My best friend, Amy, had the lap band two years ago and lost 100 pounds. She has done extremely well, with minimal side effects, other than throwing up, or an immediate visit to the john if she eats something she shouldnt have. She learned very quickly what she could and couldnt do. The band can be adjusted by adding or removing saline through a port in the abdomen under the skin, according to your weight loss goal. The best part is, the band is COMPLETELY reversible, and no doctor is re-routing the digestive system that God created in a specific fashion for a specific reason. Amy is not bone thin, and is still slightly overweight, HOWEVER, she is healthy, able to go for walks without her knees hurting, and play with the kids without being out of breath. She can find clothes that fit at any department store, and all of her weight related health issues have completely resolved.
My sister in law, Becky, had the gastric bypass done 9/9/09. She was approximately 100 pounds overweight, and in my opinion, NOT overweight enough to have gotten the gastric bypass. She almost died...and she still may. She had a pulmonary embolism, got MRSA in her abdomen, had an adverse reaction to heparin, and got a GI bleed, and was in the hospital for four months. She constantly suffers from "Dumping Syndrome", has to have iron infusions every three weeks because now she in malnourished, and has lost most of her hair. She has an 8 year old daughter, that my husband and I may have to end up raising because she doesnt follow the doctor's orders and ends up in the hospital atleast every other month for one complication or another. I am angry she had the surgery. At what cost has she done this? The fact she might not see her daughter grow up in the name of being a size 6, infuriates me. Some of it she has created. She is a very non-compliant patient. Usually she ends up in the hospital because she has binged on a food she shouldnt have eaten. HOWEVER, even being non-compliant, she didnt cause herself to have a pulmonary embolism, or MRSA...those are just complications from the surgery... Potentially fatal ones, I may I add.
This is a personal decision for you. Many obese people CANNOT lose weight on their own. I believe it is a disease just like any other. These surgeries can be very beneficial and actually add years to your life by removing weight related health issues. Diabetes, in particular, wreaks havoc on the vascular system and can lead to amputations of the limbs, loss of eyesight, and hardening of the arteries. The list goes on. I am NOT against bariatric surgery. I look at bariatric surgery the same as a gallbladder removal. These surgeries were created, I believe, to fix a problem that could potentially cost someone their life, if not fixed or cured. HOWEVER, the gastric bypass surgery, in particular is a very dangerous PERMANENT surgery, with REAL risks. The gastric bypass can not be reversed. Your entire digestive system is short-cutted and rebuilt to function in a way it was not intended to. If you want to lose weight to be healthy, I personally, would go with the lap band. If you are over 500 pounds, then you probably wont be able to lose the amount you need with the band, and you would be a better candidate for bypass. In this weight range, the benefits of the bypass would outweigh the risks. But, I beg you, if you go with the bypass.... DONT DO IT if you cannot be a compliant patient. Your life will depend on following the doctor's orders, and being a good steward to your body.
Not trying to scare you, at all. Just please educate yourself fully on both procedures. I wish you the best of luck. YOU CAN DO IT!
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