Question:
ATTN: BANDSTERS, REVISED BANDSTERS TO DS or RNY & SELF PAYERS
Hello! I am 19 yrs old, 5'5, 259 lbs. After researching and discussing the various WLS procedures with my parents, they have decided that they would pay for my surgery, but ONLY for the Lap-Band...they like the idea that it is less invasive, the weight is loss over a longer period of time & the idea that if I had the band removed, my anatomy would "go back to normal," & finally, they want grandchildren outta me one day and the malnutrition issues are kind of scary for them. I had my heart set on DS but Aetna stinkin PPO will not pay for either....(I feel the maker's of Reese's Peanut Butter cups and Blue Bell ice cream should pay for it...just a joke) I know this is MY DECISION, but the fact that I could have a surgery date sooner than Jan. '04 is the route that I will take. Anyway, I figure that if the band does not "work" I will get it revised to either distal RNY or DS. My question to those of you who have been banded, please tell me about your overall experience, complications, weight-loss progress, or lack there of and the length of time it took you, regrets, if any, etc... To those of you who were initially banded and got a revision, what WLS method did you have? Complications, regrets, advise, your experience, etc... Finally, to those of you who self paid for Lap-Band, please tell me the total cost and your experience. Thank you all in advance. I appreciate all feedback. God Bless — Shayla527 (posted on May 23, 2003)
May 23, 2003
I'm actually scheduled for a Proximal Lap RNY and my BMI is quite close to
yours. I'm a 41 and yours is a 43. You stated that if the Lap-Band didn't
work you would have it revised to a Distal RNY or DS. My Dr will only
perform Distal on those with a BMI of 50 or greater. With Distal they
bypass more of the Small Intestine meaning a higher amount of malabsorption
or malnutrition for those with much more weight to loose. I believe on
this site I've read, they consider a BMI of 43 or less a light weight!
That'll be a first for me but I'll take it! I'm sure your parents would
feel better if you went with a Proximal rather than Distal. Since they
want grandkids, they'd have less to worry about. Good luck in what ever
you decide is best for you.
— Shelly R.
May 23, 2003
I'm sorry I forgot to add this info. in my earlier post and I didn't want
to confuse you. My message was referring to Distal RNY and not DS as my Dr
doesn't offer that.
I've researched DS and from what I've read this is performed Distal as you
keep more of your stomach (150 cc) and your pyloric valve which empties
your stomach contents into your small intestine gradually (no dumping).
The Distal bypass of the small intestine is necessary with DS as you can
still eat sugar and consume more per meal than someone who's had an RNY. I
was really interested in DS but unfortunately there are no Doctor's in my
local area who perform it. Therefore, I'm going with Lap RNY. Good Luck!
— Shelly R.
May 23, 2003
"I feel the maker's of Reese's Peanut Butter cups and Blue Bell ice
cream should pay for it...just a joke)"<P> Caution eating such
foods will prevent the band from doing its job. See my profile I ALMOST got
the band but decided I needed the dumping to remind me to eat differently.
I was a milkshake JUNKIE PRE OP. Sure way to be a band failure.
— bob-haller
May 23, 2003
Theres a yahoo bandsters group.
— bob-haller
May 23, 2003
Another place to check out for lap banders is spotlighthealth.com, go to
morbid obesity and support groups and there is a support group just for the
lap banders.
— Cindy R.
May 23, 2003
One BIG reason not to self-pay is that if you have complications you must
self-pay those also... Insurance will not cover complications from a
surgery they did not approve.
Aetna will not approve a Revision until 2 years after the original
surgery.
For ME (62 BMI) I wanted the malabsorbtion, the restricted intake, and the
Dumping to keep me on the path. For ME, the knowledge that the band was
reversable caused me to fear I would sabotage my efforts if it became too
difficult, and cause the band to be removed.
Be sure the first time... You don't wanna go through this twice. If you
must wait another 8 months for the best procedure for YOU, then wait.
— [Deactivated Member]
May 23, 2003
I was just banded a week ago. I chose it for many of the same reasons you
mention - including the idea that I can revise to DS if it doesn't work,
though I have no reason to think that it will fail so far! It's too early
for me to say much about weight loss, but I am definitely happy with my
choice so far - I find that just having the band, even though it's not yet
filled, has made a big difference in my cravings for food. I haven't felt
hunger since the surgery, and that makes it a lot easier to not even think
about food.
I definitely recommend joining these mailing lists to get more statistics
and input from lapband people:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bandsters
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SmartBandsters
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/20s_bandsters (a smaller list for those of
us who are young - since you're almost 20)
Good luck. :)
— K M.
May 23, 2003
--"My question to those of you who have been banded, please tell me
about your overall experience, complications, weight-loss progress, or lack
there of and the length of time it took you, regrets, if any,
etc..."--
I'm a little over 3 months post-op. I've lost 32.5 pounds. I have
absolutely no regrets about having this surgery. I was in the hospital 1
night and back to doing most of my normal activities within a week.
I do hope that you won't rely only on this forum for input about the lap
band. There seems to be a large amount of bad info posted here.
Some people seem to have a problem with the slower rate of loss with the
band, but the band helps facilitate a HEALTHY rate of weight loss which
doesn't tax the liver or other organs. Our bodies retain the ability to
normally digest food, making the need for a lifetime of supplements
nonexistent.
There's a misconception that people who are sweet-eaters don't do well with
the band. However, a study done at Alfred Hospital in Australia, along
with 2 other major studies, concluded that "Sweet eaters do not have
less favorable weight outcomes following Lap-Band surgery. Our study
confirms the findings of two other major studies. Sweet eating behavior
should not be used as a preoperative selection criterion for bariatric
surgery."
There is no magic bullet in the battle against obesity. The lap band is a
tool which, if used properly by a person who is committed to a lifestyle
change, can lead to great success.
I do hope you'll check out the lap band board at the following URL:
http://www.spotlighthealth.com/common/SG/topics.asp?m=1&sb2=&sb=25
*Best of luck to you!*
— TMF
May 27, 2003
I am with Tonia, it is a tool, however a little bit of ice cream is not
going to keep you from losing. I am not the model bandster, but I am here
to say, I eat ice cream 5 days out of 7, and yes candy too. Why would I
want to dump and be sick if I can eat it and still lose? If you are
properly restricted, you can not eat enough ice cream to out eat your band.
Do your own research because only you can decide what is best for you,
but at your young age I would not want to be re-routing the insides God has
given me. I was banded 03/02 and have lost 110 lbs. I am at 148 lbs. and
do not need to lose anymore. I have maintained this weight for three
months, have had no problems at all and could not be happier. I think I
paid around $17K for everything, and it is worth every penny.
— Linda H.
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