Hi y'all,

I'm a newbie from Australia and am in the process of deciding between a band and the sleeve.

My surgeon would prefer for me to have the sleeve, but I'm not sure I want to have this procedure, as the permanency freaks me out (once they cut the stomach away, that's it).

What made you decide to choose the sleeve over the band.

I know it's my choice in the end, but I just wanted to know what you went through to decide on the sleeve.

I see the surgeon again on 25 February (I saw him yesterday), so I have more time to think things over.

Of course my parents and sister are against the procedure, but in the end, it's my decision, right?

Look foward to hearing your replies.

Regards, Vanessa

-40% of all banded people cheat and move over to the sleeve.

- My brother had the band and cheated on it

- I didn't want to have a piece of plastic in me forever

- You have to keep going for adjustments

- and as a self pay person the sleeve cost me the same as a band but has 20% more weight loss in a year than a band..

The main reason I did not go with the lap band was a needle having to be inserted into the abdomen with each adjustment. I also did not like the need for more follow-up visits.

There were lots of reasons for me, but before I list them I would highly suggest looking at the section titled "complications" on BOTH this site and the sister site "lapbandtalk.com". It gave me a VERY realistic view of what I could be up against. I will say, since I have the sleeve, that I felt that the band had a lot more hidden complications then the sleeve. Most surgeons are very upfront about the risks, which were mainly leaks or strictures. The band being a manufactured object could malfunction. It can cause strictures and can erode into the stomach.

The band does NOT leave the stomach in the same condition. They say it is removable, but it leaves damage to the stomach. It at the very least forms scar tissues. But in my mind I could just imagine the damage that the friction between the stomach and the band, over a long period of time, could cause.

Now, instead of bashing the band anymore, let me tell you why I chose the sleeve.

-it may be permanent and "new", but after looking up stats/statistics of people who have undergone gastrectomy's for other reasons (ex. stomach cancer, ulcers, etc) and seeing their long-term success helped ease my mind about any long-term nutritional problems. Also, the sleeve is only new when being used by itself. The procedure itself has been done for years and years as the first part of the "duodenal switch" surgery (most surgeons won't even talk about this one anymore because it is so dangerous).

- unlike the bypass both of my "in" and "out" valves were left intact, which means very, very, very low chance of any gastro-issues (like dumping in by-pass patients)

-it won't prevent me from having a healthy pregnancy in the future

-no constant appointments to have a band filled/unfilled

-the weight loss success stats at the one year mark, when compared with the bypass were almost identical

I am now 4 months out and I love my sleeve. I can eat a variety of food, though I chose to eat mainly low-carb because I know my body loses best with that diet and it makes it easier to get my Protein in when its not competing for space with carbs.

Either way I wish you luck and congratulations on starting your journey! If you have any specific questions feel free to send me a pm and I'll get back to you as soon as I can

I wanted something permanent , I hate the idea of getting those fills from the band,plus I know people who had the band and is horrible to eat with that band.

Well, I have the band and having a revision on Thursday 02/09/12. I choose the band instead of the sleeve initially because was (still am) terrified of having any organ cut. I had so many problems with the band. I couldn't eat chicken, tuna, salads, most vegetables, some fruits. I was constantly voimiting and "sliming" aka drooling.

I did lose about 80 lbs but then I just gained it all back. The reason alot of the bandsters "cheat" is because the only foods that the band can tolerate are junk food. It works for some people but doesn't for a lot of people. Even though I was physically unable to eat, I was hungry all the time. Losing the hunger horomone is a huge plus for me. If I had known having the band would make my risks higher than a "virgin" sleeve. I might have choosen the sleeve.

I'm just ready to get the band out. I know I can't live the rest of my life vomiting on almost daily basis. The band was a total waste of time and money.

In my research phase, which was 7 yrs, I didn't like the high number of people that were having problems with their Band and coming on to the sites in regards to seeking revisions. Ironically your reason for not liking the Sleeve due to it's permanency was the exact reason I wanted this procedure. I didn't want to go through a Revision later to have to get the Sleeve anyway, if I had problems with the Band. I am self pay and barely managed to get one procedure, much less a second one later. Even if I had of been covered under an insurance plan, a lot of the insurance companies will only pay for one bariatric surgery, so I just didn't want to take any chances.

On the Band itself, there were lots of reports of people even yrs out throwing up, getting food stuck, only the junk type food going down easy, erosions, slippages, etc. Then to see so many people have to revise, it was just very discouraging to me. Also the Sleeve is the only surgery other than the Duodenal Switch where we lose the ghrelin, the hunger hormone, which decreases our hungry greatly and in some cases completely. I can't imagine how hard it would be to only have a tiny capacity to hold food but still have my huge appetite.

As someone else suggested, I would definitely check out the complication and revision boards as well as here. Good luck in your research!

:smile1:

I chose the sleeve over the band for all of the reasons listed above, and then some. My late mother-in-law had stomach cancer and had a stomach gastrectomy for that. She was left with even less capacity than I have, yet she still managed to eat and to take medications with it. I also have a sister in law who has had THREE Gastric Bypass surgeries, and we had a very frank, involved discussion of her complications and revisions. Not for me. Lastly, a former co-worker had the early stomach stapling surgery. Watching her eating habits and problems convinced me I'd rather be fat than have those issues.

When I finally went for the seminar, I was initially going for the LB, but the doctor said one thing that convinced me completely. He said that those with the sleeve can only eat so much, period. Even for someone whose main problem was sweet addiction (like me), the sleeve is a better choice because it restricts how much of any food one can eat. I was sold, right then and there.

5 months and 81 pounds later, I'm very happy with my sleeve!

Good luck with your decision.

I can't stand the thought of that kind of foreign object around my stomach, not to mention the whole 'port' issue. EEEw. No way. Creeps me out!! This forum just confirmed my dislike of the idea. Way too many problems.

Here's what it was for me:

1. Food - Banders seem to have more foods that they can't tolerate than sleevers. I can eat pretty much anything.
   
2. Complications - I noticed a high rate of slipping, internal scar tissue, port issues, and fill issues with the band.
   
3. Permanent - I don't think the band is a "forever" thing. I didn't want to have another surgery 10 years down the road. So many banders have revision surgery.
   
4. Success - While I couldn't find a ton of information for the long term success of sleevers, I did find a lot of stories about the long term failure of banders.
   

I did nearly decide to have plication surgery just because I was afraid of the idea of removing so much of my stomach, but ultimately this surgery seemed to be the best option for me.

When I started considering WLS, the band was the only procedure that I wanted to consider. Like you the permenancy freaked me out (it the same reason I don't think I could ever get a tattoo but getting my tounge pierced wasn't an issue). When I finally got to the point of scheduling my surgery by doctor and her coordinator both tried to push me into getting the bypass mainly because of the immediate benefits of improving diabetes. As a result I started looking into getting the sleeve, mainly because my cousin recently had it done and I figured that if I was going to do something permanent I would want to go with the procedure that left most of my digestive system intact. But I one of the other things I wanted to find out was if it was possible to stretch out the sleeve, and that is when I knew that it wasn't the procedure for me. Also in my research, I came across sleeve plication as new procedure.

In the end, I ended up going with a combination procedure. I had a banded plication a little over a month ago. Instead of a sleeve being created by cutting the stomach it is created by folding the stomach in on itself and suturing it. (While plication for weight loss is relatively new it is based on a procedure, Nissan fundoplication, that has been used for over 40 years to treat GERD) In addition I also have the band but because of the plication it hasn't been filled yet and initial studies show that there may be fewer fills needed and that there is a reduced risk of complications like slippage and erosion.

Because my band hasn't been filled, I haven't had any problems eating any foods. The only times that I have felt uncomfortable after eating is when I have eaten too much or drank something too soon after eating. I also rarely feel hunger pangs, I think I felt some week 2 and 3 after surgery.

While it is true that you can cheat the band, you can't really cheat the plication, in many ways it is similar to the sleeve. The advantage of having the band in addition to the plication is that if for some reason you are eating too much you can have the band filled to reduce how much you can eat even more. If I had to guess I would say that I eat about 1/3 of what I used to eat before surgery.

I thought that if I was going to have any kind of bariatric surgery I was going to under the knife once.

With the lap band you have to go back and readjust it, and if you want to have it removed you have to go back too. I have an aunt whos had hers for almost 10 years and she is a little smaller than when she started but just a little. She eats very little and she exercises. To take the band off of her its $10,000. I just didn't want that to happen to me. With the bypass I didn't like the idea of rearranging my plumbing. With the gastrict plication, It is too new for my liking, and I never want my stomach to be big again, so It being reversible didn't call to me, it was my big stomach in the first place that got me in trouble.

Therefore, it was the sleeve for me. I have a small stomach that will help me lose weight alon with healthy eating and exercise.

One thing that stood out to me is the fact you can't not eat bread with the band. I'm not a bread eater but if the spirit moves me to have a piece of bread then I don't want to be restricted. I also was told when a person who tried to eat a piece of bread got it stuck they had to have it surgically removed. That did it for me and my insurance company also made the choice easy too by making me go to a center of excellence.

Same as most of the above, I didn't want a piece of plastic floating around in my abdoman and I didn't want the ongoing maintenance. And the VSG BEING permanant is precisly what attracted me to it. I knew with all the diet failures I've had in the past that I would eihter cheat my weight back on or gain it back when the thing had to be removed - and it WILL have to be removed eventually, eihter becasue of device failure, damage ot the staomach or complications (or at least stay in till death, not necessarily becasue of the band that is).

Plenty of people have lived long, full lives without an entire stomach due to other issues (cancer or injusry), so living with a SMALL one is no big issue. I'm over a year out and eat plenty and am satisfied by what I eat. I feel better, look better and have better health than my ENTIRE adult life pre-op.

Hi Nessa,

I am from Australia as well, so happy to discuss my experiences down here as I think it varies slightly to the US.

Above most people have mentioned the reasons they thought the sleeve was the best decision for them. Similarily I did not like the idea of having an object in my body, and the constant maintenance of it, filling etc. Also the restriction or trouble processing food with the band was a consideration.

However in the end I had a choice between a surgeons one that did the band and one that did the sleeve. The sleeve surgeon put me at ease so much, was very careful in explaining everything, he did not pressure one way or the other. The band doctor was treating me like paint by numbers and I was not happy with having to deal with him ongoing. I can not say enough good things about my surgeon, his interactions with me and my family. I am completely happy with my decision, despite the permanence of it. I had thought before surgery I would struggle with the small eatting and such, but really for me it has not been a concern, the reality afterwards is so much better.

So that was a bit convoluted but message me if you have any questions,

I had a band implanted in 2001. At the time, it was either that or the gastric bypass. I went to a surgeon who was (and still is) a very well known bariatric surgeon. The surgery went fine, and even though fills were not enjoyable, it was okay. My port access was not easy, but do-able.

Here are the reasons that I would never recommend the band:

1. I thought it was relatively benign/safer procedure. That is partially true in that the surgical procedure is quite safe, but it is NOT true in terms of long term complications. A very high number of people wind up with slipped bands, pouch dilation, flipped ports etc. The longer the time passes, the higher the complications rate. I believe that almost everyone needs to have their band out eventually. Back in 2001, the Bioenterics marketing materials even said that... to consider it a temporary device.

2. Living with the band.... was hard. At first, my hunger was reduced but over time I often felt hungry/not satiated even though my pounch was full. I resent the remark about how so many people "cheat" - try living with a tool that punishes you for eating dense Proteins and fresh vegetables and see what that does to YOUR head over the years. You get really tired of having food stuck or pain when eating and it is just easier to eat slider type foods.

3. Foreign object in your body - now, this didn't bother me too much, but since having the band removed I love not having that port in my side. I love that it is gone.

4. Weight loss. Some people do pretty well. I lost 70# with the band - the first 30 of that was during the liquid phase right after surgery. I lost 40# over the next year, which required exercise and basically dieting. It was really hard and I didn't lose as much weight as i wanted. I started having horrid reflux due to the pressure from the band. Fluid was removed, and it helped, but I also regained the weight.

I am only 2 monhts into the sleeve journey, but already it is just easier to live with then the band ever was.