Undecided lap band vs sleeve

[Laurensloss 13]

Hi I am new on the site. I decided I wanted the lap band about 6 months ago. I just got the ball rolling with appointments. I am 5'3 and weigh 270 lbs. My suregon favors the sleeve so I started researching it. Now I am undecided. I like that there is less maintenance with the sleeve and better success but I am wondering if it is too drastic. I am worried that I will regret it later that 90% if my stomach is gone. I like that the lap band is less drastic but I don't like that a lot of people have to have surgery again to readjust the port or slippage. Just wondering if anyone has advice.

Thanks!

Edited January 30, 2014 by Laurensloss

[NewSetOfCurves 1,555]

I too was adamant about the lap band. It was something that wasn’t permanent, I could remove it later if I wanted to, make adjustments as I pleased, etc. My doctor, like yours, was an advocate for the sleeve. He said he would do the lap band if I wanted, that it cost the same as the sleeve, but that the complications and the eventual removal of the band was of greater risk. He also said that at first doctors believed that the band was something that could remain permanently in the body, but with new research and the countless cases of slippage and erosion, that the band now has a limited life span (I don’t remember what the number of years was). I did the research and sure enough there were MANY horror stories and fewer successes. After I became a member on this site, I searched and searched, read and read through people’s experiences, the good and the bad. I didn’t come across that many horror stories, and I liked that the national percentage of complication rates were below 2%, and even lower than that for mortality. My doctor’s numbers were far below the national average, which I loved even more.

Ultimately, I asked myself: do I want a tool that will help me out for a lifetime? I have been struggling with weight for a great deal of my life already. Will I be able to control it with a non-permanent solution? Obesity runs in my family. Am I doomed like many of them? With the help of this forum, especially the veterans who were 2, 3, even 5 years out, I made the best decision of my life. I LOVE my sleeve and I haven’t looked back!

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,722]

whatever you decide to get, all the best

[vdub_tx 92]

I picked the sleeve because every single person I know who has had the band has had some type of problem, be it slippage, erosion, etc. Two of them had to have the whole thing removed and then heal and then have yet another surgery to do the sleeve. By then they had gained back a lot of weight and had to start over. The thought of going through this more than once freaks me out. Also, their experience taught me that most severely overweight people need a lifelong tool so I need it to be permanent! Everyone has to make their own choice as to what works best for them and I wish you the best of luck, whatever you choose.

[Kindle 8,667]

I, too, was originally looking at the band. A friend that has had the band for 5 years was the first to talk me out of it. She had to have emergency surgery when it slipped, and the ongoing fill/unfill maintenance is an inconvenience to say the least. She still has it, but has never lost as much weight as she really wanted because she has become an expert at "tricking" her band and eating unhealthily (which she would probably do with any WLS)

On the other hand, the sleeve is a scary, permanent thing. If you have problems or don't like the new lifestyle, there's no going back. If you don't like the band, you can always get it removed, but then you are still in the same boat with weight issues. Short term, the sleeve has more complications, but long term I'd say the band probably does. You will not be able to have it in forever, so you are looking at another surgery down the line.

Good luck with your decision.

[LouiseC 1,031]

When you look around here, you will see very few people who ever regret getting the sleeve, but a considerable number who find the band does not work for them for a variety of reasons. A high number seem to go from band to sleeve revision. This would factor in my decision strongly.

I always chuckle to myself when I hear people concerned about 85% stomach removal. I would be more concerned about the foreign object being placed in my body. We are all different though and good luck which ever path you choose.

[MissPYT 3]

Not quite sure how to post my own message on here...but i had the lap band done November 2012...The port came off about 6 months later ands was lodged in my pelvic and rectal area causing excruciating pain. i kept being told it was a ruptured ovarian cyst...finally they did a cat scan and realized the issue i had emergency surgery the next day. Today i had an xray because of the same pains and also gallbladder issues and have been informed again that THE LAP LAPBAND LAPBAND FLOATING SOMEWHERE INSIDE MY BODY....i am giving up up and going to another practice to have the sleeve as soon as i get my gallbladder taken care of. Too many issues with the lap band....However I have lost 65lbs so far....even without there being any Fluid in my band 80% of of the time....go figure

[PrincessErin 64]

I know many people that have had great success with their band. That being said, mine almost killed me. I strongly suggest considering the sleeve or bypass.

I had a low BMI and thought the band would be best and it was a horrible mistake.

[PrincessErin 64]

I'm having bypass done in 3 days after an emergency removal of my band a year ago. It was a painful, horrendous nightmare and now I'm having yet another surgery.

I had 5 surgeries after my lapband nightmare. Just be careful!

[LouiseC 1,031]

The Lap band helps patients suffering with obesity and weight related medical disorders to lose weight by restricting how much food could be eaten over the course of a day, resulting in weight loss. With this simple surgical technique, a smaller stomach becomes full sooner and empties into the intestines at a slower rate, promoting slower digestion. Over time, the band can be adjusted according to patient's desires, or if they have met their goal weight. Sleeve gastrectomy is a type of bariatric surgery that drastically reduces the size of the stomach. Also known as a vertical gastrectomy, a partial gastrectomy, gastric reduction, as well as a greater curvature gastrectomy, this type of procedure is offered as an alternative to gastric bypass surgeries and encourages weight-loss in obese patients by removing up to 85% of the stomach. This is a permanent procedure that cannot be reversed, but one that is providing a growing number of obese patients from around the world with life-saving benefits.

Is it just me, or does this read like an advertisement?

[PrincessErin 64]

Is it just me, or does this read like an advertisement?

It definitely does.

[2muchfun 8,928]

Keep in mind that the band has been an accepted procedure longer than the sleeve, therefore the number of patients will reflect a higher number of complaints or problems overall simply due to the fact there are more patients.

Also, for some reason, sleevers seem to be very defensive over their choice and often come to threads like this to disparage the band with anecdotal stories or stories of their own. Be aware, that the patients who claim the band failed them had/have the option to revise to the sleeve, therefore you will find them here complaining how the band failed them.

You won't find the opposite where sleevers have revised to the band or back to nothing when they've lost 85% of their stomach. And the complaint that they don't want a foreign object in their bodies? How about dental fillings, heart and kidney stints, joint replacements, organ transplants, metal plates repairing fractures, mesh to repair hernias and so on. Most everyone has some kind of foreign object in their bodies.

I won't disparage the sleeve as I believe it to be a very viable procedure. The fact that some people do experience malabsorption is a concern to me though. But not enough to persuade me from having this type of surgery. I try to keep an open mind and not live and profess from my limited anecdotal life experiences. Both surgeries are effective tools for losing weight if you follow the rules.

Here is a more recent compilation of studies that gives a clearer vision of WLS.

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/291785-new-jama-surgery-study-shows-weight-loss-surgery-is-getting-safer-and-more-effective/

[NewSetOfCurves 1,555]

Keep in mind that the band has been an accepted procedure longer than the sleeve, therefore the number of patients will reflect a higher number of complaints or problems overall simply due to the fact there are more patients.

Also, for some reason, sleevers seem to be very defensive over their choice and often come to threads like this to disparage the band with anecdotal stories or stories of their own. Be aware, that the patients who claim the band failed them had/have the option to revise to the sleeve, therefore you will find them here complaining how the band failed them.

You won't find the opposite where sleevers have revised to the band or back to nothing when they've lost 85% of their stomach. And the complaint that they don't want a foreign object in their bodies? How about dental fillings, heart and kidney stints, joint replacements, organ transplants, metal plates repairing fractures, mesh to repair hernias and so on. Most everyone has some kind of foreign object in their bodies.

I won't disparage the sleeve as I believe it to be a very viable procedure. The fact that some people do experience malabsorption is a concern to me though. But not enough to persuade me from having this type of surgery. I try to keep an open mind and not live and profess from my limited anecdotal life experiences. Both surgeries are effective tools for losing weight if you follow the rules.

Here is a more recent compilation of studies that gives a clearer vision of WLS.

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/291785-new-jama-surgery-study-shows-weight-loss-surgery-is-getting-safer-and-more-effective/

Tu-shea 2muchfun! I am happy that you have had so much success with yours! I agree about the foreign objects. I have a 4 year old whom has undergone many heart surgeries and is alive today because of foreign objects. I agree that the lap band has been a successful tool for many people and that there are many, many more people walking around with the band vs. the sleeve; so, there are a greater number of people out there with their anecdotal success and horror stories. However, anecdotal or not, they are real experiences and experiences that can repeat themselves. If you look at the national percentage—which is the ratio that takes into account the number differences—the complication rates for the sleeve are a lot lower. When I shopped around for doctors, they all sided with the sleeve. One of them said that he would not perform the band. Period. Also, the sleeve does not have malabsorption issues; that occurs in bypass patients.

All that being said, every surgery has its risks; you have to weigh your options and the risks and decide which RISK you are willing to take, if any. When my 2 ½ month old daughter (at the time) went into heart failure and they told me the horrible news and that she needed immediate surgery, and said that the survival rate of that surgery was 92%, and her chance of surviving was without it was 15%... guess what I chose?

Anybody going into weight loss surgery needs to do their research, they need to talk to doctors and ask their opinions, they need to talk to people with weight loss surgery experience and ask about their experiences because each one of their stories holds a possibility…the possibility that you might experience the same thing. I went into this with my eyes wide open. I knew what the risks were, I knew the varied experiences that were out there and that I might experience them myself. I prepared myself for the worst and I hoped for the best.

Again, good luck with whatever you decide and your weight loss journey!

[2muchfun 8,928]

Curvy,

Apparently not all sleevers share your views on malabsorption: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/295731-i-wish-i-hadnt-gotten-the-band/?p=3343995 Jean McMillan is a respected author on weight loss from the band to the sleeve.

And if you read this report/study from the creator of this forum, Alex Brecher, you will see that the procedures don't differ all that much. "By procedure, gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy resulted in the greatest weight loss, but had a higher rate of complications and mortality than adjustable gastric banding. Gastric banding had the highest reoperation rate (12% in randomized trials), while gastric bypass had the lowest at 3 percent, followed by sleeve gastrectomy, which had a reoperation rate of 9 percent. The new meta-analysis included sleeve gastrectomy, which was not available in the 1990s"

Study is here:

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/291785-new-jama-surgery-study-shows-weight-loss-surgery-is-getting-safer-and-more-effective/

You have to realize that no one can go from sleeve to band so we have no bandster's complaining that the sleeve didn't work for them or that the RNY didn't work for them.

I will concede that the band is much less forgiving to those who do not follow the rules, or those who have concurrent illness/diseases and those whose bodies reject a foreign object. But we're talking a 3% difference which could very well be the people who revise to the sleeve or RNY simply because they can.

tmf

[NewSetOfCurves 1,555]

Curvy, Apparently not all sleevers share your views on malabsorption: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/295731-i-wish-i-hadnt-gotten-the-band/?p=3343995

I too will concede that stats do change and numbers were different when I was researching this over a year ago. However, despite what others might feel or agree with, the sleeve is not a malabsorption issue.

http://gastricsleevenow.com/advantages-of-gastric-sleeve-surgery

I talked to death about this with my doctor because I am horrible at taking vitamins/ pills/ medications/ etc.