Why Gastric Bypass

The decision to have Gastric Bypass wasn’t an easy one.

Years ago when I first considered Weight Loss Surgery,

I didn’t even want to consider Gastric Bypass, 

it was too invasive, too drastic.

I went to a Lap Band Seminar, 

and the doctor that hosted the seminar

(and ultimately performed my Lap Band procedure)

basically bashed the Gastric Bypass, 

pointing out all the negatives.

And at that time, it was not done by laparoscopy.

You were cut wide open to perform the operation.

And I admit, I didn’t take the time to research

 the procedure on my own.

After sitting through the lap band seminar

 and hearing how GREAT and SUCCESSFUL the Lap Band was, 

 It was a done deal.

But obviously, the procedure didn’t work for me...

Here I am 7-8 years later, even heavier than I was.

It turns out, the success rate for Lap Band is not very high.

The Band creates a pouch at the top of your stomach

and as you eat the food can’t go down.

The food winds up getting stuck in your esophagus

which was never meant to hold food,

causing your esophagus to swell and expand

which causes pain, nausea, and vomiting.

You stay hungry all the time, because the part

of your stomach that sends the hunger signals to your brain

is below the band where the food can never reach.
In my case, my band slipped and was prolapsed,
and the stomach above the band had become
twisted, leaving very little room between the
band and my esophagus, which is why I had
SO MUCH trouble with my band.

After hearing about all the success the guys

at my husband's work had with the Gastric Sleeve,

 and seeing the success of a family member with the Gastric Sleeve,

I went into my initial consultation with the bariatric surgeon

thinking I was going to get the Gastric Sleeve done.

The doctor asked me which procedure I was thinking of.

I told him I would like to have the Gastric Sleeve done, 

but I was open to the idea of the Gastric Bypass.

The Doctor went over both procedures 

and then asked which I was leaning more towards.

I told him the Sleeve, and asked him 

which one HE was leaning towards.

The Doctor said, due to my BMI being so high,  

he was leaning more towards the Bypass,

but encouraged me to go home and do 

lots of research on both.

So I did, and this time, when I did my research, 

I looked at NUMEROUS sources.

The Gastric Sleeve and the Gastric Bypass are basically

the same, but with the Bypass less is absorbed by my body

when I do eat. The success rate, and over all weight loss

is higher with the Gastric Bypass.

So that's what I chose.
I had my RNY Gastric Bypass Procedure
done in October 2013.  On my 39th birthday to be exact. 
Best gift I could have ever given myself.