Why do so many struggle with the band

[Fiddleman 4,376]

I have thought about this a lot since being post op sleeve. While the sleeve has worked well for me (5-10 lbs from new goal), what is to say those band to sleeve revisions are not going to fail? Back when the band was very popular, it was deemed THE weight loss solution for fighting obesity. I have also adopted a new lifestyle of health and fitness. This question also hits close to home because I have seen my sister in law gain back all the lost weight since she was banded a few years back. she has been talking about a revision, and while i sing praises about the sleeve, i still wonder if it is right for her. Would sleeve surgery get the same bad perception as the band when the next WLS solutions comes along if enough people " fail"? There will be better and easier WLS solutions in the future given the ongoing epidemic with obesity around the world. And I am not talking about that surgical tube that pumps food out of the stomach after eating. That is gross. What are your thoughts?

[lessofmeismore 1,405]

The band has caused really bad complications. But there in we have seen horrible complications arise from leaks with VSG.

I see your question but I'm not sure theres an answer...

I think only time will tell

[Threetimesacharm 1,400]

Being a revisionista myself, I can say that VSG is totally different than the band. Saying that you can eat the wrong foods with either is correct my the limit I have with the VSG is always in the forefront when I decide what to eat. I am not a veteran quiet yet but have all the confidence that I will be very successful with the VSG. I can eat all foods with the VSG with the band was reduced to the slider foods mostly. As we say you will always have to still work your sleeve.

[Nicolanz 1,484]

The band never seemed like a good idea to me. When I was younger, my dad even offered to pay for it and I refused. The sleeve helps with hunger

[Nicolanz 1,484]

Hit send too early .....it also has a set volume so one learns how much they can eat and its their new normal. No fills or expanding a band.

[Fiddleman 4,376]

Hit send too early .....it also has a set volume so one learns how much they can eat and its their new normal. No fills or expanding a band.

Yes, I thought it might be the fills and un fills of the band that eventually makes it too difficult to remain successful without forming new healthy habits based on a sound physical and psychological foundation. There is only so tight you can safely inflate the band and that is where good eating habits and exercise need to take over. What I like about VSG is that the restriction starts from day of surgery requiring everyone to come to terms with their eating and drinking habits immediately and progressively over the first 6 months if necessary, or face the uncomfortable consequences. I am only about 6.5 months post op, but feel that 6 months has been a good amount of time to build a new lifestyle, tweaking my strategies as I advanced through the stages. I think it takes months for a band patient to find the right restriction and if they are not careful to develop habits during that time the band may not help them because there are only so many changes a person can take on at once. I suppose the same might happen with the sleeve, but it would be harder to fail until much further out in the process. The restriction experienced between band patients and sleeve patients appears to inversely related.

[Butterthebean 8,146]

I did a lot of reading over on the gastric band website and one thing I read over and over again was that the band actually encouraged people to eat slider foods because when the restriction was a bit too much, slider foods were the only kind of foods they could eat without pain and discomfort. So that's kind of the opposite of learning new healthy eating habits.

[CowgirlJane 14,261]

As a 10 year band veteran I feel I have some street cred on this topic.

The band sucks

(lets see, still hungry, unpredicatble vomiting, can't tolerate most healthy foods, and - gross out - food coming back up; reflux all night long so you have to put your bed on blocks)

The sleeve is like... a tool that actually works without vomiting, with normal human being hunger (ie when nutritiion is needed), few food intolerance. I have come to accept comfortably the portion limitation.

Pre lap band I always considered myself a "too much food" kind of eater - Portion Control problems and I hoped the band would help me. Yeah, it made me puke up when i ate too much. The punisher I came to think of it because I still wanted that extra food. The sleeve, well, I worked and continue to work hard to follow the rules, eat low to moderate carb,and follow all the sleeve rules, but now 13 months out, I am comfortable with, happy with, thank God for being happy with small portions. I know not everyone has this same success with the sleeve, but for the first time in my whole life, I am happy with small portions. food matters so much less to me now.

If for some reason I do fail with the sleeve, I will revise to the DS. I don't believe that will happen to me, i have a determination that exceeds the drive I felt to go put myself through college or raise my boys as a single mom - I am determined. I am NEVER going back to 300#.

[Fiddleman 4,376]

Very good input everyone! Now I have some practical comparative analysis based on empirical evidence to share with my sister-in-law so she has a clearer picture of why the sleeve is much more beneficial over the band.

[Nicolanz 1,484]

Cowgirljane how long did it take you to get a handle on Portion Control? Did you ever have a problem post op? I'm 3 months out and still find myself eating until it hurts!

[Butterthebean 8,146]

Very good input everyone! Now I have some practical comparative analysis based on empirical evidence to share with my sister-in-law so she has a clearer picture of why the sleeve is much more beneficial over the band.

Ha....you just reminded me of someone else whose name I'd rather not say....ssshhhhhhh.

[sleeve_sister 110]

I too was a bander at one time. I worked in a hospital and there were 5 of us who got it including my husband. In the beginning we all had success, however, for me it was short lived. I only lost 24 lbs and gained almost 50 back. After a few years my restriction was getting worse and I decided to look into the revision. I found out several things...my band was placed too high (by a different surgeon), when he sutured the band to my stomach the sutures punctured my stomach in two places, and my band was ulcerated. I had to first get my band removed to allow the ulcer and my stomach heal and then three months later went back for the sleeve. My husband established care with a surgeon a few weeks ago only to find out that his band was "too tight." Which resulted in weight gain from almost two years of eating slider foods. As for the other 3 women who had the band in 2009 and 2010 when we did, NONE of them are happy with their bands and two are looking into revision now that they've seen my success. Yes, the band was the craze several years ago, however, the surgeon who did my sleeve...his practice is no longer doing them because of all the complications and failure rates. Also, the sleeve is not as "new" as some believe. Back when the bypass began 20 plus years ago, they used to do the sleeve on super obese patients as a first surgery to get their weight down to minimize the risks of the bypass surgery. A lot of these patients lost so much weight and never bothered going back for the second part of the surgery. If you look under anniversaries...a few weeks ago I seen someone celebrating her 20th year post op. It's believed that the sleeve will have better ratings than the bypass, but since it hasn't been an exclusive surgery as long as the bypass it will take several years for the statistics to show it. As for your SIL, the sleeve is very different than the band and she will be thrilled with the success compared to the lack of with the band!

[CowgirlJane 14,261]

I sometimes make mistakes but my general habit is to STOP before full. Shoot for not hungry. My NUT helped me so much with this from early on. Remind yourself you can eat later ... dont need it all in one sitting.

Cowgirljane how long did it take you to get a handle on Portion Control? Did you ever have a problem post op? I'm 3 months out and still find myself eating until it hurts!