Lap Band vs. Gastric Bypass

I'm having the  toughest time deciding on which surgery to go with. Originally I was dead set against the gastric bypass and felt the lap-band would be a safer procedure. Now I'm literally torn between the too. I'm 27 in school for nursing weigh 338lbs diabetic and I have sleep apnea and PCOS. I still feel the lap-band is safer, but I'm wondering will the results yield what I truly want. I've spoke to several nurses at my school and they both advised me to go with the lap-band however, my doctor feels as though the gastric will be a better choice. I know people personally who have had both and they had nothing but good things to say about both. So I'm totally confused. This is a decision that will effect the rest of my life and I want to make sure it's the right one. It's taken me 6yrs to get to the point I am today. I'm nearing the end of completing all my requirements required by my insurance company to be approved for the surgery so I think its time I make that crucial choice. Any help or advice would be much appreciated!

I can only talk about my choice and how much it has changed my life.  My health is 100% better and I have lost and kept off more then 100% of my excess weight.  RNY has been the best thing that I have done for myself.  Good luck to your on this great journey.

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Have to agree with Elizabeth.  DS would be a great option for you.  I had VSG but would have gone with the DS in a heartbeat if I had felt I needed it and could have been 100% compliant with the requirements.  Good luck with your journey.

DS or RNY -- best chances of taking care of your co-morbids. 

According to my surgeon, Lap-bands are on their way out due to the high complication rate. Many people end up getting them taken out. It also statistically has the lowest weight loss of the four procedures. Does your insurance limit you to the band or RNY? Is a VSG or DS an option? Carefully research your options and do not simply rely of the words of coworkers. There are forums here of people who have had the lap band, as well as at least one forum for people who have had it taken out. Do your research before you decide.

 I think you need to decide for yourself which surgery you want to live with the REST OF YOUR LIFE. Some people do well and bad with both surgeries. Overall the lap band is a safer procedure, you do not suffer any bad side effects from eating certain food like RNY...BUT you have to make up for this by carefully watching what you eat, the band does not make you sick from eating sweets and sugar or certain carbs, but RNY will for a lot of people, but some people who have RNY don't get sick from sugar, it's the chance you have to take, I know of a couple of people with RNY, and they can never eat sugar or sweets again NEVER because it makes them sick, also some have gained all their weight back because they never exercise with RNY.

For me, I did not want to risk being punished forever in case I wanted to eat birthday cake on occasion. Surgeons don't care if you can never eat birthday cake again, you will have to remember this is the rest of your life, with me, I chose the band in case something goes wrong I can get it removed, I am still happy with my band going on 7 years with no complications, or hospitalizations and I went from a size 26 to size 10 in the 18 months with my band.

If you are even thinking about the lap band you need to know UPFRONT, it only restrict your food to about 1 cup, it is up TO YOU, to do the rest, the band just makes it easier to diet, you will have to plan your your food and get your fills to help you lose weight, so many have failed the band because they don't have the money for fills, some people went out of the country and they could not get the aftercare they needed to be successful, some people never go back to their surgeon because they could not afford fills if their insurance did not pay for them and they suffer unnecessary complications if they don't have money to get saline removed if they get too tight.

You surgeon is probably recommending RNY because, you will lose with quicker and they see many people fail the band because they never walk or exercise or keep up with their fills, also surgeons get paid more money to do RNY, there are many many successful bandsters, if you REALLY WANT THE BAND, you need to find a surgeon that ONLY DOES BANDS, surgeons who do mostly RNY seems to not be dedicated to band patients and most of them fail, the band requires a lot of patience and getting fills regularly to keep the restriction tight in the first few years for optimal weight loss.


 Also you may want to check out the Sleeve, it's popular now, but it involves removing part of the Stomach, there is no malabsorption with the Sleeve but I have a friend that have the Sleeve, and she cannot eat sugary foods either, she dumps like RNY people do, so you will have to make your mind up and talk to PEOPLE IN PERSON and go to seminars and see how these people look  and live day to day with their surgery and if they have had lots of complications you may not get truthful information on this main board or the Internet.

Skip the band, and avoid all the issues post-op. I had it, and it nearly killed me, destroyed my stomach tissue, not to mention all the other issues I had while it was in my body. I revised to the sleeve, and couldn't be more elated. Of course, make sure you research ALL the surgery types. I did not NEED or WANT a malabsorption procedure, but if I would have gone that route DS would have been chosen over RNY for many, many reasons.

There's no way, I'd recommend a band to even my worse enemy. With your BMI, the band is likely to not give you the results you want, and with a 1 in 4 reoperation rate in the first 3 years, you'll likely fall victim to another surgery.

Think twice, cut once. (VSG was not available when I chose the band so for me, I went with the "lesser of 2 evils" between the band and RNY) HOWEVER, the damage it did to my stomach, the permanent nerve damage I have to this day, and pain I live with because of that damage is a reminder of that choice I made. I do not regret my band time (it was only there for 8 months), but I could definitely live without all the issues that I endured.

Hon, my sister weighs about the same and she has had NOTHING but compications out of her band.  As of right now, she is having to have revision surgery because the band has eroded into her stomach.  I have chosen to have the DS done because of all the comorbs (same as yours btw) I have and the great long term results.  My sister, on the other hand, has chosen to have RNY, and now that I know she has educated herself to ALL of her choices, I'm good with it.  It's her decision and her life.  Read up on all of them.....one size does NOT fit all!  Best of luck to you in your decision! 

Stay away from the CrapBand.  Total disaster in the making.  The vast majority of WLS revisions are from the LapBand to something else.

Personally, I had the RNY 7+ years ago and have been quite successful with it.  However, if I were having WLS today, I would choose the DS.  Please research that surgery.