I see a lot of people on here who have had a lap band and then have the sleeve. Is there only a certain amount that you can lose with tbe lb ? I am curious to know why people dont lose with a lap band. Are thdy really phasing them out? My friend had one in 05 and she only lost 37 lbs and I want to ask her why but I dont want to upset her.

I had lapband in 11/09 and had it deflated in 3/12 then removed in 8/12 due to over a year of complications that resulted in nightly vomiting and finally a slippage. I was successful - lost 90 pounds - but at a huge cost to my health given the complications. When I had it removed (which was actually SUPPOSED to be a replacement but the scar tissue and swelling was so severe once they got in that they had to take it all out), the doctor told me that the LB is no longer seen as a long term surgery, because there are so many complications occurring nowadays. In 12/12, I had VSG. Weight loss has been super slow, which my dr attributes in part to having the LB previously, but it is coming off. Having experienced both, even without the LB complications, I would have done VSG instead because of the pain and "stuck" feeling I got from normal foods - baked chicken, broccoli, spinach, etc - which I eat without concern with the VSG.

Of course, everyone's story is different, and some people have the band successfully for life.... but that was my experience and many others I have found since being on VSG Talk.

I really disliked my band. I was successful in the beginning and I lost 80 lbs but then I started having bad pain when I ate. Then it turned into stomach pain the majority of the time. And the port hurt all the time. My surgeon kept deflating my band in hopes to give my stomach a break and of course I started gaining weight back because I could eat whatever. Eventually I decided that was enough and talked to my surgeon and switched to the vsg. It took my doctor almost 2 hours to remove my band because he said it was covered in scar tissue and it took him a long time to get through it to the band. He felt that's why I had pain all the time. The sleeve has definitely been a better fit for me... I don't have to go in constantly for adjustments, I have yet to throw up or get that awful " stuck" feeling, and no pain!