called "dumping" which makes you ill for about 20 minutes. it does pass but you feel miserable and you tend to stay away from it. it is true you dont get all the nutrients and vitamins with a bypass but you need to watch what you eat to make sure you get enough protein and vitamins from food and take your daily vitamins. the bypass is just a tool to help you lose weight. People will say just stop eating so much. cut your portions down. I was one of those people who used to say that and also tried it. It does not work. More people have had more success with the sugery than cutting down on their portion size. If it were that simple to just stop eating so much then none of us would have a weight problem. It is easier said than done. i also know many bypass patients who gain either more than half or all their weight back. but again it depends on what you eat. the one good thing is that getting the weight back off is so much easier if you do gain it. but again its all up to the person. alot of people start putting weight back on after their 2nd or 3rd year out of surgery. and the reason is because they get to comfortable thinking I can eat whatever I want and it wont hurt me or they start grazing (which is eating small portions of food all day long, snacking) and that is not good. So Yes i agree you do need to do your research on both surgeries check many different websites and definately check out your surgeon. check their past patients and their success rates and problems. look into the doctors long term patients not the current post op patients. check patients that have been out over 3 or 4 years with that surgeon. because the current patients will all be happy with the weight loss they have not come across the problems after their bodies have adjusted to eating small portions. if you have any other questions please feel free to email me. sorry so long. oh yeah before i forget read into long term side effects. osteoperosis is one of the problems they are finding out and lack of vitamin b12 and calcium. which i have. but that is my fault because i did not take my daily vitamins for a long time. so as long as you do what you are supposed to then you will be find. but being thin is 1000% better than being overweight and not being able to function. I would not change my health now for what i had then. Just my 2 cents.

 

[bmamsmom]

I have sisters who have had both. I personally think that lapband is the better option. My sister with the band has had less complications. Both have had sucess. Thay are about 6 years (bypass) and 3yrs out(band) and the truth is after the honey moon stage of thinking that you can't eat, ect. Both methods take alot of commitment. I would recommend that If you are a compulsive eater. Get help to stop your compulsive thinking and then make a decision about surgery. You may find that you don't need it.

 

[louiesgirl2]

I had Gastric Bypass in 1999 and if given the choice today knowing what I know would not do it. Complications galore because your body does not absorb nutrients properly if at all. I was thrown into Fibromyalgia, thyroid, insulin resistant, had half my large colon removed, just had the ring used in the Ru N Y Gastricbypass removed from my esophagus because it erroded inside. Shall I go on.

Please, please, please reserach weight loss surgery of any kind. I was 306 when I went in for surgery, lost 150 lbs and now am back to 213 as of this morning. All because I learned nothing from the surgery and am as lazy now as I was then.

I know you do not want to hear this, learning to eat properly and I mean healthy and exercising is the right way to go. There are many great programs out there that are not diets. My favorite which I try and follow is Weight Watchers.l I like it because it is not a diet, it is learning how to eat the way we should have been eating all our lives, and you can modify it to fit your needs.

If in the end you still decide to do surgery, be sure you know what you are getting into and you are mentally ready to make the lifestyle chagnes you will have to make for the REST of your life. People think it is the easy way out, believe you me, it is not. It can ruin your life. Yes and even death.

Phyliss

 

[mustanglovrsue]

for a few reasons, obviusly i need to lose weight ( im 300 lbs,female 5'8) im considering lapband for one, medical covers it. and i had a roomate several years back that had the gastric bypass and it apperently didnt go well, she lost the weight, but it messed her up in other ways. like when she would the bathroom, the horrible smell everytime would gag a maggot, and it wasnt her fault, but man, it was real hard being her roommate i hate to say..plus it left her very scarred, im sure theyve come a long way since then but thats enough fo rme to say nope.. i see my doc tomorow, im going to ask him...