Hello, I am a 29 year old mother of two, I currently have not had any weight loss procedure. I was looking into first the gastric sleeve. I had spoke with a friend of mine who I did not know had weight loss surgery and she ended up revealing to me that she had the band. After talking to her I am seirously rethinking my first choice and am wanting the band instead. I have my first appointment on the 22nd to srtart my 6 months pre op. Is there any information that anyone could give me that you can think you wish that you had known before the surgery, or any opnions on if I should sleeve or band ? I am currently 283 lbs and I am 5'4' I have alot of weight I want to loose I would love to get down to 150lbs.

Why don't you meet with doctors that do both surgeries (or one that does both)? They can give you all the information you need. There are pros and cons to each surgery; you have to decide which is right for you. Personally I liked that with the band, I did not have to cut out any part of my anatomy and if I need to have it removed then I am "back to normal". However, I will admit that I really only looked into the band. And it hasn't been the easiest, but I know my weight would be even higher now if I hadn't had it. Good luck with your decision, it's a tough one!

My biggest thing is that I am afraid with the band that I have read alot of people either gaining back the weight or very slowly and then coming to a hult. I have alot of weight I need to lose. I just dont know how I feel like you had said about losing a large portion of my stomache forever. I have my appointment to meet with the Dr. on the 22nd I will talk with her then to see what my best choice will be. I just wanted some feed back from people also who have had this surgery already.

I was within weeks of having gastric bypass surgery and canceled. I just couldn't rationalize having perfectly healthy organs re-routed and even parts removed without trying less drastic first.

I did a lot of research on gastric bypass, the sleeve, and the band. For me the band was the most logical step, because it's 100% reversible and there's no rerouting of your organs. I figured if this didn't work, then I'd consider the sleeve next, but only if the band didn't work.

I had surgery on January 6, 2012 and I have lost 55 pounds so far. I feel better than I have in years and am SO happy I chose the band.

Something to keep in mind, regardless of what surgery you choose, you still have to do the work. None of them are a magic fix and all take a lot of commitment to change by you. People don't lose weight, or gain weight back, with all three surgeries if they aren't eating right. I know a man who'd lost over 200 pounds after having gastric bypass 4 years ago, however now he's gained about 100 back and is still rising.

The other thing about the gastric bypass and the sleeve is, if you overeat and stretch out your pouch, you're kinda screwed. However with the band, you can always get a fill if you're needing it.

I love my band, but I also know we all have to choose what's best for us. I'd talk to the surgeon and do a lot of research on both procedures. Get the facts before making a decision.

Best wishes to you on whichever path you choose.

I am also 5.4 tall and i had double the weight u need to lose the band for me was the most simplest of all 3 surgeries, i dont like being forced to live with something because it cant be reversed. I have lost more than some people do with the bypass or sleeve .. if u want to succeed and work hard at it then it is possible ..I wouldnt change the band at all ..

Just make an informed decision based on the medical info and self knowledge . then commit to it .. good luck

I know its going to be hard work. I think thats where alot of people go wrong with this surgery is they think its going to be simple and they regret having it and end up having a really rough time and regret having the surgery. I talked with my husband last night and he wants me to try the band and if it doesnt work which I know it will because I am determined to get healthy, then it just wasnt ment to be. I need to get this weight off I have osteo arthritius in my knees and I would like to have another child after losing the weight I had gestational diabeties and dont want to go through that again and that makes my chances higher of having type 2. I am pretty sure my mind is set on the band. Did you know that the band was what you wanted when you went to talk to the surgeron ??

I did know, I told him what I was thinking (getting the band) but was open to his opinion- he told me he has good success with the band IF I do my part. I told him I was in it to win it, LOL.

But you do have to be willing to follow the rules, and really change mentally, imho. I'm about 7 weeks out, and really happy- but last night my "head hunger" was strong. I didn't give in, and that's a victory in my opinion.

I too wanted something I could control- as in tighten if needed, remove if I absolutely had to.

You may want to look into the iband also called the band with plication. With the iband your stomach is folded and sutured to form a sleeve in addition to getting the band. Like the band alone, this procedure is reversible. The benefits are that plication is shown to help prevent some of the complications of the band like slippage and erosion, you don't have to have fills as often (I haven't had a fill yet and I'm hoping to go without ever getting one), for some people their weight loss rate is faster than the average band alone patient. Also the plication serves as a back up to the band, for example I have had restriction from the start, I have never gone through "banster's hell" which is the period of time between getting the band and starting to feel restriction which can last several months.

Since being banded I have rarely felt hungry, I get full from small amounts of food, I have never had a getting stuck episode, I haven't pb'd or thrown up after eating (I've only thrown up once since surgery and that was a few days after surgery and it was on an empty stomach). The only negative I would say right now is that because I haven't had a fill yet, I still have a tendency to eat too fast which can cause me to get that over stuffed feeling, I'm sure if I started getting fills the band would help to stop that but I feel that it is a habit that I can work to break on my own.

I'm 3 months post op w the lap band and it is NOT easy! It's basically 70% mental work and the rest your band! If you're looking for easy fix then don't choose lap band.... If this doesn't work for me I'll be considering the sleeve.... I honestly thought it would be a little easier than this : / we shall see after I hit my "sweet spot"

I know it wont be easy, I am not looking for the easy way out I honestly think that it would be the easy way out to try to diet and lose the weight vs this but I know my self that I want something that is permenet and going to change my life. With diet you know you can always revert back to your old ways with no consequences other then gaining the weight back. With this you have to watch it, it makes you concious of how much you were over eating before and you can become very sick from over eating. I think it takes a brave person to take this step. I was asahmed to admit for a while that I actully needed this surgery. I thought it was a cop out and that everyone should be able to diet and lose it the hard way. I realised after years of dieting and ups and downs that I kept getting larger and larger now I am at the heaviest I have ever been. I have two small children and I want to be healthy not only for my self but for them. I dont want them remembering thier mom as the mommy who sat around and kept them inside because it hurts to much for me to move. Congrats to you for being so brave and taking that step it really takes alot and I dont doubt for a min that I wont have days where its rough. I will always remeber my 29 years of weight that I have had to cary around and my arthritus in my knees and the gestational diabeties. Its totally worth the hard work to me. I hope over time things get better for you and you get into the groove of things it will take a while I am sure.