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Banders: ever wish you'd had a bypass?

Totally agree Brett
 
That is the same with me BJ. However, being 30, 17 stone and in very good health the band was best for me.
 
I also can totally relate to what Sam said,when i went to the see my surgeon my BMI was over 50 but i was told i was border line so i was given the choice band or bypass,i chose bypass purely so the temptation of over eating was taken away,also i know the band can be removed and i have heard of people putting the weight back on because they get "comfy" and it was that that got to me to as i am today.

Because of a fatty liver,the bypass didnt happen,but now 6 months later i have been given another chance and i have opted for the gastric sleeve,from a personal point of view because i feel it isnt as obtrusive.

Good Luck with your choices.

xx
 
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excellent post Brett xx
 
brett that was a fantastic post!

i have to say, i don't think i really agree with the idea of de filling and re filling for a holiday... thats not really tackling your weight issue at all... i'm sure others will disagree.. but i just dont see the point - you loose weight, to then put some on again, to loose again... is this not just the same as the previous diets we have all tried and failed... which is why we have gone down the wls route...

i started off wanting a band... but looking at how much weight id loose, i would still have been over weight at the end of it, i also didnt like the fact i could cheat and slide food down, so bypass was best for me.

Im sure there is quite a few people who started out wanting bands, who went for bypass.

.x.
 
Banders ever wish you had a bypass?

My friend who has had the G/B , does have a good holiday 2 x per year but only puts on a couple of pounds which by the time she has liquids the week after she is home loses it prior to re-fill.
It is all about choices and I think that over the 2 years including 4 holidays she has done very well to lose the weight she has, and be within reach of her target.
She doesn't press a self destruct button each time she goes away to undo all the good she has done she just enjoys eating a full meal rather than a starter portion for breakfast and eve meal, with wine and sometimes a desert,however that because her appetite has shrunk she says no way could she eat as much as she could prior to her band even when de-filled (not completely de-filled). Some surgeons actually recommend a de-fill prior to a flight of over 4 hours as band can swell with altitude, my Surgeon doesn't do this though.
 
brett that was a fantastic post!

i have to say, i don't think i really agree with the idea of de filling and re filling for a holiday... thats not really tackling your weight issue at all... i'm sure others will disagree.. but i just dont see the point - you loose weight, to then put some on again, to loose again... is this not just the same as the previous diets we have all tried and failed... which is why we have gone down the wls route...

i started off wanting a band... but looking at how much weight id loose, i would still have been over weight at the end of it, i also didnt like the fact i could cheat and slide food down, so bypass was best for me.

Im sure there is quite a few people who started out wanting bands, who went for bypass.

.x.

i do agree with your points about the de and refilling to suit, its supposed to be a "lifestyle change" and it does make having the band a little pointless as its just another form of yoyo dieting.

as most of you know i have had 2 bands, i wanted a band as it was best for my own personal eating habbits as i was a volume eater loving huge portions rather than a grazer so the band was a perfect choice for my needs.

when i found out that my 1st band had to be fully removed i did ask to be bypassed instead, not because i wanted or would of prefered a bypass but i asked because of the damage keep rebanding me would permantly do to my stomach, any way they said no as my bmi was to low at that point, and im really glad they did refuse as the band was always the right choice for me.
i now have a 2nd band and the scars inside from the previous band they said wasnt to bad and i woke up rebanded, they placed the new band approx 1 inch lower to where the 1st band was in situ. i now have a great restriction level again and im very happy but i dont know if i could face it happening to me again.

liz xxx
 
i do agree with your points about the de and refilling to suit, its supposed to be a "lifestyle change" and it does make having the band a little pointless as its just another form of yoyo dieting.

as most of you know i have had 2 bands, i wanted a band as it was best for my own personal eating habbits as i was a volume eater loving huge portions rather than a grazer so the band was a perfect choice for my needs.

when i found out that my 1st band had to be fully removed i did ask to be bypassed instead, not because i wanted or would of prefered a bypass but i asked because of the damage keep rebanding me would permantly do to my stomach, any way they said no as my bmi was to low at that point, and im really glad they did refuse as the band was always the right choice for me.
i now have a 2nd band and the scars inside from the previous band they said wasnt to bad and i woke up rebanded, they placed the new band approx 1 inch lower to where the 1st band was in situ. i now have a great restriction level again and im very happy but i dont know if i could face it happening to me again.

liz xxx

Liz if ever anyone needed living proof that the band can work, you are it.

You have shown how, with hard work and the right attitude, that great weight loss can be achieved with the band.

I think you are amazing xx
 
I know, another bypasser weighing in on a band debate but I feel I have to say something. I completely respect the choice of band over bypass, we have some fantastic people on this site who have shown us how the band can be mastered. Hoorah for you all!! That is just wonderful & I tip my hat to you.

The one problem I have is with the insinuation that surgeons 'push' the bypass for monetary reasons. I really feel strongly that it is unfair to suggest this and kinda scary to think about. I know my own surgeon prefers the bypass but I think it is for a more simple reason. The band does not come with built-in behavior modification (dumping syndrome). Simply put surgeons are all about cutting and walking away so for them a bypass has built-in measures that will prevent many people from self-sabotage. That does not mean that the bypass is better than the band but from their point of view (just making an educated guess here) there is less room for patient error. It is not true in reality since we all know that if you want to sabotage yourself with any wls, you can absolutely do it. This is my best guess as to why a surgeon would prefer a bypass over a band. Bands ultimately require a higher level of self-discipline that many food addicts just don't have. I think if wls had required therapy post-op you would see an equal success rate between the ops in the first 2 years because as we all know, the head is the hardest thing to change and surgery is a tool not a magic wand.

End of my speech, sorry to go on so long.

Nic;)
 
Liz if ever anyone needed living proof that the band can work, you are it.

You have shown how, with hard work and the right attitude, that great weight loss can be achieved with the band.

I think you are amazing xx

aww sam thankyou so much for your lovely comments that means alot to me thankyou xxx
the band is very hard work yes, and people have to do there research into what they want thourally as making the wrong op choice can be devastating for people, and can cause alot of upset and financial hard ship if self funding.

this is a fantastic thread and i think it will help alot of people decide properly what op they want to choose as it covers alot of different peoples perpectives on wls and why they chose what.

liz x
 
Wow, didn't expect so many replies.:D Thanks everyone for contributing. I have twice been recommended a bypass if I am gonna have wls and I think it's the right choice based on my eating habits.
 
Hi there, I only had my band about 5 weeks ago. I am very pleased so far and have a good level of restriction. My reasoning behind getting a band - despite having such a high BMI were:

1). Being mainly a volume eater so suits my eating problem.
2). Wanting to have the less invasive surgery
3). Cost: I had to go private as my area doesn't do WLS unless you are about to kick the bucket ( and often not then either). The band was about half the cost.
4). Being prepared to work with this powerful tool and having the support of my husband (who paid for most of it) and knowing there would be NO WAY I would waste the £5,500 that we scrimped together.
5). Safety: I have Bipolar disorder and if I have another very serious episode, I have no control over what I do or say. If I am back in Psych. hospital again, I can have it deflated until well enough to cope again. ( Haven't had to be hospitalized for a couple of years - get very ill but we can cope at home mainly).
 
I went to hospital appt two weeks ago expecting to be discussing band and was asked to consider by pass REasons am diabetic have high bp and hypothyroidism and family history indicates a by pass would be better for me long term also for me my eating habits, though this was not discussed at the time.
However, the medic made it quite clear that although he and the rest of the multi disciplinary team would be recommending by pass for me I must decide myself what I want and if I want the band then that is what they shall do.
As silver said I think it is unlikely surgeons would recommend ops just to gain finances, they can after all do enough private ops for that.
I thinks they are giving the choice to people who would benefit from that type of surgery.

I will have the by pass as it all sounds logical for my situation and like some of the others I want to make a long term life and health change and not be tempted to cheat when it suits me
From what lots of the by passers say they eat very normally anyway just in much smaller amounts xx
 
Not necessarily but in my case I am overweight but am on the lower BMI side as mentioned, and I was offered a bypass within a couple of mins with My Surgeon...now I was told that the type of Op was dependant on your eating habits for e.g if you have a real sweet tooth the bypass is more beneficial as sweet things are slider foods to a band, also if you are a quantity eater the band is as beneficial for obvious reasons.
Now take me I am a quantity eater and do not have a sweet tooth at all yet I was advised to have a bypass why??
My friend who I mentioned earlier was advised the same, yet she never eats sweets either.
I do think that if you have the guts to go for the bypass it is the better Op as it is most of the time non-reversable but in some cases it has been known to be the wrong choice for some people and has lead to depression in some cases because the patient has been so unhappy (that was on a T.V programme a few weeks ago).

Slider foods arnt just sweet foods they can also be high fat,
Intrestingly though my BMI is now 36ish and if i were to stop here i would be happy. But after having a BMI of 59 its a major difference. Although the bypass isnt easy i dont think i could of coped with all the what seems like faffing with the band.
I have to admit i admire the strength of determination of banders well done to you all.
hc
 
Oh that reminds me I actually asked the surgeon if he was recommending the bypass cos it cost more, he said no cos he'd rather do a band which takes less time and less complication lol.
 
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