Why a bypass and not a band?

[Nicoli12]

Hi there

I am fairly new on here and have applied to the NHS for banding (been approved). I can see so many people have had bypass, please tell me is this your choice or the consultants? I have my first appointment with the consultant on 16th March and not really sure what to expect. I see from some threads that some people who ahve had a bypass have been off of work for such a long time, is this the case with a band and when would I be able to start driving again.
Thanks
Nicky

 

[galm37]

Everyone recovers from surgery at different speeds so I wouldn't use bypass vs band as a gauge for how long you will be off.

I had already decided on a bypass before seeing the surgeon. I'd completed a lot of research and had always thought this was the best option.

I chose the bypass as not only was I a bulk eater & could eat my own body weight in chocolate on occasion lol. and the possibility of 'dumping' would be a good deterrant in keeping me away from all things sugary. Also, my will power isn't the greatest and I knew I would cheat on the band. So for me it was easy to choose between the two operations.

Luckily the surgeon agreed with me!

 

[samsmum]

I went to a hospital group meeting on wednesday and listened to a talk given by my surgeon. He said they are now moving to offering the sleeve more than the band now as it has less problems post op and gives a very similar result. If you feel you have more to loose or need more help long term the bypass may be more suitable. If your bmi is 40-50 he said band, sleeve or bypass would be good but if your bmi is above 50 and they can get adequate access he prefers to give patients a bypass.

I hope this helps. Do discuss this though with your surgeon as they will help you decide which suits you and your eating habits best.

 

[phatmomma]

I too am a bulk eater and can eat too much of a bad thing even when i don't really want it. I hope when i get my bypass that the threat of dumping deters me away from all things sweet n calorie laden....

I was advised towards a bypass years ago when i was chasing a band on the nhs, by my then consultant Mr P Super... At the time i thought he was wrong, now 4+ yrs on i know he was right... Listen to your surgeon, be honest about your own eating habits.. But as someone says you do need more will power with the band and if like me you cheat on diets, then you may well cheat with the band..

Hope this helps xx

 

[Fashionably Late]

I was considering both and when I met with my doctor he advised me to have the bypass given my eating habits. My favourite foods are slider foods and would have required willpower with the band that I most likely didn't have.

I was driving again after a week with my bypass and was back to my normal routine within a few days.

 

[ravelling]

I initially wanted a band, but I didn't know anything about bypasses then.
When I saw the surgeon, he felt that a bypass would help me lose more weight. It was later found that I have a hiatus hernia anyway (get reflux) and they don't mix with bands. Now I'm really happy to be having the bypass.

 

[ChrystalK]

I too originally wanted a band but my surgeon advised a bypass, as I am a grazer, so I can eat little and often throughout the day, especially on crisps. As I am not a volume eater, the band was not appropriate for me.

But I have been scheduled to have a gastric sleeve due to a high bmi but they could go ahead and do a bypass.

I would suggest your discuss your thoughts at your first appointment and take the advice from your surgeon, as they are the ones that know what works best.

 

[chocchucky]

I to am a binge eater, and a grazer to and i once decided to have a band, but i was refused that by my surgeon and a couple of members of the team, as they said my eating habits would mean that the band would fail

Im certainly pleased now ive had the bypass that i listened to the proffessionals, they knew alot more than i did and new what would work best

Hope this helps good luck on your journey

Sharon xx

 

[gaelic girl]

As others have said i too initially thought of the band, predominantly cause i was frightened of the thought of the bypass and the extent of it. However once i discussed it with my surgeon, as a big snack eater, the bypass was definatly the better option for me. I was off work for 8 weeks not because of pain or slow recovery ( i never had any pain) but because of the dangerous unpredictability of my job. Have a good discussion with your surgeon and take it from there xx

 

[jaxx]

It seems like I was like most other people and originally wanted the band. But after a presentation on the different options, I did think about having the duodenal switch. But again I was told I'd have to regiment my eating habits and that wouldn't leave any room for spontaneity. I had heard that you could cheat with the band, plus I head other banders in the waiting room complaining about the wait between fills and the lack of weight loss and this decided me on the bypass. I too was a bit worried about the bypass as it's such a huge operation compared to the band but I realised that because my bmi was over 60 the bypas was the way to go.

It's not been plain sailing as I've had complications but I know it was the right decision for me.

Discuss your options with your surgeon.

 

[tomkat1969]

hi jaxx, i,m so glad that you are feeling more positive about your op, ive been following your journey and you have had it so rough. you go girl theres always light at the end of the tunnel xx

 

[jaxx]

hi jaxx, i,m so glad that you are feeling more positive about your op, ive been following your journey and you have had it so rough. you go girl theres always light at the end of the tunnel xx

Thanks for that. I've managed some chunky veg soup this evening with no probs which is fab!! lol

 

[Nicoli12]

Thank you ladies for all your advice. I have so much going around in y head at the moment I don't know what is what. Work has said I can take as much time off as I need to, I am admin officer in a first school, so I am hoping that I would not need to take too much time off. If I am truthful, the bypass would probably be the best option as there seems to be a similar pattern with eating habits as you have posted on here. I just want to see the consultant, he says yes we are going to do this and this is when it is going to be. I don't want to see a dietician for them to say try this try that before surgery, I have done that for the past 30 years!!! Do you think I will have to do this?
Thanks for all your help
Nicky

 

[galm37]

Thank you ladies for all your advice. I have so much going around in y head at the moment I don't know what is what. Work has said I can take as much time off as I need to, I am admin officer in a first school, so I am hoping that I would not need to take too much time off. If I am truthful, the bypass would probably be the best option as there seems to be a similar pattern with eating habits as you have posted on here. I just want to see the consultant, he says yes we are going to do this and this is when it is going to be. I don't want to see a dietician for them to say try this try that before surgery, I have done that for the past 30 years!!! Do you think I will have to do this?
Thanks for all your help
Nicky

Hi Nicky

I don't know what your particular PCT does, but for mine I had to see a dietician 1st for 6 months then they referred me on to the surgeon.

It seems through various posts on here that all PCT's are different in their requirements. But they all make us jump through hoops to get to our end goal!

 

[gaelic girl]

I had my op privately so sorry can't help on that one. Jaxx glad things are improving for you xx

 

[Nightwitch]

I also was scared of the bypass originally...i think it was the drastic finality of it, i wanted a band, but at my consultation i discussed the options with the surgeon and he reccomended the bypass.
After thinking about it a little while i knew he was right, so that is what I will be having.

 

[ChrystalK]

Thank you ladies for all your advice. I have so much going around in y head at the moment I don't know what is what. Work has said I can take as much time off as I need to, I am admin officer in a first school, so I am hoping that I would not need to take too much time off. If I am truthful, the bypass would probably be the best option as there seems to be a similar pattern with eating habits as you have posted on here. I just want to see the consultant, he says yes we are going to do this and this is when it is going to be. I don't want to see a dietician for them to say try this try that before surgery, I have done that for the past 30 years!!! Do you think I will have to do this?
Thanks for all your help
Nicky

Each PCT is different in how they handle their cases. I had to see a dietician throughout my journey to surgery. But she did not say try this try that, she just listened to what I was eating (I was very honest with her) and made suggestions on ways to improve. She even took into consideration that I don't like milk or yoghurt. For the first time in years I found a dietician that did not judge me by what I ate.

Try not to worry about stuff too much at this stage, and take each step as it comes.

 

[Mazza]

Hi

Im a bander and it never fails to amaze me that pre or post op bypassers think that you can only cheat with a band. Bypassers can and do 'fail' that is a fact. They too can consume slider foods therefore be eating too much of foods with little nutrional value (they may be different types of foods to those a bander can have). Whichever type of surgery you chose you have to be committed to the lifestyle and diet changes required to make the tool work for you.

I would advise you to research as much as you can before you see your consultant but to go in with an open mind.

I posted this a number of months ago but thought it may be of interest:


Health Dangers of Gastric Bypass Surgery

General Information About The Health Risks of Stomach Bypass

• The health risk of operations like Roux-en-Y bypass are relatively small and getting smaller. As medical data improves along with the skill and experience of surgeons, bariatric treatments are becoming safer. In general, while there is a risk of dying during or after stomach bypass, most patients achieve significant improvements in co-morbidities like heart disease, lung function, blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers, and seem to live longer.
• Important risk factors for health complications (and premature death) following gastric bypass include: the physical condition of the patient - including weight and specific comorbid conditions, the complexity of the bariatric procedure, and the skill and experience of the surgeon.
• Laparoscopic gastric bypass typically leads to less pain, and fewer incisional hernias than open surgery bypass. However, laparoscope-assisted surgery is more demanding and inexperienced bariatric surgeons can expect an initial increase in perioperative and post-operative complications. Studies show that with greater experience of laparoscopy, the health risks decrease and approach those of gastric bypass procedures performed by open surgical techniques.
• At present, the general death rate from bariatric surgery seems to vary between 0.2 and 1 percent.
• A recent study revealed that severely obese patients who chose bypass surgery, reduced their risk of premature death by up to 89 percent, compared to equally overweight patients who did not get surgical treatment.
• In another study of 66,000 obese patients, about 3 percent of gastric-bypass patients (under 40) died in the 13.6 years after the surgery, compared with 14 percent of obese patients who were not treated surgically.
• 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. However, the combined risk of the most serious complications (gastrointestinal leak and deep venous thrombosis) is less than one per cent.
• Over the long term, the health complications of gastric bypass may include a variety of conditions and problems. According to one 14-year follow-up study of stomach bypass patients, the morbidity rates were as follows: vitamin B12 deficiency (39.9 percent), incisional hernia, (23.9 percent), depression (23.7 percent), staple line failure (15 percent), gastritis ( 13.2 percent), cholecystitis (11.4 percent), anastomotic problems (9.8 percent), dehydration malnutrition (5.8 percent), dilated pouch (3.2 percent).
• The health risks of revisional surgery are higher.

And for banding:

Complications

This is when problems occur during or after the operation. Most people are not affected. The possible complications of any operation include an unexpected reaction to the anaesthetic, excessive bleeding or developing a blood clot, usually in a vein in the leg (DVT).

Complications specific to a gastric band operation are listed here.

• Infection - antibiotics are usually given during surgery to prevent infection. If an infection doesn't respond to antibiotics your band may need to be removed.
• Damage to other organs in your abdomen - you may need further surgery to repair any damage.
• Band problems - your band may slip out of place, leak, or work its way through the stomach wall. If this happens, your band may need to be repositioned, removed or replaced.
• Gallstones - there is a risk you may develop gallstones if you lose weight quickly. These can be painful and you may need surgery to remove them. Your surgeon may advise removing your gallbladder when you have your operation.

There is a chance your surgeon may need to convert your keyhole procedure to open surgery. This means making a bigger cut on your abdomen. This is only done if it's impossible to complete the operation safely using the keyhole technique.
Around one in 10 people with a gastric band may need another gastric band operation in the future. It's also possible you may fail to lose sufficient weight or regain weight you have lost. If this happens your surgeon may recommend you have gastric bypass surgery.


The exact risks are specific to you and will differ for every person. Ask your surgeon to explain how these risks may apply to you.

Good luck

Maz x

 

[Nicoli12]

Thanks Maz that was very interesting. I am going with an open mind next week, will be honest, and take his advice. If he thinks a bypass would be better for me then so beit. If it take a few weeks for me to get back on my feet again, then it does, I will then have the rest of my life to enjoy as a 'normal' person and not to hide away all the time!!
Nicky x

 

[Mazza]

Yep Nicky thats the best thing to do. Good luck x