OK, I'm back from the beach. So here's the short version of my journey. I strated out planning to get a lapband and set up my appointment with the nurse practioner. She put throught my paperwork, but recommended the bypass because I now have type 2 diabetes. She also suggested I visit the support groups - I did and have been going regularly. Now - nobody flame me, this is just my perceptions. What I noticed was that, as a group, the bypass patients were much more satisfied and optimistic - and had dome better in the weight loss. There have been several very successful lapband patients (2 women and 3 men) that have all lost over 100 pounds. But the other women attending the groups, who are over a year out of surgery, have lost about 50 pounds - I need to lose more than that. I ended up getting confused and making an appointment with the other nurse practioner to get her take. She thought I could probably lose 60-75 pounds on the band. Another thing I noticed was the eating habits. The bypass has some built in reactions that pretty much keep you from eating fat and sugar for the first year or so, giving you time to change all those bad habits. The band does not. It is easy to eat around the band - you can eat shakes and ice cream with no problems right after surgery. Given my many bad habits, I did not think this was a good idea. I listened to 3 women who had just had band sugery - they were eating pizza and drinking wine. So for me, the hard core approach gives me additonal tools and should give me a bigger weight loss. Being able to get the laparscopic rny also a big plus. So we submitted another request to bcbs and I was approved for the bypass. There also seems to be a better result in reducing/eliminating hbp and diabetes from the bypass. The band is also more labor intensive in trying to isolate the sweet spot, so fills can be a hassle until that spot i**** Not a major deal, but another thing to consider. I really recommend that you start visiting all the support groups and talk to folks who have had both surgeries. This will help you make the best decision for yourself. And it might be different than what you are now considering. Good luck.
