Can anyone give me some insight on why you chose the band over gastric sleeve? At this point I'm considering both. My consult with surgeon is later this month. Thanks!!

Based on my age my surgeon recommended the band over the sleeve. I was a bit nervous about the problems I read that others had with band. My surgeon said there were sleeve procedures that had problems, but at least with the band it could be removed it problems arose.

My surgeon was very frank about the reasons to not go with the band, the biggest reason being its too hard to cheat and has the lowest long term success rate. Basically no matter how filled you are you can still get fat if you transfer addiction toward alcohol or milkshakes. Either way, my decision was based on the long term information on the procedures and was not ready to remove part of my stomache.

I went with the band because it's not permanent. If I want to take the band out I can. Once half your stomach is removed I can't imagine they can put it back :/ that was my main reason. The thought of something permanent like the sleeve scares me. Plus I'm only 21 and I feel like making such a permanent decision at this age is too soon. I don't want to have any regrets.

Being "reversible" is nice.... but, if you are banded at age 65 do you really want to worry having to have another major surgery 10 or 15 years down the road due to unexpected problems? There is good and bad with any procedure.

Lower death rate.

Lower major complication rate.

Reversible.

Sure, the weight loss is slower, but I have been fat a long time, IMHO I can be fat a little while longer and not mutilate my stomach or re-route my intestines.

Are we still beating this horse? My decision was based upon surgeon's recommendation and less invasive procedure. I do have Plication with my Band.

Are we still beating this horse? My decision was based upon surgeon's recommendation and less invasive procedure. I do have Plication with my Band.

I guess I am beating "this horse" because I'm trying to make the best decision for me. I'm sure everyone here went through a similar process at some point. Having not known anyone who has has WLS, I thought I'd post an open question here.

As everyone else has said, I chose this because it was reversible and there are much longer studies out for the band than there is for the sleeve

I don't like the idea of rny because reroutimg My Intestines is just plain terrifying

Want proof that the band is good? Just google search all the people who have gotten banded over their gastric bypass

Sure, the weight loss is slower, but I have been fat a long time, IMHO I can be fat a little while longer and not mutilate my stomach or re-route my intestines.

LOL that is so true!! We didn't gain the weight overnight, so why should we expect to lose it overnight? Slow and steady wins the race

And I asked myself the same question, don't feel bad! I have a lot of my friends giving me grief because I choose the band over bypass. I like to think of it as long term help.

The bypass is a one time fix. And its funny the friends who are giving me grief had the bypass and 2 have gained their weight back!

Where with the band, its slow and steady weight loss. When you hit a plateau you can go in to your Dr and get a fill, you are not just stuck with ''here's what you got''

Anyways that's JMO and that's why I chose the Band.

My reasons were the same as stated from everyone above. The only thing I would add is that I figured if the time came that I needed to have it removed because of complications, I am thinking the options might be better because they will have more information or maybe better options by that time. Good luck with your decision.

~~~Stephanie

whichever surgery one gets, unless they help (the WLS tool they chose) as in changing what they eat to better quality foods and start to exercise, nothing will help..its a total life change..def a huge mental change.. too many people are thinking if they get a surgery, poof the weight will just be gone in a months time... its not like that... it takes some effort... so unless some effort is given (eating better, following dr's instructions on how to get well) the bypass, the sleeve, the ds, the band wont work..the patient must also do some work...and be honest...

i chose the band to save my life. the sleeve was not covered by my insurance. the dr wanted me to have the bypass because of my high BMI when i started... i am sure he saw only doom in my future...proved him wrong...whatever you get, get it and get on with living life.

I went in asking for the sleeve (I was freaked about the idea of having a foreign body in me) and ended up getting the band anyway.

Here's why:

1/200 people die from complications with the sleeve. It's 1/2000 with the band.

There are potential complications with each surgery, but the ones with the sleeve are much more serious and painful. 1% of people who get the sleeve have leaks because the stitches/staples at the top of the stomach doesn't fuse right. Those people are in agony for months. You could be in the hospital for months. There's no way to know if you'll be that 1%.

And even if all goes well, the stomach can stretch over time leaving you with no other option but to diet or get a band over the sleeve.

I decided to try the band first, since it was less invasive, and hope all would go well. Knowing that if it didn't, I could switch to the sleeve later.

Good luck to you whatever you decide.

I choose the band because I'm a control freak! The sleeve and bypass took the power away from me. There would be not turning back. The band is there to help me. I will say I do not feel I have any food addictions. I have a condition called pcos and it really slows my metabolism down. In fact I'm at my goal weight and still can't eat over 900 calories a day or I'll start to gain again. So the the band makes it possible for me to be full and satisfied on that. But one of my best friends had the surgery about the same time, struggles because she does have food addictions and the band gives her a little too much freedom to eat her comfort foods with ease. So I think if I had her issues, I might would have considered something different.

Good luck with your decision!!! The most important thing is that you are ready to change!