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I also choose the sleeve after a lot of research, plus I have 2 friends that have had bypass. You need to read everything you can but I felt that it was important to still have my body function the way it was made to and didn't want to deal with dumping syndrome or the malabsorption problems. I also felt it was a safer surgery with less complications and that was really important to me. I don't know your medical history but your doctor must have his reasons. Did he explain why he felt that way to you? I just got my sleeve on the 12th and am very happy so far.

I know how you feel!!! My first appointment is next week and I'm hoping my doctor agrees with my decision to be sleeved instead of the bypass. In the seminar, he discounted the lapband and essentially useless now (too many problems), said he's done thousands of bypasses (which he has) and said that the sleeve has not been tested for 40 years like the bypass has but is a viable option. But, in my opinion, it's been tested enough. There are people on this site who are going on five or more years and seem to love it. Good for you for knowing what you want. Fingers crossed that I don't chicken out next week.

No worries...yes, i had mine in 2007....i was a self pay...insurance didn't even know what it was back then. I also had it done in San Francisco, and my husbands ex-wife is a bariatric nurse so I sorta had an "in" with a surgeon.When I moved to Vegas 2 yrs later...and even until now I have to explain what it was because people here are...well...to be nice...set in their ways.... Fascinating! After almost 3 years on these forums, you are the longest term sleever I've ever seen! I've seen a lot of long term bypass peeps, like my hubby who is 10 years out, but never a sleeve! So tell me, how is your restriction at 10 years out? What would you say your portions are now? Like me at over 2 years out, I would say my max is a cup, depending on what it is.

Yea I heard the bypass is not the best thing to get I done alot of research and people that got sleeved up have been giving good feedback on it ..and yes thers been alot of problems with the lapband because it can pop out of position and they do not do surgery again to fix it..but good luck to you thers nothing to be scared about

So after much consideration I decided I would go ahead and blog my sleeve journey.... I wasn't going to because of keeping up with it but after surgery I find myself on this forum 3 and 4 times a day! So I guess I'll start out with why I decided to even get the sleeve and go from there This first blog will be long!! sorry!! In May this year, I had a meeting with my knee doc who explained to me that if I did not lose at least 60 to 80 lbs in the next year I would have to have a knee replacement because it was simply not holding up to my weight requirements. I cried and complained, went on yet another diet and failed and then ran across an ad for Dr Nicholson's weight loss seminar. I thought yay! I'll get the lap band and get this weight off! Well, I went to the seminar and loved him and all of the information, if you can possibly absorb all of that info in one setting! Anyway, after hearing the info I went home off on my own new journey to find the best option for me because what he was saying about the lap band was definitely going to be a no go. I did not want to deal with the fills and unfills and the possible erosion complication just from the info he was giving me. I started to look at video blogs of people with the lap band and couldn't believe it! There were problems with food getting stuck, vomiting if your food didn't like your band (ex: a piece of lettuce covering your opening), NOPE! the band was def a no go for me.. I did not like the extreme of the RNY or Gastric Bypass but the sleeve seemed like a good fit for me! Low complication rate, quick recovery, back to normal (albeit smaller portions) food after a couple of months and people are keeping the weight off! So I sent off my paperwork to Dr Nicholson's clinic!! Now for the Doom and gloom .. lol My Aetna policy has a weight loss surgery exclusion on my policy, as I am self employed so if I was going to consider going on with the surgery I was going to have to self pay. I contacted several medical financing companies and even my bank but for what I was doing and the associated costs it was just simply not going to happen. As I said before, I am self employed, as is my husband so those are hard circumstances to get financed for a large unsecured loan like I was talking about, approx $14K. Now, you have to know my personality, if I want something, I don't just sit back, I am a go getter and something like financing was not going to hold me back! I researched and dug and found a couple of companies would either 1) finance me or 2) do it for much cheaper. I was thrilled! Until I learned that these surgeries were in Mexico AHHHH!!! Are you kidding me?!?! Surgery in Mexico?!?! Don't they harvest your organs there?!?! I know, I went a bit overboard but I couldn't believe I could afford it so it was at least looking into right? Well, I researched lots of Dr's in Mexico and decided on Dr Jose Rodriguez in Juarez. He operated out Star Medica hospital. I researched his credentials, his staff, the hospital, the area and on and on. I found out that he had been doing these surgeries longer than Dr Nicholson and had a low complication rate. He was out of a company called Belite Weight and they would finance half of the surgery for me as long as I could cover the other half up front! Woo Hoo! So Mexico it was!!! Now for the surgery My surgery was scheduled for June 29th and I was completely prepared. I did the preop diet of Dr Rod's choice, basically the Atkins diet but with 50 carbs a day. I could handle that, as a matter of fact my husband and daughter (21 yrs) went on it with me and we lost weight! I lost 19.2, my husband 30 and my daughter 10.4. I was so stoked to get on with this surgery! I had bought our airline tickets in the early part of June and gotten our birth certificates to cross the border (don't believe the hype, the birth certificates worked just fine, no problems!) finance documents signed, family doc here on board with my journey, and so on and so on. I was prepared! We landed in El Paso and the hospital sent a shuttle for us to take us across the border to the hospital. We crossed the border and Juarez was a pit... a desolate pit. Scary as a matter of fact, sand lots with kids playing in them, people living in conditions I couldn't even fathom! They lived in cinder block houses!! businesses boarded up, people driving like idiots, I freaked completely out! I thought, what the HELL have I gotten myself into?!? Now, please know at this point that my husband and my daughter insisted on going with me so I am not alone but there were 2 other women there who were alone! I couldn't imagine being alone! Well, we finally got to the hospital and man was I relieved!! It was so nice! It was super clean, modern, smelled nice (not hospitally lol) so completely different from the outskirts of Juarez! There was mall across the street, nice restaurants within walking distance, the US Consolates office was 2 blocks away. Couldn't have been more pleased! Anyway, we did a brief stay at the front desk (I was with 4 other patients) to get our arm bands, checked in, pre op, etc. All went well and we headed up to our rooms. I was completely floored! It looked like a spa hotel room with 2 rooms, leather couches, cushy futon with giant pillows and a really nice bathroom. So nice! I was calming down at this point and happy we were in a safe area!! Day of Surgery!! I was so nervous the morning of the surgery! They came in and drew blood and took my vitals and EKG the day before so the day of surgery you don't have much to do or think of except that you are about to embark on a journey of a lifetime! Your choice! The thoughts that went through my mind were... 1) What if I am not one of those people who recovers quickly? 2) What if I die on the operating table? 3) What if I need a blood transfusion? How does that work in Mexico? Do they have the same strict testing as the US? (the answer is yes by the way lol I asked!) 4) What if I don't get to see my grandson ever again? CRAZY questions!! My mind was playing tricks on me and I was doing this surgery electively!! What the crap was wrong with me? doing this in Mexico no less?! My husband was wonderful in calming me down and so I just cried instead of backing out =) When they finally came and got me around 11:30 I was about ready to just back out, call it quits and go back home, stomach in tow! lol They got me down to preop and I was praying (along with my husband :wub: ) that everything would be fine, quick recovery, the whole bit! I remember them giving me something to "relax" me and off I went..... I woke up in recovery and they wheeled me back up to my room quickly so I was with my family. I had a little gas under my shoulder blade and a little pain from the drain site but great other than that! I got up after about and hour and walked walked walked! The gas pain went away after the first day and I never really had any nausea problems so I was a lucky one!! God is good!! My mom and her boyfriend came to the hospital to see me, yep! they drove in my Dallas and came to Juarez for 2 days to spend some time with me! I love my supportive family <3 My whole family and all of my friends were so supportive and good to me the whole time! I love them all!! Anyway, fast forward a couple of days to going home!! Home again, Home again, jiggity jog!! We left for the airport around 9:30 am although our flight wasn't until 1:30pm. We needed to make sure we got across the border in time to catch our flight and had heard horror stories about it taking sometimes 3 hours to get across. Lucky for us, it was the Mexican Election day!! There were only 3 people ahead of us to get through the border so less then 20 min to get across! Woo Hoo! We got to the airport with plenty of time to shop, go through security and time for me to sit down and rest for a while. The flight home was uneventful and once home I was content to take a nap =) Happy to see my kitties (Bella and Momma) and my 12 year old lab Buddy. I have a grandson that is 1 year old and lives with us and seeing him made me melt!! There is nothing better than a grandbaby!! I love him dearly!! Well, after all that, I am home! I work from home so it is nice to be able to work, nap, sip sip, work, sip sip, nap lol I feel like one of the cats! I feel good though! I have walked, done some laundry, cleaned and even cooked a little. I will venture out tomorrow!!! Thanks for reading!!! They will be shorter here on out! PROMISE!! Oh by the way, my weight!!! 6/15/2012 247 lbs 6/29/2012 227 lbs -19.2 lbs 7/1/2012 229 lbs (gotta love the IV fluid and being swollen!0

my dr told me he wouldnt do bypass unless the smoker had quit, he said the band wasnt an issue, it was with the bypass that could cause ulcers in the stomach. But I dont know how long it takes for it to leave ur system, I would do a google search.

I've been in a 6 week stall (8 weeks post op), curious as to the longest stall anyone has had. Revision 1/31/13 by Dr Cabrera and Venezuela in MX

I too looked at the band and did not like the foreign body concept that was with me forever. The bypass with the old stomach hanging out in my gut and the re-routing of my intestines also did not interest me. The VSG seemed to fit the bill....I was still left with my tummy just a smarter size. My surgeon mentioned of course the research is still somewhat inconclusive since the sleeve is not been studied as much as the bypass. The long term success rate is still being investigated. I figured I would become one of the positively reported statistics.....the benefit of research!

My surgeon told me unless a patient is adamant on getting the band he doesn't recommend them anymore and tries to educate patients to go with bypass or sleeve. He said in another few years it won't be a procedure that will be offered any more due to the high risk of complications that are associated with it.

..alright I know, yuck but I think it's something that needs to be addressed. Before I had surgery I was petrified of throwing up post-op, I had tons of Zofran and worried about it a lot. After having both a sleeve then a revision to bypass I just wanted to let people know my experience with it and have a place to talk about other's experiences to hopefully alleviate some pre-op worries! So, it's not fun but it's not life-ending like I thought it would be. If you eat too much, it actually feels better to get it out..please try to avoid this and never ever ever make yourself throw up on purpose to get rid of pain. Your body will tell you if you messed up and if you have to throw up, take some deep breaths and just let your body naturally get rid of whatever it needs to. I fought my body a dozen times, tried to take Zofran when I just needed to relax and let myself throw up and once I did it, I felt so much better. It's not any worse than throwing up from the flu and in fact, USUALLY you only throw up for a few minutes and then it's over. So, be very very careful not to eat too much but if you mess up (which will happen) just try to calmly let your body decide how to fix it. In my experience, I got way too worked up and scared over how bad it would hurt to throw up when really it's not so scary and is really no different post-op then it is pre-op. Now, as a disclaimer..if you are throwing up regularly or if you are throwing up and you know it wasn't because you did something wrong (ate too fast, had too much, didn't chew well enough, had too big of a bite, etc.) you NEED to call your doctor..right away! Throwing up is not something that should be happening very often and if it is, something could be wrong and you must let your doctor know ASAP! I'd love for others to post their experiences as well because I think it would have helped me to read something like this before I had surgery because most of the time..mental fears are WAY worse than reality!

Hello. I'm new here. My surgery date is May 10th for the sleeve. I am now leaning towards bypass because I already suffer from bad reflux. I need real advice from the ppl who've "been there" to be able to make up my mind on which direction to go. Height 5'0, Current weight 208. TIA!

I have buckled down! Watched everyday what goes in my mouth (both food & liquid) written down not only what I have eaten but the calories, fat content etc. keeping my calories at 1750 or lower. I was going to the gym getting back to the routine that I was in prior to my daughter leaving for college and my father suddenly passing away. In about 2 weeks I was down 7 pounds, to say totally over the moon was an understatement. Now today I weigh and I gained 4.6 pounds in 7 days!!! Why the sudden weight gain in the short amount of time? What do I do? I had gastric bypass 5 years ago, my heaviest was 265, my lowest was 128. My dr.'s goal weight for me was 175, I eventually ended up at 145 for a good long while. 2 years ago my dr said that he would like to see me at 160-166. I know I shouldn't complain at all since I am weighing 163.4 but when you see the scale go down after going up for so very long it's very discouraging, almost heartbreaking. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Hi Everyone: My name is Toni and I'm 23 years old and 315 lbs. I have been heavy and depressed sense I was 9 years old. I never wanted gastric bypass because to me it was so scary to have pieces of your anatomy actually removed :frown: I also didn't feel like I was ready for it, I didn't think I could change ... i had a lot of emotional problems. But through therapy I have come to realize that I deserve to be happy and that I'm ready to make this change in my life. I'm really excited to have this surgery. I have chosen Shasta Medical Center in Redding California to have my surgery. I have my seminar/orientation on February 5th. I just can't wait to get rolling. Any helpful information would be great. Thanx, Toni

My name is LaQuita and I had my first appt on Feb 22nd. Was so blessed to find out that our ins Co did not require any "hoops". No pshcy eval, no nut, no 6 Months waiting, nothing!!! I was SO excited. We have BCBS of TN BUT through my husbands Co there is a special provision for WLS so that none of this is required. Just a BMI over 40 /35 with Co mobidities. I' fit in the over 40 bmi. And proof of 5 years being "obese". I really don't like that word! I called yesterday and as of Friday the paperwork had been faxed over to BCBS for pre cert so I am waiting on them now. Aa of yesterday it wasn't showing up 'in the system, so I could not get an update from them. The surgeon won't see me and set a surgery date until he has surgical clearance from the ins. Co. So I'm waiting.......... I know after reading alot of others posts that this wait time is nothing compared to so many others. I just pray that the rest goes as smoothly. I've enjoyed reading all the tips / suggestions / and ideas u all have posted and I look forward to joining this 'club. Oh I forgot, I have had lap and surgery 2 times prior. First in 09, then I got food poisoning one time, started throwing up band prolapsed. Had to have it un-filled, then removed. Had 2 nd one put in in '10 then 8 months later I got the flu, it prolapsed too. It took several months to get it out. This was in Dec 11. I wanted the sleeve to start with in 08 but the insurance Co. Didn't approve them yet. Then in 10 when he took the first one out, he would only revise with a band not a sleeve. At the time I did not realize that other doctors would revise someone else work! You live & learn. Thankfully the Lord had lead me else where and Lord willing I will be having it within the next 4-6 weeks. Thanks again everyone for making this such an inviting & comfortable place to come! Blessings to u all!! First visit: Feb 22nd Faxed to Ins co March 2nd Waiting on pre-cert approval _CURRENT!

The risks of WLS are much MUCH lower then the risks of being overweight and unhealthy. This decision is for you. But this decision will impact everyone around you. My wife wasn't "for" me getting the bypass. She was scared of all the things everyone is scared of. But now, she's dropped a bunch of weight as well, she goes to the gym with me. All of us are eating better. It's just as much for everyone around you, as it is for yourself. Don't worry about the "guilt"... it's better than the alternatives.

I agree...your body will find its new normal. When I reached my surgeons goal of 160 I started eating in maintenance mode. Mostly just added more calories, healthy fats and carbs than when I was in "losing mode". My personal goal was 150 and I hit that a month later. I then lost another 13 pounds over a couple months to my all time low of 137. I continue to eat "normal" and my body has fluctuated between 137 and 140 for the last 7 months. I'm 5'5" and am in size 6 jeans, too (down from 22). I do feel I'm a little thin, but I figure I'm in a good position in case I gain 5-10 pounds as I get further out. I had VSG, not bypass, so I don't know if this makes a difference. I have a good friend that had bypass 8 years. She worked really hard and temporarily got down to a size 4, but once she let herself eat "normal", she bounced back up to a size 7/8 and has been there for at least 5 years.

Hi everyone! Its official, i booked my flight today and will be getting my band to sleeve revision on feb 10th with Dr Kelly! i am soooo excited, but im also very nervous. im doing this all by myself and im praying that there will be someone else there on or around the same time as me. also, if anyone has a list of things to buy before surgery and a list of things i should take with me that would be great. i want to send a big thank you to everyone on this site. i have learned so much and appreciate all the support and suggestions during the last couple of months. cant waith to hear from all of you! shaundra

Thank you for the information. I called this morning and they did mean Port Revision, the Doctor just wrote the wrong thing. Thanks again!

Hello all I'll be going in for Surgery this Monday. Exactly two years ago I received the gastric sleeve and loss only 22 pounds. In October I went to have a second opinion from a different doctor evaluate me. He ended up doing a endoscopy and not saying it but basically saying the doctor didn't do what he needed to do. I will be getting the gastric bypass this time around and I'm just hoping I can lose and finally see myself as a new person.

Good luck to you. I had my revision on Feb 25.,. Down 39 lbs

This is so sad. I feel really sorry that this happened to that poor woman, right after she retired too. I wanted to get the band when I came in for my consultation but they convinced me that it would not be a good choice. Even the lady right next to me as I was waiting for surgery was getting a revision to a sleeve from a band. She was extremely obese so the band had done nothing for her.

Unfortunaly there are tons of us out there that had the band and had to have a revision surgery down the road due to complications from the band. I am so sorry to hear about this woman, this breaks my heart. I am so grateful that I had that horrible thing removed from my body.

Hi, I was confused as you are for a while, because I have friends that have had the bypass and then some with the sleeve. They both are doing well but I have to say the deciding factor for me was the fact that the sleeve does let you eat anything you want without the dumping and you know when enough is enough without overeating. I had my sleeve surgery Oct 1st and I have gone from 252lbs to 213lbs. I am very pleased with my results so far and I don't at all regret this decision. Everyone loses at a different pace, so don't base your weight loss on others. My surgeon assured me that within the 2 year mark, I would be at the same weightloss as a bypass patient. Feeling good about that helped my decision as well. If you are diabetic the bypass may be the way to go because it puts diabetes in remission. I was not diabetic so that helped my decision also. I hope this helps you. But you will make the right decision. Happy New Year!

While you do lose faster with bypass because of the malabsorption, the amount of weight that you lose in the long run is going to be about the same with both surgeries. Both surgeries have their own set of possible complications, as with any surgery, so it is ultimately up to you which you feel more comfortable having. I personally don't like the idea of re-routing my insides and the malabsorption, which is why I am choosing the sleeve. I have 150 to lose as well. There are a lot of threads on here that weigh the pros and cons of each surgery . Good luck

The bypass you will loose weight faster but if you look long term the weight loss is the same. With less complications. It all depends on your co morbid irises and how n why you are doing this. Do u need results fast to help or are you looking to prevent n eventually get off meds.. Always consult your doctor