Another Lap Band vs. Sleeve question..

[Leesa926 72]

I started looking into the Lap Band but then reading the internet felt the sleeve was a better option. Today I had my first appointment with the surgeon who does both but admitted he favors the band. He talked a lot about it and makes good points. Now I am not sure what the best option for me is. He said I could do both and to take my time - ultimatly it is my decision.

I have heard pros and cons on both. I think my thinking was the sleeve would work more in the sense the sleeve wouldn't let me eat to much. I know I have to change my habits either way and I am fine with that but maybe felt the sleeve gave me that extra protection.

The doctor feels the band is best but it is all in the aftercare. He says the sleeve is still newer that is why there isn't as much long term information. He thinks both are great surgeries just that he leans more on the side of the band.

I will continue to do research but wanted your input. Appreciate the help and avice!

[gowalking 10,790]

The input you'll get on line will be based on what surgeries other posters have gotten, and how they are doing. Basically, the reason bandsters go with the band is that it is a less invasive procedure. The reason sleevers go with the sleeve is that they do not want to deal with the aftercare of a band.

That's what you will have to think about in order to make your decision. Good luck!

[metawnny 8]

I am a band patient that now has the sleeve. I was banded in March of 2007 and unbanded in March of 2014. My band did get my weight down but it was a struggle from the beginning. I had a lot of side effects. Getting the adjustments and finding the sweet spot for fills was really a pain. I would get too tight, then too loose, and you have to wait a few weeks between the visits so it is a time consuming process for sure. I never did get the "chewing my food into pulp" thing down, so I had tons of sliming/vomiting episodes. I had massive issues with GERD and could not lay flat to sleep for over 4 years. Ultimately, I ended up getting food poisoning and the pressure from needing to vomit and the band being in the way caused my band to slip. For me it was an easy decision to remove the band at that point.

Sadly, my weight began to creep back up and I made the decision to get the sleeve on June 1, 2015. I know it has only been a month but the experience so far is entirely different. With the band, every time I ate I would get a choking feeling because the food sits above the band and gives pressure. Now when I eat, I just feel full. It is easy to feel satisfied with a minimal amount of food. So far I have not had any issues with acid reflux but I do realize it is still early.

Overall my vote would be for the sleeve. It requires so much less hassle and doesn't make you feel like you are choking when you eat. In any case, I wish you the best of luck with whatever decision you make.

[lexiemia 78]

A lot of Drs won't even do the band any more because of the complication rates. I had my band for 11 years. I had multiple problems over the years but learned to live with them because it allowed me to remain thin. Finally the band slipped and they took all the saline out. I gained back 87 lbs of the 100 lbs I had lost with the band. With the band I had sliming, vomiting, and food stuck. I had GERD so bad my bed was on 6 in blocks and I slept on 5 pillows basically sitting up. My lower back and hips were giving me a fit from the pressure of the way I had to sleep. I didn't realize how bad my symptoms were until I had the band removed. I am surprised that the band is even still on the market. I also have a friend that has a band and her port has flipped and can no longer be accessed. I don't regret having the band but can't say I would recommend it to any one. When I had my band the sleeve was not an option. I was sleeved on May 28 and band removed. I have lost 22 lbs. I have had no more vomiting. The only regret I have is not having this done sooner. Good luck with your journey.

[CowgirlJane 14,261]

Get 2 more opinions before you decide. Many surgeons are moving away from the lapband now. Fact based medicine.

[Leesa926 72]

Thanks all. My doc said he would do either just is partial to the band. I feel confident in him but keep going back and forth. I will check out some of the other seminars.

I am ok with changing my food habits and really feel the WLS is a tool but I think what I hear is that the band is more resrictive on what you can eat, is that true.

I think there are pros and cons on both and I just have to keep doing research.

My biggest fear is the bank won't "work". The sleeve seems easier.

Thanks so much!

Edited July 2, 2015 by Leesa926

[Sharpie 3,306]

explore your options. the sleeve is radical surgery, you lose 80% of your stomach, the band is less invasive but comes with some rules that you should consider. Bypass of course is a major surgery where your intestines are re-routed. All WLS come with risk . I was banded because I did not want to have major surgery , I have so far had a good experience and I hope to continue without problems. It is more work on your part to keep the band healthy and maintain your weight. I agree with your Doc about long term effects of sleeve, not been around long enough. I do know we have many long term band patients around and I know a few who have had band's re-done for one reason or other. I also know band over bypass patients.

[parisshel 1,892]

You've asked a good question and it's a good sign you are doing thorough research.

My surgeon did band or bypass. I knew I only wanted a band, as I mentally could not handle the idea of any other more-invasive WLS. The band is also invasive, certainly, but "less" invasive in how I perceive it. My surgeon also thought, after reviewing my pre-op evaluations (psych, dietician, health issues) that I fit the criteria for a successful experience with the lapband. So I felt supported by him and his expertise.

I wish I had had the mindset to have been braver, and to have gone with either the sleeve or the bypass. My band was terrific the first year out...I loved it and sang its merits to everybody whose path I crossed.

Then I got complications.

I've said this before on this platform...when considering WLS, or any elective surgery, read closely all the risks and potential complications, and picture yourself living with any or all of the complications. This is a good way to evaluate the risk and benefit of this elective surgery. So, with the band, if you are one of the patients whose band erodes into your stomach....picture that and ask yourself how you would resolve that? With the sleeve or bypass...look at the potential for GERD or malabsorption properties, and ask yourself how you would resolve those issues?

The thing is, we are human and really can't predict outcome. I know for me, I refused to read the posts from bandsters who had experienced complications, or the band-bashers, or even the blogs of bandsters who had failed. I didn't want to be dissuaded from my decision and I was convinced I was going to be a winner at this...no issues, no complications...I wasn't going to be "like those other people." And indeed, I followed my band rules to a T, and still ended up here today, with a dormant band, unable to tap into its usefulness to the extent I need to support finishing my weightloss.

All this to say that I would not today choose a lapband. It was perhaps the gold standard in its time for WLS, but I think it has now gone the way of the Blackberry. It can still work for people, but there are other, less-problematically-prone WLS on the market (at least for now they appear to be...who knows, tho, ultimately?).

[CowgirlJane 14,261]

When I was banded I viewed it as less invasive, in some strange way not"really" bariatric surgery. However over the 10years of my band it felt invasive. Fills and unfills, scopes to check out issues, unpedictable vomiting, horrible reflux, having to sleep with head of bed elevated AND was still overweight. I revised to sleeve 3.5 years ago. I viewed it as horribly drastic surgery at the time but felt I had no choice. Living with the sleeve has actually felt much less invasive, less drastic. I am now normal size, healthy weight, no vomiting, no fills, no real issues.

[zonetracy 53]

I was undecided about the band and the sleeve for awhile and decided on the sleeve. I was sleeved 3 weeks ago and my main decisions were this... a couple friends both have the band and they both throw up their food often if not daily. I really hate throwing up. And after i got to reading more i found that over time the complication from the band seem to increase and i was worried i would be the person where the band would cause a lot of problems I didn't want. Good Luck with whatever you choose

[qnz234 102]

When i did my research, after my dr suggested i sleeve (initially i wanted rny), after i read about the lap band needing a permanent port, and all the possible complications with this foreign object in my body...it was already a no brainer. sleeve it is. they say there isnt long term data...but i found some decent statistic for patients overseas in europe. so just do thorough, relentless research. best of luck with your final choice.