band or bypass?

[vonnie38]

hi i am in abit of a pickle at the minute.when i first went for my group meeting i was all set for a band.when i returned home i then started thinking bypass.once again i'm thinking band.discussing it with my husband,he tells me i'm daft if i go for a band.bypass is a more permanent thing.he says i will probably regret getting a band and wished i had gone for a bypass.i don't think i will get to make a desicion anyway.surely the consultant will let me know what i can have.i'm just starting out and i'm panicking.what will i be like when my op date comes

 

[goingtobehappy]

I looked at all options and chose the sleeve, it suited my eating habits better and didn't have as much impact tas the bypass but also didn't need all the follow up care that the band did.

Talk with your team though, they will advise you what the best is for you and what your funding will allow. I know when I did look into the funding for my area bands were the only option, but I didn't fit the criteria so all choices then became mine.

 

[lucyh]

I'm covered by the same PCT as Andrea. Originally I'd been told I could have an NHS band but they changed the criteria so I could choose anything I wanted/could afford. I went for the bypass as it's more permanent and I found it difficult to lose weight on low calorie diets, so I reckon I needed the malabsorbtion that the bypass brings.

 

[Grace]

Your surgeon will advise you but the ultimate choice is yours, especially in Sunderland.

Have you done your research? what are your eating habits like? How much do you need to lose? How's your will-power?

I started off wanting the band but eventually went for te bypass, which was recommended to me by my surgeon too; but I'd already decided tha's what I wanted.
My reasons:
my will-power is/was rubbish
I had about 10 stones to lose
the bypass is permanent and doesn't suffer from hitches like the band slipping etc (which put me off the band, especially since I wasn't sure my funding would cover such an eventuality)

The surgeon's reasons:
the large amount of weight I needed to lose
my eating habits (I liked a lot of sweet stuff)- as well as being a large portion eater
I had gastric reflux disease: doesn't go well with a band.
Permanent solution.

I didn't know anything about the sleeve. If I had, I might have considered that as well.

I think I made the right choice FOR ME.

Do your research and BE HONEST with yourself.

Best wishes.

Grace xxx

 

[vonnie38]

Thanks everyone.Grace thats just what i needed to hear.I need to be honest with myself.I need to lose about 10 stone.The thing that panicks me most is the recovery.Then when i return to work am i gonna have days when i feel ill.thanks again for all replies xx

 

[kieras nana]

if i can put your mind at ease,regarding the bypass.i went to enquire about the band,but after talking to the surgeon,he decided the bypass,was the route for me to go down.
i had it done on tues 22nd feb,i came home on the 23rd,i started back to work,doing office work,on the 24th (although,not for any real length of time) & i was out shopping on the 25th.i returned fully to work,on the 30th.
i have suffered no pain at all & if i didn't have my 5 scars,i don't think,i would be convinced i had,had it done.
i had decided,i didn't want the bypass,when i begun my research.i was worried,it was a bigger op,that i would be in hospital longer,that the pain,would be more severe & that i would be off work longer,but as soon as the surgeon,explained it all to me,i had signed for it,within 20 minutes.
now i know everyone is different & i was extremely lucky,but who is to say,your experience,won't be as positive.
hope this helps
tracy x

 

[vonnie38]

Thanks tracy the more i hear the better.

 

[Mazza]

the bypass is permanent and doesn't suffer from hitches like the band slipping etc

In response to Grace's post - no the bypass wont slip but its a 'bit' missleading saying it doesn't suffer hitches

• Gastric bypass has a risk of serious complications with surgery including leaking from the divided stomach and bowel joins. The laparoscopic approach has made this procedure a safer option compared to performing the operation through an open incision although the risk of surgery still remains higher than lap band surgery.
• The gastric bypass produces a state of chronic malabsorption of many vitamins and minerals as well as calories. Life long mineral and vitamin supplements are needed as is long term follow-up to measure nutrient levels.
• Eating food that is high in sugars and fats leads to a condition called ‘dumping’, which can result in a rapid drop in blood sugar, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. This can generally be avoided by eating the right foods but some patients will experience troublesome dumping after surgery.
• About 10-20 percent of patients undergoing stomach bypass require follow-up operations to correct complications, the most common complaints being abdominal hernias.
• More than one-third of patients who have gastric bypass surgery develop gallstones.
• Complication rates in the early post-operative period, such as infection, dehiscence, leaks from staple breakdown, stomal stenosis, ulcers and deep thrombo-phlebitis may be as high as ten percent or more.
• Potential long term complications including pouch stretching, small bowel ulcers where the stomach joins the bowel and bowel blockage due to internal hernia.

There are a few people on here who have suffered with such compications.

I realise the band is not for everyone but I think its only fair to point the above out.

As a goal weight bander, the best advice I can give is to research as much as you can, be honest with your consultant and let the information they provide guide you.

Good luck on your journey x

 

[angelajoy1961]

Hi Mazza - Very interesting but it would have been a more balanced post if you could also point out all the possible complications from a band otherwise it looks like the only thing a band can do is slip !

 

[Mazza]

Hi Mazza - Very interesting but it would have been a more balanced post if you could also point out all the possible complications from a band otherwise it looks like the only thing a band can do is slip !

Thank you Angela but I was responding to the post claiming that there are no hitches with a bypass which just isnt true.

I think Vonnie has made her mind up which op she wants to go for and I wish her all the best.

The only thing the band has done for me is to help me reach my goal weight.

 

[Deets]

we know ALL options come with their varying 'luggage' and issues But they also come with different methods to help us loose the weight.

No op is guaranted to be safe or the safest option - think thats all Mazza was trying to remind us of!!

Its down to each individual to weigh up and balance the pros and cons of each option and make the right choice for them.

And ive had the sleeve!! x

 

[Mazza]

Thanks Deets, yes thats what I was trying to do x x

 

[kieras nana]

i don't think grace was saying,the bypass didn't have hitches.the way i read it,she was saying,it didn't have hitches LIKE the band slipping i.e there is no band to slip.
sorry if i am the one mis-reading,but thats how i took it.
the bypass certainly isn't straight forward & one thing,i have been thinking of today,is the story in todays paper,of the lady who lost 10st in 10 months,but has now died from malnutrition.i just hope i have learnt enough,from this forum,so i can get the balance right,but it has certainly,had me thinking today!
tracy x

 

[keeley86]

Hiya luv like others have said it's got to be your decision and yours only not ours or your hubbys.... Yours! So do your research and make sure you've had a good read up on all procedures before making your mind up.
I'll explain a little about how it was for me...
I began my journey thinking I'm having a band because the bypass is too major and the death rate is higher with a bypass which it is. But then when I looked into it I found out I could possably cheat the band and knowing me ( who's cheated every diet I've been on b4) I would cheat the band as you can still eat chocolate and cakes...the band for me would just be another dreaded diet I think and I don't think I could b doing with the fills either to be honest!
The bypass is more serious but you have the malabsorbtion bit with it too so your body doesn't absorb everything that goes in hence gettin alot less calories than what your eating, also theres the dumping syndrome with the bypass which is where... If you eat too much fat/sugar you feel I'll for a few hours after. Not everybody suffers with dumping syndrome but I hope when my time comes that I will suffer with it because it will help me stay away from the bad stuff. My surgeon told me the bypass has a faster rate of loosing the weight and it suits me because I have loads to loose... Over 10 stone like you!

As for complication with band slipping and that, you can get complications with them both! grace herself has been in hospital with complications because of her bypass and still doesn't regret it, do you grace?
I've spoken to people who have had ther worst time ever with the bypass but I've never heard ppl say they regret it, they would do it again in a heart beat.

Talk to j.u.s.t.l.i.z who's on here she's had 2 bands and has now been converted to bypass, I think she's the best lady for advice as she knows both procedures with experiance.

Hope you get on ok and you make the tight decision for you xxxxxx

 

[keeley86]

Right decision even, haha

 

[vonnie38]

Thanks everyone,i know i have to make the decision.When i go for my appointment on tuesday i will have a good talk,and take it from there.I am just so glad i found this forum.You are all so helpful.I will let you all know how it goes x

 

[kieras nana]

good luck x

 

[msunique]

Good luck Von, dont be afraid to ask lots and lots of questions so you make the right decision for you, but the golden rule is be honest with yourself with regards to your eating habits otherwise the will end up with the wrong op for you xx

 

[vonnie38]

Thanks kiera's nanna.Thanks debbie.

 

[lucyh]

This is definitely the place to come for fair, honest advice. I wish I'd found it earlier. However I'm sure I'd have come to the same decision. It's nice to read all the arguments for and against and hope one's got it right!