Last night I attended an informational session that is required by the surgeons I will be going to. I went with my mind fully made up that I want to have the gastric band surgery. After hearing the information I am leaning more toward the sleeve. But am I ready for something that drastic???

Would you guys do it again?

What made you choose the sleeve over the band?

Any failed successes?

Thank you for your help!

I didn't want a foreign object in my body and I didn't want to mess around with adjusting it post - op. The sleeve has worked well for me, and yes absolutely I would do it again in a heart beat.

I initially wante dto get the band , but after my visit with the surgeon and based on the amount of weight I want to lose I decided on the sleeve. I get my surgery April 9th.

I chose the sleeve over banding after talking with 3 sleevers and watching a friend get the band.

All 3 sleevers had lost a lot weight and kept it off for a year and counting. And it cured their hunger pangs and cravings. I lost those as well. I only have to watch out for my ingrained habit of eating when bored.

My friend with the band lost over 100 lbs and was still over 100 lbs overweight, and found ways to get around the band and regained about 50 lbs. At 3 years out, he's had all kinds of problems with his band - from slippage to scarring on his stomach from band irritation.

I have heard so many stories about the band, troubles with it slipping, and constant adjustments. Of course for some people it works very well, but i wasn't willing to take that chance. I opted for the sleeve because it has the least amount of possible complications, and the highest amount of satisfied customers. Also after talking with my surgeon, we decided that this was the best surgical option for me. Even though i'm only 1 week out and still struggling with the liquids part, i wouldn't have done anything differently. My husband had the sleeve done in October and is very happy with it, wouldn't change a thing.

I know someone who has the band and had to have all the fluid removed from it because of a cancer scare. Gained some weight during that time and will be getting it filled once again. It just seems to me that the band doesn't help you with learning how to eat right, but maybe I am wrong. I just know that I didn't like the idea of constantly having to get it filled up to lose weight. I also didn't want something foreign in my body.

I'd do it again in a heart beat!!

Both have good and bad. The band is reversible but known to have corrosion issues and other issues. If u have a lot to lose the band is a slowwwww process. 1-2 pounds a week is a slow process if u do have a lot. The sleeve was a better choice for me. But u have to make the right one for u. I have a lot to lose and also didn't want to deal w the crap of adjustments allbthe time. Plus the slowwwww loss process. Not for me. Research and u will make the right choice for u .

I had a band put in a few years ago because the sleeve wasn't yet available and the idea of RNY seemed to extreme to me. I am now considering the sleeve because I now have reflux and had to have Fluid removed from the band. I have had two doctors who said they can't put more fluid in the band because of the reflux. I now have a useless band and am struggling to maintain my current weight which is only 20 lbs less than I was on my surgery date (I initially lost 45 lbs. but regained 25 lbs. after the fluid was removed from the band).

Yes, you can "eat around" the band by having slider foods, but it seems to me that thus would be easier with the sleeve because you don't have the same texture restrictions that you have with the band. No matter what you choose, you have to relearn how to eat and understand that it (sleeve, band, etc.) is just a tool that you have to use correctly for it to work. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me, despite eating correctly and exercising religiously, due to the reflux.

Good luck with your choice. Only you know what is right for you.

Yes I would do the sleeve again tomorrow. I have had good success so far. It is true no matter what you choose you have to change your eating habits. I have a few friends that have the band. One has lost 50 lbs in a 3 year time frame. She is now getting ready to have the Bypass done. She chose the bypass over the sleeve because of diabetes problems. The other friend lost 100 lbs with the band. She had to have if removed after two surgical adjustments from slippage. Unfortunately, she has regained about 45 lbs back. That is why I chose the sleeve......the band just was not for me. I also learned that the band only has a 7 year manufactures guaranty. It's like the tires we put on our cars the material eventually falls apart. Not very good odds if you ask me! Best Wishes with whatever it is you choose! Tina

I had the lapband for 10 years. Not good, got reflux really bad and all the Fluid had to come out so I regained what little I lost. Band made it very hard to eat healthy foods - dense Protein and salad type foods often caused me to vomit or feel pain.

I revised to the sleeve in Dec 2011 and lost 150#!!! I never had any kind of success like that with the band. I also dont have the side effects.

In my mind, the band is more drastic in terms of negative impact on your life.

I had a band to sleeve revision in December. I have lost more weight with the sleeve in about 3 months than I did with the band which I had for almost 5 years. The sleeve wasn't being offered as an WLS alternative at the time I was banded; if it had or I had known better - I probably would have opted for the sleeve first. I didn't have any problems with slippage but I either ate around it or I threw up a lot (especially after periodic adjustments). The worse part was that I wasn't impressed with the weight loss. Yes, I didn't follow all the suggestions with the band - but like I said I've had more success with the sleeve in the 3 mos than I did with the band after 5 years. The straw that broke the camel's back for me was when my DIL had WLS and opted for the sleeve. 6 Months post her sleeve surgery she had lost most of the weight she wanted to loose and she looked good. I knew then I had made the wrong choice. I had a hard time initially with the sleeve, but things keep getting increasingly better and I think I'm coming along well in terms of my weight loss.

Oh yeah another thing that happened to me with the band, I lost weight in my lower region e.g. below the band line, but my upper body weight didn't really improve - in fact if I gained weight I gained it in my upper body. Don't know if anyone else had this experience, but this was my experience.

At this point, I would never recommend band surgery to anyone. I was lucky that my insurance company paid for my 2nd surgery e.g. revision, if not I would be trying to figure out how I could self-pay - that's how disappointed I was with my progress.

I'm thinking the more I read up on the sleeve the more I lean toward it. Now I'm worried about my hair falling out. Lol

Last night I attended an informational session that is required by the surgeons I will be going to. I went with my mind fully made up that I want to have the gastric band surgery. After hearing the information I am leaning more toward the sleeve. But am I ready for something that drastic???

Would you guys do it again?

What made you choose the sleeve over the band?

Any failed successes?

Thank you for your help!

Hi, I went to my informational seminar set on the lap band, too. But my surgeon said he's doing more band revisions than actually putting bands in. He said that because I was young (29) it would be holy likely that I'd need additional surgeries down the road to replace parts of the device or if it slips. I don't like needles so getting the fill would have sucked for me. I don't like the idea of possibly going in for surgeries down the line. I talked to lots of people who said they learned to "cheat" or "eat around" their sleeve. I wanted something that was really going to be a tool for me and help me change my eating habbits. Also, my sister has a band and when she was thin her port site kinda creeped me out. I could feel it under her skin. After careful consideration I went with the sleeve. I think its the best fit for me and my life style.

I'm thinking the more I read up on the sleeve the more I lean toward it. Now I'm worried about my hair falling out. Lol

Hair loss is likely to occur with any wls. Don't let that be a deciding factor.

Add me to the list of band to sleeve revisions. Not all weight loss with the band is slow. I lost 100lbs with the band in 14 months. However, even if you can follow the rules and be successful with the band, the risk for complications, even years after reaching goal is insanely high.

I was basically at goal (7lbs away) when my lap band slipped. When they tried to adjust it, I was punctured in the stomach and it was removed. I gained everything back and could never lose it again when I finally did get a band back.

My second band was more typical... Slow to lose and awful reflux. Had an awful time eating healthy foods and relied on slider foods. I lost 40, gained 20... It was no more successful for me than weight watchers! And then last year, it started to prolapse (where the stomach pulls up through the band). Unfilled it to try and fix it and only gained more weight!! After I refilled my band it happened again. Just constant complications over the 10 years I was banded!

If you have choices, please do research on lap band complications. Most patients that are 2+ years out have had some form of complication! I am counting the days until I can get this thing out of me!!