Hi all,

I'm in the process of choosing which weightloss surgery to have. I wanted to find out why some of you choose the sleeve over the others. My biggest concern is that if all of these procedures are just tools to help you loose wieght why not just get the less invasive Lapband. I'm really intertested in what you all think.

Amie

I didn't want malabsorption or my insides re routed. I thought this was the best surgery for me because will still have a full functioning stomach. I just have to eat smaller rations. I had heard bad things about the lap band like pro lapse and not being able to eat solid foods. I had a friend that would throw up every time she ate. Everything for her had to be mushy.

I lost about 100 lbs with the band. It slipped and I gained most of it back. I had the sleeve 3 months ago and I have lost 60 lbs. With the sleeve, I actually feel full. I am early but I do get the feeling that the sleeve is something that I can work with long term. I never really felt that with the band. Plus, I like not having a device in my body. My operation went real well and recovery was pretty fast. I am able to tolerate most foods at this point but I stick to lean meat and veggies. Little fruit here and there.

When I first went to my surgeon's info session I thought I was going to get a lapband. Gastric bypass seemed a little too radical for me and I hadn't heard of the sleeve yet but it piqued my interest. A friend of mine has the band and she's miserable with it. She is literally becoming bullemic because of it. That turned me off to the band so I started doing research on the sleeve. It seemed relatively safe and my insurance would pay for most of it so here I am.

Lapband is not as effective as the other two surgeries. Lapbanders generally don't keep the weight off.

To that effect, sleeve and bypass keep it off if you use the tool as it's intended. But there is nothing foreign stuck inside my body (as is the case with lapband), there is no open port (as is lapband) and there is not upkeep at a dr's office x amount of time to get a fill (yes we have general health follow ups, but IDK that seems better to me). Lapband you are sticking a foreign object into your body and it can slip, erode, scar the tummy, have issues. Just wasn't for me.

I will say for sleeve, it's scary as your tummy is split in half (or less rather) and then shut up and can come undone. But I liked that idea better than having my guts rearranged and I don't have to worry on malabsorption (as RNY, aka bypass). Dumping syndrome scares me to be honest, which is more likely to occur with RNY as you have less area to travel through your body if you eat that sugar filled snack. I understand that you can still encounter it with sleeve, but sleeve just seemed less hard on the body in my opinion. (then there is my experience but..... I did this to accompany my workouts, I did those daily previously so I view the sleeve as a tool to help me overcome my issues with food - it MAKES me eat less and so far, it's working - too well - I'm still going through the food progressions to solids but I'm not eating enough which is stalling my weight loss)

I had crappy insurance too btw, so any of the procedures was an out of pocket expense for me. I've had complications, possibly having another one now, but you know what? I'm 50+ lbs down and I don't regret it. I'm excited to go to the gym and now I have to make myself DO LESS in there. Who knew? Now if I can get my head hunger/emotional eating and triggers figured out, this lil mama will be more and more of a loser. Yeah! I love being a loser!

Good luck on your decision!

With the lap band there could be issues with slippage. I have had several surgeries in the past, hysterectomy, c-section, laparascopies, and I have issues with adhesions. There are many people that need surgeries to get the lap band off and then end up getting the sleeve. I myself had a heart monitor and it was just under the skin and it always bugged me. With the lap band, you have a port right under the skin. I would hate to have to have fluid inserted or taken out, that sounds painful to me. I also have Lupus and my surgeon will not give me lap band with lupus. With Gastric Bypass, since I have had several issues in the past, including a bowel resection due to having adhesions that wrapped around my intestines and caused sepsis, I do not want any more of my intestines compromised. I have had diverticulitis and polyps in the past too. I heard about dumping and hair loss and nutrition issues with Gastric Bypass and that seems too difficult to me. The sleeve allows for normal digestion of the food and seems all around safer for me than any other surgery.

^{4ALongerLife- What kind of complications are you experiencing?}

These are just my opinions:

The lapband has had a ton of complications for a signifigant amount of patients such as band slippage, vomitting, food getting stuck, heartburn/reflux, costly maintenance, permanently restricted foods, and damage to the stomach itself often requiring revision to sleeve surgery anyway. People often think it is best because it is touted as being "Reversible" but there will most likely be scar tissue or damage once it is "Reversed" that can cause you signifigant problems down the line. My surgeon is dropping this procedure all together due to increasing patient problems. When I had my first consult with him and told him that I wanted the sleeve he said he was so relieved that I did not ask for the band.

Gastric Bypass has malabsortive properties that prevent complete absorbtion of much needed nutrients especially when eating so little. It also has the dreaded dumping syndrome which can be painful and upsetting to experience. I've also noticed that bypass patients tend to sometimes have a sickly or drawn appearance to the face and neck that I can only assume comes from depleted nutrients. I have yet to see a sleeve patient with that same appearance.

The sleeve has all the benefits of weight loss surgery without the malabsorbtion, dumping syndrome, maintenance issues, etc. I did tons of research before deciding on the sleeve including talking to both bypass, lap band and sleeve patients and I think the sleeve was the best choice for me.

brittcherry i've had aspiration pneumonia and a leak/abscess. as of last week, my dr's nurse said i might be experiencing a stricture (narrowing of the opening into my stomach's pouch) which might be due to the 29 days i was on Clear liquids, trying to let the leak/abscess heal up as i had another leak after my second surgery. lol. i am not acting as a spokesperson for anything am i?

just know, i don't regret it. i DID for a minute. i wallow in my issues sometimes with all of it, but i'm a work in progress/under construction....

My sole choice with VSG as I was looking at lap band is people are now having great issues with excess scar tissue still forming years after surgery. Maybe people have found the sweet spot with their band and then all of a sudden can't find it again after being years out from surgery. Another this was people never have it removed because they are done with it. Why get it if you have no reason to get it removed later so why not do something forever. Also all my family is over weight. or become over weight once 40 or 50.

ORIGINALLY I WAS GOING TO GET THE BAND FOR MANY OF THE SAME REASONS YOU ARE THINKING, BUT AFTER MUCH RESEARCH...My REASONS FOR HAVING THE SLEEVE (THREE WEEKS AGO) ARE JUST AS SLIMTHICKENS AND MANY OTHERS OVER AND OVER ON THIS FORUM AND OTHER FORUMSHAVE EXPLAINED. ON TOP OF IT I WENT TO A VERY WELL KNOWN AND WORLD WIDE SURGEON IN Mexico AND PAID A 3RD OF WHAT IT WOULD OF COST ME HERE IN THE STATES. I AGREE AND READ EVERYTHING THAT SLIMTHICKENS STATED IN HER ORIGINAL EMAIL. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR RESEARCH, YOU'RE ON THE RIGHT PATH OF ASKING QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH.

These are just my opinions:

The lapband has had a ton of complications for a signifigant amount of patients such as band slippage, vomitting, food getting stuck, heartburn/reflux, costly maintenance, permanently restricted foods, and damage to the stomach itself often requiring revision to sleeve surgery anyway. People often think it is best because it is touted as being "Reversible" but there will most likely be scar tissue or damage once it is "Reversed" that can cause you signifigant problems down the line. My surgeon is dropping this procedure all together due to increasing patient problems. When I had my first consult with him and told him that I wanted the sleeve he said he was so relieved that I did not ask for the band.

Gastric Bypass has malabsortive properties that prevent complete absorbtion of much needed nutrients especially when eating so little. It also has the dreaded dumping syndrome which can be painful and upsetting to experience. I've also noticed that bypass patients tend to sometimes have a sickly or drawn appearance to the face and neck that I can only assume comes from depleted nutrients. I have yet to see a sleeve patient with that same appearance.

The sleeve has all the benefits of weight loss surgery without the malabsorbtion, dumping syndrome, maintenance issues, etc. I did tons of research before deciding on the sleeve including talking to both bypass, lap band and sleeve patients and I think the sleeve was the best choice for me.

I went to my pre-op visit determined to have bypass. However, when I heard the risk of death was 1 in 300 vs 1 in 1000 go sleeve my ears perked up.

Another concern of mine was dumping and also malabsorption of the nutrients. Many folks experience hair loss and I am worried about that.

Hope this helps!

I chose the sleeve as I felt it was the safest and I did not want a foreign object in my body and have to worry about it eroding or slipping. I have a friend that had the sleeve a year ago and she has lost over 100 pounds and she looks great.

I chose the sleeve over the bypass because I didn't want the malabsorption and rerouting.

I chose the sleeve over the band bc of success and complications rates. The biggest factor in my decision was upkeep. I can now see my surgeon once a year to check in and other than that live my new life! I wouldn't want to keep goin back for fills.

4ALongerLife- Wow, thats a lot deal with! I had my surgery April 18th so kinda new to everything. I think its great that you don't regret a minute of it!

MY FIRST VISIT WAS AT A DOCTORS OFFICE THAT ONLY DID THE LAPBAND, BUT I DECIDED TO CALL ANOTHER DOCTOR, AND THE PERSON I SPOKE WITH ASKED ME IF I WANTED THE SLEEVE, I HAD NEVER HEARD OF THE SLEEVE. SHE SAID I SHOULD DO SOME RESEARCH ON IT BEFORE I CAME IN BECAUSE SHE SAID SHE HAD THE LAPBAND REMOVED AND GOT THE SLEEVE AND SAID IT WAS SOOO MUCH BETTER. I'M SO GLAD I TALKED WITH HER BECAUSE I RESEARCHED AND WAS VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE SLEEVE! I WOULD HATE TO GO GET FILLS WITH THE LAPBAND, AND I THINK MY BMI WASN'T HIGH ENOUGH FOR GASTRIC.