Ok, so tonight I attended my first weight loss surgery seminar. I went into it with my mind made up that I wanted the Lap-Band. But after listening to the lecture, I am now wondering if the sleeve gastrectomy would be a better option. It seems to have a higher success rate (as far as weight lost and keeping it off) and according to the surgeon, less hunger. Has anyone else researched this and compared it to the lap-band? If so, why did you decide to go with the band? Help me sort through this!

I MUCH appreciate your opinion Oma! Eveyone here has made their decisions with the help of other people's opinions and information. This should not be about picking sides!!!! We are all just people trying to better ourselves! Thanks for your input! And thank you everyone else also. Your suggestions, help, tips, and personal stories help more than you know!

I am having my band surgery tomorrow and It is obvious that there is a lot of misinformation about the band. No matter what surgery you choose, there are possible complications. As one person said, if I have a problem, its because of something I did. Often times, with the bypass for instance, it is nothing you did, its just a complication, ie: a stricture.

I chose the band because I do not want issues with malabsorbtion. I have a family history of cancers and heart disease and decided that if I should get sick later in life (I am 47) , I want to be able to absorb nutrition and fight! I also like the idea that it is reversible should something go worng. I know that with a band, I have to depend on me and my own dedication to make my tool work for me. I think since many people know the weight loss with a bypass or VSG is quicker, it is automatic that you will lose weight and you rely on that. When you get a band, you go in knowing that it is only a tool to aid you in your weight loss journey and if you dont work, it wont work. I think in some ways it is a natural process that keeps us honest with ourselves. Of course those are just my opinions,

I belong to an online support group on a site called Daily Strength. The group is called Gastric Bypass surgery, but all the bariatric surgeries are represented there. I can tell you that I have seen person after person post about serious side effects they endure from the gastric bypass and it just reinforces my decision to go with the band. I also know people in real life who have had it and the complications are real. So far, the people I know with the band have enjoyed success with no complications thus far. Ultimately, you need to chose the surgery that you think best fits you and the one who can live with the rest of your life. Dont think about how quickly you will lose, think about how healthy you will be later...

My main reason for wanting to do the band was reversibility. My original doctor wanted me to do the bypass because of the faster weight loss to help resolve my diabetes. I didn't want to do that because I wasn't in favor of making a permanent change to my digestive tract. After the pressure to change I decided that I wanted to have the sleeve because even though it's a permanent change you have less of a change to the digestive system (no dumping or malabsorbition). However my insurance wouldn't cover the sleeve because you needed to have a BMI of 50 or higher. Fortunately in my research of the sleeve, I found out about sleeve plication which is a relatively new procedure that is supposed to give similar results to the sleeve. For the sleeve plication the stomach is folded onto itself and sewn to form a sleeve. Since this procedure is new there aren't that many doctors in the US preforming it. I was able to find a doctor in FL that does the procedure along with the Lap Band which is covered by insurance. I'm excited about this surgery because it gives me the benefits of both the sleeve and the band and by doing both it reduces some of the disadvantages of the other (for example the sleeve helps to reduce band slippage and the plication offers restriction without stomach removal) Also because of the restriction gained from the plication some people who have had this procedure feel that they don't have to get their band filled which eliminates band fill issues, and if for some reason the restriction from the plication isn't enough you can have the band filled.

I like hearing everyone's opinions here and its certainly ok to disagree! Theres no way anything is right for everyone! The other worry I had about the sleeve is what if I lost a certain amount of weight but not to normal BMI (I kept getting fills till I got there) then what do I do to lose the rest? Diet and exercise? Yeah, right!