Gastric sleeve vs. bypass, vs, lap band?

can I ask why your doctor wants you to do that instead of working with you to change your eating habits and get your body moving in a healthy way?

I am 3 weeks out from having the gastric sleeve. I couldnt be happier. Granted some might think this is taking the "easy way out", but they dont always realize all the implications. I chose the sleeve because I didnt want to deal with the dumping syndrome, or the whole rearranging of my insides. I couldnt be happier with my decision. I do know that you can do some research on obesityhelp.com. That is where I did alot of my homework. Your choice is a personal one and make it for you, not based on what others say.

I have someone on my friend list that seems to be well versed in weight loss surgery. Of anyone I have met, or come across on the forums, she seems to have really done her homework. If you would like to shoot her a pm or friend request, i'll send you her mfp link


Best wishes to you

my cousin got the lap band and lost 100lbs...it really helped her because it forced her to change her eating habits, if not she would throw up or feel really sick.

It forces you to change your eating habits.

If you don't, you will stretch it out and gain back all the weight.

Keep this in mind when making a decision, this is not a miracle for weight loss, weight loss is damn hard work and a big commitment.

You can achieve your goals when you set your mind to it!

Imagine that. Some doctor somewhere counseling somebody about weight--what's this world coming to? It must have been a young doctor, the kind of doctor with a mindset on changing America, because most doctors would have simply thrown a pamphlet at you, and wrote you a prescription. Don't hate your doctor for taking his or her precious time to counsel you about your weight. I wish more of them took that opportunity.

My cousin had the lap band procedure, and it helped her.

I think the first part of your response was completely useless.



Anyway! Back to topic, a friend of mine had gastric bypass. He lost a LOT of weight, but it has been about 7-8 years and he has gained it ALL back and then some. I honestly think it is a bad idea unless you are completely and totally committed.

FWIW, I have had lap-band surgery. It took me 2 full years of research and talking to others who had had any kind of weight loss surgery. I also spoke to my gastroenterologist who has treated patients years after their surgeries.

I have struggled with my weight ever since my 1st child was born - over 31 years ago. I found it a challenge to loose weight but keeping it off was the most difficult part. I was always hungry. Both emotional 'head hunger' and physical hunger. I got help for the head/emotional hunger but nothing worked for the physical hunger, long term. The Lap Band has successfully changed that.

I chose lap band for the following reasons (after MUCH research)
1) Minimally invasive surgery - recovery is much faster than other surgeries. I have 5 small scars on my belly.
2) It is totally reversible. If you get sick (cancer, severe flu, etc.) or pregnant, and need to be able to absorb food better, you have a full stomach and the saline solution used in the band can be removed to encourage this. My gastroenterologist was VERY vocal about this. He was very anti Gastric bypass or sleeve as they are not reversible and he had been treating patients that he couldn't help when they got sick because of it.
3) Some of the very things others don't like about the lap band, I LOVE because they keep me 'honest'. For example, if you eat too fast or don't chew thoroughly, you'll get "stuck" and it's pretty uncomfortable (and yes, you can wind up vomiting). I eat like a 'lady' now! LOL!
4) Weight loss is much slower than Gastric Bypass - but MUCH healthier for you. There are no real short cuts. You still must choose to eat properly but the advantage is it slows you down and you are satisfied with much less food.

There is a learning curve to it, and it takes time to get just the right amount of saline solution for optimal effect, but it is soooo worth it. I will have my 3 month anniversary on the 21st of this month. I feel great and no longer think about food all the time. In fact, I have to remember to eat! For real!

BTW - ALL my friends who had gastric bypass have gained all their weight back and all but one regret having the surgery. One is looking into getting 'banded' as well, something her insurance co. is not happy with but her Doc is trying to work with them.

I'll be happy to answer any questions you have about my experience.

As Beach Bum Gurl said, you need to find a Bariatric Center of Excellence and find a doctor that you like before anything else. It's SOOOO important! The doctor is going to consult with you several times and can determine from there which procedure should help you the most. It really depends on the kind of eating you do and some of your habits, plus your health.

I got my band on 10/1/2011, but had a large hernia repaired at the same time, so I didn't have any saline in my band until January. Then, I started at the fill most people get for the first six to eight weeks of their surgery, so it wasn't until about April when we started getting close to the "sweet spot" or "green zone" where the band was actually doing something for me. THEN, my otologist decided I needed a radical mastoidectomy and I had the saline out again for June and July while I underwent surgery again for my ear. Mid-August, the saline was replaced and last week, I think we hit "the spot". Despite all of that, which was NOT AT ALL the fault of the band, but my other health issues, I have lost 54 pounds thus far with extended periods of total inactivity.

Attend several informational meetings and do your research. Go to their associated support group meetings and talk to the patients about their experiences and if you find someone who you hit it off with in the group, see if you can exchange emails or phone numbers to speak with them privately, so you can ask all of the nitty gritty about the offfice.

I my doctors office, we pay a one time program fee of $250. That includes the price of the psychiatric evaluation and nutritional counseling "forever". We have support groups (free) several times a month and regardless of your insurance plan, when you see the doctor, you pay a $15 co-pay. I see the nutritionist every 4-6 weeks because I have had such horrible eating habits my entire life that I am making changes slowly. I bring in my log pages from MFP and they analyze them.

I say this to everyone here on MFP, and tonight it was actually the topic at the support group meeting......IF a person has not, PERSONALLY, have not seen the doctors, attended the meetings, seen the video tapes, etc., disregard what they have to say about the operation, even if it is their spouse, mother, daughter, friend, co-worker, etc. ONLY listen to fully informed opinions from the patients themselves. There is so much misunderstanding and miscommunication out there about these surgeries and they all work differently.

I can tell you that the lapband is the simplest and least risky of the three and it also takes the hardest work from the patient. You lose weight slower, too, but as others have said, I actually like that. A thin band with a saline pocket is placed around your esophagus right where it enters your stomach and from the band there is a small tube that ends in a small "port" into which saline can be filled or removed. The port is sutured into your abdominal area on the left side. The idea is that the food you eat will remain in an area where the nerves that communicate the feeling of fullness to your brain, so that you can eat a small amount and be satisfied. In addition, but restricting the opening into your stomach, you must eat slowing and chew thoroughly or you will get "stuck", which can be an unpleasant feeling.

The surgery is about an hour or so and you are only in the hospital overnight. After the surgery, you are x-rayed to make sure the band is in the correct position.

Wish I could give you this much information about the sleeve, but, truthfully, only one person in our group of several thousand people have had the sleeve so far. If you want more detail, email me, I can talk about it for hours. There are also several topics in my blog about my experiences with the band.

Good luck to you. Tonight, when each post-surgery patient was talking to the pre-surgery candidates, the most frequent comment was, "I lose xxxx pounds and it changed my life." I feel the same way. I feel like I have an entire team helping me now and the "tool" helps me.