hey everyone....so heres the deal everyone around me is having the gastric sleeve operation done. I am starting to feel like the odd man out. The meeting i attended a few weeks ago i think only 2 out of 50 were banded if even that. I fully understand all the risks of the surgeries as i have been researching them for years. I also understand ultimately it is up to me since its my body but my main question here is:

1) How many people here are 100% satisfied with the band?

2) Is there anyone else who wish they went with another option, if so why?

3) have any of you had any slippage issues?

4) How common is vomitting, and if you seriously watch what you eat and pace your self can you avoid it entirely?

i would like peoples input who have already had the surgery as i feel i am now at a cross roads in my decision...as of right now im scheduled for May 23, 2012 for surgery. HELP!!

Hi there... For what it's worth, I was SURE I wanted the sleeve, but my doctor talked me out of it. It's great for many people, but 1% of the people have a leak, and that could mean 5 months in the hospital in agony. And even if it is very successful, 1/3 of the people end up gaining all their weight back—not because they overeat, but because their stomachs stretch after the wounds heal as part of the healing process... If you gain all the weight back, your only option is the band. My dr said he has banded 100s of sleeve and bypass patients.

He said that while the bypass and sleeve are 3x as fast for weightloss, it evens out over the 3-5year mark and that the band is a better choice.

For me, iBand (banded plication) is the best of both worlds. I too thought I wanted the sleeve because a friend has it, has had for 5 yrs, and loves it. But... my Dr is a band patient and maybe that's why, but he prefers the band.

My surgeon said she will not do a sleeve because of chances of leakage and also, why cut out a perfectly healthy organ and throw it away. What if there are complications and you do not have enough stomach left to fix? I went in thinking I would go for a bypass, I came out thinking "The band is for me". The results are slower, but like Sasha pointed out, it all evens out in the end.

So here are my stats, I have lost 36 pounds in 3.5 months, I have never vomited, but I have had a stuck expierience. It passed on its own, but now I do not eat chicken breat unless I have some kind of sauce to moisten it. I have never had a slip. But a slip can happen at anytime, even during a auto accident.

I was banded on Nov 3 and I love my band and I'm 100% satisfied with it!!!! I have lost 44 pounds in 5 months, pretty easily. I do watch what I eat (calorie-wise) and how much I eat & i do have to remind myself the band is a tool and does NOT do all the work for me. However, I am able to eat anything I want & the band doesn't keep me from eating anything.

I have never had a slippage issue, I have never had a stuck issue, and I have never vomited since being banded. I chew my food VERY well, eat less, and take smaller bites. I have heard a lot of nightmare stories about people vomiting with every meal or being stuck with every bite they take, but I have not experienced this. These same people also complain about feeling "too tight" so I partly blame the doctors for their bad experiences. My doc has been great!

If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me. I'd be happy to help in any way I can. I would recommend the band to anyone and everyone! It was just the help I needed!

I have the band and have lost 58 kg (130lb) in just under a year by following my surgeon's orders and working the band. I'm not perfect in my diet but I exercise often and hard so near enough on the eating front has been good enough.

I have had a few minor stuck episodes where I have slimed and vomited. Not pleasant but the price I paid for making wrong food choices and/or eating too quickly.

My health has improved out of sight, my attitude to life is much more positive. I would definitely choose the band again for my circumstances.

I didn't really think about another surgery, but I liked the fact my anatomy was still intact. I can't say I'm 100% happy with the band as I haven't been able to find a green zone and am up and down with fills. However I know if I didn't have the surgery I"d probably be heavier than when I started, so I'm happy that way. I wanted to be one of the few that never PBs....but I do a lot! After the first couple of times, honestly it's no big deal.

Love my band! Have had my fair share of episodes of vomiting, 2 unfills and still searching for that green zone but I wouldn't trade it for the world! Did I say I LOVE my band?!!!

Hi, I am very happy with the band. I didn't have any issues with nausea or vomiting after surgery. I didn't have my first fill until after I lost 90 pounds. My second fill was too tight and that did cause heartburn and vomiting as I couldn't really eat solid food. I had some fluid taken out and now everything is great. I work very hard to stay focused on my eating plan, get in some exercise and continue going to therapy to help me deal with the food issues. The band works great for me and I don't regret it for one second nor do I wish I had done something else.

I absolutely love my band. Originally I was supposed to have gastric bypass but at the last minute cancelled. I couldn't justify cutting up and re-routing perfectly working organs. I also couldn't just justify something irreversible without trying something less drastic first. So, I got the band, and I'm SO glad I did.

I've lost 63 pounds in the 3 months since I was banded. I can eat anything so long as I chew thoroughly and eat small bites, and I've never once thrown up/slimed/spit up.

I have only been banded a short while, but will relay my Aunt's story to you. She was banded three years ago at the same time some of her friends got the sleeve. She is still maintaining within a +/- 10lb range of her goal weight while some of her sleeve friends have started to gain again due to the aforementioned stretching. She did warn me about PB's, and did have some problems with her band due to being severely ill twice, but she still loves it.

I like the fact that I have all my anatomy still, and that if something happens, it can come out. I also like that I can lose weight normally and so it is less obvious to people who don't know I've had it done. Also, I think it's important to note that the recovery time for the band vs the sleeve is much less. This was really important to me, as I manage a restaurant and could not be gone for too long.

Since starting a low fat diet about three weeks before surgery and then transitioning to a pseudo liquid the week before surgery, I have almost lost 30 pounds. I am happy. I have been a slower loser post-band, "only" losing about 9lbs since my weigh-in on surgery day, but I am over the moon.

I am a year and a half out and very satisfied I very rarely get stuck only have problems with raw carrots and really CHEAP doughy white bread. Other than that I can eat anything I want. As mentioned previously some keep their bands WAY to tight which causes stucke episodes and vomiting. Knock on wood I have not vomited once since surgery.

Please note this will be a will power diet until you get restriction. I was a bit of an outlier took me 6 months before I hit the green zone.

Also most people need to exercise to be really successful. Find something you can make yourself do fo 30 days. After that it because a habit. I highly recommend swimming or Water aerobics. If I can come out of the changing room in a fat lady swim dress, goggles, bathing cap, snorkle in front of the high school swimming team; ANYBODY can go swimming!