Well I have battled being over weight all my life. I went to see Dr. Kim in Ft Worth Tx. He asked me what kind of surgery I was thinking about. He told me about the Gastric Sleeve, and Lab Band. Doe anyone know whice one is the best. One more question as well what am I to expect from this point forward. I have a BMI of 49.4. He told me that I would have to be on a liquid diet for 3 weeks before the surgery. So I came home today from the Dr and started putting that in my daily life style. OMG

If you ask us here we will probably tell you that the lapband is best because obviously that is what we have chosen. If you go to the VSG group they will tell you that the sleeve is better because that is what they have chosen . If you go to another group you will get another answer.

What I am trying to get at is the fact that noone can objectively tell you which is the better surgery. Different types of surgery suit different types of people.

You should research each type of surgery as much as you can , discuss the pro's and con's with your surgeon and then you will have to come to a decision based on what you believe is right for you.

I work for Dr Robert Snow in Hurst Texas. He is presently doing the gastric imbrication/plication which is like the sleeve but you do not remove any stomach and it is reversible. Give me a call 817 520-5411 and we will be glad to talk to you.

The type of surgery that is better, is a decision that only personally can be made. The Lap-Band/Realize Band is the least invasive and reversible. The sleeve requires a 2 night hospital stay and requires the actual cutting of your stomach. From this point, you probably have several months before you actually can have a surgery scheduled. There are consults, education classes, psychologist evaluations, nutritional evaluations, lab work, GI testing, and possibly required weight-loss, depending on your insurance. So, I probably wouldn't start the liquid diet just yet. It's purpose is to shrink your liver, if fatty, to make a healthier surgery. By all means, working on lowering your BMI pre-op is always beneficial; but the liquid-diet is a pre-op requirement. Also, for the required weight-loss, your insurance might require 6 mo - 5 years of records and 10% weight loss. I would call your insurance up front to see if you Bariatric services are covered. Good Luck!

girlbanded is right do not start the liquid diet yet...Dr Snow only has you on it for 5 to 7 days other Drs require longer...the gastric imbrication I am talking about is like the sleeve but does not remove any of your stomach it is a new procedure and works very well good luck!

I love Dr Kim! He did my Band, if I were having it done today I would consider the VGS more than I did last year. When I was banded the insurance companies were still considering it an experimental surgery so I dismissed it. I might be wrong, but, from what I have read, I have the impression that it works better than the band for high BMI people. I suggest that you study both closely and see which best fits your personality and eating styles.

On a side note, I have never heard of this other thing, gastric imbrication, but I sure wouldn't pick a surgeon or a WLS based on how long you have to do the preop diet.

I also had my band surgery less than a month after my first appointment. :smile: