Why Not Sleeve? Surgeon Consult Friday

[drexelgirl 45]

I have been approved and have my surgeon consult Friday. I have been back and forth sleeve or lap band. Lap band seems simple. No big operation or cutting. I am a size 18 and just want to be a 10. I like curves. 5 8".

I hear of food feeling like it is stuck in your chest. Tight feeling on airplane. Makes me not want it. Seems like a constant annoyance

I would prefer the ease of the lap band surgery. Can you tell me why you got this instead of sleeve. What worries should I have.

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

I chose the Lap Band over the other WLS surgeries because I couldn't rationalize cutting out 3/4 of my healthy stomach or rerouting my intestines. The Lap Band is reversible and doesn't permanently change your internal organs, so that is what I chose.

food does feel stuck if you eat too fast or eat too big of bites. However, the other WLS have their set of issues like vomiting/dumping, diarrhea, and malabsorption of food leading to Vitamin deficiencies and hair loss.

Whatever you choose, you will have to change your eating habits to healthy ones for a lifetime to successfully loose weight and keep it off.

Good luck on whatever you choose.

[Rojasanoll 920]

I am scheduled for lapband on Aug. 6. I only wanted in and out service and not 4 days in the hospital. I didn't want the extra risk involved in recovery. The band is reversible. Yes, there are side effects to all the surgeries, people are differnt in their recoveries. I had a deep feeling about the band because my sister works for Allergan, maker of the band, and I was able through her to obtain lab studies and test results over a period of years from Allergan. I talked with my dietitian and my surgeon. They both recommended the lapband procedure and I agreed with them. Best wishes in your selection.

[honk 780]

Other than maybe 4 stuck episodes in almost 2 years; I don't feel the band at all. No issues when flying (not sure what that's about.).

[SashaWLS 412]

If the sleeve goes well, it's great. But if the sleeve goes badly, it's much, much worse than a band that's gone badly... For what it's worth I originally wanted the sleeve (badly) but after doing a lot of research, the decision came down to a numbers game...

-- The mortality rate for the sleeve is 1/200... Mortality rate for the band is 1/2000.

-- Sleeve complications are MUCH MUCH worse than band complications... 1% of the people who get the sleeve have a leak, and those who do are in agony, in and out of the hospital for up to 5-6 months at a time, and say they regret the surgery (search leak on verticalsleevetalk.com and see what that's like for them...)

-- roughly 1/3 of the people who get bypass or sleeve gain it back with no other option afterwards than to get the band on top of their cut-up stomach (i.e. carny wilson)

The sleeve seems to be a fabulous option when it works! But the risk that it could turn out to be a total disaster is also much higher. I have a 4-year old daughter and don't feel like I have the right to gamble lightly with something that might take me out... If the band works, then I'm done with only a minimally invasive surgery and no cutting up of my organs.

People do have problems with the band, and if I were one of those people I might consider the sleeve as a revision. But a lot of people are also successful with the band, and for me, it didn't make sense not to at least try it and hope it works!!!

[newskinnygal 51]

I chose the band because it is the lesser invasive than the other surgeries. The band has lower complication rates. The band is reversible. They aren't cutting anything out from your body or rerouting anything. The other surgeries have trouble with absorbing Vitamins. You can still vomit with the other surgeries. If you are careful to take small bites and remember to chew well, I don't think you will have a problem with the band. Down the road if anything does go wrong, you can always get the sleeve or another weight loss surgery if they come out with something new ( like the sleeve plication). I would rather keep my options open with the band. You do lose weight slower, however over time you will get there. I'm in no rush. It took me 21 years to gain this weight, I don't expect to lose it in 21 days. Good luck with whichever route you go, I'm sure you will be successful either way! In the end, it comes down to your personal decision. My surgeon pushed for the sleeve, I pushed for the band! Haha best wishes!

[meyouus 415]

I chose the band, no other options were available for me at the time. However, five years into the band and having failed the band and myself (I'm in psychic and diet recovery), it's been suggested to me to do the sleeve. After reading almost every post on VST, I was scared away! There'll be no cutting of my stomach. Besides, you have to do all the work yourself with any WLS, the surgery doesn't do it for you.

I'm wondering, from the post's I've read, if surgeons are keen on suggesting the sleeve because it's new, a surgeons toy to practice on. IDK, the band works if you change your lifestyle and dietary choices.

Do a lot of research, have faith in your gut feeling and go with it. Good luck!

[ILUVMATH 25]

There is also gastric plication which is reversible.

[Sojourner 2,446]

I chose the band because it is minimally invasive, and did not like the concept of having my GI tract permanently rearranged.

The rate of complications is less, mortality rates lower. I don't mind loosing weight slower, and the required diet has not been difficult for me to follow. I never liked carbonated drinks, and the only real changes in my diet are the major reduction in the type and number of carb grams every day.

I still struggle with getting enough exercise in; without meloxicam my arthritis has limited my abilities to walk the miles I used to. I ride my recumbent exercise bike on the days I don't attend a Water aerobics class at the "Y".

I have experienced weight loss related complications, but the band is not a factor for those.

As with all WLS, there are some risks. You have to work at weight loss...the band is only a tool. If you learn how it works, you can be successful with your weight loss. I believe many of the complications and issues with the band are induced by the patients themselves as they are not compliant with the rules needed to avoid stuck episodes, are not following their diet and are eating the wrong type of foods, or their amount of restriction is too much.

Good luck as you weigh your options...I don't regret my decision to have the lapband, and see it as an opportunity to reclaim some of my health that weight was taking from me.

[tflemon67 88]

I'm on a 14 day antibiotic treatment for H-pylori in my stomach. It's caused me to have 3 peptic ulcers. Although the antibiotics should kill the bacteria it could come back and I would have to be treated again. It can be treated if my stomach is banded but if I get the sleeve than H-pylori can't be treated. Since H-pylori leads to ulcers and stomach cancer it's best that I stick to the band.