I am considering WLS and really need some straight answers from those of you that have experienced the band. I have read sooo much on both surgeries and have looked at the good , the bad, and the ugly. The sleeve has me scared because if in the next 10-20 yrs something happens to me like getting sick or cancer, I will not have a stomach to withstand treatments since it is not reversible. However I have also read that so many with the band has reverted to the sleeve because of no success. I know that both are considered a TOOL for weightloss and like all programs, if you don't work the program correctly, it won't work. So my question is to you -- do any of you regret getting the lapband and if so, why?

Asking that question on this board will get you a biased response because banders will all have had a revision...

But as someone who went into this first looking at the band, I can say I asked my doc the question about getting stomach cancer. He said the result would probably be the same, sleeve or no sleeve. You'd lose your stomach either way.

Do your research, talk to your surgeon. 99% sleeve lovers here. Use the search function, for immediate review of common questions such as this.

Best wishes to finding what's right for you.

I just had my band taken out 16 days ago and the sleeve done. I chose the Band because it was less invasive and no cutting on my stomach would have to be done. I had it for 5 years but after 3 yrs I started having reflux that was so bad i was choking at night in my sleep. i tried everthing, I even had an endoscopy that showed nothing was wrong with the band but i did have a hiatal hernia. I had surgery to fix the hernia and still had the reflux! I can honestly say, having to go in all the time for fills and then the band would get to tight and I would have to have fluid taken out, was a pain. Also the feeling when eating, of having food stuck in your throat like a rock after just a few bits was frustrating and unfullfilling. I nolonger had the sensation of the food going down into my stomach and it feeling satisfying. Now that i have the sleeve eating feels normal again. I wish I would have had the sleeve done in the first place.

When I made my first appointment to see the surgeon about WLS I had the lapband in mind. He suggested the sleeve because of my age(33) and said it was a better choice for a long term solution, but what made me decide the sleeve was he told me 25% of bands were are being removed due to complication and other reason and 25% was too large of a number for me.

When I made my first appointment to see the surgeon about WLS I had the lapband in mind. He suggested the sleeve because of my age(33) and said it was a better choice for a long term solution, but what made me decide the sleeve was he told me 25% of bands were are being removed due to complication and other reason and 25% was too large of a number for me.

I experience the same thing and went with the sleeve. I have no regrets.

Well I had my band done also 5 years ago and my sleeve done on mon 8/5. The band wasn't bad. It did help in a way where instead of 2 slices of pizza I had 1 . The problem was either it was 2 tight or 2 loose. never found the sweet spot. When it was 2 tight it was almost like the first few days after the sleeve. couldn't drink because of it being too tight and then going out to dinner and having to run to the bathroom to throw it up then to come back and either eat if I could or not . I do know people who lost a lot with the band but they were younger (then me) in there 20's early 30's and had the time to work out. I lost 20 then gained back the 20 and then gained another 10 or so more. I was at my highest so I decided before I get too old i'm 44 that I want 1 last shot with the sleeve. -Good luck with your choice. ElisaI

I mentioned getting a band to a friend that has one and she promptly told me not to. She's had it 5 years and is happy with it now and has lost 100 lbs, but took her over two years of fills and unfills to find the "sweet spot". Not to mention an emergency surgery when her band slipped and cut off all circulation to her stomach and another surgery to have her gall bladder removed. I live in a very rural area where fills and unfills will be difficult and a slip could be very serious considering the nearest bariatric surgeon is 3 hours away. Although the permanent nature of the sleeve concerns me, the alternative permanent fatness is worse.....

But like Gypsy Queen said, you are going to get biased answers on this board.

Yes I too was looking into getting the band at first, but after doing the psych evaluation he talked me into having the Sleeve done. He mention that it was safer then the Band and that he know of some doctors that had it done and was taking it out to do the Sleeve. I also thought about the back forth trips to the doctor to get it filled. So I am so ready to do this and start getting my life back!!!

My doc reported to me that only 10% of WLS are Lap Bands these days.

I just had my band taken out 16 days ago and the sleeve done. I chose the Band because it was less invasive and no cutting on my stomach would have to be done. I had it for 5 years but after 3 yrs I started having reflux that was so bad i was choking at night in my sleep. i tried everthing, I even had an endoscopy that showed nothing was wrong with the band but i did have a hiatal hernia. I had surgery to fix the hernia and still had the reflux! I can honestly say, having to go in all the time for fills and then the band would get to tight and I would have to have Fluid taken out, was a pain. Also the feeling when eating, of having food stuck in your throat like a rock after just a few bits was frustrating and unfullfilling. I nolonger had the sensation of the food going down into my stomach and it feeling satisfying. Now that i have the sleeve eating feels normal again. I wish I would have had the sleeve done in the first place.

Thank you for your post.

I am having my lapband out with conversion to sleeve on 9/12. I am so tired of the feeling of food stuck and always being stressed out about what will go down and what wont with the band. Not to mention getting up from meals to puke even when eating slowly and chewing a lot. I look forward to feeling the food go to my stomach also.

I was so worried that the sensation would be the same with the sleeve. In researching this I don't think that will be a problem!!