Soooo tonight my mom went with me to the Lap-Band seminar. I'll be making an appointment very soon to get the process started. A lady we know was there and she has our same insurance and our insurance apparently requires a six month diet program with a doctor so booooo so after I get all the info from the WLS Center I'll be making an appointment with my primary dr. (as well as finally choosing a primary care dr. because I've never had one).

Soooooooooo.....I think I'm changing my mind on the band and think I might want to start researching the sleeve. I am not and will not do gastric bypass because on top of every single person I've met that has had it has had serious health problems & have hated it. My aunt, ex-mother in law and several of my mom's coworkers have had bypass and the bad side effects (as well as the major invasive-ness of the surgery is not a route I want to go.I refuse to debate bypass vs. any WLS. Period. That is just what I have experienced personally.

Anyone have an opinion on the sleeve? From what the surgeon told me it is also done laproscopically and has about the same (or better) healing time post-op and the main worry is a leak from the staples. But you don't have to worry about food getting stuck, major stomach upsets, extra acid (that is a fear of cancer of the esophagus from the band) and you live an even more "normal" life (food wise) than the band.

The main reason I'm considering the sleeve is that he said if you have 100 pound or so to lose, the band may not get you there and he said in less than 2% of their patients they always hover in the 30's for BMI and never get down into the normal range. He said that the band helps people lose a decent amount of weight 50-70 lbs over a long time period but then that's about it. He said the best surgery for actual weight loss was bypass, which I won't do, but the sleeve is not as drastic as bypass (since the stomach is just cut & not the intestines and so forth) but better than the band for weight loss. Although the band is reversible and the sleeve is not.

What are you guys' thoughts?

My BMI started at 42 last August and is now 28. I've list 92lbs and have very few weeks where I don't lose at least One pound. I can eat anything, just in small portions. For me, the band has been great. I need to lose another 30 lbs an my BMI will be well into the normal range. The band is what you make it. Work it and it works for you.

Blondie,

First of all, congratulations on making the decision to at least inquire into bariatric surgery. I agree with you about the gastric bypass but I personally would not do the sleeve. Unfortunately, it is mainly because my insurance wll not cover it. But it is also a new procedure and I am not comfortable that all the research is in. There will not be any malabsorption issues with the band that there can be with the bypass. The band is reversible. The others are not.

All that said, you and your surgeon are the only ones that can make that decision. What is right for one person is not necessarily right for the other. I wish you all the best as your explore your options.

Melinda

If you scroll to the bottom of this page, there are several additional forums that you might find helpful in making your decision.

http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/

As njm said above "the band is what you make of it". That is perfectly true. You'll get out of it what you put in. I feel if you work at it, there's no reason to not get into a normal bmi. I got the band because I was against any procedure that altered my insides at all, any cutting involved. The band is helping to an extent, but I believe surgery itself gave me the kick in the ass I needed to say, hey I really need to do this. So do what you want, but it seems your surgeon does not like the band that much, it seems he's pushing you towards the other two since he likes them better

Hi there. My decision was very easy for chosing the lapband. I did not want to alter my body in any way, shape, form, or fashion, that wasn't reversible. My surgeon told me out the gate that you lose less with the band than with any other surgery. That is about 40-60% of your excess weight. It was a bit discouraging but I was so firm on my decison of not altering me. I feared all the deficiencies and absorbtion issues that I may face and hate taking medication (which may be needed to supplement for deficiencies). However, I must stress that THIS IS ONLY MY VIEWS FOR MYSELF. Besides I ws content with losing any amount of weight as long I lost something.

I have seen people (only on the forums) talk about losing all of their excess weight without any problems. Its those people that give me hope. Once you lose the expected weight you just keep pushing to get the rest off (Just as you would without the band). A Bmi of 30 would leave me at 175 which is a whole lot better than a Bmi of 52 at 305.

Sorry to be so longwinded. I wish the best of luck to you on whatever decision you make because we all deserve it.

The main reason I'm considering the sleeve is that he said if you have 100 pound or so to lose, the band may not get you there and he said in less than 2% of their patients they always hover in the 30's for BMI and never get down into the normal range. He said that the band helps people lose a decent amount of weight 50-70 lbs over a long time period but then that's about it. He said the best surgery for actual weight loss was bypass, which I won't do, but the sleeve is not as drastic as bypass (since the stomach is just cut & not the intestines and so forth) but better than the band for weight loss. Although the band is reversible and the sleeve is not.

What are you guys' thoughts?

That's no true. I've lost 145 pounds and gone from a BMI of 48 to my current 26. And I'm still losing!!! Continue to do your research and make the decision that's right for you but don't let them scare you into it!