Hi, I have a date to meet with my surgeon on January 30, 2015. I have been reading and learning as much as I can on the sleeve and feel I am prepared for what lies ahead and am committed to making it successful. However, my family is not feeling the same. They feel the lap band is a safer option for someone my age, 57 years old, and has less of a complication risk. I can understand the concerns of major surgery and leak complications but I am having trouble seeing the lap band as an option. I am not sure why I feel this way and I know I make the final decision but would appreciate any advice or encouragement on either surgery. Thanks. Angela

There is "talk" about LapBands being recalled and removed from the market. The failure rate is high and the complication rate is even higher. More and more surgeons are simply not doing them anymore. Please ask your surgeon about this at your next visit so that you can make an informed decision.

Btw, 57 is still pretty young. Good luck with your decision.

I say sleeve but I may be a little bias! ;)I say go with what you and your DR feels is best for you. I actually thought I was going to have RNY, I'd never even heard of the sleeve and at my first appointment my surgeon said nope! Sleeve is best for you ( he doesn't do the band anymore) so I went with what he said and I'm thrilled!

I too wanted the Lap Band - in the beginning. It seemed like the perfect blend of restriction without the permanence of stomach removal.

But I watched a friend get the Lap Band (about 5 years ago) and for a time it worked. He was in the 400 - 500 lb range and lost over 100lbs. Then he found a way to "eat around" his band. He started having problems with the band slipping and getting the fill size right. Now he's bigger than ever and may have to have the band removed for health reasons.

After watching his journey, I ruled out the Lap Band. Everyone is different and has different reasons for being overweight - but in my case I believe my head hunger was cause by the hormone ghrelin. And once my stomach was reduced, the production of ghrelin was drastically reduced and my constant hunger and cravings went away. The Lap Band wouldn't have fixed my problem.

I agree with the ladies - sleeve. Long term complications appear to be lower insofar as you don't have to worry about the band eroding your stomach or infections at your port site. Once you're through surgery, as long as you're meeting your nutrition quotas the only thing you really have to be concerned about is a leak - and those seem to be at less than 10% in general now.

I wanted to do the lap band at first, but I've read that people have a lot of complications with it. I know two people personally that had problems. Also, at one of the seminars I went to the docs said that 1 in 10 people fail with the band. I decided to go with the sleeve and am scheduled Feb 9th pending ins approval. Ultimately the decision is yours though

Thanks everyone. I guess I knew the sleeve was the way to go but it helps to hear others experiences.

I struggled with the same decision, except it was the lap band verses RNY (this was before the sleeve was popular). I really wished I had listened to my surgeon and gone with the RNY. I've had the lap band in place since 2008 and have had nothing but issues. When a fill is done my stomach becomes irritated and the stoma (stomach opening) swells shut. This usually last a week and I am lucky to get down 8oz of Water per day. I used to be a stomach sleeper and can no longer sleep on my stomach because I can feel the port digging into my muscles. Oh, and did I mention the lack of weight loss? I can't eat the foods I am supposed to eat (lean Protein, veggies, fruit) because they get stuck. But the foods I'm not supposed to eat (anything processed) slides right down.

So, I would go with the sleeve. Hands down. And in fact, I am....on January 29.

Jennifer

Hi angply, I'm also 57 and had the sleeve done Oct 27th, so far have lost 35 pounds. I had no complications, does hurt in beginning but that's what we have pain meds for lol. I have been at a stall for about a month now which is really frustrating! Other than that I love my sleeve.

Some people do seem to have success w/the band, but during my research, I've found that the problems and revision rates (changes to either sleeve or bypass) seem to be pretty high. Here's some great info I found that might help you decide: http://www.bariatric-surgery-source.com/lap-band-vs-gastric-bypass.html - this is about band and bypass, but there might be sleeve info there as well --

Best of luck w/your decision!

Everyone posted a lot of good info. Like you, I at first was going to get the LapBand. After researching it, I basically learned that:

• While the initial complication rates for the band were lower, the long term complication rate was much higher
• I figured that I would rather have a surgery and "get it over with" in the first couple months of healing than deal with a lifetime of getting stuck with a needle in my stomach. (this costs money too)
• The difference in complication rates, even initially, between the sleeve and the band were really almost nothing. I think the band has an initial complication rate of 0.05% and the sleeve of 1%. It's still very, very small.
• The bariatric surgeons I've talked with have all preferred the sleeve for me over the band.
• Plus, if the band fails, it gets revised to the sleeve. I just thought--why not get it right the first time? I don't want two surgeries.

My surgeon, who's been doing this for 20 years, said he won't do bands anymore. He said it's basically weight watchers with a little help. Lol

My surgeon doesn't do many bands any more and he, too, has been doing surgeries a long time. Too many revisions and not enough long-term success. That said, there are some dedicated 'band-sters' w/their own forums, both on here and elsewhere...

Jlkhollins,

I too am having a band to sleeve revision on Jan 28. Would love to chat with you.

Sleeve... The Bariatric center that I'm going to is no longer doing the band due to complications. They said there are a lot of issues trying to get the right amount of fluid in the band. Too much causes vomiting and issues with ulcers/esophageal erosion. And too little means slow/no weight loss because the person can eat a larger amount of food.

A lot of their banded patients are now choosing to be sleeved.

I'm 59. I had the band for 10 years.