I need some help...

I am in the process (ie... blood work, mental eval, ekg...) of having the surgery done. I am 5'2 and weigh about 260.

The question at hand is should I go with the Lap Band? Or should I go with Bypass?

I have about 2 weeks to make up my mind so they can schedule me, and I need help from people who have had either proceedure done and what your opinion is on which one I should go with?

Please help me! Thank you soo much, I cant wait to hear from you all!

It may be best to talk to your Dr about which one is right for you. For me I will say I choose the band because it is adjustable and not as invasive as other WLS. I like the idea that if my weight starts to creep back up in a few years (or ever) I can get my band adjusted and start over. I have friends who have had the bypass and DS and both have had post surgical problems and have also gained weight back. I am not saying any surgery is best I am just saying for me at the time the band was my best option. :)  EDUCATE yourself and talk to your Dr and only you can really decide what is the best choice!
Good luck on your journey wherever it takes you =)

Thank you for your advice. I have talked with my Dr and she told me the Band or Sleeve would be the best options for me. However my insurance only covers the band or bypass.  I am more worried about having a foreign object in me. That doesnt effect you? You dont feel anything in your stomach cavity?

No you do not feel the band inside you =) you may feel tightness when under stress or dehydrated etc but you do not "feel" the band.Now the port sometimes I can feel if I touch where it is.It is not freaky or anything .
Also it is true that the band does not work for everyone ! However NO WLS works for everyone . Everyone one of them have risks and common complications and so on. If your two choices are band and bypass then study the heck out of both and make an informed choice. There are ppl even here who have had a band AFTER bypass and those who have had another WLS AFTER band so it is  all up to you and what you feel comfortable with.

 
Are you aware that with most ins co's you can appeal and get a safer surgery type than banding?

Be really careful here, most ins co's are changing to a one WLS in a lifetime policy.  If you get a band and need it removed down the road as most are, you'll be self pay for a revision.

If your doc is suggesting band or sleeve go for the sleeve, it's far safer long term than banding and a whole crap load easier to live with.  Weight loss stats are superior as well.

Check out the sleeve board, many there appealed their ins and won.

hello just wanted to say i had the lapband on dec 10 2010 and i love it  would not change a thing

Thank you soo much! I really hope that the band does the same for me! I have been over weight my entire life, and I have health issues that can go away with weight loss, I just am worried about having a foreign object inside me. That doesnt effect you? Can you feel anything inside you?

You can't actually feel the band but, if you're one of the unlucky ones, you'll still be affected by it. Mine caused so much diaphragmatic damage that I still get referred left shoulder pain on occasion (like, 2 days ago, severely) and it's been 5 years since removal.

You may not be able to actually feel the actual band, but the consequences of having that foreign body can certainly be very real. It's not the same as having your teeth filled. The stomach is soft tissue that gets easily irritated. It's not meant to be squeezed and constricted constantly. So, while the band manufacturers will claim the surgery is "less invasive" and "reversible," it's not really true. The band is removable... but you're not going to simply bounce back to where you were before surgery.

I'd recommend researching the Sleeve if you're looking for a better restrictive procedure. I WISH someone had steered me away from the band back before I had it done. It would have saved me years and years of horrible, chronic pain.

Keep researching... the good and the bad. There's a lot out there to know before making a life altering decision. Good luck to you.

Thank you!! I have talked with my Dr and she advised me the band or sleeve would be the best choices for me. I am just worried about having a foreign object inside me. So with your guys bands you dont feel them inside you?

If your ins. will cover it, go for the sleeve.  The band has many disadvantages that the sleeve does not have.  I wouldn't recommend the band or the RNY.

The way you feel the band is that it caused lots of people pain when they eat.  Also, the port can hurt.  That is just the tip of the iceberg though.

ETA:  you need to find out if your ins. will cover a revision to the sleeve if the band doesn't work out for you.  My ins. didn't cover the sleeve, but it covered the revision.  Also check to see if your ins. has a one time WLS clause.