I'm currently preparing for surgery in April and still haven't been able to decide to go with sleeve or lap band. Any insight you could provide would be so great!

It is such a personal decision. You need to consider what you want to deal with post-up. With a band- you will have to get fillers frequently. But it is a reversible process. Sleeve is permanent. But no frequent band fillings. That is why i went with the sleeve.

I considered the band but opted for the sleeve because of the high complication rate with the band as well as knowing 4 people (personally) that have all stated, in hindsight, that they wouldn't choose the band again. One of them lost 65/160 pounds and can't seem to lose any more, one has lost no weight at all and the other 2 had to have their bands removed due to slipping and have gained all their weight back. These were really the only statistics I needed to make my decision and I could not be happier!!

I also considered the band but then avoided it like the plague after consulting more with my wife. She is a surgical RN on the bariatric team at the hospital where I had my surgery so I had very good insight into everything ahead of time. My wife said they do a lot of revisions or removals of the band because they are just not as effective, they shift, they have complications (not that the sleeve can't have complications), etc... In fact, the bariatric center where I had my surgery shys away from the band because of those very reasons. They primarily shoot for the sleeve for lower BIM patients or patients who need to loose extra before getting the bypass, or for they do the bypass right away. Both are permanent changes with no foreign object being put inside your body!

When I went to my pre-op education class, there were 7 of us and 3 were having their bands removed and were either revising to VSG or RNY. I know 4 people who had/have the band. One had to have it removed, one has had hers in for years (10) but continues to yo-yo diet, and the other two lost maybe 30lbs and were not able to lose more. I had considered the band, but once I researched and talked to my surgeon, he is taking more bands out then putting them in.

I'm currently preparing for surgery in April and still haven't been able to decide to go with sleeve or lap band. Any insight you could provide would be so great!

Please please don't do the band. I had mine revised to the sleeve on the 11th. While I did initially do well with the band it was very short lived. I had suffered with it for 6 years. One major emergency surgery. And I learned how to eat around it to survive. Most bariatric surgeons won't offer it anymore.

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Please go the sleeve. I just had my band out 3 days ago after having it 7 yrs! While i did loose weight origanly i put it all back on. I am actually now going bypass than sleeve as it has shown better weightloss for xbandits

Go with the sleeve. I have only been banded 6 months and am already having issues. I am being revised to the sleeve on March 7th.

Go with the sleeve. I have only been banded 6 months and am already having issues. I am being revised to the sleeve on March 7th.

What type of issues have u had?

I have had stomach pain, nausea and just not feeling well. I can't eat anything but soft foods but anytime food hits my stomach the pain is horrible. My new surgeon said my body is rejecting the lap band. It is seeing it as a foreign object and doesn't want it in there. It started getting really bad about 3 months after the surgery although I did have the pains before then. They just got worse.

I had a revision three months ago after having the band about 7 years or so

The revision was the best decision I ever made. As my band surgeon advised me when I seem him, over 95% of surgeons are removing them as they are too much trouble. They are not a leave on option as I had first thought, one day it will have to come out due to some sort of complication.

I lost about 35kg in 6 years (that is absolutely pitiful), the thing failed majorly, I vomited and slimed every day and even after I had all fluid removed, I still had pain every day - no slippage, no problem that they could see, my body just rejected what it was trying to do and mentally this made me very very sick.

Today, I can't be happier, having the sleeve is the best decision I have ever made, I am a totally different person.

I am happy!

I'm also a revision patient. Had my band for a little over 5 years. Lost 20 the first 6-8 months then another 30 lbs over the next 2 - 3 years! Yep, 50 lbs in 3 years. Then over the next 2 steadily regained 30.

I didn't have horrible complications. But, I was only in the fill "sweet spot" for a very short period of time. I had to diet without any real band assistance. If it was too tight, I had horrible acid reflux and basically ate "slider" foods - they go down easily but are usually the higher fat foods. Too loose (which was just a smidgen removed) and it was like it wasn't there.

Nothing like having WLS then not having a tool that works. At least for me. I just wish I could have gone back and had this surgery then!

How much weight have u lost with the sleeve?

I'm also a revision patient. Had my band for a little over 5 years. Lost 20 the first 6-8 months then another 30 lbs over the next 2 - 3 years! Yep, 50 lbs in 3 years. Then over the next 2 steadily regained 30.

I didn't have horrible complications. But, I was only in the fill "sweet spot" for a very short period of time. I had to diet without any real band assistance. If it was too tight, I had horrible acid reflux and basically ate "slider" foods - they go down easily but are usually the higher fat foods. Too loose (which was just a smidgen removed) and it was like it wasn't there.

Nothing like having WLS then not having a tool that works. At least for me. I just wish I could have gone back and had this surgery then!

I am not yet three weeks out from my revision and I am down 24 pounds since surfer on the 11th. Feel way better than I did with the band for 6 years.

I only had my surgery back on 2/11/13 so I'm still new but it's night and day experiences! I started band at 252, started the sleeve journey at 229. Lost 10 lbs on preop diet which was hard! So went in at 219. Today I'm at 208. Little slower than others but I'm thrilled with 11 lbs in about 18 days!

Huge difference was with the band I was hungry in just a matter of days but was on a strict healing diet. Same diet now basically (phases last longer) but I'm not hungry at all. I totally lucked out in that I've not even had cravings or head hunger. Only now getting some cravings but more gnat like. I'm really amazed by that.