hey guys, i just took my first step by going to a local wls siminar. it was very helpful but also made me rethink the lapband. i know this is a lapband forum but has anyone here ever considered the gastric sleeve? she made it seem like the band caused alot of prblems like throwing up and infections and lots and lots of follow ups for life. when the sleeve didnt.. i dunno im lost.

its an individual decision, I chose the band because I did not want anything cut out, taken out, rerouted. I want all my original plumbing. I am 11 months out from surgery and I would say it has been a wonderful success, no problems. Best decision I ever made.

I am scheduled to have the band on Oct 31st.....im going to the hospital dressed up and all lol. I have to tell you my Surgeon is awesome however he states that I will never get to my dream weight the lapband. Its kinda scary...I go back and forth all day everyday since June. I don't know what the right option is. I don't want to be re-routed and all that malabsorption problems. I can only pray that this "tool" will help me lose weight, cause lord knows nothing else is working for me and I feel like I just keep getting bigger and bigger.

Hey brittney, my name is Beverly Defevers and I am currently working on my 13th. mth. of having 'lapband surgery and I have to say it is the best thing I could have ever done for myself. I think they just put all the scary stuff out there so u can look at all ur options. It was very scary for me at first but after that 1st initial visit after ur surgery and u start to see a diff. you will know u made the right decision. I personally knowof a few people that had the 'gastric bypass' and within a yr and a half they gained ALL their weight back. I just think this is easier to stick to / with, but like everything else it's ur own personal decision but I hope whatever u choose u will grow fond of. So far in my 13mths. I've lost 40 pds. and at times I've gotten discouraged but my Dr says it's actually better to lose it slower than all at once, the slower it goes off the better chance u have of it staying off. So "GOOD LUCK" .

Brittney, Recent studies have shown the Lap band surgery to be the safest WLS, with the fewest complications

of any. After one year, the total weight loss is about the same for any WLS. The quality of the facility and the

surgeon make all the difference. Do your homework, check your surgeons reputation, make your decision

based on facts, not website speculation and rumors. Good luck and I hope it all goes well for you.

It is personal choice.

If you don't want the hassle of going to see your Dr frequently(once a month for the first year, and once or twice a year thereafter approx), are happy to have a large portion of your stomach cut away, are comfortable with the high surgery risks and want to start losing straight away go with the sleeve.

If you don't mind the follow ups, want a lower surgery risk but a higher risk of possible problems in the future, and a slower initial weight loss go for the band.

If you weigh it up then basically it is 6 of 1 and half a dozen of the other!

With a sleeve you lose weight faster initially but people with the band soon catch up.

Generally you don't throw up with the band you PB which is very different but until it happens to you it is difficult to understand. Normally this can be prevented by taking small bites, eating slowly, chewing well and not having your band too tight. People with sleeves do throw up too( probably not a well publicised fact but if you read the sleeve board you will find some of these things out)

Both surgeries have an initial honeymoon period when the weight loss is relatively easy and the further along you are the slower it gets.

Both surgeries can be cheated i.e. if you decide to eat all day long it is possible and then you won't lose.

Both surgeries will fail if you decide to eat high calorie slider foods such as icecream,milkshakes, chocolate etc instead of healthy foods as recommended by your Dr.

I have had my band for 28 months and I am happy with my choice. I only need to see my Dr every 6 months or so and I actually enjoy catching up and checking everything is OK.

[quote name='brittney24' timestamp='1318362479' post='1673042']

hey guys, i just took my first step by going to a local wls siminar. it was very helpful but also made me rethink the lapband. i know this is a lapband forum but has anyone here ever considered the gastric sleeve? she made it seem like the band caused alot of prblems like throwing up and infections and lots and lots of follow ups for life. when the sleeve didnt.. i dunno im lost.

Hi Britney,

I was in the same spot where you were in many months ago. I didn't know which way to go. I went for a consult for the lap band and landed up learning about the gastric sleeve. After doing a lot of research on the this i elected not to do the band but do the sleeve. The reason why, I wanted a more permenent solution to my weight issue. I didn't like the issue of a foreign matter in my body for one and I was deeply concerned of slippage. The gastric sleeve, was a permenment solution. Once the stomach was cut it was cut and I like the fact that I wouldn't have the urge to eat more than I could at a time.The Micro Gastric Sleeve with STARR Treatment instead. The reason I chose this surgery over the Lap Band is I wanted a permanent solution to my weight issues. The STARR Treatment (Surgical Tiny Access and Rapid Recovery) Treatment allows for micro gastric sleeve surgery which is the same as the gastric sleeve surgery but performed entirely through a single very miniscule incision. Dr Feiz uses a single laparoscopic platform called "The Spider Surgical System" which is contained within a very small thin metal tube. The tube creates a very small incision and once inserted into your belly the instrument unfolds inside you like a tiny umbrella. This allowed Dr Feiz to perform the micro gastric sleeve surgery with full right and left instrumental movements. When Dr. Feiz finished the surgery and was complete the instrument collapses back into the tube and is removed. What is so amazing about this surgery is almost scar-less result. I had very little scarring if any to be seen. My scarring was less than a size of a freckle and my post operative pain was if any, very minimal. I am THRILLED from the STARR Treatment and I "HIGHLY" recommend this procedure to anyone who is battling their own weight issue.

It is definitely a personal decision. You will find good and bad on both surgeries. I decided on the lap band with plication as I get the advantages of the sleeve in the beginning with the support of the band now and in the future. I am very happy with my choice. I have lost weight for consistantly for the four weeks since my surgery and am not suffering through hunger between meals before having a fill.

so i started thinking about the 2. and really questioning my decision to band. this is what i started thinking.

yes there is an object in there. you will have to do fills.

but if you do the "sleeve" they cut away your stomach. what happens if it stretches again?? just like w/ bypass wls, if you start gaining you just have to do the diet. w/ the band they can adjust it!!!

just my 2 cents & what's going thru my head!

Wow I am in the same spot you are in Brittney. I met my surgeon for the first time a month ago and went in gung ho that I wanted the band, then he started trying to sell me on the sleeve. This kinda pissed me off because he didnt go over anything about the band. He just kept selling the sleeve and saying how quick I would loose weight and with the band I would get acid reflux from throwing up etc. In the end I went home and read up on the sleeve. I read and I dont know how true this is that the sleeve is for really heavy people and it gets them down to a size where they can then get gastric or lap band. I thought to myself, but I am not that big that I would need to do this. Further more I read about the cutting and the stapling and I just wasnt comfortable with that at all. I have my next appointment next week and I am sticking to my choice of the lap band. If my doctor is still pushing the sleeve well i will just have to find a new surgeon. Just make sure you do the research and ultimately go with what feels right and you think is best for YOU. Good luck!

The sleeve is the first part of a bypass or duodenal switch. However it has now been found to be successful as a stand alone procedure.

As to the reflux this is a hard one. Some people that suffer with reflux preband find it goes away when they get banded, others may start suffering it for the first time. Often reflux is a sign of being too tight. Most sleeve patients are routinely prescribed a daily acid reducer so it can be an issue with the sleeve as well.