I am considering this procedure and am about 95% certain I am doing it.

The other day I told a friend who later she admitted she had a lap band. My friend is a wonderful woman and maintains a 60lb weight loss but was NOT happy with her band.

She told me that people who get VSG all develop scar tissue and suffer from these effects in the long term. Then she said that unless I was a regular gym rat, that my body would lose and then just regain all the weight back.

I don't know how that would even be possible but now I am really scared.

What are the LONG term effects of this surgery? Do most people just restretch their sleeve?

Will I have a malfunctioning stomach for the rest of my life?

Not enough long term data to suggest stretching is significant. Get the sleeve, measure 1/2 cup food a meal, keep your calories logged-never go over a healthy amount, and you will do just fine.

I have done TONS of research and been on these forums for months and I have't heard anything at all about VSG causing a build-up of scar tissue. I've heard a LOT of lap-band patients having trouble with scar tissue from their bands when revising to VSG.

I don't think you'll have to be a "gym rat" to maintain your weight loss, but regular exercise is a requirement for maintained weight loss no matter how you lose the weight. I lost 90 pounds "on my own" a few years ago and stopping regular exercise contributed greatly to my regain.

As for stretching the sleeve, it will relax and expand some by about a year out, but it can never be back to anything remotely resembling your old, full-sized stomach.

Yes, you can get a stricture as a result of scar tissue, but they can usually be repaired. And they're not all that common, anyway.

My dietitian prefers that we don't count calories at all.

You can get a Minimizer Ring around the sleeve to prevent stretching.

You certainly don't need to be a gym rat to maintain a weight loss.

Your friend is not an expert on the sleeve (or on WLS in general, by the sound of it!).

Edited February 26, 201511 yr by mrs kaje

When I was considering WLS I called my cousin who had a Lap Band done a few years ago. She has gained most of her weight back but she doesn't work at keeping it off. She is the one that told me about the Sleeve. She has a friend that had the Sleeve & has done very well with it. I decided to do the Sleeve & am very happy I did this. My surgeon doesn't even do the Lap Band because the success rate is so low. No matter what kind of WLS you have you still need to work at it.

You need to be committed to the change in eating habits. There are somethings I avoid such as rice, muffins & ice cream. The hardest thing to avoid, for me, is Pasta. If you aren't willing to change your habits then you will be unhappy with your WLS. I just started watching My 600 lb Life & it facinates me the people that won't listen to their doctor. I even see this on here sometimes.

The Sleeve is a great tool for weight loss & I highly recommend it. I've been blessed in the fact that I have not had any issues with the surgery & I'm 71. I don't have to use my oxygen as much (as long as I'm not walking a lot) & I'm off of my CPAP. Yay!!

Thanks for the input everyone.

I am committed to losing weight and actually really enjoy being active. After I had my two kids back to back I have been gaining weight non-stop and it has made working out very difficult. (Joint pain related to arthritis. ) I'm just too big to exercise with the intensity I'm used to. Now I do Water aerobics, which isn't very effective.

I am hoping that I can get out of the pool and start running again if I lose enough weight. Plus-sized running has not been working for me.

I am just scared that this HUGE change will ultimately fail. I will still be fat, I will still be on my CPAP, and still have limitations on activity.

Our body maintains fat cells and replenishes new cells at a rate of 10% annually. If I can keep the weight off for 5 years- my body will shed these pesky fat cells and hopefully break the cycle.

I am just terrified of complications like scar tissue.

Also, has anyone else had the ring put around their stomach to prevent stretching?

I am just terrified of complications like scar tissue.

Also, has anyone else had the ring put around their stomach to prevent stretching?

These two issues are counter to one another. If anything, a ring could cause the build-up of MORE scar tissue. I looked into the ring for sleeves and there is currently NO evidence that it makes any difference. The only studies on sleeve patients so far have been short and demonstrated no difference in weight loss/maintenance in patients with our without banded sleeves. I'll see if I can dig up the link for you.

Edit: Here's one link where a surgeon is talking about starting a trial soon to compare outcomes of banded vs. non-banded sleeves. They briefly refer toa small study that showed that at one year, there was no difference, but they are looking to conduct a 5-year study:

http://www.vosc.com.au/from-adams-desk/new-study-to-band-or-not-to-band-the-minimizer-ring-sleeve-gastrectomy/

Edit 2: Here's a link to the study that found that there was no discernable difference in weight loss 1 year post-op between banded and non-banded patients, but vomiting was significantly increased in banded patients. That doesn't sound fun!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24464518

Edited February 26, 201511 yr by JamieLogical