Why did u decide RNY over lap band??

I went to a seminar and am hoping to get some feedback from others that were once in my shoes... deciding between these 2 surgeries.  What made you chose RNY?  Do you have any regrets?

I have had my orientation,  my nut & social worker appt.

This is what I am also trying to decide.
So fair I am leaning towards the RNY.

Several reasons,  1- I am a diabetic II
2- I have trouble with controlling myself.
3- Hearing that some people wished they had the rny instead of the lapband. 

But I could change my mind...

:)

I am having RNY on Monday. I am very good at knowing my body, and hunches about it have always served me well. I have a very strong hunch with what my body already does that I will have a hard time with the band, and that my body will react to it. I also like the fact that more weight usually comes off of RNY patients as apposed to band and more people keep the weight off. I also didn't want to constantly go to the Dr and have a needle stuck into my abdomen to have the band adjusted constantly! 

besides just a gut instinct...

1. RNY provided a chance of immediate relief of type 2 diabetes
2. RNY had better results - high % of excess weight loss and longer term success
3. I was a little freaked out by the concept of band "slippage" and erosion.
4. months and years(?) of getting band filled/unfilled.  accessing a port in my side.

RNY has negatives that people who get the band don't have to deal with... dumping, malabsobtion come to mind.  I was willing to tolerate these possible side effects.

No, no regrets.  I wish other surgeries were available to me, but I don't know enough about them to think they would have been better, but I am very happy with my RNY and know that the band was not the right choice for me. 

Mine was pretty simple.
I based mine on the reasoning that bodies reject organ transplants from time to time. If I had went with the band I figured "MY" body would reject the "foreign object" because my luck has always leaned on the bad side LOL. I was not willing to chance that and the extra maintenance of getting fills etc..

Kelly/tink

I first decided on the lapband, even had my surgery date and changed my mind at the last minute, also changed surgeons 3 times.  Now I am set for the RNY and feel good about this decision and my surgeon.   Like so many others, the lapband fills was just something I didn't want to deal with all the time. I also liked the fact you lose weight faster with the rny ( even though the study shows after 2 yrs the lapband and rny are about the same as far as weight lost)  I had my EGD and found out I had a hiatal hernia, which this surgery will resolve. 

1.  I had about 130 pounds to lose and knew I had a much better chance of losing it with RNY.
2.  I did not like the idea of having a foreign object in my body.
3.  I did not want to have to go back again and again for fills, hoping to get the right amount of restriction.
4.  I did not like the potential complication with lap band.  Now, RNY has its own set of potential complications.  I just thought I'd rather deal with those.
5.  I read somewhere that 80% of people with the band have to have to it removed for one reason or anything in less than eight years.  I hoped to avoid another major surgery in the future.  As it turns out, I had to have my gallbladder removed at ten months out, but I wanted to avoid additional surgeries if I could.
6.  My surgeon said the band works best for people that just need portion control but RNY works best for people that tend to eat a lot of high calories foods.  That was me.

I have no regrets.  Well, honestly, if I could have, I would have rather had the sleeve.  But that was not an option with my insurance.  I don't regret having RNY, though.  And the more I've learned about problems with the band, I'm even happier I didn't get one.  Honestly, you could not pay me to get one of those things.

Kelly

I'm scheduled for the RNY on June 14th.  I decided to go with the RNY because of the rapid weight loss, no monthly fills with the band, and I know a lot of people who had the RNY with no regrets.  I also know several people who had the Band and didn't lose much weight and now are trying to get approval for the RNY.  I'm very nervous but I think this would be  a better option for me.

I was planning on the lapband until my surgeon reviewed my medical hx.  I have GERD and Barrett's Esophagus and he did not recommend the lapband with those two issues.  I have read journal articles saying that with some RNY patients, GERD and Barrett's are eliminated.  I'm hoping!  He's already taken me off of the omeprazole (Prilosec for GERD).  He also found a hiatal hernia, which he repaired; that also would have been done with the lapband. 

So the choice was made for me, but I have no regrets and I know that I will have a better chance with long term success.

Good luck with which ever option you choose. 

Going in to my initial surgery educational seminar, I'd been considering lap band.  But at the seminar, the surgeon and nurse passed around a band for us to see and when it was passed to me, I noticed that it was broken.   Not exactly confidence inspiring.   And during the seminar, my surgeon compared the surgeries and the lap band procedure sounded too time intensive to me with all the extra visits and adjustments.   I figured doing the monthly B12 injections was the most poking and proding I'd want to have done to me after the surgery.  Also, the idea of a port under my skin kind of weirded me out.  

One piece of advice I can give if you do have RNY is this:    your surgeon might use one of three types of tissue to create a reinforcement for the bottom of your pouch.  My surgeon gave me the choice of using a piece of muscle taken out of my thigh, a piece of muscle taken from a cadaver, or a piece of artificial tissue.    I chose the muscle taken out of my thigh and I soon regretted that choice.   My thigh took longer to heal than the 6 laproscopic insicions in my stomache.  It really hindered my recovery because it was harder to walk afterward and it was harder to start exercising after the surgery, too.   A friend of mine had surgery the same day that I did and she chose the artificial tissue.  She was up and "running" much sooner than I was.  So, if this is something your surgeon does and if you are given the choice, I'd advise at least considering using the artificial tissue. 

Hope that helps,

Charity