hi all. i went to the information session last night fully decided on the band and they made it seem like it wasn't the best choice, how it's fallen out of favor. i was wondering what made y'all decide on the band instead of the other procedures. it seems to me, from this forum, that band are successful if managed well and person does what they are supposed too. i had not wanted something so invasive, but now i guess i am second guessing. my surgical consult isn't until Sept 17th.

I have had nothing but good luck with my band. I've reached goal and am still losing. I don't think the other surgeries are bad, just didn't want anything so drastic. My surgeon said that the problem I had with reflux would only get worse with sleeve.

Have you looked at the lapband with plication? The band is placed and then your stomach is folded in and stitched closed. Kind of creating a sleeve without removing part of the stomach. I just had this done on Monday, so I'm not the expert by any means, but maybe this is something you might consider.

Most of us that are banded or are banded with pliclation is because we know it is reversible if at any time if we wanted & we didn't want our insides, rerouted or part of our stomachs removed , however it is what you decide what is best for you ,do your research & ask as many questions at the consult if the person acts like their getting annoyed , keep asking so you can make sure you know that the Surgeon will be there for you at any time to answer any concerns you have , but it is Your decision on what you choose , I am not at goal but I will be & my Doc. says that's because I am doing the band right & when I get to goal & maintenance I won't gain the 150 lbs I have lost , I only have 45 more to my goal , best thing I ever chose to do for my self.

Way to go Debbie

Good luck with your choice. I chose banding 7 1/2 years ago because it seemed to be the least invasive. I would do it again tomorrow. No more yo -yo up and down dieting. Very happy and content. Perfectly perfect me

Perfectly imperfect me. Damn auto correct

I chose the lap band because my insurance would not cover WLS and the band was the only thing I could afford/finance. I would have liked the sleeve, but the cost was too high for self-pay. I am doing well. I feel great. I work out 6 days a week and the band has helped me with portion control. I am not in the "green zone" yet, but I watch what I eat and average 1-2 pounds loss per week. If you follow the rules, the band does work. Weight loss is slower than the sleeve, but my goal is to become healthier and get off high blood pressure medication. Good luck on your decision and on becoming healthier.

Thanks for all the kind responses. I was also leaning toward the band because it was less invasive and reversible. I want to be well informed and not regret my decision a year from now. I really appreciate the feedback.

My doctors office really pushed the sleeve and tried to talk me out of the band. I did a lot of research and I have seen people be successful with all 3 surgeries and fail with all three. So for me I wanted something reversible and one with the less recovery time and less invasive. I stuck to my guns even though they don't do this surgery at my doctors office much any more and I am loving my results this far. Do your research and go with the one you feel most comfortable with.