Hi there,

I was banded in Feb 2003 and went from 133 kg to 60 kg. Unfortunately the band slipped and I had emergency surgery in May 2008.

Living such a different life which included working out 5x / week, cutting out sugared drinks etc, I thought I could keep the weight off, but lo and behold ... it was not to be ... and I have since gained over 20kg = > 44 lbs.

Have gone back to the surgeons and have been asked to consider either the sleeve or the gastric bypass. Would greatly appreciate any thoughts / inputs from all you experienced folks.

Maybe if I give u a little info about me, it may be easier for you to give me your input ... I just turned 33 ... single with no kids. Am not attached now but would like to have a kid of my own someday. Had been diabetic and on insulin and medication since I was 16 but the lap band and weight loss helped me to be diabetes free. Had problems with menstrual cycles, but the weight loss fixed that too as it did with my fatty liver, sleep apnea, hypertension, chronic backaches etc. And going back to where I was isn't the most comforting thought.

Any input would be great ...

Oh poor you, sorry to hear that, for what it is worth , i would go the sleeve, does not interfere with absorption, they are only reducing the size of the stomach, not interfering with every thing else.

Somehow I posted my reply in the RnY forum instead of this one. I won't repeat it. Just go over there. :redface:

Hi there,

I was banded in Feb 2003 and went from 133 kg to 60 kg. Unfortunately the band slipped and I had emergency surgery in May 2008.

Living such a different life which included working out 5x / week, cutting out sugared drinks etc, I thought I could keep the weight off, but lo and behold ... it was not to be ... and I have since gained over 20kg = > 44 lbs.

Have gone back to the surgeons and have been asked to consider either the sleeve or the gastric bypass. Would greatly appreciate any thoughts / inputs from all you experienced folks.

Maybe if I give u a little info about me, it may be easier for you to give me your input ... I just turned 33 ... single with no kids. Am not attached now but would like to have a kid of my own someday. Had been diabetic and on insulin and medication since I was 16 but the lap band and weight loss helped me to be diabetes free. Had problems with menstrual cycles, but the weight loss fixed that too as it did with my fatty liver, sleep apnea, hypertension, chronic backaches etc. And going back to where I was isn't the most comforting thought.

Any input would be great ...

Well, you already know you do well with a restrictive procedure only so why go for malabsorptive when you know you don't need it to lose weight?

With banding and bypass you are looking at a life time of after care, with a sleeve you are not. There is no maintenance of any sort with the sleeve.

Hi

I am pre surgury and trying to compare..does your hair fall out as easily with the sleeve as it does with the band? I also would like to know reasons that being irreversiable would be bad? Why would you want to reverse it?

Thanks! :smile2:

Hi

I am pre surgury and trying to compare..does your hair fall out as easily with the sleeve as it does with the band? I also would like to know reasons that being irreversiable would be bad? Why would you want to reverse it?

Thanks! :smile2:

Yes, your hair will fall out or it won't with any of the procedures.

What is so great about reversible? Exactly what reason would you like to regain all that weight once you lose it?

I think if a surgery like RnY were truly reversible, that would be great. Because some people get that surgery and have health problem after health problem. Now technically it is reversible but that almost never happens. You have to be on death's door before it will even be considered. Plus sometimes the pylorus value atrophies and so you can never really go back to what you had before.

But with a band, that doesn't really happen. Therefore, the only reason to take it out is that it malfunctions. So I'd rather just not put it in to begin with.

With the sleeve, part of your stomach is removed permanently but your stomach is still fully functional so all those weird health problems like you can get with bypass don't happen so much. People can even live without their stomachs, if they have to. My aunt lost hers to stomach cancer, for example.

You have proved that you can lose weight with the band so I think the sleeve would be best for you. It is not as invasive as the bypass and would be better for you in the long run if you are considering having chldren. All the best for the future. It will be your decision in the end and I wish you well which ever procedure you choose.

hi everyone,

thanks for your input on this. the decision has been made for me. my surgeons felt that the bypass would be too drastic, and the risks too high for the benefits ... as my BMI is not as high as it was previously.

i have the sleeve scheduled for 3 Dec. will be starting on the very low calorie diet - VLCD "optifast" to prepare for surgery 2 weeks before that. not sure how that is going to work out as i love my food too much. sigh.

thanks everyone ... keep in touch.

btw, when i mentioned higher risk with the bypass, that is taking in consideration the lack of expertise with the procedure for obesity in Singapore.

Good luck! I think you'll be happy in the long run.

FYI Your hair does not fall out with the band from malabsorbtion SP??? but from anesthesia....and no matter what surgery you have you will have anesthesia!

Hi

I am pre surgury and trying to compare..does your hair fall out as easily with the sleeve as it does with the band? I also would like to know reasons that being irreversiable would be bad? Why would you want to reverse it?

Thanks! :tongue:

hi, i am not 100% sure but I was given to understand that the hair falling out as well as ulcers in the mouth were a result of Vitamin deficiency.

i was doing fine on the band, gradually loosing weight with no issues as mentioned until the slippage. that was when i was throwing up profusely and the weight started dropping rather rapidly. vitamin b12 seemed to address that.

Edited November 4, 200817 yr by flee75

hi, i am not 100% sure but I was given to understand that the hair falling out as well as ulcers in the mouth were a result of Vitamin deficiency.

These things can be caused by vitamin deficiencies. But if you are getting all your Vitamins and taking all your Protein and you have surgery, your hair may still start falling out 3 months later.

It's one of those necessary/sufficient things. If you want to minimize hair loss, it is necessary to have proper nutrition, but it's not sufficient. :tongue:

Anyway, it starts growing back in a few months, so I'm not going to worry about it. I want to be healthy for the rest of my life and if it takes 3 months of hair loss to do it, so be it.

hi, i am not 100% sure but I was given to understand that the hair falling out as well as ulcers in the mouth were a result of Vitamin deficiency.

i was doing fine on the band, gradually loosing weight with no issues as mentioned until the slippage. that was when i was throwing up profusely and the weight started dropping rather rapidly. vitamin b12 seemed to address that.

That is more true in bypass vs. banding. I suspect that is why some bypass folks don't have hair regrowth.

Banded folks can lose hair just like everyone else. It can be due to anesthesia, massive weight loss, a shock to the body, vitamin issues, Protein issues, etc.

If it's gonna happen it's gonna happen.

I agree with Wasa, you've already proven you have the determination and drive to do brilliantly with a purely restrictive procedure. On that strength, I wouldnt even look at a bypass, I'd go the sleeve. Personally, my band has been trouble free and if I had a slip, I'd consider banding again first and foremost if that were possible, but I think I'd give the sleeve a good hard look and if rebanding isnt possible,then I'd definitely go the sleeve.