March 17, 2008

Gastric bypass vs. Lap Band

I have been doing some research online about Gastric Bypass and Lap Band surgery. For those of you who don't know what these are, the Gastric Bypass is a surgery that makes the stomach smaller and allows food to bypass part of the small intestine. The smaller stomach is connected directly to the middle portion of the small intestine, bypassing the rest of the stomach and the upper portion of the small intestine. Although guidelines vary, surgery is generally considered when your body mass index is 40 or higher or you have a life-threatening or disabling condition related to your weight. The Lap Band is the brand name of the FDA-approved, adjustable gastric band used in the actual procedure. It is a silicone belt that goes around the top of the stomach. This results in the ability to control your hunger and achieve a "feeling of fullness". Ultimately, you eat much less and should feel full sooner. A key component of the Lap-Band System is its adjustability. The band is connected to a port, which enables the device to be inflated over time to expedite the weight loss. It appears to be a safer surgery but Id like to hear from anyone that has had a Lap Band. I think that Gastric Bypass is a bit too extreme for someone that doesn't need to loss 100+ pounds. I worked in a hospital that had more than one person die from it secondary to massive infection. However, for a person that needs to loss between 50 to 75 pounds, the Lap Band might just be a better choice. So, has anyone out there had this surgery or know someone that has? I know its been around for a while but you don't really hear too much about it. I'm interested in live feedback, not by websites trying to sell their products, but by people that will give me honest answers.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have mixed feelings about gastric bypass... My Mom had gastric bypass... however, I think that if you are overweight because of some compulsive eating inbalance, this will do little to heal you... You will still crave the foods that are not good for you, and when you eat them, you will have no room, and have no desire to eat foods that are good for you. My Mom ultimately died from poor nutrition. She became septic, developed pneunomia, it was difficult to watch. But truth be told, she was very pleased to be thin, and I don't think she would have changed that for the world.
Gastric bypass is good -- but I think surgeons should require counseling of all patients, like an AA group or something, to help people eliminate the compulsive behaviors.
I cannot speak for lap band.

Dave said...

I'm researching the LapBand surgery and came across your blog. It's very informative and I love reading about others that have gone through this experience. I found a great resource tonight that I'm really excited about called http://LapBandTalk.com . I'd highly reccomend it to anybody looking for Lapband info!

Lori said...

Wow, thats great...thanks so much:)

Queen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

i would like to say that my mom had the bypass surgery over a year and a haelf ago now and has lost 170 pounds to date i am so glad to still have her areound because without it she would have died. also my sister had bypass 2 weeks ago now and has lost 25 pounds.i have been researching both now because i would like to consider having it but after reading some of the stuff that i have on the band surgery i think that i would still like to go with the bypass.