Question:
RNY or Lap Band
I am researching Lap Band and RNY.... Do most people get the RNY or the Lap Band ?? I know over the years the RNY had improved drastically as far as the surgery itself and how the post op guidelines. I have about 180 lbs to lose and started off wanting the Lap Band but now i am leaning more toward the RNY.. I have no serious medical problems that would hinder a more invasive surgery.. What did you get RNY or Lap Band ?? Are you happy with your choice ?? Do you wish you would have picked the other ?? Thanks Michele — michelemcd (posted on January 25, 2007)
January 25, 2007
I HAD LAP BAND 2.5 YEARS AGO AND I'VE LOST 170 AND I HAVE ABOUT 20 OR 30
MORE TO GO. I KNOW 3 PEOPLE THAT HAD RNY AND 1 OTHER THAT HAD THE LAP BAND
AND AND TO BE HONEST THEY ALL HAVE GAINED THEIR WEIGHT BACK AFTER THE 1ST
YEAR. IT'S MY OPINION THAT SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT WLS IS "MAGIC"
AND IN A WAY IT IS BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO MAKE A PERSONAL DECISION TO DO
WHAT THE PROGRAMS DIRERT YOU TO DO. i'M NOT SAYING THAT I NEVER CHEAT OR
EVEN THAT I JUST SAY I'M TIRED OF THINKING ABOUT EATING RIGHT FOR A FEW
DAYS AND HAVE GREAT TIME EATING ALL THE ICE GREAM I CAN FIND BUT AT SOME
POINT I REMEMBER WHAT A BLESSING FROM GOD IT WAS THAT I WAS GIVEN A SECOND
CHANCE AND i STOP ACTING SILLY AND I'M BACK ON MY GOOD FOOD THING AGAIN. MY
FRIENDS THAT HAD THE DIFFERENT OPERATIONS SEEM TO HAVE FORGOTTEN OR MAYBE
THEY JUST NEED MORE TIME TO FIND THE RIGHT PATH AGAIN.
— leekenny
January 25, 2007
I had RNY 11 months ago, and have lost 132 lbs. so far. I went from a size
26-28 to a size 12 jeans ( I can hardly believe it. I don't ever remember
being a size 12 before. ) I may not be as able to tell you long term
results as some people, but I do know that NOT being able to eat sugar,
such as ice cream or cake is great. I have always had a sweet tooth and
that was my biggest downfall in " dieting ", since I was unable
to have these items in the house without eating until all was gone, wether
it was one serving or 10. I also wanted the quickest loss that was safe,
which seemed to be with RNY. Both operations require general anesthetic,
so I think that RNY makes sense. I am VERY happy with my decision.
— marykay0720
January 25, 2007
I had open RNY on 12-6-06 and i have already lost almost 75lbs. I would do
this all over again in a heartbeat. I have tons of energy now, I no longer
have back pain, my knee feels better etc.
— thegib
January 25, 2007
there are many people that have had the rny and many that have had the lap
band. both can be very successful and both can fail if you don't get your
mind right and keep it right. the main thing is you need to do ALOT of
research and make the decision for yourself. i am waiting on insurance
approval for rny and the reason i chose that over the lap band is because i
don't like the idea of a device being inside of me and the fact that i will
have a port implanted in me, but it's like i said you need to research it
and decide for yourself because what is right for one might be wrong for
another. hope this helps holly
— RNlvnCARSON
January 25, 2007
I had rny on 8/23/06 was 341lb-4/06 324lb-8/06 224lb-today 5 monts out. I
am so happy I was insulin dependent & on lots of meds this far no meds
& if my 6 month A1C is 6.0 I am not a current diabetic.....WOW cant
wait to see find out.....I am very happy with my choice.. But i was an
insulin dependent diabetic 4 shots a day now 0 yeah zero shots a day....It
was not very easy the first 3 monts very hard starting back on more solid
food & now i am very limited only on the amount of food not the
variety, I can eat small amounts of low sugar, about 1/2 oatmeal raisin
cookie in 2 eatings LOL, & thast ok with me because i can now let my
new pouch help me control my portions & my hunger pains....I do get
hungry but not such that i can eat everythingin site. it may be i just
munch for the day on popcorn.... but again its not like i can eat the whole
bag like before....best of luck & i hope this helps. If you would like
to chat please feel free to email me & we can chat again...Barbara
— babs810
January 25, 2007
Initially I was going to have the Lap Band but when I learned that it was
easily defeated by sweet drinks such as milkshake. I love shakes and felt
that I was going to defeat it too easily so I opted for the RNY. I have NO
regrets with it and have lost 152 lbs total and 102 since surgery in June
06.
Hope this helps.
— oceanrayne
January 25, 2007
I had to make the same choice. I wanted to lose 171 pounds and looked into
both but finding out that you can still have the sugars with the lap band
and knowing me I didn't think I would do very well. I needed something
stricter. I did not have any other health issues either so when I had my
surgery I had no complications and recovery was pretty quick. I have not
reached my 5 month anniversary yet and I am down 111lbs. With all that
said, you are the only one that truely knows what you can handle. Good luck
on your choice.
Amy
— Lost4Ever
January 25, 2007
Hi Michelle, good question. It is really a personal choice, one that I
wrestled with when I made the decision to have surgery. First of all, one
surgery, in my opinion, is not more drastic than the other. You can get
leaks with the RNY, but there are other very real complications you can get
with the lap band that cause permenant damage and issues, so there are real
and severe risks with both surgeries. Lap band is great for someone who
can set boundaries and live by them. If you can not cheat yourself right
up front and eat small amounts of food, chew them very carefully and follow
rules to the letter, the lap band can work for you very well, and has for
many. For me, what tipped the scale to RNY, which I had about 3 years ago,
was that I believed that I needed the malabsorbtion that the RNY provided.
I would exercise like a wild woman (8 miles a day, almost every day) and
watch what I eat (1200 calories a day), and still not be able to lose more
than 50 pounds. It sounds really good, but as soon as I quit exercising or
slowed down, guess what, it all came back and more. I really tried for
many years and my body just would not submit to lower amounts of food and
exercise. When I weighed all the options and prayed about it a lot, the
conclusion for me was that I thought the RNY would work best for me. And
it has. I have no regrets. It is a wonderful tool for me that I so much
appreciate. At three years out I am eating most anything I want in small
portions. I personally don't dump very much, but have the negative nausia
and awful fullness when I eat too much. Obesity is a head issue with a
body consequence, and for me I needed the negative reinforcement to keep my
head on straight. It is a battle I face every day, and I am thankful for
the tool that I have to battle it. Choose carefully, research diligently
and if you are a Christian, put Christ first and be willing for God to say
no, don't do this. He knew my heart best, and I didn't move forward
without His blessing or my husbands. It was the best way for me. Best to
you, Patricia P
— Patricia P
January 25, 2007
Hi, you've got lots of good posts already.. I also went back and forth and
decided on open RNY, no regreats, surgery was on 11/1/05, I have lost 1/2
of my weight.. went from 267 (size 24/26) down to 133 (size 6/8) I have had
no complications and just recently went through the tummy tuck and breast
lift to complete my process. It sounds like you are on the right track
doing your homeowrk on the different surgeries and of course with any
surgery choice there could be complications no matter which one you
choose.. but personally I am very happy with my choice of RNY.. good luck!!
— April
January 25, 2007
Hi. I needed to lose about 150 pounds. I originally spoke to the surgeon
and told him I wanted the Lap Band. He said no way would I lose that much
weight with the Lap Band. I needed to have RNY in order to lose the most
weight. I struggled with my decision and decided to go with the RNY. I am
happy about my decision now. With the RNY you can lose 80% of the weight
you need to and maybe more. I wish you luck with your decision. Both of
these surgeries are miracles in my book and whichever way you go will
improve your health and outlook tremendously.
Kathi
— Myamshmi
January 25, 2007
I am disappointed to see that the Duodenal Switch hasn't been discussed...
it seems to continue to be lesser known, lesser used -- even though all
research points to it being a superior surgery (higher percentage of weight
loss, same complication rates). It is a more difficult surgery -- for the
surgeon -- and it is more difficult to get insurance to pay for it.
Although that is changing since Medicaid determined that is was NOT
experimental. The DS is especially helpful for diabetics (98% cure rate
and has been performed in Europe for over 10 years as a cure even for
non-obese) and it is preferred for those with a higher BMI. Even though my
BMI was just under 40, I opted for the DS because of the higher quality
life after surgery. Almost NO dumping, NO strictures, your pyloric valve
stays intact, higher percentage of weight loss and less chance of regain
years out. I go into a lot more detail on my profile about why I chose the
DS. No matter what surgery you choose, make sure that you are informed and
know ALL your choices. I am almost 10 months out and have lost just over
100 pounds and am absolutely thrilled!
— [Deactivated Member]
January 26, 2007
Michele,
I am the Admin. Assist. to the Director of Bariatric at a hospital in CO.
I just put together the stats for 2006 and our Surgeon did 399 surgeries
last year and they were split almost 50/50. There was one more ByPass then
LapBand. This is a very personal decision. It depends on your
co-morbidities, your insurance, and your personal feelings. I work with
allot of both types of surgeries and see excellant results from both. I
personally had ByPass as back when I had mine, the LapBand was not so
popular (3years). Go to a Seminar with a surgeon and join a support group
now and ask questions and listen to what people have to say. This would
help you allot. Don't let somebody that had a certain surgery tell you
what is best for you. You and your doctor should decide that.
— jk_harris
January 26, 2007
I want to thank everyone for their answers. It is really helping me get
more info and in doing my research..
I will make a well informed choice.
Have a great day.
Michele
— michelemcd
March 9, 2007
I had surgery on 06/10/02 and I had the RNY open surgery. I am very pleased
with my results and think I made the best decision for me. The doctor that
I chose did not at that time perform the LAP when I had my surgery. I had
inquired why and was told he felt more confident in being able to perform
the open rather than lap. He also felt that the RNY had less chances of
their being any leakages. As far as recovery goes...like with any major
surgery, you will experience some discomfort. Mine was minimal.
— Deb S.
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