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!

With the added plication to my band, I feel that I got the best of both worlds, without permanence. My stomach volume has been dramatically reduced (shape and size like the sleeve), and the band on top signals satiety on very small portions. I was concerned about having plication because of the lack of long term studies, but I'm glad I did it. If I have a bad day & try & overeat, it gives me secondary restriction. And there was never any concern about leaky staples, and me losing my entire business

Wow, we're in tune tonight?

Really quick the staples they use for sleeve are so small you more than likely wont even see them when you poop them out! Gross but true!

The titanium staples are permanent girl, they are in for good. They get covered with scar tissue and thats that. They don't get in the way of MRIs or airport metal detectors!

Well yours may be but not mine lol! Other wise my dr is a liar which he's not! He told me I had two rows of mini tiny staples that would all fall out and eventually I would poop them out but were do small I wouldn't even see them!!! Maybe my dr does things more modern! You can give him a call if you would like!!! Rockwood clinic spokane wa , dr spitz , but any one will do!

This may help people who may be unsure. Whatever you decide, best of luck to all!!

<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.lapbandsurgery.com/gastric-banding/gastric-sleeve-vs-lap-band/'">http://www.lapbandsurgery.com/gastric-banding/gastric-sleeve-vs-lap-band/'>http://www.lapbandsurgery.com/gastric-banding/gastric-sleeve-vs-lap-band/</a></a>

Lololol.....what a crappy, outdated and biased article. Seriously that is a sales pitch written by a doctor who does not do the sleeve. Completely prejudicial and faulty information. Please do not post such misleading information.

Allow me to change the subject somewhat and ask a question of the sleeve folks? Plication? It appears that plication is similar to the sleeve in that it reduces the size of the stomach, however, without the removal of 80% of the stomach. Did anyone consider plication?

And I only ask because of my ignorance of both procedures. I know how the surgeries are performed thanks to youtube but it seems like they're somewhat similar? Wrong?

The band forum has a few bands with plication and seems like these folks need fewer fills or no fills and feel satiety easier than just the bandsters. I admit I feel a little envy at times!

tmf

2muchfun....I was certainly intrigued by the gastric plication but my insurance does not cover it. That was my only problem with it.

Yes it is considered experimental still and the efficacy is not as good as a stand alone..

Also the reversible aspect and ability to convert is in question too..

Unicorns are real

Double post

The titanium staples are permanent girl, they are in for good. They get covered with scar tissue and thats that. They don't get in the way of MRIs or airport metal detectors! </blockquote>Well yours may be but not mine lol! Other wise my dr is a liar which he's not! He told me I had two rows of mini tiny staples that would all fall out and eventually I would poop them out but were do small I wouldn't even see them!!! Maybe my dr does things more modern! You can give him a call if you would like!!! Rockwood clinic spokane wa , dr spitz , but any one will do!

Could you be referring to the staples used to close your incisions ???

I would really like to know what the basis is for concerns about staples. They are so commonly used in surgery today and other than those who are sensitive to nickel, I've not heard of problems with them. I'm certainly full of the things, having had a couple of major ops previously.

And as for "pooping out" staples... they are put on the outside of the stomach - usually by a cutting and stapling tool that does both jobs at the same time. From there, there is no way they are going to get inside your stomach so they can travel through the intestines and "out". Where 2 pieces of stomach wall are stapled together those two pieces will fuse or join, by healing and scarring. Staples won't pass through that that join without damaging it... and probably without a fair bit of force. Pooping staples sounds like a fairy story...

The titanium staples are permanent girl, they are in for good. They get covered with scar tissue and thats that. They don't get in the way of MRIs or airport metal detectors!

Well yours may be but not mine lol! Other wise my dr is a liar which he's not! He told me I had two rows of mini tiny staples that would all fall out and eventually I would poop them out but were do small I wouldn't even see them!!! Maybe my dr does things more modern! You can give him a call if you would like!!! Rockwood clinic spokane wa , dr spitz , but any one will do!</blockquote>

Could you be referring to the staples used to close your incisions ???

Nope they didn't use staples on my five tiny superglued incisions. !!! My dr was really advanced I guess. Two rows of tiny staples that would poop out! My husband went to a different facility different dr and same thing for him! They don't do titanium staples any more!!! At least not in my area!

The titanium staples are permanent girl, they are in for good. They get covered with scar tissue and thats that. They don't get in the way of MRIs or airport metal detectors!

Well yours may be but not mine lol! Other wise my dr is a liar which he's not! He told me I had two rows of mini tiny staples that would all fall out and eventually I would poop them out but were do small I wouldn't even see them!!! Maybe my dr does things more modern! You can give him a call if you would like!!! Rockwood clinic spokane wa , dr spitz , but any one will do!</blockquote>

Could you be referring to the staples used to close your incisions ???

No again, my incision was 5 tiny little cuts he'll together with super glue, my staples were two rows, of tiny staples that would fall out over time! I am 100% positive! My husband same thing, and he went to a totally different place! You know it's not uncommon for advancement in the medical field! Again , the staples the good drs use fall out or dissipate !!!!! Google it , I don't care but titanium staple are not all that common any more!

Did he say where they would "pop out" to??

Are they free floating? Shat out??? Or???

Do they form a pretty necklace around the spleen?

Really quick the staples they use for sleeve are so small you more than likely wont even see them when you poop them out! Gross but true!

The titanium staples are permanent girl, they are in for good. They get covered with scar tissue and thats that. They don't get in the way of MRIs or airport metal detectors!

Well yours may be but not mine lol! Other wise my dr is a liar which he's not! He told me I had two rows of mini tiny staples that would all fall out and eventually I would poop them out but were do small I wouldn't even see them!!! Maybe my dr does things more modern! You can give him a call if you would like!!! Rockwood clinic spokane wa , dr spitz , but any one will do!

No , maybe yours were but things are changing and good drs use tiny rows of staples that fall out over time! Sorry, but your wrong! It is possible for medical advancements! My will fall out in my poop!

I went through a 12 week (one time a week) program through Kaiser Permanente(Southern California) called "Options". During that class, we learned a lot of details regarding the sleeve, band and RNY. I went in originally considering the band, but after learning of the risks/options for all three surgeries, I settled on the sleeve.

I had never had surgery prior to getting my sleeve on 10/23/13. I did have the norplant (birth control) inserted in my upper arm several years ago and since my body tends to encapsulate anything foreign injected into it, they had to cut the implant out of scar tissue that was formed around it to remove the device. Thinking of the lap band concerned me since although it is inserted laproscopically, if you have complication such as encapsulation or band slippage, they have to open you up to repair/remove it. Since I assumed it too would encapsulate in my body, along with the continued maintenance, band slippage, and possible stretching of the esophagus due to food getting stuck above the band, again I stopped considering it.

I went through my Options Program in Bakersfield, CA and my surgeon was not a Kaiser Surgeon but a contract surgeon through Bakersfield Surgical Associates so the band was an option. I was mildly surprised when we were told in class that the Southern California Kaiser Surgeons at the Kaiser Hospitals stopped performing band implants a couple years ago based on their studies regarding complications.

I did not consider RNY since there was a greater risk of dumping syndrome and higher cases of mal-absorption of Vitamins and nutrients since the food does not enter the stomach at all.

I have not had a problem with indigestion since getting sleeved, however, while the surgeon was in there, he also removed my gall bladder and repaired my hiatal hernia. The surgeon referred to this as the "trifecta"

In conclusion, the decision to undergo WLS alone is a huge undertaking. Although it is interesting to read the different responses to this type of question, the best advice I can give is that you need to be informed as possible regarding your different surgical options and ensure when you do decide, you ask the surgeon's office to schedule you enough time to answer ALL your questions during your first consultation.

Good luck in whatever decision you make and happy losing

Did he say where they would "pop out" to??

Are they free floating? Shat out??? Or???

Do they form a pretty necklace around the spleen?

Where is she-who-shall-not-be-named when we need her?

(Plication) is considered experimental still and the efficacy is not as good as a stand alone. Also the reversible aspect and ability to convert is in question too..

I agree with this. Folding tissue in on itself so tightly (as must be done to stop particles lodging in the folds), in the very warm, wet and active environment of one's insides, has got to lead to some sort of fusion - perhaps reversible but perhaps not. And what happens to all those grehlin producing cells? Do they stop working or go into overdrive because they are not sensing food?

The plication appealed to me initially but I couldn't find anyone doing it locally. As more questions came to mind I went back to the sleeve.

While VSG alone has only been around for a relatively short timeframe, the stomach reduction part has been done for a long time for stomach cancer and as part of DS. Long studies on those ops sometimes raise concerns about malabsorption, bowel obstruction and inability to scope whole intestinal tract, but so far I haven't seen anything long term on the small stomach per se. GERD can get worse (without DS), and leaks are an issue for first couple of months but not thereafter. Incidentally staples dramatically reduce leaks and blood loss - which is why they have been embraced the world over.

I think the real issue for sleevers is that we don't know if the hormonal benefits we get (reduction of grehlin and insulin) will last long term without small intestinal changes. Note that its these changes that are credited with the higher weight loss 'potential of the sleeve and bypass - food restriction (small portion size and slower eating) and low carb diet also playing a role. I've been told not to expect the hormonal effects to last and to make the most of the first 2 years, but who really knows yet??

And that issue is not a band vs sleeve issue, as those hormonal changes are either slight or absent with the band.

Really, if you are uncomfortable with staples or having a large part if your stomach removed don't do it! I wouldn't. It will be there later on if you get to a place where it starts to seem to be the right thing for you.