I have seen both success and failure with the lapband. Often people who get the lapband end up going back for bypass or the sleeve. Have you considered the sleeve? I personally chose RNY because it was permanent and I didn't like the fact that the band can erode through your stomach and slip as well, but ultimately the decision is yours. Do your homework and do what you feel you can live with. Now that they are doing the RNY laproscopically I don't feel that there are as many complications with it, but you still take your chances with any procedure. On a personal note I am happy with my choice and would choose to do it all over again - I feel that my experience was almost fairytale like.

Xcarrie3137, I have had a really successful bypass. Even with some complications. I had surgery on 11/28/12, I lost 30 lbs before surgery and have lost another 40 since. January 3rd I had to have emergency surgery, as I lost so much weight so fast my internal stitches came undone. They were able to go in laproscopically (inI the original incisions) and repair the hernia by tightening my stitches. I chose bypass because the success rate is higher and the weight loss is greater. If you want to read more about my experience, I am blogging about it on http://www.fredericksburgparent.net/blogs/weigh-in/

Good Luck!

With my RNY I was in the hospital mostly sleeping and walking the halls for 3 days. For the first week of recovery my husband managed the house and kids with very little input from me. I focused on pain management and walking and just resting. The second week I started to do more around the house just remembering not to lift anything heavy. I went back to work and did everything else like normal and was even cleared to exercise after 2 weeks and I can admit it was too much too soon because it took another 2 weeks before I felt like I was back to 100% physically and mentally. If I could have done it different I would not have rushed back to exercise, that really could have waited another couple of weeks without any real harm. My kids were 2 and 5 at the time and I prepared them for me being unable to pick them up and lift things in advance as well as explaining post surgery where not to squish me when they crawled into my lap. If I didn't have my husband to manage that first week I thin I would have needed a friend or grandparent to step in because while I could have figured out how to do the basics like car seats and diapers without lifting the kid, I was stil sleeping a lot and taking medication that I would not have wanted to drive while on so I would have needed some help transporting them to school and other kid things.

I really suggest that you do your reasearch and that you are really confident on yourdecision. I chose RNY, and I have had no complications or issues. I am 1 1/2 years out from surgery and have hit my goal weight after loosing 30 pre op and 100 post op. I had a 2 night stay in the hospital, and 1 week at home before returning to work. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I am a lap-band patient. Because of my insurance it took me two years to get approved - that gave me A LOT of time to think. I was terrified of ANY surgery. I even up-dated my will I was so scared. But you know what scared me more? Continuing to live like I was living pre-weight loss surgery! I had a lot more weight to lose than most people who choose lap-band. But I ultimately decided that it was the better choice for me. I was ok with losing weight at a slower rate. I felt it was a healthier choice- for me. No doctor can choose for you. I started out at 331.6 lbs. Less than two months later I am down just shy of 50 lbs! That is way above average for the lap-band. My doctor told me not to get discouraged if I lost a pound or two a week or even stayed the same some weeks... So far so good. I couldn't be happier with my choice. It works for me because I work with it. I work out and eat healthier. The band has been an amazing tool for me. I think all options have risks but any way you choose if you work the plan the doctors give you then you will be successful!

Do lots of research. I have seen some success with the band..and some not. Same with all surgeries though. I was thinking of either the sleeve or the bypass. I eventually chose the bypass because all of my research led me to believe that was the best option for diabetics and I have been diabetic since I was a child. Over the years I developed a lot of insulin resistance on top of my bad pancreas so it was even harder to lose weight and control my sugar. Within days of surgery my insulin resistance started resolving. I havent taken metformin since before surgery and my insulin requirements have dropped from around 200 units per day to a more "normal" 35-40. It was the best decision for me.

Seminars can be scary. The surgeon wouldnt be doing their job if they weren't presenting all the alternatives and every complication that could occur. I would run away from any surgeon that didnt present a full picture of each of the procedures.

Everybody's experience is different and you have to make the choice thats right for you. I wasn't interested in the Lap Band because of its higher failure rate. Almost everybody I've known that had lap band has gained their weight back. . I went into seminar thinking I wanted to get the sleeve but after all the info I was presented with I chose RNY because it made sense for me. Once you have your one on one consult with the doctor, discuss your concerns and they should give you a recomendation. But you are the boss, don't go with any surgery you aren't 100% comfortable is the right choice for you. I had my surgery on 12/27/12, I was only in the hospital one night and back home the next evening. I took 2 weeks off from work but really could have gone back after just one. (My job is behind a desk) I went back to the gym after 3 weeks.

I researched and prayed for about a year before deciding on the sleeve. I had the same band fears as mentioned and I was scared of the idea of having my intestines re-routed. The sleeve feels like a happy medium. I have had no issues other then the first week of nausea, very happy

The research I've done indicates Lap Band and Bypass have the same success rate but only at the 3 yr mark. Gastric Bypass is much faster weight loss over the first 2 yrs but then there is usually a greater likelihood of gaining weight back before stabilizing whereas lap band generally has slower but more consistent weight loss than then tapers and plateaus.

I'll admit I haven't seen any clinical studies comparing the 2 beyond 3 years. And sleeves are so new I remember going to a seminar where they weren't even approved in the US yet.