I'm still trying to decide which one to have, the lapband or the sleeve. I was told since the lapband has a slower weight loss rate the risk of excess skin is lower. Is anyone having a problem with excess skin with the sleeve?

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do some serious research on the lapband. There are soooo many problems and many people end up revising to the Sleeve or RNY anyway. I had the lapband for 2 years until it slipped and I had to have it removed. So now after I have regained all my weight I am trying to get revised to a sleeve. I wish I would have read more before I decided on the lapband....and not just believed all the hype! Good Luck with whatever you decide!

I was on team lapband until my mother was banded in September. Excess skin is a given for large weight losses. No band for me now!

I was also going to have the Lapband until I did tons of research and decided on the sleeve. I also have a friend who her mom and aunt had the band and her aunt almost died one year post op because her band corroded and she had to have an emergency surgery to remove it and repair the internal damage. I am two weeks post op in the sleeve and feeling great! Once you decide which to do also spend lots of time researching surgeons, they are as important as what procedure you have.

Best of luck!

And my mother has lost 20 lbs since September 1st, 2011. And 10 of that was on the pre-op diet. That's an extremely slow loss! I'd much rather be sleeved and forget the fuss and fills!

And my mother has lost 20 lbs since September 1st' date=' 2011. And 10 of that was on the pre-op diet. That's an extremely slow loss! I'd much rather be sleeved and forget the fuss and fills![/quote']

That really sucks! I am there with you, I wanted nothing to do with the fills, and when they say that surgery is reversible they don't mention the amount of scar tissue that builds up which makes it more difficult to convert to the sleeve and other procedures.

I'm still trying to decide which one to have, the lapband or the sleeve. I was told since the lapband has a slower weight loss rate the risk of excess skin is lower. Is anyone having a problem with excess skin with the sleeve?

well my 2 cents is to add what my dr and his nurses told me. lapbands help w/ making you feel fuller faster but eventually the food does move through the system, and you tend to still have around 2 hours til your next meal and you still have that hunger. for me this isn't an option because i keep chasing the full feeling. theres more ways to cheat as well, earlier on at least, anything mushy, like ice cream or cream sauces pass through more quickly, leaving you w/ larger calories consumed and you hungry more often. there are a number of people out there that gained weight after the band because of things like that.

There are people who work the band really well though. the most important thing is to do what feels right for you. i thought i'd be a lapband girl for sure. but after doing my own research. i came to the conclusion that it wasn't going to be enough for me. and while i've been told lapbands are permanent, my own observations tell me that this isn't really the case a fair amount of the time.

you're going to have skin if you have a lot to lose. i know i will. its one of the scars of what we do to ourselves. for me, my skin issues are at the very bottom of my concerns, i'll just cross that bridge when i get there.

i wish you the best, and good luck

-edit. oh yeah and the fills can cost anywhere between $200-$300 per fill and you need about 4 in the first year i'm told. while the lapband is a cheaper investment to begin w/ the price continues potentially long after the first year.

Thanks everyone, this is very helpful. I guess I still need to do more research. As far as the cost goes my insurance will cover it and I only have to pay my co-pay for the fills. I will continue to will follow you guys as well. Thanks, you're a wealth of knowledge

My surgery is next week and when I first went to see my surgeon I was all about the lap band until he told me about the VSG. I don't want to be phaffing around with fills etc plus the other risks of infection, flipping ports, slipped bands and having a foreign body inside me. I am really happy with my decision and can't wait for my surgery next Wednesday.

I have a lapband and am scheduled for revision to a sleeve in July. It is possible that that lapband will work well for you, but I could never recommend it. Like others, eating was always a chore when I had it. Even when I was "full," it was a feeling a not being able to eat more, but not of feeling un-hungry. Does that make sense? The pouch seemed full but the hunger was not fulfilled. Also, there were soooo many foods I couldn't eat. Most importantly, although I lost weight in the first year, I never reached what is referred to as my "sweet spot." I had lots of fills and unfills. Because I never got to a "sweet spot," I stopped losing weight and, in fact, have regained much. That is not to excuse myself of any responsiblity; it is to say that it was not an effective tool for me.

I paid cash for the surgery because my insurance had an exclusion for weight loss surgery, so every fill, unfill or doctor visit was cash payment, too. Over time, that added up to a lot of money. And though I am now in a different job and have different insurance, it, too, has an exclusion for weight loss surgery. So now I am paying cash for the revision.

The major appeal of the lapband to me was the "reversible" nature of it. I literally thought they would be able to simply go in, take it out, and it would be like it had never been there. Naive, I suppose, but I don't think uncommon. Had I known about the scar tissue that would be created from having this foreign item in my body, I would have added that to the list of possible negatives.

I cannot wait to have my revision surgery. And while I know people who have had success with the lapband, they have been few and far between. It might be right for you, so you definitely need to do your research. But add me to the list of nays.

Good luck!

I too was sure I wanted the lap band.... untill I researched. For me, the sleeve was a no brainer after my research!

Most of the doctors now think that the sleeve is the way to go. My wife has the lap band and has done very well with it but even her Dr is pushing the sleeve over the band now.

My sister loves her lap band. She got it in '02, so this summer will be 10 years. she lost her weight slow and steady, going from a size 28 to a size 7. She had to have a tummy tuck and has hanging skin on her arms and thighs and has not had a single issue with her band BUT has said numerous times that if the sleeve had been an option then she'd have had it. She'd have lost the weight faster and wouldn't have to live with that "stuck" feeling. plus she has seen so many others having scar tissue built up/revisions that it would have turned her to the sleeve.

I know , I have a friend that has the band and listening to everything she has to go through just to eat and drink is enough of a turn off for me but I'm thinking long term. My lack of will power and discipline is what got me where I am today, so I am thinking the band will force my hand to be good. There is another girl at work that had the gastric bypass (5-6 years ago) and she has gained almost half of her weight back. I guess I am just scared that it will happen to me also.

The scales are tipping towards the sleeve