Trying to decide between Band or Bypass. Thoughts?

I know its a personal decision, but I am conflicted tyring to decide between the two.

I know for some people, who have high blood pressure or diabetes its a no-brainer, the weight needs to come off fast. But so far I don't have any major medical complications other then the recent diagnosis of sleep apnea.

There is part of me that thins the Band is right for me. I am a heavy eater, an emotional eater, and when I drink alcohol you would think I have been starved for years I eat so much food.

I think the Band could help me tremendously cut down on the amount of food i intake, therefore leading to weight loss.

I think the Band is a much safer procedure (which I like). And frankly, I don't mind going to the doctor so i don't think the frequent doctor visits for fills would bother me so much.

I also like (with the Band) the idea that you can eat just about anyting, as long as the portion is small (unlike what I have heard about the bypass where some things may never be eaten again).

There is a small part of me, however, that feels like - if they are going to go in there - they might as well do it all the first time. In other words, if I have to get the holes in my stomach - they might as well go all the way. My mother has diabetes (i was adopted and just recently finding this out) however I have never showed any signs of diabetes in my annual physicals. i am not 37 years old.

But - I sort of feel like, with the bypass - even if you don't have diabetes now - if that ever were a concern in the future, having had the bypass should eliminate it entirely. Now, I am not a doctor, and do not know if that is true - but that's the way I am understanding it could me.

Anyway - I just wanted to ask some of yoy who have had either the Band or the Bypass, your thoughts.

Thanks

Brad, glad your weighting all your options.  Those *****ally ponder these thing tend to do better in the long run...no second guessing on the operating table.  You could always do the band and if your not sucessful come back in a few years to do the RNY or DS(revision).  What I am about to share is basic basic stuff...but valid.  With the RNY it is over and done with.  You drop the weight quickly but there is malabsorption.  You must follow the guidelines for good health.  There can be complications, but most get resolved quickly too.  The Lap Band is effective too ( when used in the proper way).  The problem is that with the band people will cheat.  It really is the biggest issue for Banders.  They will get in the calories anyway they can.  "Oh look, if I sip on this milkshake it will be gone in a 1/2 hour".  Again these are general ideas.  There are many many sucessful Banders out there.  There are many unsucessful RNYers out there too.  With RNY the men lose the weight quickly and tend to keep it off (after say 5 years).  I have see the stats on other websites where this is true.
Weigh all options.  Every time this issue comes up it seems we get a battle going.  We are all here for support and want your best outcome.  Keep asking away...Brian 

One more thing...I copied and pasted this from another forum...Hope it comes out OK...Regaining of weight years out.  It may be an old chart too.  Brian 

Reported Weight Loss as Percentage
of Excess Body Weight After Bariatric Surgery


……………………………………………..Follow-u p........p e r i o d ( y )
Procedure………………………………..1-2 years……3-6 years….7-10years

Vertical banded gastroplasty………50-72………..25-65………(No results yet)
Gastric banding…………………………..29-87………...45-72………14-60
Sleeve gastrectomy………………………33-58………..66…………..(No results yet)
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass……………….48-85………..53-77……….25-68
Banded Roux-en-Y gastric bypass……..73-80………..66-78……….60-70
Long-limb RNY gastric bypass…...53-74……….55-74…….…(No results yet)
Biliopancreatic diversion DS……………..65-83……….62-81………..60-80

Brad, don't forget about the DS, as well ..  I highly recommend it if you have over 100 lbs. to lose and/or a history of diabetes ..  The cure rate of Type II diabetes with the DS is close to 98% (by far the highest of the WLSes) and the resolution is usually permanent ..  The excess weight loss is also the greatest of all the procedures, as well as excess weight kept off (which is the important part!).     You can also eat more normally than with RNY (actually, you can eat high fat) and still lose more ..    No dumping syndrome either with DS ..   You do have to watch white flour products, rice, and processed sugars, but mostly b/c of gas issues and bloating than anything else ..   Unlike the band, you don't have to worry about fills, slippage, "gastric erosions", or the like with DS, either .. 

  We have several DS surgeons now in Texas (finally) ..  Dr. Erik Wilson is getting pretty proficient in the Houston area, as is Dr. Ganta in Austin ..  Dr. Daryl Stewart in Denton is probably the most epxerienced in Texas, with over 50 lap DSes to date ..  He is also one of the cheapest in the U.S. currently, at $19K open, $21K lap, for cash pay patients ..   Pretty flexible about payment plans, too ..     He has many happy campers on the DS and Texas forums, and a local DS support group that meets in Lewisville ..

You know you love to let 'em rip in Walmart for ****s and grins!

 LOL   that's the BEST part, Don ..   


   but seriously, I haven't launched an "aisle-clearer" in quite awhile now ..   I must be gettin' out of practice!   

Few pieces of SF candy and I'm a walking stink bomb!

Brad:

I got banded 7 months ago (2 months before my 38th b'day).  Like you, I wrestled with the decision of RNY vs. lap-band, and ultimately chose the band because it was less invasive.  I am also self-employed, so I paid out of pocket, and it seemed there would be less doctor visits in the long run once the first year was over.  My surgeon scales back the fills as weight comes off with the goal of seeing you every 6 months as you approach your goal.  And, if you are self-pay, he provides a "one year warranty" where all fills, visits, and everything else up to removal and replacement of the band are no charge to the patient - this is awesome!  Also, I worried about paying out of pocket down the road should I have complications - with the band, there are only a few sutures in the outer wall of the stomach to hold it, some sutures in your ab muscles to hold the port, and the laproscopic incisions to deal with.  It can come right out the same way it went in or be revised to something more.  While rare, I was concerned about both the physical and monetary problems should I have complications with the re-routed plumbing of gastric bypass.  Also, I had around 100 lb to lose, a lightweight by comparison to others here, so the RNY seemed to be too much tool for the job in my case.   I didn't have any imminent health issues yet, either - just high cholestrol, high-normal blood sugar, and slightly high blood pressure.  And, I have the heavy eating, emotional/binge eating thing in common with you, too.  But, my primary doctor told me that I was looking at serious problems, quite possibly within 5 years, if I didn't do something to get my house in order.

I was concerned about diabetes, too, since I have a family history of type II, and my doctor said that weight loss through any means, coupled with 30-45 minutes per day of exercise, would greatly reduce my chances of ever getting it.  Find something you like to do that makes you sweat and get ready to make it an integral part of your life.  WLS of any kind is optimized by exercise, and its importance can't be overlooked. 

So far, the band works great.  My food cravings are gone; I am, quite simply, not hungry.  It took about 5 months of adjustments to get to this point.  If you are going to cheat, you'll be more able to do it before being adjusted to the 'sweet spot' where the restriction prevents binge or over-eating.  I am not able to physically overeat without spitting it back up.  It can't be done.  Even drinking too much is difficult.  In my case, since I have good restriction, I will have to disagree with Brian since I physically could not drink a milkshake of much size as it would cause the small pouch above my band to hurt just like  I had overeaten a huge meal.  However, before achieving this restriction, it was possible to drink almost anything, just not in as large a quantity as pre-surgery.  Knowing this, it can't be overstated that the lap-band is a partnership between you and your surgeon.  If I can eat more than the 4 oz per meal I use as my guideline, or suddenly my protein shakes seem to slide right down, then I must have the discipline to have my band properly adjusted, or it is of little use.

The results so far:  I've lost 87 lbs in 7 months, my bp is 115/65 from 140/85, I am off the cholestrol meds entirely, and my blood sugar is normal.  Regardless of the surgery you choose, if you work the tool correctly, you have a great chance of achieving the results you are looking for.   Just remember, nothing is foolproof, and you'll need to change your lifestyle no matter which surgical route you take.  Best wishes as you decide!

in my biased opinion you'll eb doing yourself a diservice if you didn't also look at the VSG. Its worked wonders for me.  Read and learn about all of them when you find the right one it will fell right.

I had the exact same thoughts you did and I went with RNY and have never looked back. My surgeon was one of the best and he "customized" my surgery for me based on what I needed to lose. I think it makes a huge difference because I needed to lose about 125 pounds and he basically didn't bypass any of the intestines (other than what was needed to make the "Y"). I think this is what has helped me to be able to take better to different foods and what not. I still have enough restriction but so far it has been right on the money.

9-months out, to the day, I hit my pre-op goal of losing 115 pounds. Now, I'm aiming for dropping about another 10 pounds and hopefully staying there.

Ultimately, like you said, it's your decision but if you want me to make it for you I will definitely choose RNY.