I think people that get the VErtical sleeve go through a boot camp on how to bash banders.I have gotten into a couple of tiffs with people who have gotten the sleeve or are leaning towards it ( usually Kaiser patients) And are really hating the band.any way long story short....I looked at the band complications forum and the sleeve complications.and the sleeve complications are way more drastic the that stand out on the first few posts are PICC lines, major revision surgery with long hospital stays after keaks, feeling like ur dying and an actual death.on the band complication page I saw a lot of flipped ports band slippage and erosion.at least in the first few pages I didn't see PICC lines or death.I'd much rather have a flipped port than death ! So grateful for the band !!! ( disclaimer: even with the complications I would chose sleeve before bypass)

Yes I think people considering the sleeve should go to the sleeve forum and read the complications for a reality check. It shows that life on the other side is not as rosy as many would like us to believe.

Band bashing seems to be an international sport.

I only know one person that got the sleeve, and that was just a few weeks ago. She seemed to think that the band had way more complications, especially the eroding thing. I like the band because I think the sleeve seems just as suseptible to stretching your stomach back as the bypass. I personally know at least 3 people that had bypass, stretched their stomach, and gained most of their weight back.

I have a friend who got the sleeve about a month before I got banded. We started around the same weight, too. She told me how foolish I was for choosing the band with so much to lose and pretty much hopped on a high horse of superiority. She really thought I was an idiot and that I would regret the band and end up with the Sleeve eventually.

I have lost twice as weight she has so far. Literally. She's lost around 50 pounds, I've lost over 100. She vomits all the time and complains endlessly about not being able to eat what she wants. I've never vomited, only PB'd once, and can still eat whatever I want.

Needless to say, she no longer bashes the band to me.

No weight loss surgery is perfect for everyone. One has to realize being overweight has its own risks for surgery. The band haters, they seem to focus on the fact that this "foreign obeject" is messing them up ( excuse me what are hundreds of titanium staples?). I have read enough profiles in seven years to read between the lines and figure out a lot of them ambushed themselves. For some reason or another if a sleeve or gastric bypass or a duodenal switch fails there is not as much hate. Even though a lot of them are ruined for life physically (and eventually mentally). Research has shown that a lot more disparaging things are being discovered about the sleeve. The stomach has a lot of nerves and hormones that keep our system in balance. Sleeve surgery was only used in the past for extreme medical emergencies. There must have been a good reason for this. All the yahoo about removing ghrelin, well it has been shown a lot more depression happens when ghrelin is removed. I have also read about a lot of sleeve patients groaning about hunger. The band reduces the size of the opening that food can go through. Gastric bypass does this, but over time it stretches. Also the pyloric valve is bypassed. Food rushes too fast through the digestive system. Reactive hypogylcemia can happen and this can result in seizures. Malnutrition in the bypass and duodenal switch, that is a whole other dissertation. Monthly iron infusions for the rest of your life, and how many times have I heard people who don't know any better go on about band maintainance. How about iron infusion maintainance. I can go on and on, but I won't. Take care everyone.

Thought about the sleeve but couldn't come to grips with all the cutting, staples, etc. glad I got the band!

Reminds me of when I was pre surgery and went to a support group. 90% of the people there were bypass and sleeve patients. They were trying to convince me to switch from the band, even though they spent the whole support group complaining about dumping and their countless correction surgeries. No thanks. I applaud anyone who is successful with bypass or sleeve but I am happy with my band.

I agree with u all ! I have seen bandsters tell the reason they chose the band and wish the person goodluck that was considering the sleeve.but sleevers seemed programed to just bash u.we need to support each other no matter what surgery we chose cuz we all chose what we thought was best to try to live a healthy long life.

I thought about both band & sleeve. I think what made up my mind were the commercials & print ads for "sleeve reversal". I didn't see anything like that for the band.

I chose the band because I didn't want to deal with staples and seepage and any kind of cutting or modifying my body. Sure the band will leave an indentation should i ever need to have it removed, but over time, it will probably heal...not really so with the bypass or the sleeve. Plus, with the band, I like the fact that it forces you to really re-learn how to eat. Of all the people I know who had the bypass, all of them gained it back with the exception of 1, and she died about 4 months after the surgery.

I didn't want a quick fix or to lose weight so rapidly that I didn't learn how to change my eating habits. The band has helped me retrain my brain, so I'm glad I went with the band. If for some reason I ever need to reverse it, then I'm done. i won't be revising to sleeve or bypass or plication...they are just to drastic for me.

I chose the band because I didn't want to deal with staples and seepage and any kind of cutting or modifying my body. Sure the band will leave an indentation should i ever need to have it removed' date=' but over time, it will probably heal...not really so with the bypass or the sleeve. Plus, with the band, I like the fact that it forces you to really re-learn how to eat. Of all the people I know who had the bypass, all of them gained it back with the exception of 1, and she died about 4 months after the surgery.

I didn't want a quick fix or to lose weight so rapidly that I didn't learn how to change my eating habits. The band has helped me retrain my brain, so I'm glad I went with the band. If for some reason I ever need to reverse it, then I'm done. i won't be revising to sleeve or bypass or plication...they are just to drastic for me.[/quote']

Love it !! It really does make u learn how to eat !!