Hi, I thought I was a 100% sure on the lap band but I started seeing information on the sleeve so I wanted to check out this option too and who better to get info from but you guys! So what made you all decide to get the sleeve instead of the band. I am 36 years old 340lbs. Thank you so very much for any help and or advice.

Edited March 1, 201412 yr by Zuzu_Petals

I'm still pre-op but for me the band was never even an option. Both places where I went for consultations were no longer doing the band because of the large number of complications and low success rate. I wanted gastric bypass but because of my severe psoriatic arthritis, my surgeon said the sleeve was the way to go! Congrats on your journey, whichever you decide!

I decided to get the sleeve because after doing (mostly internet) research, I learned the sleeve had a lot of complications like being too tight or too loose. I didn't like the idea of having to go in to be re-filled every 1 -2 months (my friend has the band and that has been her experience).

I also read about the band slipping, eroding the stomach and that most banders end up having it removed and/or getting a revision surgery such as the gastric bypass or the sleeve.

To me, the sleeve just seems more natural. It's still my stomach, just smaller. No foreign objects, sleevers are supposed to experience little to no dumping syndrome.

What made the decision for me was attending an information session with my surgeon.

I had the band in mind on my first appointment and my doctor asked me why. He told me the sleeve was a better long term option for my age (33) and that 25% of bands are being removed due to complications. 25% was too high of a number for me and I am so glad I went with the band.

I actually went with the band back in August 2012 because I was concerned about the sleeve being "permanent." While I was quite successful with the band overall by losing 90 pounds, I wish I had just gone with the sleeve, because of the issues I dealt with. I.E., sliming, throwing up & eventually had a partially slipped band & had it removed & revised to the sleeve (same surgery) in Jan 2014.

I did the conversion because I was terrified of gaining all the weight back. There was a reason I did the WLS to begin with. It was obvious to me that I was not capable of portion control. If I was I wouldn't have ballooned up to 245 pds pre-surgery.

I have since lost an additional 17 pds & am considered to be at maintenance. I'm 5 '3 and am so thankful to be 139 pds. It's a good range (135-140). I'm happier, I feel great & I finally like the way I look.

Keep in mind, WLS isn't for everyone. You have to be dedicated & want to follow the rules. They're there for a reason. Yea, you can have a bite of anything (like a dessert) BUT you will feel full quicker so focus on the healthier stuff that will give you more energy & more nutritional.

Best of luck!

Forced portion control, that is why I chose the sleeve.

I chose the sleeve because the band doesn't make the hormonal changes needed to fix my comorbidities and I've seen first hand the nutritional issues with the rny. The sleeve leaves the plumbing in place so every part of the system still does it's thing but it is restrictive enough to cause both the hormonal changes and the weight loss.

Band was never an option for me either, I have a friend who did the band and she only had problems....always sick, she already changed it to sleeve and great results. I have few friends with the bypass but I always thought it was too severe, couple other friends with the sleeve and the results were awesome for them and no issues either. So I dreamt of the sleeve for 3 years until I finally made the call to the dr to see if my insurance would approve of it and 2 1/2 months later, I got the surgery done. I love my sleeve and I love the way I feel now.

I looked into the band but saw a lot of horror stories about slippage and erosion. I also saw that the statistics on weight loss were not as good for the band as they are for the sleeve and the bypass. I didn't want to keep going back to my doctor for fills or unfills, and I really hated the idea of a port right under my skin that I could feel (and so could my partner - creepy!).

Still I had an open mind with respect to all three surgeries (though leaning towards the sleeve) when I went in for my initial consult. My surgeon said he would not perform the band on me. There are too many complications and he believed that I would not have adequate success with it as I was SMO. He said he rarely performs bands on anyone anymore, now only on lightweights and only if they insist on it and won't consider any other surgery.

So we discussed the bypass and the sleeve - he thought I would do really well with either one and for a variety of reasons we agreed that the sleeve would be the better option for me.

My surgery and recovery has been super easy so far. I am 14 months out from starting my 6 month supervised diet -- lost 55 lbs there and about 105 lbs since my surgery in June. I am so glad I did this. I still have about 40 lbs to go.

I had the band but did nto loose much weight..then it slipped and I started putting on weight. I now have the sleeve and am loosing weight gradually.

Thank you all so much for your feed back. I am going to the seminar this Monday and am very excited to get the ball rolling!

For me , the fact that the band can be reversed was a minus , not a plus as many consider . My personal opinion is that I was entering WLS with a commitment for a permanent solution to my obesity. I actually know a woman who had her band deflated prior to going on a cruise! What type of commitment is that?

2 other issues for me were the amount of follow up required with the band ( not my strong suit) and the high revision rate I saw as a nurse. I have not regretted my decision to get a VSG even for a minute. I am consistently losing weight, and have not felt deprived at all. Good luck with whatever you chose .

I also didn't want a reversible option, and my surgeon and I agreed that because of my weight (I was 392 at the time) and the amount of weight I needed to lose (about 200 lbs) bypass or Sleeve was the way to go. Also, permanent tubing just hanging around in my body kind of skeeves me out.

Between Sleeve and Bypass, the Bypass just sounds too invasive to me! Here, let's take a system that Nature designed that works for animals across the kingdom and *futz* with it! Just rearrange these tubes a little.... No thanks! The idea of a smaller stomach and the removal of ghrelin-producing tissue makes SENSE in my head. And yes, it has a little lower percent of average "excess weight lost in 1 year" but I'll take it!

Sleeve is also much more pregnancy-friendly than RnY. I've had one child and I'm 35, but I might want another baby when I'm at a lower risk for gestational diabetes....

After seeing my sister-in law who I did not recongnize becasue she lost 95 pound and I haven't seen her in two years she live in Virginia and a couple of women that I knew personally and talking with them along with my research and attending a meeting for sleeve surgery, I knew right then and there that this was the best decision for me. I was just sick and tiried of trying just about every diet and exercising my butt off and not really seeing the result that I want to see, I want to feel better . I will hit one month post op on March 4th, and I lost 25 pounds so far, I feel that I have a lot more energy and even though I walk pass the mirror at home and it does not look like I have lost 25 pounds, I can tell from my pant that I have pre-surgery.

At the informational seminar I attended the surgeon said he didn't like the lap band. I didn't want anything foreign inside of my chest. The RNY was too confusing for me to wrap my head around. I loved the idea of keeping my digestive tubes intact.

For me, it was because my nature of work required me to fly every often to less developed countries (or where the nearest hospital can be a few hours car ride away). My doctor advised me not to have lap band in this case as I would not be able to have adequate medical care immediately. Hence, this can be a consideration for you.