Hello to all,

I am in the early stages of starting my wls journey and jut when I think I know which surgery I will opt for, I read some of your threads and it completely makes me question which one to go with.... Pleeeease share your own weight loss journey and which surgery you chose, why you did so.....and if you could change it would you?! Please can you tell me how long it's been and your current weight loss total? Thanks for any advice, experiences and wisdom shared!

I keep going back and forth. One day I think the band is the way to go and then I hear how easy the sleeve is with little to no maintenance.... I just can't decide what will be bet for me

I think there are a lot of us who went through what you're going through right now. You have time to decide for yourself which way you want to pursue this. Maybe talk to your surgeon or nut. Either way. You are taking a positive step for your future.

I keep going back and forth. One day I think the band is the way to go and then I hear how easy the sleeve is with little to no maintenance.... I just can't decide what will be bet for me

I don't think I'd use the word "easy" to describe any of the WLS's. In the beginning it can be daunting to get in all your fluids and protein. Then later it can be quite easy to eat around your sleeve (or band). None of the choices are gonna be a cakewalk. You have to be prepared to change your life. But it's so worth it.

I don't think I'd use the word "easy" to describe any of the WLS's. In the beginning it can be daunting to get in all your fluids and protein. Then later it can be quite easy to eat around your sleeve (or band). None of the choices are gonna be a cakewalk. You have to be prepared to change your life. But it's so worth it.

I guess I mean easy in the sense of not having to do fills and unfills or future procedures etc. the sleeve just seems one procedure and done! But by no means is any of it easy. Changing your lifestyle is the hard part

In my opinion, the sleeve is the "cleanest". Nothing left behind, no major anatomical changes. Just less capacity. No limitation on what meds you can take later and your whole GI tract can be examined. No risk of scarring, slipping or port infection. And the sleeve is based on a surgical procedure, gastrectomy, that has been around and used for more than 50 years. (Maybe much longer, in fact).

But all surgeries (even non-WLS ones) have risks. Weigh that with the fact that in the general population, people with problems are going to be the ones who are more vocal on the Internet and elsewhere. That's why you shouldn't only rely on personal anecdotes or stories about a friend of a friend, but actually read the research and the literature that is available from scientific and medical journals, read books, and talk to your surgeon.

Even (especially?) on this website, there is a great amount of good info, along with a huge amount of rumor, speculation, and false misleading information, about each one of the surgeries.

Alex, the founder of this site, has published informational books about the gastric sleeve, lap band, and RNY. Maybe more. They are available from amazon.com, as well as tons of other booms about bariatric surgery. I recommend reading them. Before you buy a book look at the publication date because books that are more than 5 years old will be less useful.

And what matters the absolute most is the path you take after surgery, after the gradual reintroduction of food. At that point, our journeys become remarkably similar. We all need to eat high Protein, low carb healthy foods. We all need to drink enough Water. We all need to exercise. All of our procedures help us limit our intake. All procedures can he successful and all procedures can fail, because the procedure doesn't do all the work. You do. I think Alex combined the sites to show us all our similarities.

Great input! Great advice! So when did you get your sleeve? Any major problems? I am more and more interested in that route.

Hayley, Madam Reverie posted a great article on page 2 of the thread "Dr. In My Area No Longer Does Lapband. Ugh!" It's quite medical/scientific but readable and it looks at different surgeries in a v non-biased way. It might help you.

Great input! Great advice! So when did you get your sleeve? Any major problems? I am more and more interested in that route.

6 months ago. Not a single problem and I'm down 65 lbs.

My surgeon told me that the sleeve is the worst way to go. She is Sacramento's Too Bariatric Surgeon and has been featured in Sacramento Magazine many times. Dr. Machado.

She says that she does not even like or suggest doing the sleeve. She says, "why would I want half of my stomach cut out and then have a hundred staples going down the side of it!?" She says that it's the riskiest of all wight loss surgeries because of the amount of tissue you are compromising . The risk of infection and spillage goes up dramatically because again, there is more manipulated tissue involved..

I personally would do the band over the sleeve any day.

My surgeon told me that the sleeve is the worst way to go. She is Sacramento's Too Bariatric Surgeon and has been featured in Sacramento Magazine many times. Dr. Machado. She says that she does not even like or suggest doing the sleeve. She says, "why would I want half of my stomach cut out and then have a hundred staples going down the side of it!?" She says that it's the riskiest of all wight loss surgeries because of the amount of tissue you are compromising . The risk of infection and spillage goes up dramatically because again, there is more manipulated tissue involved.. I personally would do the band over the sleeve any day.

. Ohhh I can't wait to read the replies to this one.....

I'm not saying she is 100%correct I'm just telling you what she said since the topic is a VS topic.

My surgeon told me that the sleeve is the worst way to go. She is Sacramento's Too Bariatric Surgeon and has been featured in Sacramento Magazine many times. Dr. Machado.

She says that she does not even like or suggest doing the sleeve. She says, "why would I want half of my stomach cut out and then have a hundred staples going down the side of it!?" She says that it's the riskiest of all wight loss surgeries because of the amount of tissue you are compromising . The risk of infection and spillage goes up dramatically because again, there is more manipulated tissue involved..

I personally would do the band over the sleeve any day.

As has been said, all surgeries come with risks and all can be successful.....but the sleeve being "the riskiest of all weight loss surgeries" just does not ring true. The complication rates are actually quite low. I'm sure your surgeon is a wonderful doctor but that statement is purely her opinion and not backed up by facts.

All input is appreciated. I like to hear both the good and bad to each procedure. But any surgery is risky, but it's obviously something we've all signed up for. The complications with the band are just as scary to me as complications with the sleeve.

Hello again,

The band is designed to stay with you for life. I know logically it sounds like once it's done it's job that it's no longer needed. However, what the band is really designed to do is help with the maintenance phase of your loss. Many of us can go on diets and lose (maybe not all of it, but with a little effort we can knock of 10, 20, 30+) but we are all quite terrible when it comes to maintaining that loss. The trick with the band is that not only will it help with your wl maintenance, but I can share personal stories as to how it helped me through some difficult times when diet was simply not the priority (examples: pregnancy, accident resulting in dehabilitating pain/rehab etc) in which I gained zero pounds despite not eating optimally.

Additionally, no matter what surgery you pursue, one thing is for certain. To have your brain catch up to your new way of life/eating takes time and reinforcement with good practices. I am 4 years out and just getting to a place where I feel I have finally understood how to eat and balance through moderation. I dare say it'll take years of practice to truly drive those principles and practices home. I would be putting myself at great risk for regain if I elected to take the band out before I had full confidence I could maintain on my own. Like I said, the band helps with maintenance, so it still helps with things like hunger and portion control.

I have heard of other successful bandsters electively taking it out. I know some regain stories, but I surely don't know the statistics (does anyone have a resource w/ this info???) for success rates with elective band removal. But I think what most people do is instead of removing the band, they remove the Fluid. This is a great trial and error as well. Take the fluid out for one year .If you can maintain on your own, voile, perhaps removal may be appropriate for you. I would highly encourage this route before just taking it out completely without a trial.

Hope this helps

I asked my doctor this very question……about removing the band when at goal. He said that there are some that do, but most gain weight. He also said that many of us feel like we're doing all the work, over the job of the band. Given that, we feel in control, and that we no longer need it. When I say "we", I'm mean……some lap band patients. Anyway…..he said that many don't realize how much the band is working, until it's taken out. For me……it will be a cold day in hell before this band comes out. For the first time in my life, I'm not afraid of food.

I agree, this whole thing I scary. It's terrifying actually. The weird thing is, I'm not scared of surgery, I'm scared of life after surgery!!!

I agree that all surgery is risky but for me, personally I would not like half my stomach to be lined with staples..freaks me out! At least with Gastric you don't have as many staples and area for seepage. I also see lots of band bashing on here too so to each their own

I have seen lots of people on here who have been sleeved and lost a ton of weight and that's awesome and must be a great feeling to finally shed that skin. Best of luck to everyone!

I do have a question though and forgive my ignorance but, once you meet your goals with a sleeve, how do you stop losing? I've got a couple of people I know that are sleeved and they lost so much weight so quickly that they just look ill. They can't stop losing and have surpassed their goals. I'm just curious how to control the sleeve or bypass from a maintenance stand point.

Your metabolism re adjusts about 18-24 months. You basically have that amount of time to get used to eating right! I worry about banders. Your metabolism should do the same , kinda slows down, so what happens when the band comes off!!!! Is that why, when band problems happen , people need to get revisions! ?