It's all so confusing.What is the longterm success of the sleeve vs bypass truthfully?Which one is more effective longterm honestly?

Honestly? Hard to say. The sleeve hasn't been around long enough yet to gauge the long term success.

But the good news is it doesn't matter one bit which surgery you have! Long term, the sleeve AND bypass become less effective over time for various reasons. It's just the normal progression of things.

My hubs had a bypass 9 years ago, and can now eat and drink normal (albeit a bit smaller than typical Americans) portions. That's why at this point, it's up to HIM to eat either a normal portion of unhealthy, fattening food, or a normal portion of nutritious, healthy food. The bypass isn't going to choose for him. It never really did!

That's why it's so important to cement healthy eating habits during the all important "honeymoon" period whether you have the sleeve or bypass. That way you have the proper habits to maintain your weight when the surgeries are no longer as effective at allowing portion and hunger control. Just like the saying goes, all good things must come to an end

Makes sense. Did he loose a lot and keep it off? Does he have to work out all the time?

He initially lost about 125lbs, and got a little thin, so he gained 20 after about a year and a half. Kept it off until last year when we both quit smoking before my surgery. He gained 30 more pounds, subsequently panicked, and has worked hard to lose it again (he also started smoking again...boooo). He just watches carbs and portions most of the time. No formal excerise program, just very busy and active most of the time. He's a putterer as I call him. He putters around finding stuff to do to keep him busy other than eat

Did you have the sleeve done?

Not yet...still going through the steps trying to get insurance to pay for my revision.Was at the ER...hiatal hernia.In the process of seeing a gastro doc...gathering all info to submit to the insurance company.Revision is a must..,this band is messing me up.

Yah me too that's why it's coming out!

It's ruining my quality of life...indigestion all day...barf ...feeling nausea...,etc...

Yep stay motivated to get it out. It will be worth it.

My surgeon told me something I didn't know - the sleeve has actually been around longer than people think. He said that the sleeve surgery is really the first part of the bypass surgery and that with people who were super large they would do the sleeve, give them 6-8 months and then do the rest of the surgery for the bypass.

What they found was that the people were losing decent amounts of weight with the sleeve, so they started doing just the sleeve without the 2nd surgery. And then the sleeve started being really popular.

I wish people wouldn't say the sleeve becomes less effective over time. The sleeve remains restrictive over time. The person with the sleeve might become less effective with their diet choices, but the sleeve itself won't change.

I wish people wouldn't say the sleeve becomes less effective over time. The sleeve remains restrictive over time. The person with the sleeve might become less effective with their diet choices, but the sleeve itself won't change.

So true. My nutritionist said a correctly made sleeve doesn't stretch - it becomes slightly larger during the first year as you heal. Patients form bad habits 1) eating and drinking together, 2) slider foods, 3) grazing. This is very similar to regain or failure issues with band.

What is true is that the loss of gherlin from the surgery lasts 6 months to 2 years only. Also, our bodies always will try to go back to the higher weight so that the above mentioned bad habits can be hard to resist.

I just had my band taken out and I'm having the sleeve done in a couple months. I'm worried tho that the same thing will happen with the sleeve. I'll eat to fast or too much and throw up so I can eat more or eat "easy" foods so I can eat more of them. I hope that I don't feel hungry when they take that hormone out of my stomach. I think that will help a lot but I am going to try and I'm going to carry around a measuring cup with me and measure all my meals and not eat more. I was ALWAYS hungry with the band, I just couldn't get much down unless I threw up 5 times first. I just hope this is NOTHING like the band....

Edited August 26, 201511 yr by HELLCATT81

It's nothing like the band. I share your fear though about eating around the sleeve. Constant vigilance is the key. I'm honestly saying that I am loving sleeve eating. I've had no intolerances. I would barely know I had surgery except in satisfied very quickly. I haven't really pushed it to "full" yet.

It's nothing like the band. I share your fear though about eating around the sleeve. Constant vigilance is the key. I'm honestly saying that I am loving sleeve eating. I've had no intolerances. I would barely know I had surgery except in satisfied very quickly. I haven't really pushed it to "full" yet.

Thanks that's good to know. I mean I know you have to try and not sit around and eat ice cream and gravy. You have to eat a lot of protein. But after a while with the band, I have up and started eating crappy. Just don't want to carry that on to the sleeve. Probably going to drink protein shakes for a while even after the surgery when I'm able to.

It's nothing like the band. I share your fear though about eating around the sleeve. Constant vigilance is the key. I'm honestly saying that I am loving sleeve eating. I've had no intolerances. I would barely know I had surgery except in satisfied very quickly. I haven't really pushed it to "full" yet.

Thanks that's good to know. I mean I know you have to try and not sit around and eat ice cream and gravy. You have to eat a lot of Protein. But after a while with the band, I have up and started eating crappy. Just don't want to carry that on to the sleeve. Probably going to drink protein shakes for a while even after the surgery when I'm able to.

So I am very new. Just about 8 weeks out but I find that it is as effective as my band was when I had perfect restriction. Except now I can eat healthy fruits and vegetables and all kinds of Proteins without problems. I read on here about sleeve patients with all sorts of problems with eating and not getting in enough protein and vomiting. This hasn't been my experience even once. I don't know why that is but I guess I'm lucky.