Hi! I am new here. I have my orientation April 6th, 2010. I was going to get the band and now want the sleeve. I have had medical issues such as blood clots in my lungs, history of hernia surgery, chronic bronchitus and asthma. I Want the sleeve but am scared of any surgery! or IF they will even let me get surgery- I live in SACRAMENTO, California..looking for advice people who were banded and now sleeved and vise versa. Thanks!! Any Sacramento people out there or SACRAMENTO support groups! chrissy:confused1:

Chrissy,

I was totally set on the band for a couple reasons, I thought losing the weight slower was heathlier, the surgery was less invasive, and there wasn't the nutrianal loss as in by-pass. Then when I found out Kaiser recently approved the sleeve I started looking into that and reading the difficulty people were having with fills/unfills I now have chosen the sleeve and do not want the band for the reasons I originally wanted it...it's felt weird to switch my mind as I was so set on the band but I feel grateful for the options that Kaiser gives us and I think I have made the right decision.

In my opinion they should "Ban the Band!" - ha! It is such a nightmare, and many of us don't know how it has messed up our insides until we have it removed. I also had an undiagnosed hiatal hernia. When I went to my surgeon to check my band and make sure that's not what was causing my pain, he told me that a lot of band patients start to have issues with it 3+ yrs after surgery. That's when he explained the sleeve to me. I also needed to have my gall bladder removed, so I made the decision to have it all done at once.

The pain I had a year before my sleeve surgery is now gone, and even with getting a hematoma in the area my band port was in after my sleeve surgery, I'm completely happy with my decision. One of the things I'm enjoying now is being able to eat fruits and salads again. Do people realize they can't eat them with the band - NO! These are healthy foods that I wasn't able to eat for 3.5 years - something about that is VERY wrong.

Go with the sleeve and you won't have any regrets.

Thank you so much! I actually have a GREAT friend who is banded-went to her support group today. I would say out of 10people-8 of them wished they were sleeved. I don't want things getting stuck, too many restrictions, or having to get fills! Let me tell you if something were to go wrong with "something" I am one of those who has that luck!! lol...I would be the one to get erosion ect. I really appreciate your input. It seems like MANY banders switch to getting the sleeve too. Thanks so much! I have been doing a lot of research, and it also seems just as safe. I still can't find too much on anyone ever dying because of the surgery yet. How is the heartburn issue?

Hi Chrissy, All of us at Kaiser are put on Protonix post-op. I never had heartburn pre-op but Dr. Baggs discovered and fixed a hiatal hernia during my Sleeve. I had acid reflux for three days post-op, then the Protonix kicked in and I've had zero symptoms since.

I'm so glad you found your way over here to VST! Welcome welcome welcome. PM me anytime!

Chrissy, just so you're not too disappointed, I was in orientation class with around 25 others and nobody got to see a surgeon that day. I would highly recommend you request and wait for Dr. Baggs. I had to wait a month for an appointment with Dr. Baggs but I had to lose the weight anyhow so it was no big deal. He's delightful and I am thrilled that he'll be doing my followup for the rest of my life. I totally trust him. He did my surgery but Dr. Fisher was also in the room as they always double up in the OR. Dr. Park is just starting to do the Sleeve so I'd shy away from her. I don't know much about Dr. Im. Overall, I just love Dr. Baggs. He loves dogs! :thumbup1:

You'll get weighed before you're allowed into the orientation meeting. Eat Breakfast and don't take off your shoes.

Hi Ali! Who is your surgeon?

Chrissy

Do yourself a favor and forget you ever heard about the band, it is an aweful contraption!! I had mine for only 9 months, the first 6 were okay, then my problems started!! I had my revision in December and could not be happier with the sleeve. So easy, you just eat smaller portions. As far as being afraid of the surgery, it really is a fairly easy one. They do it lap, so just 5 small insisions. I say go for it, and never look back!!

Hi! I am new here. I have my orientation April 6th, 2010. I was going to get the band and now want the sleeve. I have had medical issues such as blood clots in my lungs, history of hernia surgery, chronic bronchitus and asthma. I Want the sleeve but am scared of any surgery! or IF they will even let me get surgery- I live in SACRAMENTO, California..looking for advice people who were banded and now sleeved and vise versa. Thanks!! Any Sacramento people out there or SACRAMENTO support groups! chrissy:confused1:

Hi Chrissy, I'm from the Band site, and Lee also showed me this Sleeve site as well. I will be getting the Sleeve as soon as I lose the last of my 10%.... Hopefully next moth I will be on the losers bench. I am dealing with Kaiser Fremont, a little different then Richmond. However I can attest to what Lee said, you might not get your surgeon apt. on the day of orientation. But start losing your weight now because they account for your weight with the PCP as well and it is normally 10% of your weight.

Ohh and also, I was thinking about the Band as well. But when I went to the orientation @ Kaiser Fremont, the surgeon specifically said that 1 out of every 5 people who get the band will have some sort of complication with in the first 5 years. And he said that the Band is not meant to be a life long devise. When he said that I realized that I did not want to lose all my weight just to have to keep going under the knife so to speak just to maintain.