I have been reading lots on this forum in prep for my op and am seriously starting to wonder: -

Are sleeves the answer to easy, problem free weight loss?

From what I have been reading there are soo many problems with the band and so many people that are unhappy with it, whearas so far I have only read good things about the sleeve.

It seems that there are very few side effects with the sleeve except for initially. All the posters on here that have the sleeve seem to be exceptionally happy, problem free and wish they had done it in the beginning.

I'm especially interested in people that have had the sleeve for a while and what their experience has been. Would love to hear the positives and the negatives(if there are any).

You maybe should have posted this under the "sleeve" forum?

Sorry , still new and not very good at working out the best place to put things!

I didn't mean to imply this is "WRONG"! But if you want "sleeve" people to answer, I thought maybe you'd get more of that under the "sleeve" area. I think it's great lap band talk has accommodations for all WLS!

I actually appreciate your response. Just not sure how to move it or if I need to post it again. That could be a problem as I could annoy people if I duplicate it.

BTW I really enjoy reading your posts. You seem to give good , well thought out advice.

Thank you! That's sweet of you to say!

There's probably a way to move your post but I don't know how! :thumbup: i think you could "edit" and essentially erase it but I don't know if it's really worth the trouble...

Depending on how people have their pages set up this may pop up anyway. I go by "new posts", not by the forums...?

If you don't get the responses you want with it here you might try again tomorrow or something.

well i know of some bandsters who then converted to sleeves due to comlications.

Everyone has a different opinion, the sleeve in my opinion is just as invasive as the bypass so I personally wouldn't get it. But if you think it's the better option for you then good luck =)

Just go read in the gastric sleeve section of the forum. You will get more answers and information then you ever dreamed.

There will always be arguements about what is the best, but that is because it really depends on what you are willing to do, and what you need from the WLS.

In the end the real problem with the band, in my opinion, is how long term is it going to work? You can argue, "I'll get the band, then revise if it doesn't work", but if your self-pay, that is a much harder thing to do.

I just love what someone recently said, "I will get the band, and later if I have to have it removed, I will see what is new and better out there". I found the statement to be ironic, because they don't seem to get that the gastric sleeve done correctly, IS, the new and better surgery out there right now....LOL.

But most Insurance companies won't pay for it.

To say the sleeve is as invasive as bypass, is to say, I have an opinion, but it is totally not based in fact at all.

No offense, but it sounds don't right silly to anyone who actually understands the differences.

Everyone has a different opinion, the sleeve in my opinion is just as invasive as the bypass so I personally wouldn't get it. But if you think it's the better option for you then good luck =)

No, the sleeve is not nearly as invasive as bypass. Might want to research it a bit and you'll see that there is no malabsorption like bypass. No malnutrition issues, no cutting of intestines, etc. It's a great deal less invasive than bypass.

I have been reading lots on this forum in prep for my op and am seriously starting to wonder: -

Are sleeves the answer to easy, problem free weight loss?

There is no such thing as easy, problem free weight loss. The sleeve is easier than banding, yes. But no massive weight loss is easy.

From what I have been reading there are soo many problems with the band and so many people that are unhappy with it, whearas so far I have only read good things about the sleeve.

Now wait a minute, when I posted accurate stats of banding vs. sleeves you wrote that it was band bashing and balanced needed to be restored. Then you were thrilled when someone posted a lot of outdated inaccurate sleeve information and said that balance was restored. NOW, just one day later, you are writing of all the band problems and complications with unhappy people. I didn't even go that far and you felt I was band bashing. What the heck?

It seems that there are very few side effects with the sleeve except for initially. All the posters on here that have the sleeve seem to be exceptionally happy, problem free and wish they had done it in the beginning.

I'm especially interested in people that have had the sleeve for a while and what their experience has been. Would love to hear the positives and the negatives(if there are any).

I was banded for 18 months and I've been sleeved for a year. I honestly don't have any sleeve problems, just problems leftover from banding. I prefer sleeves because of fewer long term complications, no maintenance, no aftercare, better and easier weight loss. I'm at goal and done for life.

I am just about to run out of the door and go to work so don't have a lot of time to respond.

There is no such thing as easy, problem free weight loss. The sleeve is easier than banding, yes. But no massive weight loss is easy.

Thankyou for confirming that as I was beginning to wonder..........

Now wait a minute, when I posted accurate stats of banding vs. sleeves you wrote that it was band bashing and balanced needed to be restored. Then you were thrilled when someone posted a lot of outdated inaccurate sleeve information and said that balance was restored. NOW, just one day later, you are writing of all the band problems and complications with unhappy people. I didn't even go that far and you felt I was band bashing. What the heck?

Wasa I never pointed the finger at you personally.I did and still do believe that there is a lot of band bashing on the boards.

As a non expert how was I supposed to know that the other persons information was incorrect and out dated. I was just happy to see a different side because as I said previously I like balance. Everything has a good and a bad side.When someone comes onto a board like this how do they know what is correct and what isn't.By the same token how do we know that your stats are correct? I'm not implying that they aren't just how do we know?

What I think would be a good idea would be if someone with a lot of experience (possibly yourself) posted a sticky somewhere with all the accurate facts about sleeves. Both the good and the bad including possible side effects etc. People who are then undecided about which WLS to go for could be pointed to this.

I also think that when people use stats or info gained from other sources that the source should be quoted.This then gives people the opportunity to check the info out for themselves.

Have to go. Hopefully this has come across in the way it is intended and that no-one is going to get upset!

Did you want this to be moved to the sleeve section?

That can be done, but I am not sure if it would get the results you want.

A lot of people just go to new posts, so it doesn't matter where it's at. Then there are people with the sleeve who might not be reading the rest of the board.

For me, I revised to a sleeve because my band problems were just beginning. I felt that they were only going to get worse. I was worried about having silicone wrapped around my stomach and what it would do to my stomach long term. I had to have most of my fill removed due to acid reflux, so the band was pretty much worthless to me at that point.

Edited May 22, 200917 yr by Oregondaisy

daisy, how long did you have your band before being unfilled?

Almost 2 years. I was banded in 12-06 and in 10-08 I started throwing up in my sleep. This went on off and on for a couple of months until I finally had an esophagram and it showed the barium just sitting in my esophagus for over 15 min until the x ray tech called my dr. who had him remove half of my fill. Then things started moving.

I thought it was strange that I never had problems in the day time. I never threw up in the day time and nothing was getting stuck. I hadn't had a fill for a year, so I didn't think I was too tight.

When I finally got my band taken out, the x ray showed my esophagus was very dilated. Dr. Aceves said I had been using my esophagus for a stomach.