I have seen some questions recently about choosing between gastric
by-pass and lap band surgery. I'd like to share some of my thinking
in hopes that it will help others who are making some of these early
decisions.
I have been a registered nurse for 24 years and a nurse practitioner
for 14 years. This means that I have had special education in my
field which allows me to do exams, diagnose, treat, write
prescriptions and do minor surgical procedures. I am 5' 2" and
weigh 358 lbs. If education could cure this disease, I would have
been cured a long time ago. We (meaning the medical community) do
not know all of the factors that cause this disease but we're pretty
sure that it encompasses genetic, psychological, environmental and
physical factors.
I had investigated bariatric surgery for a number of years, and for
a long time thought that gastric by-pass surgery was the "gold
standard" for treatment. I thought this because I actually read
medical journal articles about rates of success and because my
surgeon at the time, whom I trusted, told me this. I thought that
it was necessary to remove some of the small intestine so that I
wouldn't absorb as many nutrients, and therefore calories. This, I
thought, would defeat some of my genetic heritage that allowed my
immigrant grandparents to survive the impoverished conditions that
caused the death of some of their siblings from malnutrition.
I kept thinking, however, that I didn't want to take that drastic of
a step and, instead, tried one more food program, and one more
exercise program, and....you get the idea. Much to my chagrin, when
I finally accepted defeat and opted for the bypass surgery, my
insurance had a clause against ANY treatment, including surgical,
for morbid obesity. This plunged me into hopelessness as I could not
afford the $30,000 to $40,000 for this surgery.
Then one of my patients came in for an exam and told me about her
success with adjustable gastric banding. It was something I had
eliminated at the start of my investigations, because my American
journal articles did not give it high marks for success, but now I
gave it another look. I found these groups and a WORLD of
information. Literally.
Sometimes, and I have to certainly put myself into this group, we in
American medicine feel that we have a superior claim on procedures,
treatments and recorded data regarding medicine. Well, the more I
studied and the more I listened to more experienced bandsters, the
more hopeful I became and I now look upon my inability to obtain
gastric bypass surgery as a blessing in disguise.
I realized that countries where the band had a longer history of use
actually had a better success rate than American medicine did. As a
medical professional, I appreciate the fact that the band does not
require a totally irreversible rearrangement of my stomach and
intestines. I do not have to worry about a lack of vitamins and
essential nutrients causing me to have other problems in the future.
That said, I encourage anyone thinking about getting treatment for
this disease to persue information vigorously. Investigate; ask
questions; use the internet to look up data on your own. Also, seek
out people in your community who have had either procedure. Find
out what their experiences have been. Most hospitals today have
some surgical programs for treatment of obesity. Find out where
those who have had surgery meet, and connect with them. They will
be a good source of information for you, and a good support network
for you later on down the road.
I hope this long post has been of some help to those who are
beginning their investigations into surgical remedies.