I've had my initial meeting with my PCP who supported my decision to pursue the band, and she referred me to an area surgeon - and we had our consult this week. nice enough guy, really liked his nurse. anyhow - he thought the band would be great for me, and also mentioned the sleeve several times. at the end i asked him - just based on what he knows of me in an hour, which he'd recommend - and he said the sleeve. in part because he thinks it will help me meet my goals best, and partially because i travel regularly for work and this would eliminate any band challenges when i'm on the road. he also said that any complications with the sleeve tend to happen in the short term (like leaking) where band complications tend to happen in the longer term - and since i'm 33, there could be a chance in 5 years i'd experience some slipping or need to have it removed.

how did y'all make the decision for band over sleeve? i went in thinking 100% band - but he does have me asking myself some questions about the sleeve i hadn't previously considered.

seeing the scale at over 336 pounds, not being able to walk far or wondering do they make clothes bigger than size 30..that was my deciding factor along with being able to push my new granddaughter around the block.

tricare does not cover the sleeve so that was not ever on the table.

i did not want the bypass as i was too scared and my dr felt i should have it because of my size and high bmi. but i stuck to my guns..then he told me of the latest thing, the plication with the band..he stressed i would have to change everything about my life..in order for it to work..for me to lose weight, id have to help the band by eating better foods, and in my allotted amounts and follow the guidelines..

i think its successful so far (lost nearly 100 pounds since last june), and i feel with all that i am that any wls is successful if you really want it and do everything you can to make it happen.

its not a magic cure all but it will work

Least risk, simplest surgery. Period.

For me, I just couldn't justify re-routing my internal organs or cutting off 3/4 of my stomach without trying something far less drastic first. With the band, you can always have it removed if something goes wrong. With the Sleeve or Gastric Bypass, you can never get that chunk of your stomach back or intestines routed back the way they were. Plus, I didn't want to deal with malabsorbtion or dumping, either.

No matter which WLS you choose, the work will forever be yours to do. None of them are a magic fix for fat and none are a guarantee to lose weight. They're just tools, but when used properly, the results can be amazing.

I've lost 181 pounds since I was banded in January 2012. For me, getting the Lap Band was the best decision I've ever made for myself.

Best wishes to you on your journey with whatever you choose. Just remember, at the end of the day, you have to do what's best for you.

my surgeon thought that with my comorbid conditions that GB or sleeve was a better option for me. I opted for banding because it sounded far less invasive and was ultimately reversable. I have a young son and a baby on the way and I wanted to get the most effective for the least amount of risk.

I have the same insurance as carolinagirl...so no sleeve option for me either, but even given the option I would have opted for the band just because it is less invasive. Like the wise people said before me any wls surgery can be successful as long as you do your part and do everything you can to make it successful...I'm still a rookie, only 6 weeks out but I LOVE my band! I wish you well in whatever you decide!

I have to agree with every single post from my lapband peers above. I have family members, including my own brother who had gastric bypass and all have so many medical issues that is very scary. all have gained all of their weight back, except 1.

For me personally, I wanted something less invasive and if there were going to be any problems what so ever, I have the option to get it out. That doesn't happen with the other surgeries. So many out there saying "oh you lose so much more weight with the other surgeries", NOT true! We banders are losing at the same rate as those other surgeries, my very own surgeon told me over a week ago that I am losing as fast as someone who had gastric bypass or the sleeve. Heres another 'tool' they don't have, a band .... because with this band if we fall off or happen to go back to old habits.. we got the tool to help us get back on track. You don't get that with the other surgeries.

1. For me GB is too invasive. Getting the band was a big step, I wasn't willing to re-route my internal plumbing and the associated malabsorbtion issues.

2. Sleeve is too new to know long term effectiveness. My PCP suggest GB or LB, but wouldn't suggest Sleeve because of that.

3. LB has the least complications, is the least invasive. My surgeon was able to produce stats from over 900 procedures that he performed.

4. I know someone who had GB and has stretched their pouch out so much that they could out eat me, un-banded. Plus they told about something called "dumping" which I wanted no part in.

If u dont mind, who is your dr??

Less risky and with my BMI I was only a candidate for LapBand.

I decided on the band, based on the "reversibility" of the surgery. At my initial consultation my surgeon suggested that the band was a good option. After I went through the battery of tests, my next visit with his APRN went a bit different. He felt I was a better candidate for more invasive WLS procedures based on the good results of my tests. I started researching the sleeve, and because a neighbor (a nurse) had opted for and recommended it, I changed my mind and was going to go for the sleeve. By this time my insurance had approved the band, and since that took over 8 months I decided to go ahead and try the band. My surgeon wasn't too keen on the sleeve because of my age. But, he did admit that I would probably show much better results with the sleeve. My wife wasn't too keen about the sleeve, and she was pushing me towards the band as well. To make this into an O'Henry short story moment--my wife just had the sleeve done a month back I think the main thing is you have to WORK at making any WLS procedure work for you. I know folks who have failed the band and also had problems with the sleeve.

I chose the lapband due to less risk,I've known people who had the gastric,and they had several problems,I also know a few people who had the lapband and have had no complications at all.The recovery from the lapband is also less ,so I chose the lapband and had my surgery on May 10th and I'm feeling good.

For me it was a few factors. The lapband is the least invasive and is reversible if something goes wrong. I had never considered bypass but if I was much larger I would have gone for that. The sleeve was very attractive because there's no adjustment needed but I decided against it because nobody knows yet what exactly the effects are when two thirds of your stomach is gone. You might need the hormones it produces or something. I saw a graph comparing the rates of weight loss and the fastest was the bypass, followed by the sleeve with the lapband bringing up the rear. However, at three years out, all three showed the same amount of weight lost. Plus, my wife and pcp wouldn't let me do the sleeve!

For me' date=' I just couldn't justify re-routing my internal organs or cutting off 3/4 of my stomach without trying something far less drastic first. With the band, you can always have it removed if something goes wrong. With the Sleeve or Gastric Bypass, you can never get that chunk of your stomach back or intestines routed back the way they were. Plus, I didn't want to deal with malabsorbtion or dumping, either.

No matter which WLS you choose, the work will forever be yours to do. None of them are a magic fix for fat and none are a guarantee to lose weight. They're just tools, but when used properly, the results can be amazing.

I've lost 181 pounds since I was banded in January 2012. For me, getting the Lap Band was the best decision I've ever made for myself.

Best wishes to you on your journey with whatever you choose. Just remember, at the end of the day, you have to do what's best for you.[/quote']

Exactly!!

Also... I didn't want to be cut. If a staple comes out our I'm having internal bleeding, how will I know? No thanks.... Hehe.