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AdeptDreamer, As others have said, I would encourage you to conduct as much research as possible to make the right decision for you. There is an entire band to sleevers forum that you might want to check out. I have a band and am revising to a sleeve. I can hardly wait for my surgery on July 9. There certainly are people who have experienced success with the band. I lost about 60 pounds in the first year that I had it, but it was a challenge. I never got even close to goal. I hated the way the band would tighten for no reason and you wouldn't be able to get things down. I hated that even though food would stop in my chest and my pouch would be full, I would still be hungry. I hated the constant fills and unfills trying to get go my sweet spot, which I never did, and I hated the expense of all of that. I hated the sliming when least expected. If you feel the band is right for you, get as much information as you can. But I regret that I put this foreign body inside me and pray each day that when the doctor goes in to revise it, there won't be any damage.

It sounds like you're on the road then. That's great! Lap band may or may not be for you but until you check it out, you'll never know. And I hope I didn't insult about the hypochondria; it does take all kinds to make the world go round. I just think for some people the band would be more of a worry than a help. In other words, it isn't psychologically suited to everyone. Thank God we're all different. I, for instance, can't imagine ever having the fortitude to get bypass surgery because the thought of having my stomach cut up, sewn up, but left in place, closed and making gastric juices, gives me the heebie jeebies! :thumbup: Best of luck to you!

You can lose as much weight with the sleeve as with bypass. Because you are a big guy, it will take time for the weight to come off and that time will help you learn new eating habits. Bypass malabsorption only lasts for 18-24 months and bypass patients who have relied on malabsorption to lose their weight are up the proverbial creek, plus they have malnutrition issues forever. There's a guy on Obesity Help who has lost 350 lbs with the sleeve. I think your surgeon gave you very good advice in recommending VSG. However, I am a strong advocate in people getting the surgery they think is right for them and if you feel that you would do better with a bypass, talk to your surgeon again.

I do know that you do have the option to have Bypass after you have had the Sleeve if you are not satisfied. You haven't shut the door on that option for good.

I'm sorry you are going through this, I know it's not an easy decision. But I would not let anyone pressure me into a surgery that I didn't feel 100% comfortable with. Do you know how many sleeves this surgeon has performed? It's not very common any more for Surgeons to promote the Band over the Sleeve, so it would concern me that maybe he's just not as comfortable doing the Sleeve if he hasn't done that many? Is he aware of the high # of complications and revisions from being Banded? Is there another surgeon who has equal experience, that you might consider or at least get a second opinion? Keep reading and researching til you feel comfortable with your decision, there is complication and revision threads in most of these forums if you haven't already read them. Good luck!!

In the end only you can make the best choice for yourself, it's your body. But, I chose to do the band because I wanted to lose weight slower, I also liked the idea that it was adjustable and that I'd still be able to eat anything I wanted (but limited amounts of course) without becoming physically ill (other than a few stuck episodes from time to time) what I mean by sick is with the other surgeries you could get very ill from eating certain things, or by having too much sugar. I liked the idea that I wouldn't have to deprive myself of some of my favorite foods like when I've "dieted" a million times before, doing this in the past only caused me to fall off the wagon and binge eat. Now everything is in moderation and I'm still losing. Another reason, I had many reasons lol.. I didn't want them removing anything, cutting me or re-routing anything. I did not like the idea that the sleeve and the bypass are not reversable, if something goes wrong with my band they can take it out, they can't give me back my stomach once they remove some of it... I also did not want to risk some of the side effects from those other surgeries, malabsorption, dumping syndrome ect. I felt safer with the band. My boyfriends sister had the bypass and she regrets it because she is always sick, since surgery she has become anemic, gets sick after eating alot of foods, her hair falls out and its very thin and brittle now. But I also have another friend that had bypass and she's doing great. I do not know anyone that has had the sleeve, so it's hard for me to form a personal opinion about it other than me not wanting to have part of my stomach removed. Everyone is different, but it scared me too much to have such an invasive surgery and by seeing some of the potential effects first hand. If for some reason the band does not work for me, and I had to do something else I might consider the sleeve as it seems to be better than bypass in my opinion. But let's hope that doesn't happen! So far I couldn't be happier with my decision, but it was a chance I took just like anyone else. There is no guarantee this will work for anyone, but we have to try. This is my attempt at taking my life back and so far so good. I'm loving my band, so far! Good luck you!

So, your starting weight is 195 lbs? May I ask how tall you are? I guess I would ask what you want to get out of surgery, both weight wise, short/long term complication wise, and price wise. The band is the easiest upfront and usually the cheapest, with no cutting, however it requires long term maintenance. The sleeve or gastric bypass (which can be covered by insurance) is more drastic but you lose more weight and when it heals there's generally no upkeep or return visits. It also costs up to 10K more upfront than the band, but that's balanced out usually over time by not having to worry about fills/unfills. Edit: And regarding liposuction, I wouldn't really look at that unless there's one part of your body that consistently bothers you, and nothing else (for instance, that stubborn love handle on your stomach ever since you've had a child, etc.). Otherwise, it just seems kind of like mopping only one area on a large kitchen floor.

My family is my biggest support group. My mother-in-law had lap band surgery done 3 years ago I was upfront with my family about me deciding to go for lap band surgery. My parents were happy because they have known for the last 6 years since I was 19 that I thought about it almost every day. My in-laws were also happy. One of my brother's was happy about it because he knows my struggles and the other one is happy but also mad. He's 350 pounds and he knows the struggle of trying to lose weight. He kept saying "oh you can end up gaining it back" and blah blah blah lol He's seen a lot of people that went through GASTRIC BYPASS gain their weight back but he only knows two people that have gone with lap band and that's my mother-in-law and her friend. They haven't hit their goal weight but they are still losing which is all that matters. I heard a rumor that my brother is jealous that I'm finally doing what I want to lose weight. I'm 25 and he's 33. A few of my friends were very supportive from the beginning then I have one that keeps telling me that if I put my mind to it that I can lose it on my own which if it was that easy then I would have lost my weight years ago lol. I have another one that was mad because she wishes she could go through with it but she cares more about what her family thinks then what she herself thinks. She's also mad because my husband and I have been trying to have another baby for the last 3 years and I had 2 miscarriages last year. She's now pregnant and throws it in my face but I'm trying to get my life back and be healthier for my daughter and step-daughter and so that I don't have to go on fertility drugs to get pregnant. You will always have people that will support you and others that will be mad or upset. What you need to think about is yourself. You need to get healthier and if lap band surgery is really what you want then don't let other peoples' opinions effect you decision

Tabitha, I think that the positive aspect of all of this is that it sounds like you don't have a leak or anything like that. Your body is tolerating food, which should be a good thing. I know I would feel exactly like you if I were in your position so I don't mean to sound righteous or anything. I guess I'm saying that if you have to try to find something positive in this situation, a revision to make your stomach smaller wouldn't be the worst thing you could have to deal with. But, I hope for your sake it's not anything that requires surgery. I do remember reading a post about someone who had developed a little pouch off to the side of her sleeve that was holding extra food. I believe she was having some other symptoms though. She did have to have a revision surgery. Can anyone remember where that post was so that Tabitha could PM that poster to compare notes?

Hi italianlady13, I am not a seasoned sleever yet but I am a seasoned bander, LOL. I am having a revision from a band to sleeve on 06/23/11. The more I am reading it seems as though I am one of the MANY people having a revision from band to sleeve. I know there have been many people who have been successful with the band but from my experience I do regret it. I did initially lose 60 lbs. with the band but that was only because I could not keep any food down and I pretty much lived off of Soup. When they would loosen the band then there was no restriction at all. I guess they never really found that happy in-between. I have been having the band since 2006 and in 2010 I got pregnant. My doctor loosened the band just a little but I gained a whopping 80lbs for ny pregnancy. My baby is now 7 months old and of the 80 lbs I gained for the pregnancy I have been able to lose 20lbs. This puts me right back where I was before I got Lap Band. I went to have an upper GI X-Ray done 2 weeks ago and find out that my band has partially slipped and it can slip completely at any time which if that were to happen it would be an emergency surgery. So now I am scheduled to have this band out and a revision to the sleeve. I always thought that somewhere maybe 25-30 years down the road the band would have to come out, I just never thought that it would be 5 years later. I will be more than happy to have this band out and to hopefully be able to eat a small amount of food and be full without throwing up every single meal. Anyhow, I am sure that you will choose the best choice for you and again everyone is different. I just wanted to share my story with you. Best of luck to you!

I had RNY gastric bypass surgery laparoscopically. I had around 7 incision points. One of these incision points located on my lower left abdomen produced a great knot because this was the point where most of the surgery occurred at. It took many many months for this knot to disappear.

Hi everyone. So I just joined this app I'm a 17 year old girl. I weigh about 320 and I haven't been able to lose weight easily but I am in this program at my hospital, you meet once a month with a surgeon, occupational therapist, nutritionist, psychologist, and finally a endocrinologist. You have to be in this program for about 6 months in order to be qualified for surgery. I managed to lose a few pounds with this program but I really am struggling to lose it. I just had an appointment Tuesday and this was my 4th month in the program. The surgeon told me that next month, I can make the decision on whether or not I want to go through with surgery. I decided I do want to go through with a surgery and I've decided I wanted the gastric sleeve since it's less risky than the gastric bypass. I've been looking at many before and after pictures of people under the age of 25 and even some older and it does make me excited, hoping that one day I can do a before and after picture like that. My older sister actually had a gastric bypass surgery when she was 23 and she's 25 now and looks great. But, despite my anticipation, I can't help but be terrified. I'm scared of complications, I've had 2 surgeries but they were minor, just tonsils and adenoids, and tubes in my ears, nothing major, the thought of this major surgery scares me. I know it's the right choice for me as I've struggled with my weight since I was just a little girl. I'm sick of being so huge, I want to be able to go out with my friends and not struggle to keep up because I'm always out of breath, I want to go to theme parks and go on rides without fear that I'm too big for the seat belts and bars, I want to be confident, I want to be healthy. But the thought of surgery scares me. I'm scared I might regret getting the surgery. I'm scared there'll be complications. I'm just scared. Has anyone else felt like this before their surgery? Anyone have any advice?

I feel the band is a healthier choice as if need ur fluid can b taken out for certain situation! Both my mother and aunt have lost over 100 lbs with the band! Its all willpower! Im personaly against the bypass for iv seen first hand the out come of it both good and bad! I hope this helps any! The band is great if you learn to use it properly and keep ip with it lol!

Jan. 18, 2013 -- More than 200,000 weight loss surgeries are performed each year in the U.S. Several recent studies have questioned the effectiveness and safety of one type, gastric banding, which has led to a decline in its use as patients choose other surgical options. But the largest and longest study yet of the procedure found that patients followed for up to 15 years maintained significant weight loss -- an average of about 60 pounds. Study: Banding Effective for Weight Loss About half the patients in the study needed additional surgeries to adjust the bands or deal with other complications, but only about 1 in 20 patients opted to have the bands removed. Researcher Paul O’Brien, MD, of Melbourne, Australia’s Monash University, was a pioneer of the Lap-Band procedure, and his latest study was supported by Allergan Inc., which markets the gastric band system. He says gastric banding offers an effective, reversible, long-term solution for weight loss as long as patients get good follow-up care and are willing to carefully control the way they eat. The study is published in the January issue of the Annals of Surgery. “Placing the band is just the first step in the process,” he says. “Compliance and follow-up are critically important. There are plenty of people out there doing this surgery without a follow-up program for their patients, and they are setting them up for failure.” Banding, Bypass, and Sleeve Gastrectomy The Lap-Band procedure is one of several weight loss surgeries performed in the U.S. and the only one that is easily reversible. The band is an inflatable silicone ring that is wrapped around the upper part of thestomach to create a pouch the size of a golf ball, which limits the amount of food that can be eaten. The band can be tightened or loosened to increase or decrease the size of the opening to the lower stomach. The most commonly performed type of gastric bypass surgery also reduces the size of the stomach to that of a golf ball. The surgery also bypasses a section of the small intestine, which limits calorie absorption. The gastric sleeve procedure involves the surgical removal of a portion of the stomach to create a "sleeve" that connects to the small intestine. Just a few years ago, gastric banding was widely seen as less risky, less costly, and less invasive than either of the other surgical options, and about half of weight loss procedures in the U.S. involved banding. But that has changed as the long-term data comparing weight loss surgeries has come in, says Ronald H. Clements, MD, who directs the bariatric surgery program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Fewer Lap-Band Surgeries Performed Clements says just five of the 360 weight loss surgeries performed at Vanderbilt last year were Lap-Band procedures. “We have essentially stopped doing this operation,” he says. “The sleeve and the bypass are just better for helping people lose weight and keep it off. That’s what we are seeing in our patients and that’s what the data are telling us.” A 2011 study from Belgium found that the bands eroded in 1 in 3 patients, while 60% required additional surgeries. And a study published last year that compared banding to bypass surgery found that bypass patients lost more weight and kept it off over six years and had fewer complications. Four years ago, as many as 40% of weight loss surgeries performed at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York involved gastric banding, says Mitchell Roslin, MD, who is chief of obesity surgery. Today, the figure is closer to 3%. “Last year we took out 80 bands and converted them to other procedures,” he says. “Patients do well in the short term, but they tend to have problems later on.” Banding Good Option for Some American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery President Jaime Ponce, MD, confirms that fewer Lap-Band surgeries are being performed in the U.S. Allergan’s sales related to its Lap-Band system reportedly fell from close to $300 million in 2011 to about half that figure last year, and last fall the company announced that it was looking to sell its weight loss surgery division. But Ponce says the surgery is still a good option for some patients. “The band is a device that requires a lot of maintenance and multiple adjustments, and one problem is that our insurance system is not set up to pay for this,” he says. He says gastric banding is much more popular and widely performed than gastric bypass in Australia. “In Australia, aftercare is covered by national insurance, so patients don’t have to worry about paying for adjustments,” Ponce says. And there are plenty of gastric banding success stories here in America, including New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan, who lost more than 100 pounds after having the procedure in March of 2010. Ponce says patients who understand that gastric banding will require careful compliance and frequent follow-up visits to their doctor can achieve good results with the gastric banding surgery. “Patients need to be followed, preferably every month or so,” he says. “If your surgeon doesn’t offer this kind of follow up, you need to go somewhere else.” http://www.webmd.com/diet/weight-loss-surgery/news/20130117/lap-band-shown-effective-long-term-weight-loss?page=2

Hi! I was just given my surg. date in 4 weeks. As part of the pre-op I had to have an endoscopy. I did not have any symptoms, this was done as part of the prelims for surg. I just received a call from my doc and was told that I have Barrett's esophogus and that I should not have the sleeve but opt for the bypass instead. Has anyone heard of this or dealt with a similar problem. I am reading alot about those of you that have the haital hernia,but haven't seen anything about Barrett's. Thanks for helping out!

I'm having a bypass on July 28. The surgery it's self does not make me nervous it's the changes after

Deb, I wish I could offer you more advice; I had checked with Medicaid and ColoradoHealthOP, and they actually don't cover Lap Band--only sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass. I'm really impressed you got Aetna to cover it, and I hope that works well for you. I would say to just exercise even if it's uncomfortable and log your foods really carefully. Joining Weight Watchers (and not using your weekly flex points) might be a way to stay on track during this pre op period. Remember, it's tough, but this is only temporary. It should get better! Good luck

I was wondering if any of you had your revision surgery in Tijuana, Mexico. I am considering going there since my insurance company won't cover my band removal and the gastric sleeve surgery and I cannot afford the self pay option.

Oh the lapband, the first year was great. I was mostly compliant and lost 65 lbs. Then, in one weekend, I thought I was going to die. Turns out I had a slippage with 2 little pouches. So I went in for a revision. I tried my best to hold onto that band. I didn't want to gain the weight back. You know the deal, vomiting all the time, but worst than that, trapped gas. So after another year of all that, it had to come out. Now, 3 yrs later, I'm heavier than ever at 343. In this year I have been down to 313 and back up to this weight. I can drop and gain the same 7/lbs over and over. Water weight. So now I want to thoroughly investigate the sleeve. My concerns are #1: excessive Scar tissue as that was to blame for band removal, #2 do you get trapped gas with sleeve, heck I still have it, and #3: I have Dercum's Disease. Does anyone else have Dercum's and WLS? So can some of you help me make a decision? I'm not doing good on my own. I have severe osteoarthritis and this weight is dragging me down. I thought I had done my investigating with the band but no, I didn't do enough. Really, mostly concerned about Scar tissue... Please give me your thoughts.

I was pretty scared when I used to think about having most of my stomach cut out. My revision went great though. I am almost and year out and I still can't believe how amazing I feel. The surgery is totally 100% worth it. I love my sleeve and I would go through the surgery again to have the life I have now.

I was a revision so I had a bit of a different mindset. I spent a long time debating both, whether I deserved another chance at WLS, and also if I could even be successful after failing once before. But I do think that going back and forth is fairly common. Even when we know we need to do something to save our lives, I would question the sanity of the person that didn't at least give a 2nd thought to removing 85% of a major organ! Now, I would never look back and couldn't be happier, but I certainly spent plenty of time questioning my decision too, just in different ways!

Hi - I had a band to sleeve revision a month ago and a large hiatal hernia removed at the same time. Probably same notion? I had my gallbladder removed a little over a year ago - was in the hospital for aspiration pneumonia from a too-tight band and they discovered that I had large gallstones as well. You should probably be able to do it all at once - I'm not a doc, though! danielle

Hi everyone! I'm new to this site but I'm glad to be here. My name is Donna & I'm 21 years old. I had my first consultation with my surgeon yesterday morning with my mom. We're both getting the Gastric Bypass surgery. Still extremely nervous. I'm concerned a lot with the pre-op diet, the post-op diet, the loose skin & the hair loss. Is this normal to be so concerned about ALL of these things? How bad do these typically tend to be. I feel like I may fail & wind up not being able to do the pre-op diet. Looking for some friends and support buddies who are struggling with the same thoughts. We can work through it together.

My doctors have advised that the sleeve does not encounter the dumping syndrome. They of course want you to stay away from sugars and carbs but it's that's in order to lose weight. I already have other stomach problems and that's one of the reasons I picked the sleeve over the band or the original gastric bypass. Another form of vitamins if you're interested, minor called bariatric Fusion You can look online for those as well. From what my nutritionist said, you can't just take a regular multivitamin. There's other vitamins that you need as well.